Engagement: The Jean Luc--Picard Way!

Many would remember the character Jean-Luc Picard played by Patrick Stewart from the popular television show, "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

Picard was that self-assured, confident and reliable 24th Century Starfleet captain who guided his crew of the USS Enterprise across the endless reaches of space basically moving from one adventure to the next.  Whether it was doing battle with Klingons or resisting the Borg, Picard could always be counted on to be that fearless leader who his team could rely on.

I loved the show a lot and was really drawn to the cast of compelling characters from Data the android to first officer William Riker.  The occasional Whoopi Goldberg sighting was quite enjoyable as well. Overall, all the characters were great but by far, Jean-Luc was always the most appealing one to me.

He had a confidence and assertiveness to him that came across loud and clear and there was never a doubt that he was unsure or uncertain of what he was saying or what he wanted from others.  For example, look at the signature phrase he used to order for the Enterprise to blast off onto the next mission.  

It merely consisted of one word, "Engage!" 

That's it! No extended speech, no rant or no diatribe.

But the best part about it was that the entire crew got it and knew what exactly needed to be done.

The irony with Picard's one word command and hand gesture is that the actual process of engagement between leaders, coaches or star fleet captains is that it goes beyond just saying one word.


Effective leaders recognize that a key component of a healthy thriving organization is a well thought out and even better executed engagement strategy.  They also know that a foundational piece of a sustainable engagement is the strength of our relationships with others that include trust, respect and transparency.

So bearing that in mind, here are a few suggestions on some great ways leaders can engage those around them:

• Play your position - Allowing team members do or be a part of things they enjoy will increase the likelihood of maintaining their level of interest and connection to the organization;

• Stick to the clipboard - Clear messages that don't contradict previous directions will help ensure that you can be followed and your destination is clear;  

• High five - Appropriate recognition or praise tells others that their efforts are appreciated and valued;

• Keep the scoreboard running - Ideally any person on the team or in the organization should be able to clearly articulate where the organization is going; 

• Step up your game - Be supportive of team member's individual growth development;

• Be a point guard - Empower others so they can freely make their own decisions, this will likely increase their accountability because they have ownership of the decisions made.
  

If the organization or culture demonstrates that it cares about its followers then they'll be more apt to do things like stay late to finish a project, put in extra practice time to improve their game or stand up to the Borg for the sake of the universe.

So my messages to leaders and coaches is quite simple: Make It So!

See you on the court! Follow me on Twitter @TheAudman
 

The Decision To Trust with Dr. Bob Hurley

When Frank Haith assumed the head coaching duties of the #2 ranked Missouri Tigers at the beginning of the 2011/2012 NCAA season, he knew he was inheriting a veteran team of seniors who had strong ties with previous head coach, Mike Anderson.


Haith also knew that Anderson's players viewed him more then just a head coach and he would have to do a fair amount of relationship building before they would buy into his system.

"I really believe in order to get to your players, you can't only communicate with them within that 94 feet," Haith said. "You've got to have time with them off the court where they get to know you so that trust is built up."

Trust has been Haith's approach right from the start and was a big factor that contributed to the Tigers going 9-0 to start the season.

The same can be said for leaders outside of the basketball court and I caught up with Dr.Bob Hurley to further explore the topic of trust.

Dr.Hurley is the author of "The Decision To Trust" and joins me on HCL Radio to discuss the significance of trust to leaders and the organizations they represent. We all know how important trust is a necessary ingredient to building successful organizations and winning basketball teams and as Bob points out,"you have to have trust to have a productive organization".


High trust organizations have what Bob calls "a chain of trust" where trust exists on all levels both internally and externally and the leaders who take the time to understand this are the ones who will find the most success.

Click this link to hear my conversation with Bob or listen via the media player below.

If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Bob Hurley and his work, please visit his website.

HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more then just a game!

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See you on the court!

Secure Leadership

Insecure Leaders Need Not Apply

I recall once delivering a leadership workshop on self esteem to a group of about 12-15 youth. They were all fairly early in the professional working careers so I was a bit surprised at their reaction when the topic of workplace challenges was raised.



Judging by their responses, I would have thought they were grizzled vets that had been in the workforce for 30+ years and couldn't wait to retire.

I listened to them talk about how de-motivating and challenging it is to work for a micro manager, the dis-empowered feeling they were left with because of not being able to make their own decisions and how unimportant they often times felt when their opinions were constantly second guessed.

It turned out to be a very spirited discussion and the general theme that continued to surface was that trust goes a long way in helping people feel good about the work envirnoment.

Without a Secure Leader at the helm, the work experience is less then enjoyable.

While some leaders have seemingly mastered the art of being that untrusting boss, there are others who are less intentional about their actions and are simply driven by their own personal insecurities.

These insecurities are generally based upon perceived situations or circumstances that often times materialize in the form of suspicions, doubts, uncertainties or fears.

What often follows is a series of unexplainable decisions or actions devoid of any kind of logic or reasonable rationale and leaves onlookers scratching their heads as they try to make sense of things.

The biggest problem with this approach is that it does nothing to inspire, motivate or encourage the people they're leading. These insecure leaders become so self absorbed and reactionary that they start to move further and further away from the things a leader ought to be doing.

Perhaps you've had the misfortune of being led by an insecure leader who lacked confident and therefore scrutinized your every decision?

Maybe transparency was the issue and there always seemed to be "closed" door meetings taking place with a select few?

Or perhaps you weren't assigned tasks because doubts existed whether or not you could "handle" the assignment?

Whatever your situation, the bottom line is that insecurity and leadership don't mix because it does very little to inspire confidence, instill trust and deliver results.

So, what kinds if things can a leader do to demonstrate they're operating from a place of "secureness" and make others feel like they are the top priority and can be trusted?

Here's a list of 11 things I came up with:

1. Secure leaders choose to openly and freely divulge and share information. Insecure leaders operates solely on a need to know basis.
2. Secure leaders nurture employees to help them grow and develop. Insecure leaders don't offer opportunities for growth for fear of losing their job.
3. Secure leaders encourage calculated risk taking amongst the people following them. Insecure leaders want to make all the decisions.
4. Secure leaders give guidance and expect results.Insecure leaders give instructions and expect them to be followed.
5. Secure leaders earn respect. Insecure leaders demand respect.
6. Secure leaders spotlight great performance and don’t worry about getting credit. Insecure leaders may acknowledge great performance but ensure they also get credit.
7. Secure leaders hire and promote others who think differently than they do. Insecure leaders hire and promote others who think like they do.
8. Secure leaders accept responsibility for failure. Insecure leaders look for others to blame.
9. Secure leaders promote those they don’t have to control. Insecure leaders promote those they can control.
10. Secure leaders grow great leaders. Insecure leaders grow good doers.
11. Secure leaders acknowledge effort. Insecure leaders spotlight failure.

The Main Po!nt

Great leaders are first, great individuals who use confidence as a way to to inspire results and win their people over instead of letting insecurities impact their ability to lead others confidently.

See you on the court!