Rita Perea Consulting

The Legacy of Lasting Leadership

In my dynamic world as a leadership coach and consultant, I often use the analogy of a sports team to help my clients understand their undoubtedly critical role as a leader of an organization.  There are many similarities.

Look, we are all here to fulfill our mission in life.  There is a winning formula to leaving a positive legacy of lasting leadership, whether you are the Coach of the Drake Bulldogs or CEO of Nationwide Insurance. The leader’s job is to set the tone; share the vision; and recruit and develop the talent to make it all happen. 

Setting the tone is creating an environment where teamwork is actually happening and it is not just” lip service”.  It is setting an expectation that everyone on the team or in the organization will operate from.  It is expecting and modeling interdependency instead of the egotistical “Hey. Look at me!” mentality.  In watching the Missouri Valley  Conference Champion Drake Bulldogs this season, I believe that one of Coach Keno Davis’ biggest contributions in creating a championship team was modeling for and insisting upon humility from his players.  When members of a team all feel that their contribution is just as important as the next guy’s, team work can’t help but to flourish in that environment.

Whether you are the coach of a champion sports team, or the Assistant Vice President of a business division, like the captain of a ship, a leader needs to be able to look to the horizon and imagine the possibilities for the group he or she has the privilege to lead.  That vision becomes the driving force for every decision that is made and every step that is taken by the team.  As we have seen with the Bulldog’s Coach Davis, the vision is clearly and consistently communicated to the team with confidence, humility and compassion. 

Creating a lasting legacy of leadership also means finding and selecting the right talent for the job. It means continually giving that selected talent opportunities to develop and grow.   In the book “Good to Great”, author James Collins talks about the importance of “getting the right people on the bus.”  A good sports coach or business leader wants to recruit champions- people committed to the vision. They want people who eat, sleep and breathe the vision…  People who will live the vision. I ask my coaching clients to take the bus analogy one step farther and to be sure that the “right people”- the champions on their team-  are not only on the bus, but are sitting in the right seats on the bus.  I suggest that they determine a team member’s natural abilities and place them in a position where their talents will make the most impact.  If you have someone who is great at coalescing people around a goal, don’t stick them in an office crunching numbers all day; instead make them the captain of your team so they can use their abilities.  Develop their leadership skills. 

Who knows, as we saw with Coach Davis taking over his father’s legacy,  when you are ready to retire the leaders you recruited and helped to develop just might follow in your footsteps someday.

photo by Drake University

Reaping the Rewards of Living Your Brand

The old adage is so true... you never know who you will run into.  I remind my clients of this all of the time.  It is important to live your brand every single day.

The scene was a bustling suburban bistro where I was meeting a client for lunch.  Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a tall gentleman walking over to our table.  A huge smile formed on my face as I recognized the stranger, Oh my gosh, it was J.D.  J,D. was a C-level that I worked for about 12 years ago.  He was nearing retirement age at the time and was a great mentor to me as I was an aspiring executive.  Since I left the organization we tried to stay in contact. We exchanged the perfunctory holiday card each year, but I had not seen him in a long time. 

We exchanged pleasantries at the table and he mentioned that his new office was just next door (he hadn't retired but had moved to a new part-time -but- really- full -time job that he loved).  He invited me to stop by and visit when I finished lunch. 

At the office, sweet memories of working for J.D. surfaced. Those were some of my happiest career years. He was (and still is) a master at building social capital in his organizations.  I always felt fortunate to have learned from the best.  His easy, no-nonsense, warm and honest way of dealing with people gained him tremendous respect with all of his employees.  I was delighted to be in his presence again.

We spent about an hour reminiscing and sharing "Back in the day..." stories.  J.D. said that he had been following my business career and was reading my blog <grin>.  He said that he always knew that I was talented and he really enjoyed watching my business soar during these past few years.  From God's lips to my ears, I was not only flattered but honored.

And then he did something so totally unexpected, I was blown away.  He asked me if I wanted to work for him on a part-time basis.  To have his organization as an anchor client.  Wow!  Was this a little slice of heaven or what?  Isn't this something that you see only in the movies?  We hastily worked out some details.  He gave me some things to read.  He introduced me to one of his Directors and my "on-boarding" began. 

The moral of this story is "live your brand everyday."  You never know who you will run into where and when you do, you want to be ready!

Photo: Flickr

The Art of Getting Connected- Add Value!

Looking for a job?  A new client? A sale?  Being successful is all about being connected!

Meet my client, Hugh. Hugh is in his first year of being a marketing team manager for a very successful international software company. I was meeting with Hugh this weekend (yes, sometimes I work on the weekends).  He was having a real struggle admitting that he was wearing his "it's all about me!" pajamas.  This is the cozy little spot that self-centered people crawl into. The little hole they dig for themselves. It keeps them stuck and miserable.  I had to gently, and then not-so-gently point out to Hugh that the world does not revolve around him.  We explored how damaging this behavior had been to his connections.  People, prospects, co-workers, stopped having lunch with him. They wanted nothing to do with him. He had no friends.  Everyone was turned off. Hmmmm, I wonder why?

I love to read Jeffrey Gitomer's words of wisdom.  His Little Black Book of Connections talks about the importance of not being a parasite in the relationship.  It is important to be a giving party to keep the connection alive. Gitomer urges us to provide value to the relationship-  "Give first rather than 'ask for' first". Hugh is not the proud borrower of my copy of this book.

Mike Sansone, blogging Master of the Universe, talks about this too when he works with people new to the blogosphere.  He urges us to look at social media as a way to connect through having a conversation. The value that we add is in extending the conversation through the use of social media.  By doing this we can create world-wide connections.  The world is flat, you know.

In Trust Matters, Charles H. Green offers another thought about the importance of developing the connection habit.  "Be nice, competent and of service to everyone—as a habit.  Then when the uncontrollable comes around, you’ve got a reference."

When I work with organizational leaders, managers,aspiring managers or business owners we always take some time to discuss connecting with internal folks as well as external folks.  We define who the internal customers are, who the external stakeholders are, and who the target audience or clients are.  We then purposefully and thoughtfully plan strategic ways to connect to each group to add value. 

One of the simplest ways that we can add value to any connection we have, personal or professional, is to simply ask "How can I help you?"  This is is done from a giving stance rather than take, take, take, it's all about me. Exit Hugh who has some homework to do this week. 

What about you?  How can I help you get and stay connected?

Trust- Do You Have It?

  Talk about transformational leadership!  I am attending the 9th International Business and Consciousness Conference this week in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I was so impressed with the message delivered by Stephen M.R. Covey discussing his book and philosophy, The Speed of Trust. I read the book when it was first published. Its message was highly evocative. I loved it then.  But hearing Stephen explain the nuances really made it come alive.  I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat silently screaming, "Yes, this is what we are missing!"  My inner fire to help people in all types of organizations was rekindled.  What a life changing experience.

One of my biggest takeaways from the sessions that I attended with Stephen is that organizations and institutions today are facing a growing crisis. From the work I do within teams, and in working with individuals, I see and hear the stories of non-trust all of the time.  Consider these statistics:

• Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management
• Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity
• Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job—conduct which, if exposed, would seriously violate the public trust
• The number one reason employees leave their jobs is a negative relationship with their boss

Startling, isn't it?

This begs the question, what do we do to turn this around? The answer is simple but not easy- we need to be trustworthy in everything that we do.  And , Covey advises, in all of our interactions we need to practice not a blind, gullible trust, but a smart trust. 

Stephen ended his life-transforming presentation by showing the audience the positive economic impact that operating with trust has.  And, here is the biggie, competency in trust behaviors can be taught and learned by everyone.  There is hope that our corporate consciousness, and our society, can be turned around! 

This is incredible stuff.  Challenge yourself to operate in a trustworthy, truthful way today in all situations. You will be glad that you did.  Being credible and trustworthy will help you lead well, live well and do well.

Reach!

January is known for a lot of things- New Year's resolutions, cold weather, new exercise and diet programs.  But did you also know that January is also "Reach Your Potential" Month?  Since I am in the business of helping people find and reach their true potential, both personally and professionally, I love having a special month as a reminder to do this.  How cool is that?

What is "potential" anyway?  It is "the inherent capacity for coming into being".  I love that.  Take a minute and reflect on the resolutions and intentions that you have set for this new year.  What are you deliberately creating in your life so that you are living your capacity to come into being each and everyday? 

The name of the game in reaching your true potential is living deliberately every second of every day.  Choosing what you believe, feel and, thus, experience. 

I think that this quote by Alan Loy McGinnis says it very eloquently: "Focus on your potential instead of your limitations." 

What do you need to focus on today, this month and this year to move closer to reaching your potential?  Figuring it out is the key to living a healthy, happy life.

Everyone Loves a Winner

Wow- talk about a humbling experience.  My business, Rita Perea Consulting, has recently been nominated for two awards.  One is the "Best Kept Secret" award and the other is the "Community Champion" award.  Both are through the Greater Des Moines  Business Partnership. 

I could have my ego all wrapped up in this process.   My ego could easily be saying "You gotta win this or your name will be toast!  Second place is not an option!"  My strong competitive side could be unleashed in full force.  But where will that get me?  Probably only to the land of high blood pressure, which is not a good place to be.

Call it the school of hard knocks, but in my last Executive position I learned to identify when my ego was involved in a particular project or decision.  I learned to pay attention to the little (alright- huge) rush of adrenaline that would start at the tips of my toes and then shoot, like a mighty river, all the way to the top of my head.  I learned that I could get such a surge of that unstoppable, unbeatable, ego-leading-the-charge, incredible feeling, that I could (and please don't fire me for saying this) be found  to make decisions that weren't necessarily in everyone's best interest.  I learned, the hard way, that when my ego is involved, my thinking might be clouded.  The book, A Course in Miracles, warns that our egos create an illusion and that we may not act for the "highest good of all" when our egos are engaged.  Isn't that the truth?  I learned my lessons well.

But, I digress...

Back to the awards- My mission statement says it best: "Lead well. Live well. Do well."  One of the values that my business was founded on is "Philanthropy is just as important as Profitability".  For my business that means that I give back to the community a high percentage of my time, talents and profits.  While it would be awesome to be recognized this, whether I receive an award or not I will still continue to do what I do for the right reasons.  And, with my ego out of the way.

Photo: Flickr by Kershnerstudios

The Talent War

What will the workplace look like 10 years from now?

More importantly, how can you get positioned for  it? The “talent war” is only expected to worsen as higher levels of education will be required for jobs. But a huge challenge will exist because the percentage of 25 to 29 year olds with a bachelor degree has decreased over the past decade.

And let’s not forget the record number of baby boomers who will be retiring.

Managing this talent gap is quickly becoming a crucial skill of the new “specialized” CEO. Gone are the days of organizational leaders who knew a little about a lot of things. Boards who are tuned in now realize that they need leaders who can collaborate and cultivate on a global scale.

The great organizations will have visionary leaders who plan for these challenges wisely. The good organizations will try to tread water when the tide turns. And pity the organization that has its head in the sand- they will be washed away to sea, unable to compete in the treacherous game of talent supply and demand.

Where will your organization find itself?

FlickR by an iconoclast