April 14, 2008
Leadership Tools
Hugh Ballou
LEADERSHIP TOOLS...
...Is divided into four sections:
- Foundations
- Relationships
- Systems
- Balance
These four topic areas contain all the skills a leader needs to be successful. It is important to continue to expand the skills in each of these areas. Since it is the beginning of a new year, this is a great opportunity for taking inventory of your skill set and determine the new skills needed or which of the skill areas need to be improved.
The three different writers this month talk about the same subject from different perspectives. Planning is the overall subject, however, planning as a foundation for leadership is what Gail Lynn teaches. Planning for teamwork is the perspective that Cheri Hill teaches under the relationships section and planning financial systems is Angie Hollerich's perspective. After all, what can be done without planning for a financial future. Esther Burroughs wraps it all up with planning for balance in life with being open to help. Balance will not happen without planning.
Plan to succeed or you will plan to fail!
FOUNDATIONS
WHY DON’T YOU HAVE A PLAN?
By Gail Lynn
What is your plan to manage the goals you have for you and your team? If you have a plan and your success is through the roof, you can stop reading now. Otherwise, read on!
“Why don’t you have a plan?” This is the question I was recently asked. It was profound since that’s what I do for my clients! I help people plan their projects and take their goals and turn them into actionable items they can manage. Me not having a plan is like the chef that never cooks a meal for himself! Needless to say, after being asked the question, I am working on my own plan!
So, let me ask you, do you have a plan? I ask that of every potential client and more often than not the answer comes back in terms such as, “I want to have products for sale on my website in 90 days”. That’s a great goal but it is not a plan. There must be a detailed roadmap to get from where you are to where you want to be. The plan or roadmap must include all the tasks, resources, budgets and time necessary to get you from where you’re at to where you want to go. To be certain, it’s not rocket science, but you must write out your plan and manage it.
A plan converts goals into results and they are very simple to create. Let’s say the goal is to build a house. That’s pretty easy for everyone to understand. Task one, buy the land. List out every sub-task needed to buy land (e.g. hire a broker, determine the budget for the land, etc.). Task two, lay the foundation for the house. All tasks and sub-tasks must have a resource (who is responsible for the completion of the task), a time frame (how long will it take to complete the task) and dependencies (what has to be done in order to ensure the start of the task). You can’t put the roof on before the walls are in place. The walls become the predecessor of putting the roof on. It really is that simple. You lay out all the tasks and sub-tasks with as much detail as you can think of, assign the resources, time to complete, dependencies and then manage your plan.
Everyone needs a plan for success. If it’s not your genius, it’s not your job. Hire someone who will put you on the road to achieving your goals. Have a plan!
Gail Lynn has been doing planning and project management for more than 15 years, and is the owner of G Force Consulting, LLC. For more planning, organization and time management tips visit www.gforceconsulting.com (services page).
RELATIONSHIPS
The Game of Work
Cheri Hill
Goals in recreation are clearly defined, and as a result motivation in sports is at a much higher level than in business. Can we bring that same motivation into the workplace? Absolutely! There are 10 steps I will share over the course of my writing. Let’s begin with number one so you can start to apply it:
1. Goals must be written. It is no longer just a thought! It becomes something which motivates us, or creates a gut feeling inside. So, why is the mechanical act of writing goals so important? Putting pen to paper now transfers those expressions which embody thoughts onto something tangible. We can now physically look at it.
In sports, a football team’s goal is not just to win the championship or to be the best. Good goals are very detailed and specific – before every game they write out their goals: yards per carry, number of offensive and defensive plays, plays per series, etc. They don’t make up their plays during the game. There is a tremendous amount of written documentation about their plans carried onto the field each week.
As a leader, it is important that you think with the end in mind. As in sports, the goal is to win the game. So what does that look like in the business world? Land the big account? Sell one million widgets? Write 3 proposals a week? Open a new location? With the end in mind (the written goal by a certain date) you can now begin to work back words to figure out what it’s going to take to achieve it. Simply by writing the goal down in the first place, you and your team have something tangible to think about and focus on. In fact, it becomes the first action step that will lead to the next and the next and so on. As a leader, you have goals in mind…now it’s time to get them on paper so everyone else can participate and become part of the process. That’s teamwork!
Cheri S. Hill, President and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer!) of Sage International, Inc. is co-author of Incorporate & Grow Rich!; creator of the educational series: After the “Inc.” Dries…®; and host of the highly acclaimed, SageAdvisers® Teleseminar Series. She is a much sought after public speaker due to her wonderful ability to simplify the intricate aspects of incorporating. For over 15 years, Cheri has taught thousands of entrepreneurs, sole-proprietors, investors and professionals how to properly structure their business and personal assets to safely grow, protect and leverage their hard-earned wealth. In 2005 she earned her designation as a Certified Estate Planner (CEP). She is a founding member and past President of the Nevada Registered Agent Association, currently serving on the Board of Directors. Her memberships include The National Speakers Association, Toastmasters International, eWomen Network and the Asset Protection Society. She serves as faculty for CEO Space and is a certified NxLeveL Instructor for the Nevada Small Business Development Center.
More information is available on Cheri’s web site: Sage International, Inc.
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