Bootstrap Leadership Blog

How Are You Leading At Home?

Steve Arneson - Thursday, December 27, 2012

Most of what we discuss in this blog has to do with leading in the workplace.  But let’s leave work for one column and address how you’re leading in the rest of your life… at home, in your community, with friends, etc.

At work, it seems, we’re constantly striving to be at our best – we’re polite, consistent, mature, professional, tolerant, and flexible (at least I hope you’re exercising these skills at work!).  We’re trying hard to listen, seeking first to understand and asking a lot of questions.  We’re trying to be strategic, balanced and open-minded.  As leaders, we’re trying to get everyone involved, be innovative and productive, and make others around us look good.  There’s a lot to master, but we naturally assume the role of a leader at work and move pretty effortlessly through our day with that mindset.  

So… are you bringing these leadership behaviors home with you?  Are you remembering to use these skills when you get home?  Kind of an interesting concept, yes?  Do you even think of your home responsibilities as requiring leadership skills?  There isn’t a whole lot of difference, when you get right down to it.   

Just like at work, you have others who depend on your “leadership” at home.  The people in your non- work life are looking for guidance, training, feedback and coaching, too.  How’s team morale at home?  What are your “friend engagement scores” like?  Is the family strategic plan being well executed?  How about your goals and objectives – are they getting set, measured, and met?   

Like all of us, I know a few people who are incredibly “buttoned-up” at work but who aren’t getting the same great results at home.  Why is that?  What makes us less successful, disciplined, or productive at home?  Wait, don’t answer that – I know the responses would fill a psychiatrist’s office! 

OK, so this might be over-simplifying things a bit – but try this, the next time you hit a snag at home.  Literally, think of how you would have handled it at work with your team, from your leadership position.  Sometimes when I’m hitting a brick wall with my two teenage sons, I step back and ask myself if we’ve agreed to clear and measurable goals.  If we have to have a tough conversation, I try to move into coaching mode, by asking non-threatening questions.  If I have to prod them to do their homework, I move to painting a picture of the rewards and benefits, etc.  Hmmm… it works with people in the workplace, why can’t some of this leadership stuff work at home? 

It’s not the perfect approach, of course.  But the next time you find yourself in a tough spot at home – ask yourself: “how would I handle this in my leadership role at work?”  Then work backwards to a suitable set of options.  You might just like the results!  

The Leader's Dilemma

Steve Arneson - Thursday, December 13, 2012

This week I had the pleasure of wrapping up a year-long development program with a group of emerging leaders, and we had an interesting discussion about a realization they’ve discovered as a result of their journey. As they’ve learned what’s in store for them as leaders, they have begun to appreciate the inherent tension between treating their employees with a caring, nurturing approach and holding them to high standards for performance.  Welcome to the leadership game, folks. 

 

The particular topic was work stress, and we were talking about their accountability for ensuring that the proper balance was in place between high performance expectations and a manageable work load…how  they needed to monitor unfair demands, deadlines and long hours, so as to protect their team from unnecessary mistakes, low morale and burnout.  “But what about setting a high bar?” one participant asked.  “Don’t I also have to hold them to high standards for output and project delivery?”  The answer, of course is yes, you do.  “Well, how do we do that?” was the natural question.  The answer is – it’s not easy.  If it was, leaders would never struggle with this one, and everyone would get an ‘A’ in this particular subject. 

 

You start by assigning work that fits (or better yet – just exceeds) their skill level and experience.  Stretching them to a point is good, but you’re risking disaster if you put goals in front of them that far exceed their capabilities.  Then, be very clear with them about the objectives, timeframes and quality expectations.  Monitor their progress, and if you see them struggling, step in to teach, coach, or fill in any resource gaps.  If you’ve filled their backpacks with the right load, they should be able to hike the trail with your guidance.

 

Now, you also have to watch the big picture to ensure that your team is not being given unrealistic expectations from elsewhere in the company.  This is your job as the leader, to protect them from others who would make unreasonable demands, pile on work, etc.  Don’t get me wrong - a little work stress about hitting quality standards or making the deadline is good – it has a way of focusing the team.  But allowing an avalanche to hit your team isn’t good leadership – you need to push back where appropriate to allow the group to perform and achieve optimal results.

 

Helping your employees manage their stress levels is not your responsibility alone – they need to take primary accountability for managing their own priorities, etc.  But one of your roles is to ensure they have the tools, the budget, and the time to get quality work done.  And since you’re also going to be setting a pretty high bar while ensuring that they have the opportunity to hit the target, it should be a win for everyone.  They learn and develop, feel good about achieving the goal, and the team gets the job done. 

 

What do you get?  The satisfaction of balancing “taking care of the team” with some terrific output.  Now that’s doing your job as a leader!     

Be Ready For These 3 Questions

Steve Arneson - Thursday, November 29, 2012

This past week, I had the chance to work with another group of leadership program participants as they came to the end of a year-long development journey.  What a great experience - it’s always rewarding to see people get excited about leadership, and to help them realize their potential as leaders. 

 

One of the staples of a program like this, of course, is a visit from the CEO.  Bringing the CEO to the program gives participants a chance to hear from the top leader, ask a lot of questions, etc.  I’ve probably seen 25-30 of these interactions now, and what strikes me is the consistency of the questions the CEO gets… in fact, three questions always seem to come up.  Because I think there’s a good chance you could be asked these questions, I offer them here to help you prepare in advance…   

 

1)     What keeps you up at night?  I’m not sure where this question started, but it is a true standard for Q&A sessions with senior leaders.  So, what keeps you up at night?  What are you worried about, planning for, asking yourself about?  Is it the competition, your products, services, employees, the economy, funding, etc?  In a strict sense, hopefully nothing is – a good night’s rest is critically important to your energy levels, etc.  But you get the ideas – what’s on your mind?

2)     What has been your defining moment as a leader?  What a great question.  What is it for you?  What’s that crucible that really tells the story for you?  Could be a mistake… could be a crisis… could be big bet or a risk that worked out.  Think about this one – it will say a lot about what you’ve learned from your leadership journey.  

3)     What do you want your legacy to be?  Another great question, usually asked of leaders who are nearing or in their “last job.”  This question also reveals a lot about you as a leader.  What is it for you?  What do you want to be remembered for, as a leader?

 

There you go – three questions to ponder…whether you’re about to go in front of an audience or just want to reflect on your leadership experiences.  And since it never hurts to be prepared, I truly hope you will give these some thought if you’re talking leadership with others in your organization… because there’s a very good chance you’ll get asked these exact questions.

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