Tinelli on Leadership )
Ideas you can use today Issue 50 - February 28, 2009
In This Issue
  • Starting Anew - The Difficulties.
  • Changing Mindsets.
  • Arnold Palmer's Dad on Leadership.
  • The year is now well underway. How are things going?

    Are you achieving the results you want in your leadership development efforts?

    If you find there are areas that still need attention, let me know. I can help you improve what you're doing to get the results you need.


    Archie Tinelli, Ph.D.

    Starting Anew - The Difficulties.

    Starting anew is difficult, especially when you're unprepared for the challenges that loom ahead. What can you do, as a leader undertaking a new position, to minimize the potential difficulties and become as effective as possible as soon as possible?

    First, it's important to remember that the transition you are making is not uncommon. In fact, it occurs every time a leader takes on a new job. That said, far too many leaders fail to recognize and plan for the difficulties that typify the transition. The thoughts below apply to the common factors, regardless of whether the transition is in the same company or in a new one.

    A transition has several aspects, mentioned last month, including:

    Establishing your authority, weaning your staff from loyalty to your predecessor, recognizing and dealing with the differences between you and your predecessor, determining what you will change and what you will keep, and determining how you might want to reinvent yourself as a leader in the new situation.

    Given these difficulties and challenges, what can you do to deal with them?

    First, do as much research as you can, prior to taking on the job, to understand the current situation as fully as possible. The more intelligence you have, the fewer surprises there will be. Talking with senior members of the organization is a good place to start in order to understand the history and context of the group you're going to lead.

    One leader I worked with found out that two members of the staff had applied for her new job and still harbored resentment over the fact that she was hired, not them. Knowing this helped her prepare for and deal with this difficulty as she assumed leadership.

    Next, talk at length with your new boss in order to establish, as clearly as possible, the specific expectations she or he has for you in the first year in the job. It will be to your advantage to capture these in writing and ensure that your boss has a copy prior to stepping into your new role. The expectations alone are not enough; this document should also identify the particular challenges that your boss believes you are likely to encounter.

    Leaders often use this document as a reference point with their boss as they provide periodic updates on progress. It can serve as protection from bosses who say, midway through the year, that you're not working on what they wanted or accomplishing what they expected.

    Third, develop a clear, precise, and honest introductory speech that will serve as your mantra during the initial months on the job. This speech serves several purposes. It lets others know something about you, it communicates what you plan to accomplish, it distinguishes you from your predecessor, and it identifies steps you will take to begin to make a difference. This speech is not a one- time event, but rather a standard stump speech that you will have to give repeatedly to numerous audiences over the course of your first few months on the job.

    In the course of my coaching of leaders, I've had many opportunities to talk with staff members about their bosses. There is a consistent theme in their comments: "I don't know who my boss is;" "I can't figure out how she thinks;" or "He's never told us what he wants to do."

    Fourth, spend what will seem to be an exorbitant amount of time asking questions and listening to what others have to say. This will include a variety of people and venues, such as:

    Talk with each of your direct reports, more than once. Use these conversations to more fully ascertain what they see and how they think, to evaluate their ability to do their jobs, to set expectations for their first year under your leadership, and to build rapport and trust by sharing with them examples of how you think, decide, and lead.

    Sit in on as many standard meetings as you can. Identify the most frequent and substantive meetings used to manage the work. Invite yourself to them as an observer, watch what happens and, after the fact, talk with attendees about the purpose and effectiveness of the meeting.

    Meet with all your key stakeholders to introduce yourself, to ask about how they see the relationship, and consider what you might do together to make the relationship even stronger in the future. These may include key customers, vendors, and colleagues in other parts of your business.

    These actions help leaders to deal with the difficulties they face when they take on new positions. Which ones have you already taken? What might you do differently next time?

    Changing Mindsets.

    Fabio Capello, an Italian soccer coach said, "It is important to change the mentality of the players." He was referring to the England national team that he coaches, but he could just as well be talking to leaders.

    Sometimes, having good people is not enough to achieve outstanding performance. Leaders must also change the mindset of the people who work for them, especially when the existing mindset is one that limits performance.

    One quick example: The staff was experienced and competent, but they didn't believe that change was needed. Their mindset that, "We're good," limited their ability to get better. The leaders had to change their mindset in order to get them to improve.

    What is the mindset of your staff? In what ways might that mindset get in the way of better performance? What can you do to change it?

    Arnold Palmer's Dad on Leadership.

    Arnold Palmer's dad told him, "Don't tell anybody how good you are, show them."

    As the senior Mr. Palmer knew, it is all about performance. Leaders need to help their staff to recognize that performance is the ultimate metric for success.

    Perhaps more leaders should practice what Arnold Palmer's dad preached. Perhaps more leaders should say, "Don't tell me how good you are, show me."

    What do you think?

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