Virtual Leadership

Today I got an email suggesting twenty-five things about to become extinct in America. Some were surprising only because they seemed to be already extinct: the milkman; drive-in theaters; mumps and measles. But also on the list were some long-standing staples of everyday life: the U.S. Postal Service, the Yellow Pages, and personal checks. It’s shocking to imagine them going away completely, yet the Internet age has rendered them obsolete and redundant.

As a team we have been discussing the same question leaders everywhere ask themselves: how will we adapt our structures, services and delivery to such a rapidly changing world? How will we develop leaders from the inside out—working at the personal level—when more and more of the world is impersonal, remote, and virtual? Despite any arguments that it can’t be done, the fact is that we must create new ways to provide powerful, relevant, results-producing coaching without being face-to-face with our clients. We must imagine new development modalities that will serve future leaders.

We’re exploring webinars, virtual meetings, weblogs and more. We are twittering, blogging and Facebooking. These modalities are likely a pre-cursor to the way we will stay connected, learn and develop in the future. We are listening to people who are imagining the future. Bob Johansen, from The Institute of the Future, has published a great book called, “Leaders Make the Future.” This is the challenge for us all. Will you wait to become extinct, or will you make for yourself a future where you can serve and offer your highest and best?

Leadership Fundamentals

Legend has it that Vince Lombardi, head coach for the Green Bay Packers, used to begin spring training by standing in front of his team, holding a football. He would say, “Gentlemen, lets return to basics. THIS is a football.” So what are the basics of leadership? As you know, there are many authors and speakers out there sharing their ideas on leadership. After nearly 30 years as a coach, consultant, and leader, I offer what I consider the five fundamentals.

1. Create alignment and engagement. An engaged employee is one who works with passion and feels a profound connection to their company and their work. This doesn’t just happen by accident. You, the leader, have something to do with it. You cause engagement through encouraging two-way communication about expectations and responsibilities. Remember, we have left the days of command and control leadership. It’s a two-way conversation now. This is what causes people to feel connected, and valued. You can help to create enthusiasm for the work and a desire to excel by recognizing and motivating team members. Do you know your employees well enough to know what motivates them?
2. Empower others. This essentially means to share your power with those who work with and for you. How? Ask them for their ideas and best practices. Be intentional about building effective relationships. Figure out how to work well with all types of people – even those who are very different than you. Share as much information, knowledge and expertise as you can. And finally, reward employees for innovation and calculated risk-taking.
3. Produce results. You won’t be a leader for long if you don’t make stuff happen. You must produce results. Your job is to keep yourself and others focused on the bottom line. Zero in on key business opportunities and go for them. Challenge yourself and others to exceed their goals. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan wrote a book called, “Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.” I highly recommend this book to increase your muscle for producing results.

4. Encourage learning and adaptability. Several years ago, Peter Senge coined the term, “learning organization.” These are organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. As a leader, you must challenge and stretch your employees to go beyond what they know how to do. Hold frequent discussions to provide coaching and feedback for development.
5. Embody the mission, vision and values. You must walk your talk. Ask your employees if you live the mission and vision. They will tell you. Then, ask what you can do to be better at it. This will help others to translate the company’s vision into action.

As you can see, these five fundamentals could take years to master. And that’s the true nature of leadership. It will challenge and stretch you. It will make you a great person. Congratulations for saying “yes” to the adventure of a lifetime.

Accessing Intuition

I don’t know about you, but I love having women in the room. They add a different perspective; they bring a kind of simplicity and realness, especially when they speak from their intuition. Intuition is one of those gifts we all have that we can use or ignore at anytime. For our purposes, we’ll use this definition for intuition: “The faculty of knowing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.”

Let’s face it. Many women are good at connecting to their intuition. People count on it. In meetings, the rational conversation will take place, and then someone will ask the “diviner” in the group what she thinks. This is the person in the room with the quickest access to their intuition, their gut, and the courage to speak it, even if it means opposing the rational thinking. We count on them to get to the heart of the matter in a meeting. I often ask a woman who seems confused, “What does your gut tell you?” She will answer immediately, almost surprising herself. This is her inner knowing.

The ongoing chatter in our minds is NOT intuition. It reminds us to pick up groceries on the way home, to return that call from two days ago, to finish the conversation with our boss. This “monkey mind” starts its chatter immediately upon waking for most of us and doesn’t shut up until we fall into bed again at night. I once heard someone say, “We’re exhausted! We’re not tired from the work we do, we pass out from our thoughts!” And if you listen to this litany going on inside your brain, you will find that there are certain repetitive thoughts – mostly fear-inducing – trying to get you to avoid a life of adventure, passion and joy. The laundry list of to-do’s alone will keep you in survival forever! Have you ever gotten everything done on your “list?”

To get to intuition, you must quiet the chatter of the monkey mind. It takes practice to become still enough to hear something more relevant, even useful. If you can get to this quiet space, then you will hear the voice of your intuition. If we listen, we are always being instructed. This voice in each one of us and it knows what is needed, what will make the difference. Maybe it guides you to hold your tongue at just the right moment. Perhaps it invites you to listen behind the words being spoken to hear the real message. Sometimes it provides outright instruction “go left here” when one feels lost in an unfamiliar city.

I urge you to listen to and then follow your intuition – your truest sensibilities. We’ll all be better off.