Leadership Beliefs Critical To Success

After working with many leaders and managers, certain themes and statements keep being repeated in our conversations and seminars and feedback sessions. What follows is the first of our blogs dealing with the beliefs that are critical to success as a leader.

Share them with your own universe of people and be amazed at how effective they can be as a tool to begin discussions on your organization’s issues.


Energy, Work Effort and Passion

Clear goals that align individual effort with organizational objectives create energy and expectation in any organization.

Hard work is absolutely necessary – nothing can replace it - the important thing is to remember to measure the effect of your work in results, not in hours spent. Some of the most effective people are those who spend the most time at work, and some of the least effective people also spend the most time at work!!

Until you have worked with a truly excellent person you will not really know what that means. Once you have, you will look for truly excellent people and realize they are few and far between, so value the ones you have.

Having the right person in the right job creates excellence - more than any othet factor. So create excellence with success in matching people to positions.

Avoid negative people – and if you can’t because of circumstances, do not let their negativity infect you – it will rob you of time and energy and passion, and that is all you have.

Every leader puts a sense of urgency and high energy in the top five attributes for winners.

Your health is the most important element of your life – take the time to take good care of it.

Alcohol and/or drugs may not kill you – but they will slow you down. They will rob you of time and energy, two main elements of what you bring to the table.

Moderation is good if you want moderate results – passion is required for truly exceptional results.

Balance is something people talk about after they have achieved their success – balance in all areas of your lives is a myth – and that is OK.

Passion can trump reason in many situations. The person who speaks with conviction and certainty will be believed, even if they are wrong!!! And that is something to remember.

Our Time, Our Energy andOut Talent are the three things all of us bring to every table.

Energy is a developable resource – physical condition, passion, a positive attitude and success all influence your energy.

Focus is a quality that is absolutely necessary to the completion of projects and to achieving results - it creates energy and fights against diffusion of your efforts.

Make up your mind early on that doing a few things well and completely is better than doing a lot of things average – pick out your passions and pursue them, but not too many passions.

Intention and Results

The only security any of us have is the security of our own accomplishments - and current accomplishments are more important than less current accomplishments.

Intentions are great – but results are how you are evaluated. Lots of people fail to make the distinction between the two.

Don’t ever confuse knowledge with results – knowledge may lead to results, but only if you act!!!

Never confuse buying something with getting results – remember the exercise devices cluttering innumerable closets that were bought on the basis that they were the beginning of fitness? People get rich on “How To” books that become best sellers and end up being read by only 10% of the people who bought them. The other 90% bought them because the title represented hope, and hope without action is delusion, at best.

The only thing worse than an intention that never gets past your consciousness is one that does and is expressed – with no action. People don’t reward intention. In fact, they punish it because they thought it would lead to action.

Written by Andrew Cox
The Cox Consulting Group LLC Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800;Email: andycox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com

Fear : Replacing Consequences With Possibilities

Have you ever put off doing something because you really didn't know how it would work out - you didn't know what would happen, but you were concerned that it wouldn't be pretty - or easy - or safe - or career enhancing? Welcome to the club - we all have done that - once in a while. That behavior becomes a problem when the thing being put off is critically important to you. It might be a relationship, it might be financial, it might be health, it might be education, or so many other things.

When we fear an outcome, regardless what it might be, it becomes hard to act. When we fear an outcome, we can find a hundred other things to do to fill up the time we should have spent on the rapidly growing gorilla in the closet. Funny thing - that gorilla does not go away - it just gets bigger and bigger - and meaner and meaner - and more and more difficult to deal with - in our minds. Have you ever finally just stood up to whatever has been holding you back - done it - usually because the cost of continuing to worry about it became higher that just doing it and dealing with the consequences -- and then had to say to yourself "That wasn't too bad - why did I wait so long?" If you resolve to not let it happen again, and it does, you have got the procrastination blues - a state of mind filled with guilt, fear, frustration, regret. A funny thing about most fear. I don't mean the kind caused by a direct physical threat, or natural disasters. I'm talking about the kind of fear that has 100% ownership in your own mind - nowhere else. The kind of fear that, once confronted with action, goes away, leaving you wondering why you waited so long to act. Fear of outcomes is a major cause of procrastination - and since most of it is in our minds, we can't really share it with others. All they see is a failure to act - to accomplish - to keep commitments - to get results.

So how to overcome this fear - this inability to act in a timely manner because of fear of the consequences of your actions?

Realize that fear caused by consequence thinking is a habit of thought that you can overcome. Replace that habit with the habit of looking at positive possibilities. What are the good things that can happen if I act now? What can I gain if I act now? How much better will my life be by acting now? What rewards will I get for acting now? How many people will I influence with my speeches? How much better will I feel about myself if I just do it? The positive possibilities push out the negative consequences. Fear is still there - it's as normal as breathing and eating, but the possibilities of gain help you overcome it. Replace thinking about the worst thing that could happen with thinking about the very best thing that could happen.

Breaking a habit of thought isn't easy - it's done in small victories a day and an action at a time. But it will create the climate in your mind for action leading to success. If you think in consequences and are having trouble acting on the important things, take just one important things, apply the possible good things that can come from acting, and then ask yourself this question - "What am I waiting for?" Do that now - start right now.

Perfectionist - or Procrastinator - or Both?

The following is from a journal - you be the judge: Perfectionist, Procrastinator, or both?

Beginning of Journal Entry

Dear Journal: You know, I really want to make sure that this blog is as good as I can make it. Oh, I know about typos and grammar and all that stuff, and I have that covered. I mean that thing - you know - the one you were taught years ago - "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right"? Well, I've always tried to do that, and even if it cost me, I always made sure every i was dotted and every t crossed - even if it meant I was late getting things done.

When I publish this blog, I want to know that it captures my thoughts as perfectly as possible - that is what I always try to do. I simply can't let go of something until I'm convinced that it is as good as it can be. The only problem is that I always find something that could be improved - something that doesn't read just the way I would like - and that makes it so hard to finish things. I have so many things that are 90% done, but I just can't let them go until I am completely satisfied. Sometimes I just wish I could say " Good enough" and just let things go. But I can't.

I look at other people's work, and it just doesn't measure up - but they seem to get the better jobs, the better assignments, the better opportunities. - it just doesn't seem right. I just feel so sure that other people will judge me as careless, or sloppy, or stupid if I don't do things to the best of my ability. And to do that takes time!! And I never have enough of that. My boss keeps telling me to reach closure on my assignments, but how can I when new information, and new developments constantly pop up, and I feel a real responsibility to make sure they are included. I guess I just have to consider my boss to be lucky to have someone like me - someone who really cares!!

People call me a perfectionist. I used to take a lot of pride in that description - but now I'm not so sure. Some people have - behind my back - called me a procrastinator. Can you imagine that? Here I am, working my ass off to ensure things are the very best, and some lazy bum calls me a procrastinator.

My boss gave me my annual review last week - it was due a month ago, but it took me so long to complete my part of it and to make sure it was perfect, that I was late getting it back to him. He was mad - and he really let me have it. He told me I was his biggest challenge - that my work was always the very highest quality, but my volume of work was the lowest in his department!! And for that reason he was not giving me a bonus - it wouldn't be fair to the others who produced so much more than I did. Those were his exact words! What can I do? I work so hard to get everything right, and now I'm punished!

I've gotta get another job where I can be appreciated. I 've been working on my resume for the last month - I just can't seem to get comfortable with it. I've read three books on resume writing, and developed a chacklist to be sure mine is just right - you never get a second chance to make a first impression!! I'll get it right - tomorrow"

End of Journal Entry

Realize that perfectionism is one of the main habits of thought of procrastination. The need to be right, to be perfect, to be better than anyone else, can really cripple being effective. As Harry Beckwith says in his book, Selling The Invisible, "Don't let perfect get in the way of good!"

Take a few minutes to step back and see if you get caught in this trap. If you do, begin today to break the habit. Every time you are tempted to take one more swipe at a project - to tweak it and make it even better, remember - "Don't let perfect get in the way of good!"

Managing Expectations - A Vital Skill

Ever notice how wrong things can go when intentions become expectations? "I tried to get it done Thursday, but I didn't get it done until Monday." Effect - Whoever was relying on the result is unhappy - possibly unreasonably so. Andthey probably think less of the intender, however unfair that may be.

What cause me to focus on this.? My continuing auto body shop saga.

Here goes:

We had a low speed collision on May 10th - we rearended another car. The damage to the other car was minimal, the damage to our car was a crumpled hood, gouged bumper - but it was driveable. On the 11th, off to the recommended auto body repair shop for an estimate and to start repairs. Got the estimate - was cautioned that there might be additional damage that could not be determined until the crumpled hood could be opened. OK - the guy I was dealing with took me on a tour of the shop - clean, busy, well organized.

On the following Monday, May 15th, I dropped the car off to be repaired. On the 17th I got a call that the damage was more extensive than originally thought and the estimated total repair period from the day I dropped it off was 13 to 15 working days. Damn - the original estimate was 3 to 5 days. I wasn't happy, but OK. On the 24th I get a phone call telling me that the repairs are completed and the car is at "Paint." Great!! My expectations were really exceeded!! As I write this - on June 2nd, the car is still at "Paint." Not painted - just at Paint. I went to the body shop this AM to see my car. Sure enough, it was at Paint - masked, prepped, ready to paint - but not painted. Every day since the 24th I have talked to my Customer Service Manager contact who always assures me that the car is "at Paint" and they will try to get it to me by the following day. Today my contact assured me they would paint the car today and work hard to get it to me by the end of business today. Four hours later my contact calls me to tell me the car has not yet been painted and there is no way he can get it to me today - Friday. But he will "try" (there's that weasel word again), to get it done and to me by the end of business on Monday - the 15th work day since they received the car - and within his original estimate. I am really ticked off, unimpressed with the service, and will never, ever use this shop again! And I have serious doubts that the car will be painted today - he's been telling me that for seven days now - with no results.

I told him I would be at his shop Monday 8AM - and would hope the car was at least painted - there are other final steps that have to take place after paint. I then called our insurance company that recommended this shop - they said there was nothing they could do. Next I got on the body shop website and E mailed the manager of the shop with the facts of the case and asked for his help in getting my car back to me. The E Mail came back as undeliverable. I have forwarded it to their corporate location and asked their representative to get it to the person in charge of the location. I will not hold my breath.

Am I being unreasonable? If you look at the original estimate, you could say Yes. If you look at the communications and the expectations that were started on the 24th, the answer is No. The Customer Service Manager said all he was trying to do was get the car to me as soon as possible, and I think he considers me unreasonable for pressing him. But I only pressed him because he established expectations that have not been met!

Has that ever happened to you? I think we are all guilty of letting our enthusiasm get in the way of our common sense, and the results are often bad news. Better to establish bulletproof expectations and exceed them than to push for a maybe - and miss.

Don't ever confuse intention with results when establishing expectations. You may assume others affected by the missed deadline will understand how hard you worked - how much effort you put into the commitment. They won't.

Is Your Baggage Keeping You In A Rut?

Question: Do you know the difference between a rut and a grave? Answer: A rut's longer!

Sounds harsh - but I'm not writing this for status quo people. This is for people who want to keep moving forward in their lives - who may have a comfort zone, but are always looking for new stuff, or different stuff, or experiences that help them grow.

Let me share a story about baggage: We moved to Boston from California some years ago. After about a year in Boston we concluded people weren't unfriendly - they just had full lives - too full to allow new friends. As a family that had moved often, we saw the structure of the lives of many of the people we came in contact with to be really attractive. For us, every contact, every time we had to see a dentist, a doctor, a pharmacist, a teacher, was a new discovery and challenge. We had met people who - every Sunday - went to 10 AM church on Sunday, then went to Grandma's house for lunch, then watched TV, or played cards, or fought with each other and then stayed for dinner. We knew people that would go out and have spaghetti on Wednesday nights, without fail - Prince spaghetti started that tradition many years ago in Boston. Being new to the area , we envied their comfort and routine and the predictability of their lives. Very little changed in their lives - except growing older - locked in place. Their baggage was filled to overflowing.

We became good friends with people like ourselves - new to the area - open to new relationships. We met people in Boston that are still good friends 15 years later, even though we all now live in different parts of the country. Moving took a lot of our baggage and threw it out the window. We traveled light.

So what do I mean by baggage? Baggage is stuff we have stuck to us - out of habit, or comfort, or necessity. And as the years pass, that stuff tends to accumulate, until our baggage is so full we can't squeeze another bit of anything into it, and when that happens, we stop growing and changing. It can happen at any age - 15 or 30 or 50 or 75. And when your bags are full, and you are comfortable, you stop growing and changing - and life becomes a rut.

Take a look at your own baggage - does it keep you from new things? Does it occupy your time with a diminishing return? We are all creatures of habit - what habits do you have that don't really add value to your lives and the lives of other? What have you always wanted to do? What do you want to do so you die with no regrets? What keeps you from doing those things? I guarantee it is your baggage - the habits of thought or living that keep you in one place.

Start throwing that stuff away - lighten your load - make space for new things. And after you have done that, do it every year.Take an annual inventory of what you do routinely, and then change it. You will be better for it - you will have less baggage - and you will not be in a rut!

Success Starts With Knowing Yourself

Success has a lot of elements to it, but none is more important than having a good grasp of self - how we act and react, how others see us, what are our personal skills, where should we seek help, and what are the careers that best suit who we really are. It is part of that common trait that successful leaders have - seeing things as they are, not as they want them to be or wish them to be. The first step in that reality process is knowing ourselves.

Each of us has three very separate and distinct "Who's". There is the" Who" we think we are, there is the "Who" others think we are, and there is the "Who" we want or wish to be. The closer our three "Who's" are, the greater our chances of success. The further apart they are, the better the chances that we will fail.

Think about it - have you ever been surprised by someone's description of you - have you ever experienced someone who just didn't get it? Have you thought you just weren't communicating - or that the other person just wasn't smart enough to understand you? Have you ever been drawn to work or interests that seem to be at variance with what you think you should be doing? Have you ever seen someone in a job that just did not fit?

Let me give you an example - I had a manager who believed he was seen by others as a friendly, outgoing person who was easy to get along with and very approachable. From time to time he would get some feedback that could have given him signals that others didn't see him that way. Only after many years, a failed leadership position, career counseling and a series of assessments did it start to become clear to him that others did not see him the way he saw himself. The assessments said he was seen by others as cold, impersonal and analytic - more interested in process and analysis than in people. This manager, given the fact that he had just been fired from a position, was willing to look at and analyze the feedback. He started asking people he trusted - there weren't too many - what they thought. Once they felt comfortable being candid, they indeed agreed with the results of the assessments. What a shock!! But in going through that exercise, that manager brought his three "Who's" a little bit closer. He reflected on things in his past and began to see a different picture of himself. At this stage it wasn't a matter of changing his behavior - it was a matter of understanding what his behavior was, and understanding it's impact on others. The decision whether or not to change can't happen until understanding of reality is reached - otherwise it's a lesson in futility.

This manager is now working on the small changes in behavior that can make him more friendly and outgoing to others, while preserving his analytic, process driven values. It's not easy, but I think he will make it, and in doing so, draw his three "Who's" closer.

I suggest each of you take the time to write down who you want to be - in whatever terms you want to use. Then write down what you think others think of you. Then ask trusted friends to discuss what they think. If you are not comfortable doing that , use some other process, like a career counselor or assessments , to get the ball rolling. I guarantee the earlier in your career you come to grips with reality in terms of yourself, the better your chances of success.