John Hersey Leadership Blog

It is amazing how much energy we spend in criticizing and whining about our bosses. 

So much so that by judging by the large percentage of posts on the web, one would bet that every boss out there is an idiot, a dysfunctional jerk, an out-of-touch loser, or simply craps.

Of course we understand that the only way to improve someone’s management and behavior is to observe what that person is doing wrong; however, the majority of posts and comments are written in such a way that confirms their only goal is to whine, very much like a child complaining about how mean dad or mom are without actually grasping the point.   

Well, it is about time for all of us to grasp this:

If you behave like a victim, bathed in self-pity, or act as if you deserve better, you are in for something bad, and you may end up getting fired or seriously harming your career.

In order to avoid this creepy scenario, here’s a lousy boss’s reality check:

-      Confront your boss face to face and you will lose

No matter how mistaken your boss is and how bad he may look in a given situation, he can, and probably will, fire you if you challenge him directly.

-      You do have a choice, make it

This is a free country, and if you don’t agree with your boss’s character, you can quit.

“But, I love my job and most importantly, I need it!”… Ahhh!  Then, put your pride aside and exercise your patience.

It is your choice. 

Equally, you can go over your boss to HR, but it may end badly for you.  Remember that your boss may be highly respected in the company.

-      What if the problem is you?

Have you observed your behavior towards your job and boss? 

Maybe your boss has a lot to say about your attitude and performance too, because if something is certain in the business world, it is that lousy employees are out there in the millions.

So, observe yourself and your actions at work before acting emotionally.  Remember that when something about someone else bothers you deeply it is because that something lives inside you as well.

-      There are only so many bridges one can burn

When you’re young, you don’t consider that the choices you make and your behavior will follow you later. 

If you burn all your bridges, at some point you won’t be able to cross anywhere.  Sure, you will have no boss, but also no job!

What’s the point then?  The point is you DON’T go against a lousy boss. 

Of course all of us, even the best leadership speaker and coach, have had crappy bosses, and we understand what an employee who is exposed to such a boss feels like, but this is no excuse for acting without a clear perspective, because it can only get worse for you.

If it gets truly unbearable, exercise your right to choose, and quit.

Each week, we will be highlighting (or “spotlighting”) someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader.

This week we want to acknowledge the Mayor of Fountain Hills. All our municipalities are dealing with adjusting to the ‘new normal’. Mayor Schlum has brought his ‘A’ game in collaboration to bring diverse and opinionated citizens to the table to negotiate the best solutions possible in navigating this rough patch in our economy. Contagious Leaders do not strive to be right, they focus on being effective and collaboration is a powerful tool in achieving that. Contagious Leaders listen and translate and encourage dialog. By studying the remedies that are suggested by all contributors a contagious leader knows (s)he can stand firm in the ultimate decision.

In business today with so much information being delivered in such a rapid manner, it is imperative that our leaders collaborate with others so they are well versed in all the options available. We are being forced to collaborate to accomplish this and Mayor Jay Schlum is a master.

Here’s is a brief video interview of  Mayor Jay Schlum.  You can see that his charisma and leadership is immediately apparent.

If you would like to nominate someone, feel free to send us an email by clicking here, and we would love to consider them!  Please tell us a bit about them and what makes them Contagious in their leadership. 

Success nowadays requires that you take positive steps every single day to make your dreams a reality, and in this regard, contagious leaders are the experts.

Here are the 6 actions that will make you succeed in tough times, following the example of the best contagious leaders:

Love the ones around you
In the struggle to survive tough times, too many people neglect their employees and current customers, making them feel abandoned, confused, and afraid about their future, when in reality they should love them more than ever.

If you want to bloom in tough times, open the lines of communication with your people like you haven’t done before, because your people may be the only reason you succeed. So, acknowledge them, reward them, and thank them for being loyal, for understanding, and for being committed.

In the same way, many businesses set to find new customers while neglecting their current ones, making them feel like a pebble in their shoe. It is amazing to see how these companies are blind to the fact that when customers feel loved they bring many more customers on board.

Focus
In tough times, you must stop doing what you used to do to succeed, and must start analyzing every strategy and every activity you used in the past.

Thoroughly study everything you do every day and the return it produces, and then focus on the top 20% of activities that create impact and income.

If you need help to focus, consider talking to a good leadership speaker and consultant.

Develop your network and build your net worth
Quality relationships add value and confidence to your company.

It is normal during tough times to crouch, to play it safe, to spend less, to do less, and to be more careful; however, contagious leaders see hard times as an opportunity to expand their network and build their networth; these leaders become a SAGE:

-Seek out people. They go out and meet people, they go online and are active every day in sites like Facebook or LinkedIn, and they interact with people who think alike all over the world.

-Ask questions. They ask quality questions and focus on the other person, not on themselves.

-Get Involved. They are curious about others; they keep the conversation centered on the other person by getting involved in his or her life’s story.

-Enrich lives. People don’t care what you know until they know you care.

Be unforgettable
To be unforgettable you must be distinctive and indispensable in everything you do, this is, you have to stand out and be valuable in everything you do.

When you’re unforgettable, your work and financial security multiplies and your competitive advantage magnifies. When you’re ordinary, you’re destined to fail.

To be unforgettable:

-Analyze what others are doing and do the opposite.

-Become an expert in something.

-Put yourself in a place where you can look at things from a different perspective, forget about what you do and how you do it. Look at how others have become unforgettable.

-Acknowledge the good work and efforts others do. There is no better and more inexpensive way to motivate people.

Surround yourself with optimism
Remember what Oscar Wilde said:

“Some people cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”

Each employee chooses if he or she wants to be a giver or a taker; ensure your company has more givers than takers.

Stop feeding fear
Ask yourself: “What am I doing that adds to the fear and confusion caused by this crisis?”

Then:

-Stop doing those things.

-Get clear about your vision for your company and communicate it intensely and frequently.

-Eliminate as much drama as possible from the work place.

-Establish big goals.

-Create an action plan, begin executing, and hold people accountable.

Recently, Bev and I attended an all day Economic Forum sponsored by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce. We listened to two economists speak about the national and local economy. The first speaker was Jim Rounds, Senior Vice President, Elliott D. Pollack & Company. His expertise is in economic analysis and overviews related to national and state economies. He was followed by Dean Martin, Chief Financial Officer for the State of Arizona. Martin has developed quite a reputation for opening government finances to the public and is a three-time “Freedom of Information Award” recipient. What we learned and how you can benefit is summarized on the audio recording below.

What did we learn during the day?

1. Nationally, the recovery is underway.
   The Leading Economic indicators are pointing to recovery even though one is a bit artificial. Real GDP is up
   largely because the government continues to dump money into the economy. But, Real Income is up and Unemployment has flattened.
2. The recovery will play out state by state. Those that did not overbuild will recover first while the rust-belt states
   with too little diversification will lag. The over builders like Arizona will also lag perhaps as long as five years.
3. The recovery will not be swift. It will not be a V shaped recovery (fast to decline, fast to recover) nor
   will it be U shaped (fast to decline then flattening followed by a sharp improvement. The economists agreed
   (surprise, surprise) that the recovery will look more like the Nike Swoosh (fast down, long, slow rise.

What Does this mean for you?

Ram Charan, leadership expert and author of Leaders at all Levels said, “Financial’s tell us the history of a company,
the leadership pipeline, tells us about the future of the company.”

With this benefit of being able to see the recovery, Contagious Leaders will get their leadership pipelines in order by focusing on three things:

1. Assess the current leadership pipeline.
   Where are the gaps between leadership positions needed and available talent?
2. Assess your current culture. Is it a leadership culture? If you have been micro managing your way through this economy then
   you do not have a leadership culture. Lack of a leadership culture will limit your ability to attract leadership talent to fill your pipeline.
3. Determine NOW leadership qualities that are important to your organization and how you will measure them
   in every leader and aspiring leader.

Leadership is a conversation. It is ongoing and constantly evolving. Your leadership pipeline must tap into this conversation to grow, stay current and evolve. Our new program, The Contagious Leaders Coaching Club gives your teams access to this ongoing leadership conversation. Go to www.contagiousleaders.com
to learn more.

Be Well & Be Contagious,

John & Bev