One of the most common problems I encounter when working with leaders to build results and create effective teams, is described in the statement, “My people just don’t do what I need them to do.” I suggest that this problem comes from the leader and not from the team.

When a leader defines the vision and then sets specific goals to achieve that vision, it’s important to leave a place for team members to create their strategies for their work. It is limiting for team members when a leader not only defines the outcomes, but also defines all the steps to get there.

You have a worthy vision and have created powerful goals that will drive processes toward achieving that vision. Create systems where team members can fill in the blanks. Once each team member can contribute a process step, they move to being interested in the vision to owning the vision.

If you create a sloppy process for this process, then you are creating a less than excellent organization. Inspire excellence. Define the goal, move forward by creating a process to define all the steps to achieve that goal, put the steps into a sequence and then let the team members divide up the responsibility for managing those process steps. Be focused in your process. Allow each member to contribute. Assign responsibilities and deadlines. Shift the accountability from you, the leader, to the team.

TIP: Plan the outcomes of the planning meeting. Plan the process to get to the outcomes. Define the process and outcomes at the beginning of the meeting. Keep the group on task. Excellence in planning leads to excellent results.

Many of us know that we are not achieving the standards of excellence that we envision, not making the profit desired, and certainly not free of conflict and confusion with teams. In summary, we are not achieving the goals that will make us successful.

When having the first conversation with clients who want to improve things in their organization, many are confused as why employees, boards, committees, staff, and other teams perform at a lower standard than expected by the leader. Some leaders blame themselves and some blame the teams. Blame will not get us any useful results; so let’s explore ways to increase capacity for functioning at a higher level for ourselves as leaders and the teams we lead.

First, let me describe my four leadership principles. If you can master these principles you can be effective in leading any type of organization. Since I spent over 40 years working as musical conductor and know what creates harmony and how to orchestrate success, I express these principles in musical terms first and then apply them to non-musical situations.

1. Know the Score: Foundation – The musical conductor must be knowledgeable about every note, chord, tempo, and dynamic in the musical score before the first rehearsal. The conductor must have a clear picture of the end result and a plan to get there. In organizational leadership, whether religions, nonprofit, or business, the leaders must have an equivalent of the musical score, which is the strategic plan. The leaders must be fully knowledgeable about that plan in have goals and action plans for team execution. The foundation is a prerequisite for leading teams and empowering transformation. Without the plan there can be confusion and lack of interest even in the best of the best on teams. The first principle is clarity of purpose.
2. Hire the Best: Relationships – In hiring orchestras for my programs, I was able to draw on the personnel from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony, and the Kiev Orchestra. These were the best players. On teams for organizations, it’s also important to recruit the best players. It works in music. It works in sports. It works in business and other types of organizations. Do not compromise. Hire the best and define their role, responsibility, and performance expectations. Build and maintain effective relationships. This principle is clarity of commitment.
3. Rehearse for Success – In a musical rehearsal, the conductor demands the best playing just as if there were an audience listening. If there is a note that is played incorrectly or out of balance, then the situation is addressed immediately and as a matter of fact. Nobody is angry. A culture of excellence has been created and the leader (the conductor) is expected to maintain the standard of excellence. Rehearsals shape the performance. In organizational leadership we conduct boring, unproductive meeting, conduct poor performance evaluations (if at all) and do not deal with out of balance situations until they become a problem. Rehearse for excellence. Create a high standard of excellence in ever system. Create the DNA of excellence in everything you do as an organization. Focus on results and not on activity. This principle is about clarity of results.
4. Value the Rests: Balance – If the brass section in the orchestra or the tenors in the choir are too loud for the rest of the ensemble, then it’s the conductor’s job to address the situation – that’s balance. Rests in music are placed carefully in the music for a specific purpose – that’s balance. In our lives as leaders, we must place the rests carefully. We must be sure that all the players are functioning together with balance. We also set the bar for balance in attitude by caring for ourselves. Balance home and work. Balance multiple priorities. Balance personal factors of spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and family. Be at your best when you work. Create balance by preparing to work by not working. The final principle and about clarity of focus. My friend Allen taught me that this means Free of Clutter and Unnecessary Stuff.

This is a system that you can teach your teams. This is transformational leadership. It starts with the leader and is transferred to the organizational culture. Create harmony and you orchestrate success with clarity of focus, results, commitment, and purpose.

Developing the system is the first challenge. Learn about Transformational Leadership and why it’s different from other styles of leadership. Here is my short list that describes the transformational leader.

The transformational leader:

1. Clearly articulates the vision and goals
2. Defines things other can do
3. Builds leaders on teams
4. Delegates effectively
5. Encourages boldness
6. Gives information and support
7. Affirms and celebrated competence
8. Respects the individual
9. Avoids micromanaging
10. Model what they preach

Who will you choose to be your accountability partner for the journey of transformation ahead?

Meetings provide a forum …

…for creative energy…

…for developing conflict…

The leader chooses.

The follower lets the subversive energy control the team.

This is your opportunity to step up to the plate and take a swing at the pitch coming toward you. You may not hit a home run every time. You will be successful when you focus on the desired results. Home run record holders also held the strike out record at the same time. They did not let the failure be a failure. The failure was practice for the future success…many successes..

How will you change the meeting paradigm starting today

Check out my post, “An Agenda, The Enemy of Productivity in Meetings”
http://transformationalstrategist.com/agenda/

Tweet

Thinking small, isn’t hard. It’s just a habit. A habit with consequences.
Same for thinking big.

When it’s only you, then you can be very flexible – do what you want to do when you want to do it. (not really true, but many solo entrepreneurs experience the world this way) Once you get a team ( for this discussion, 2 or more people), then the status changes. You must then plan the scope and sequence of the work.

Many leaders of major companies treat their systems and processes like the company is small – making dramatic changes and starting the change right away – planning the day on the fly – running meetings but the seat of their pants – just making autocratic decisions and not utilizing project teams or work centers for multi-tasking and working on multiple priorities, just to name a few.

If you want a big company, then develop systems that support the opposite of the situation describe above.

Effective leadership inspires effective work from those whom you lead. The output of the team is in direct proportion to the clarity of their vision about roles, responsibilities, and functions as a team.

TIP: If you don’t like to have your time wasted, then respect the time of those whom you lead by developing systems to achieve maximum results from your great teams.

Tweet

Be at the top of your class

Are you the 3%? Only three percent of the population will actually follow through with an idea and implement it. Yes, that’s the sad truth. Many, many people have great ideas, if fact there is an abundance of great ideas. There are, however, very few people to see those ideas through to success.

This is the law of averages. Only 3% of the readers of this newsletter will actually implement the ideas. Why? It’s the law of averages. Throughout history this formula repeats itself.

So, the choice is yours. Do you want to be known as the person who actually succeeded? Maybe the winning idea is an idea that was given to you. The great idea does not have to be original.

Today you have many options. You have many opportunities to succeed. Have you decided to succeed? That’s the first step – deciding to succeed. The next step is deciding to be committed to the idea. Believe in the idea and have a passion for the idea. You will not succeed if you have no passion for the idea.

The first step in establishing a successful system is deciding to succeed. Next, figure out how.

TIP: First develop clarity for what you want. Next devise a pathway to success.

Yes, you read this correctly. Organizations hire me to run meetings, team planning sessions, board retreats, etc. Never once in over 22 years have I ever used an agenda for a meeting! I promise.

This is not just semantics. It is a paradigm shift. Think about meetings you have attended in the past. Think of a boring, unproductive meeting that you experienced. Maybe that particular session was not planned thoroughly. Maybe that particular session was planned with unclear outcomes. This is the nature of the problem – AGENDA = activity and DELIVERABLES = results. Reframe your thinking and focus on outcomes and not on activity.

This is one paradigm shift that makes leaders more effective. Create and maintain an culture of excellence in the organization you lead. Focus on outcomes and excellence in every activity and every process. The Transformational Leader constantly build leadership skills in their inventory of leadership tools. Conflict management and conflict resolution become less of an issue when clarity of purpose takes away some potential for conflict.

Success is a mindset. Think about what you want to achieve and make it happen.

Start now!

Developing effective systems is crucial to leadership success. Know how to run an effective meeting.

Hugh’s rule #1 for Conducting Effective Meetings:

Purpose – Don’t hold a meeting if you do not have a defined purpose for the meeting. Know what you want to achieve and state those outcomes for the participants.

TIP: Define the meeting outcomes first, and then plan how to achieve those outcomes.

Anxiety is caused 
by a lack of control, 
organization, preparation, 
and action. 
 – David Kekich

Well done is better than well said. 

 – Benjamin Franklin

The value of rehearsing music correctly is an essential practice (pardon the pun). The value of rehearsing music with a focus on excellence builds to and excellent performance! If the choir or orchestra learns something wrong, then it will take 10 times longer to fix it that it would have taken to learn it correctly the first time. One time when Joseph Flummerfelt, resident faculty at Westminster Choir College, was working with my choir in FLorida, one of the sopranos blurted out “we don’t have to work as hard now, it just a rehearsal. We will work harder in the performance.” To which he replied, “We always work hard and give our best, especially during rehearsal. It’s important to form good habits.” His point is applicable to all of our work – in music as well as in corporate life! In the section above I wrote about recruiting the best people for your planning teams like you recruit the best player or singers for music ensembles. Get the best people and create an environment where they are inspired and encouraged to contribute their best. Create the DNA in your organization for excellence!

If you conduct boring, unproductive meetings, then you are rehearsing for boring outcomes and average results. Inspire excellence by planning and conducting effective meetings. Plan the meeting, be prepared, ask others to arrive prepared, send out a list of outcomes (never plan activities or “agenda” – plan outcomes or “deliverables”), and let people use their skills to build the success of your vision. It’s still your vision and you are still the leader, but you now have a team that will magnify the results because it’s now their project as well!

Inspire excellence by modeling excellence. The Transformational Leader sets the pace!