Examples Of Poor Leadership

The Pursuit Of Something Better – Review

If you’re looking for a review of “The Pursuit Of Something Better” then you’ve come to the right place. I’m currently reading an advance copy, and will be publishing LeadershipExpert’s official review within a week, so stay tuned!

Introduction

‘The Pursuit Of Something Better’ follows the story of  US Cellular – a regional telecoms company, through its journey to becoming home to one of the most vibrant and motivated cultures in the USA. As an underdog in the telecoms industry – US Cellular has to fight to survive in the modern world, but the employees fight for it, due to their extreme loyalty and pride.

On one day every year, the managers from across the organisation leave their positions to attend a conference that announces the results of something very dear to them – the annual employee satisfaction questionaire. Grass-root staff rise to the challenge and the company ticks over just fine without them. The atmosphere at the conference is likened to that of a concert – not an annual review. What on earth has happened at this company to drive such enthusiasm?

Well, you’ll have to buy the book yourself to find out!

Review

Review is coming soon!

Purchase

This title is released on the 15th of August.

You can pre-order this book on Amazon UK here

If you’d like to read a review of this book on other blogs, you can visit here and here.

Managing Generation Y

‘Generation Y’ is the affectionate name given to the demographic cohort that was born between 1980 – 1995, although specific definitions do vary. This group hence forms today’s teenagers and twenty-somethings – a group highly sought after by large recruiters, and whom form the solid base of employees for many multinationals. The problem of how to lead this generation is a hot topic.

What Are Busineses Doing To Attract Generation Y?

As competition has increased among the large graduate recruiters to attract the best ‘Generation Y’ talent, they have been fighting among themselves to paint the best picture of their own workplace. Of course, promises have to be met, and so in painting their company in this brighter way, they have indirectly led to progressive changes in the workplace. These new changes to the working environment include:

1. More flexible working hours for a better work/life balance. (Example – ‘The Big Four‘)

2. Guaranteed acceptance onto management training programmes after preconditions have been met. (Example – Enterprise Rent a Car)

3. Extensive induction training.

4. The opportunity to rotate round departments and roles. (Example – Unilever, P&G and Johnson & Johnson)

5. Higher reliance upon internal promotions to fill vacancies.

It is clear that the recruiters believe that generation Y care less about salary and traditional benefits, and more about the pursuit of an interesting, fulfilling and and less stressful job than their parents. This trend definitely seems to be following the general shift away from Fordism factory workers, and towards independent, respected and empowered workers, that has been taking place in the last century.

What Are Businesses Are Doing To Lead Generation Y?

When it comes to leading ‘Generation Y’ – new leadership styles have evolved to compliment the new ‘people -orientated’ workplace. These have manifested into:

1. Annual reviews taking a more personal development focus, rather than productivity. Managers are trying to adopt more of a ‘coaching’ and ’supportive’ role. Managers are told to encourage and train employees so that in the future they are able to take their place.

2. A more democratic and team-based way of working – where ‘on-the-job’ training is becoming more popular, and instructions on how to actually ‘get the work done’ is now coming from from experienced teammates more often than the manager.

Do These Methods Actually Work?

The evidence isn’t very clear on this issue. Despite all these new intiatives and opportunities that ‘Generation Y’s parents dreamed of, these young workers are extremely likely to leave a company they join after a short period of time (every 4-5 years on average), which is a far higher rate of turnover than their parents, the ‘baby boomers’.

I believe that this is happening for 2 main reasons. Firstly – only a fraction of companies are actually fulfilling the promises made to potential job candidates. The hype that recruiters drum up is unsustainable and almost impossible for companies to deliver on. This it doesn’t surprise me one bit to discover that graduates are continually drawn to the ‘greener’ grass on the other side of the hill.

Secondly, and this is linked with the first reason, managers are going about implementing these intiatives in a reluctant way and unsatisfactory way. Either managers are attaching too many ‘novelty’ intiatives to rudementary and meanial jobs – such that the employee feels like it’s all a show, or managers are only introducing leadership techniques as part of a ‘token’ effort.

For instance, I’m in disbelief at the number of times I’ve heard managers undermine their human resource counterparts with phrases such as “Now, I’ve been told by the people above to tell you that …”. This sort of attitude in implementing policies if effectively negatating any positive effect they were supposed to bring.

Therefore I would argue that, while it appears that ‘Generation Y’ workers are extremely unappreciative of the benefits and perks that exist today – these so-called perks only exist in policy and paper and aren’t created or supported with sincere intention from managers. In fact – this move towards pseudo-policy is alienating our Gen Y workers, and this may be able to explain why they are constantly on the move.

My Recommendation

Changes that companies have made to their leadership and human resource strategies have been well thought out, and do add good value to the job a company could offer a graduate – however to be able to lead Generation Y effectively, a heavy focus must be put on educating and training management to sincerely back these new efforts.

Winner – Best E-Course: The 11 Forgotten Laws

Official Winner Of The Leader House ‘Best Leadership E-Course’ Award. May 2009.

Votes (57/73) Average Rating 83%.

Why I Bought The 11 Forgotten Laws

Do you remember that first spark of hope you felt when you watched ‘The Secret’ DVD? I clearly remember the desire that filled my heart, knowing that – Yes, I can make my dreams come true – FINALLY! Ok, so these sorts of products do often create an immeadiate rush of energy and motivation. After a few weeks however and (to be honest) lazy application of the methods contained in the ‘The Secret’, I started wondering:

- “It seems to work for other people, but I just can’t get it right.”

- “I’m frustrated that sometimes I can get it to work, but sometimes I can’t. What’s the trick?”

- “Why am I having so much trouble?”

- “I think the universe is against me.”

I don’t think I was alone. I mean if you think about, just like anything else, you have to practice many times before you see success at a difficult challenge. A child doesn’t learn to walk without falling over a couple of times, right?

But in practice, everything is easier said and done. When you’re frustrated, it’s hard to stay positive. And it’s especially harder to stay positive when the evidence all around you is screams negativity like the unstable economy or senseless acts of violence such as those recently seen in Mumbai.

I think that many people give up because they think that “‘The Secret’” is the “be all and end all” solution. Well, it’s NOT. ‘The Secret’ is just a small portion of the whole concept. It was never intended, and has never been, the whole answer.

I realised that coming to the conclusion that the Law of Attraction doesn’t work when all I ever did to educate myself was watch ‘The Secret’ 19 times (without really looking at changing the habits of other areas of myr life) is like coming to the conclusion that exercising is not an effective way to lose weight because all I did is run on the treadmill for 2 hours a day while still stuffing myself with fried foods and cheesecakes.

So, I was hungry for new knowledge and sought it out. And discovered that ‘The Secret’ only focuses on one part of a whole host of principles that can help sculpt your life into a happier being.

Check out The 11 Forgotten Laws – Click Here To Visit The Official Website

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What Does The 11 Forgotten Laws E-Course Contain?

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There’s quite alot to fit into this section because this is a bumper pack of resources!

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1. ‘The‘ Original Law Of Attraction Premium Ebook. – ‘Working With The Law’

The original Holliwell classic that inspired the authors of ‘The Secret’ and many others. This is the definitive guide to the law of attraction, also known as manifestation. Find wonderful positive gems of inspiration in this internationally acclaimed book.

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2. 95 Lesson Tracks covering the whole 11 Forgotten Secrets contained on 12 ‘digital’ CDs.

Digital Disc 1 – Working With The Law

Why your mind can be your biggest enemy

How to identify between the two types of human thought that matter

How to stop  previous accomplishments feeling meaningless

Digital Disc 2 – The Law of Thinking

An ingredient to add to your thought patterns to help escape past experiences

Help erase anxious thoughts

Why an educated and ethical person can so easily be broke

Digital Disc 3 – The Law of Supply

Age old advice you may only ‘think’ you appreciate fully

The Michael Phelps secret to accelarate your own personal and career advancement

Simple activity to help avoid having to ‘wait’ for anything ever again

Digital Disc 4 – The Law of Attraction

Escape mediocre results coming from half truths

Open the floodgates to your optimism and success

Digital Disc 5 – The Law of Receiving

How to bounce back when your back is up against the wall

A simple system of systematic giving that unleashes impressive returns

Digital Disc 6 – The Law of Increase

Step-by-step system to magnify praise and amplify growth

3 ways to create a massive paradigm shift

Generate confidence and raise your self esteem for public speaking

Digital Disc 7 – The Law of Compensation

How to build a wealth-attracting image

Stop walking past opportunies everyday

3 common but harmful daily habits you need to kill

Digital Disc 8 – The Law of Non-Resistance

Learn this frequent burnout-causing mistake many employees make

What you can learn from nature to experience greater prosperity

Digital Disc 9 – The Law of Forgiveness

An ‘unstoppable’ way to deal with suppressed anger

Embrace this type of affection to feel loved again

Digital Disc 10 – The Law of Sacrifice

Take control of your thinking with ‘rubber bat theory’

2 Habits to help you shoot up as the top performer in your company

Digital Disc 11 – The Law of Obedience

The surprising root to happiness

Nature vs Normal – bringing your life into allignment

Why large and larger problems can be good for you

Digital Disc 12 – The Law of Success

How to survive and even profit from the coming bankruptcy avalanche

Focusing on your hobbies to go from failure to success

And much more

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3. Complete Transcripts of The Audio Course

If you prefer to read rather than listen to this audio course, you’ll be able to to read every teaching contained in the audio lessons in this professional ebook.

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4. Bonus – The Prosperity Programme – Burt Goldman

Module 1 – Make The Law Of Attraction Work For You

In short: The secret to becoming a money magnet

An overwhelmingly simple gesture that could change your life

Rejection negative energies at a whim

The truth about wealth – a billionaire’s shocking confession

Module 2 – Do This To Attract Your Desires

The gift of irresistable persuasion

How a bankrupt and a billionaire are extremely similar

The stunning revelation that drove Bill Negrin to tattoo just two letters on his arm: “PA”.

Beyond sightseeing – One thing to really look out for when visiting a new city

Module 3 – Lifting The Curse of Unfulfilled Desires

How 2 green candles and a yellow cotton cloth helped Leroy Ricol find love

The astonishing technique that’s been turning ordinary people into money magnets since 1979

When money really does come out of thin air – How the author earned $5,560 with a mere thought

Module 4 – The Miraculous Universal Bank Meditation

Attract money to yourself through meditation. A step-by-step guide to entering this rare meditation state

Complete control of your state of mind needs intense meditation and skill, right? Wrong!

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5. Bonus – 3 Hour Video Seminar – Manifest Like A Millionaire – Laura Silva

Each year, delegates of the ‘Million Mind’ conference pay $5,000 a ticket to experience life changing seminars. Access to a recorded session of those seminars is included in this package just to sweeten the deal.

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My Final Recommendation

So in conclusion:

1. Visitors to Leader House have rated this product as their favourite e-course, which is why I’m putting my name behind it.

2. This is a complete guide to the insightful principles that underpin our success in life.

3. Gaining this understanding helped me to become a far more effective leader.

4. There’s enough bonuses to keep you involved with this course for several weeks.

5. It was so peaceful yet exciting listening to a course like this in audio form.

But most of all…

5. It really delivered results for me.

Don’t forget to read the comments below left by visitors, or leave your own comment/review if you’ve purchased The 11 Forgotten Laws. Tell us what you think!

Success With Organizational Leadership

As a Marine Aviator, business owner, and consultant, I have dedicated many years to honing my leadership and development skills – both organizational and personal. In my experiences I discovered three simple principles that, when properly applied, will make your leadership journey incredibly rewarding.

• Number One – it is all about you

• Number Two – it is all about them

• Number Three – it is all about the organization

I confirmed these proven principles in interviews with over one-hundred successful leaders. Here is an overview for you.

Organizational Leadership Principle Number One – It is all about you.

You must make the conscious choice to accept the leadership role. It is not enough to occupy a position of leadership (as defined by a box on the organization chart with your name on it). In fact, many people have made the choice to lead, exercising vast influence, without being in a so-called “leadership” position. In making the choice to lead, you take responsibility for yourself first, which means you must commit to working on your own personal and professional development. If you cannot, or will not, lead and develop yourself, you cannot lead and develop others. You must recognize that you will take some hits in your visible leadership role but you must also not shy away from them. You must realize that your decisions may not always be popular, but understand this comes with the territory. You will discover the rewards of leading are well worth it..

The three essential elements of this first principle that you must master are:

• Integrity – Do you deliver on your commitments?

• Technical competence – Do you understand the tasks?

• Setting the example – Are you a proper role model?

Once you accept the first principle and embrace these three elements you are ready to move on to the next principle.

All excellent organisational leaders regularly invest in themselves. Leaders have often sought out useful leadership books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. These days, many e-courses tend to be rather disappointing, but I’m pleased to recommend one e-course that is still respected by leadership professionals such as myself: The 11 Forgotten Laws. It’s generally seen as an essential and core ‘crash course’ in the laws and secrets you need to know to further your leadership & career and even help find happiness in other areas of your life. Its an excellent base upon which you can build your personal development.

Organizational Leadership Principle Number Two – It is all about them.

In this case, them refers to those we lead. Your purpose as a leader is to engage and motivate your employees to bring 100% of themselves to work, every day. As their leader, it is your responsibility to create the right environment for them to motivate themselves and to exceed your expectations. Your focus should be on helping people perform more effectively and efficiently. This helps them become more productive and advance in their careers. It also shows them that you care about them.

The three essential elements of this principle are:

• Self-awareness – Do you know what you do well?

• Taking care of people - Do you look out for them?

• Developing new leaders – Do you help people advance?

Applied properly, this principle will help you in the long run as your employees become more efficient, more productive, and more effective. They will require less supervision–which brings us to principle number three.

Organizational Leadership Principle Number Three – It is about the organization.

There are unethical and misguided bosses who think the organization exists to support them. This arrogance ultimately brings failure. We come together in associations or businesses to accomplish something that we could not accomplish alone. Your employees give you their time and you compensate them with standard benefits. As a leader within your organization, you must recognize that you are part of the organization, but not the organization itself.

Investing your ego and ambition in your job is fine–to a point. In the extreme, this creates an overbearing autocratic leader. The truly effective leader knows he or she is an active member within the team and always works to better the team. Real leaders have a forward looking orientation and work to build the culture of their group. It is the insecure leader who wants their successor to fail. Any leader who fails to support an employee–for any reason–hurts the organization, therefore violating Principle Number Three.

The essential three elements of this law are:

• Commander’s intent – Where are we going and why?

• Culture and Values – What makes this place tick?

• Practice – Do we work to get better at what we do?

Clearly, there are many layers to each of these laws. But the first step to higher leadership effectiveness is to make the choice to be a leader. Then, focus on your people and help them succeed. Together, you can successfully advance your organization into the future you articulate. Once you embrace these three laws, you are on your way to becoming a truly successful leader and you will create a thriving organization as you navigate your way through the tumultuous sea to the land of new opportunities – new opportunities not seen by many.

Author: Wally Adamchik, Founder of Firestarter Speaking and Consulting, helps organizations apply the leadership philosophies he learned in the Marines, and refined in business, to their pursuit of excellence. Read about his book at http://www.noyelling.net and leadership development.

The Ultimate Guide to Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is leading by motivating. Transformational leaders provide extraordinary motivation by appealing to followers’ ideals and moral values and inspiring them to think about problems in new ways. These followers have felt trust, admiration, loyalty, and respect for them and were motivated to do more than they thought they could, or would do. In essence, transformational leaders make tomorrow’s dreams a reality for their followers.

Perhaps the most important characteristic that transformational users possess is their ability to create a vision that binds people to each other. Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech galvanized a generation to support the civil rights movement in the United States. But transformational leaders must have more than just a vision, “They also have to know which path to follow in order to attain it.” The followers are attracted to the vision and the leader has to have the plan to energize them to reach it.

All excellent transformational leaders regularly invest in themselves. Leaders have often sought out useful leadership books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. These days, many e-courses tend to be rather disappointing, but I’m pleased to recommend one e-course that is still respected by leadership professionals such as myself: The 11 Forgotten Laws. It’s generally seen as an essential and core ‘crash course’ in the laws and secrets you need to know to further your leadership & career and even help find happiness in other areas of your life. Its an excellent base upon which you can build your personal development.

Vision plays a crucial role and leaders who are totally committed to their vision and course of action are often called charismatic. Charismatic leaders have an unshakable belief in their mission, are confident for their success and have the ability/talent to convey these certainties to their followers. They are in turn, awarded with unquestioned loyalty and obedience.

In our society, we carry a common notion of the leader as a person with the vision, who then gets people to buy in, to align themselves with that vision. This notion is bankrupt and dangerous, because the leaders who have done well for their communities and organizations are not the ones who came up with the vision. If we picture them as the conductor of the orchestra, they are good at embodying the soul of the music. These leaders are good at articulating the transcendent values of the organization or the community. A leader’s vision has to have accuracy and not just appeal and imagination. Articulating a vision for an organization or community has to start with an awful lot of listening, a lot of stimulating of debate and conversation, to distill, to capture the values. It has to start, as well, with carefully diagnosing the current problematic environment to which one needs to adapt.

When changes in the environment occur slowly, usually managers fail to recognize them as threats to their organizations. To become aware of environmental changes, transformational leaders have to frame their vision by providing employees with a new purpose for working. Framing is a process through which leaders define the group’s purpose in highly meaningful terms. In organizations, framing often involves identifying the core values and purpose that should guide employees. For example, at Walt Disney the core purpose is simply “to make people happy.”

It’s certainly true that most excellent leaders regularly invest in themselves. Leaders have often sought out useful books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. These days, many e-courses tend to be rather disappointing, but I’m pleased to recommend one e-course that is still respected by leadership professionals such as myself: The 11 Forgotten Laws. It’s generally seen as an essential and core ‘crash course’ in the laws and secrets you need to know to further your leadership & career and even help find happiness in other areas of your life. Its an excellent base upon which you can build your personal development.

Impression management involves an attempt to  control the impressions that others form about the leader through behaviors that make the leader more attractive and appealing to others. Impression sounds manipulative and sometimes is. On the other hand, it is also a natural and sincere expression that reveals to followers an alignment between the vision and the person. Integrity, for effective leaders is just that. Revealing how the message the followers hear is related to the personal experiences of the messenger. Telling a story or stating a clear example, can become a particularly effective way to manage impressions-according to some it is the essence of charisma.

With or without the authority, exercising leadership is risky and difficult. Instead of providing answers as a means of direction, sometimes the best you can do is provide questions, or face people with the hard facts, instead of protecting people from change. Often you need to make them feel the pinch of reality, otherwise why should they undergo a painful adaptive learning process? But, people often resist doing adaptive work and painful learning. They resist in a number of typical ways. If you want to lead others, you need to understand how to counteract these types of resistance.

Transformational leaders are more effective when the company is new or when its survival is threatened. The poorly structured problems that these organizations face call for leaders with vision, confidence, and determination. Such leaders must influence others to join enthusiastically in tem efforts and arouse their feelings about what they are attempting to do.