Labrador Leadership

Bob is proud to welcome Entrepreneur On Fire's John Lee Dumas!  John takes time out from his hugely successful Fire Nation to share his thoughts on leadership in the service, in the corporate world, and as an entrepreneur.  Are you Labsters ready to ignite?

Bob and John compare notes on their travels to Italy.  Both are enamored with the country and the people.  John also shares stories about his deep routes in New England and his home state of Maine.  He talks of his great childhood in a small town there.

John answers the leadership question of whether leaders are born or made by saying  that you can learn to be both a leader.  He expands this though by saying that you can learn to be an entrepreneur as well.  He talks about not being focussed squarely on business early in life, taking things as they came forward up until about the age of thirty. Our life experiences and what we learn bring us to both of those things.

In his four year stint in the Army, he was immediately commissioned as a second lieutenant out of ROTC at Providence College.  His class was the first to be commissioned right after 9/11.  He now focussed on his commitment to perfecting his craft for the sake of serving and protecting his first platoon of 16 men anf four tanks.

Transitioning out of the Army at age 26 was not without difficulty. The structure is missing. There was no passion yet.  He followed in his father's footsteps into law school., but after a semester he knew it was not his passion.  Leaving law school was such a difficult decision, but one made with great courage.

In the corporate world, John entered finance and was very excited about the prospects of a new career.  This excitement lasted the better part of a year with great successes.  This time however was followed by the financial crash.  Many others were laid off, but John remained.  He then though realized that this was not the place for him.  He handed him his notice the same day.

The leader he remembers was an all-star, a hard worker, a family man, that was super successful who made a huge amount of money,

John would advise a new MBA today to find a place to be an apprentice.  Look for someone that you want to become.  Ask them to be an apprentice, to be a mentor.  Find a situation that would allow you to learn from then.  Today, apprenticeship seems to be a lost art.  Bob emphasizes that this is one of the career critical conversations that people need to be prepared to have.

Entrepreneur On Fire

John on Twitter

John on Facebook

Creative Live

Bob and Alex talk about engaging your employees.  Alex contends that a man's voice can be very soothing, but a woman's voice can be very nurturing.  Bob says that the best bosses he has had through his career may have been women.

Survey results from Gallup say that women managers are more engaged at work.  Female employees prefer female bosses.  Because mirroring is an important leadership behavior, it can be inferred that female bosses have more engaged employees.  They are more likely to help them set goals and give them meaningful feedback that is engaging and coaching.

Women are more likely to give reinforcement that is positive.  They are also perceived to be more honest and ethical.

All of this leads to a more open dialog that makes you more approachable to your team.

Heather Huhman's article on engagement.

Bob and Alex talk about the proposition that being late shouldn't be seen as a fault, but rather as a sign of innate optimism.  Bob recalls the song "Optimistic Thought" by Blues Traveller.

Alex produces a matrix of lateness.  There are many factors that go into being late.  One of these is the degree of how late you are.  Some see ten minutes late to work as being a crime, while others don't care.  Bob and Alex tend to agree they they don't care because they know the late employee is one who will be there going the distance late into the night to make something happen at the critical time.

Quote about being late

It has been put forth that people are hardwired to be late.  At the root of this may be the idea that those people are late because they are trying to get more done.  They can get more tasks done in the limited amount of time that they have.  They are seen as "fundamentally hopeful".

Bob confesses that even though is sees folks that are late in this way, he himself always strives to be on time.  He aggravates his family with the concept of "Bob Time" with which he loads in inordinate amounts of extra time to get somewhere "just in case".

Alex says the she personally is optimistic and hopeful by nature but that she is usually three to seven minutes late.  She does say though that people that are intentionally late because they don;t care at all are not without blame here.  She also mentions the cultural differences that exist where being late is even less critical.

Bob recounts a manager he worked for that was such a sticker for being on time that before his senior staff meeting he moved all the chairs that were not used out into the hall and locked the door.  Any latecomers  could not come in with out raising quite the ruckus.

There are also health factors that have been studied as directly related to optimism including length of life. Age, income level, education level and gender are all unrelated to the optimism of the individual.

Bob closes by encouraging leaders to shake off the idea that folks that are a few minutes late are uncaring while it may be a sign of optimism and creativity.

John Haltiwanger's article on tardiness and optimism can be found here.

Bob talks to Mark Smith of Midas of Richmond. Here is an entrepreneur that gives back to the RVA in the biggest way through blood drives and food banks. He will give you a free oil change for a blood donation, a state inspection for a food bank donation, and still have his stores as the top performers nationwide (listen to find out just how much revenue this generates). His staff have the kind of customer service skills that make you want to just hang out there.

If a leader has to have a conversation that escalates into an argument, they need to know how to make it a productive one.  Bob and Alex talk about approaches to be for effective at making that happen.

Alex starts with trying to nip it in the bud if it is at all possible.  Bring the issue to the table on a timely basis in the most appropriate panel, particularly while the issue is fresh.  This can keep the issue from snowballing onto something too big.

Bob reminds us that while stepping away from an argument may be an appropriate negotiation strategy, but it does send the message that you don't care about the issue enough to have the conversation.  You may need to take some time for a cooling off period, or to do some "off line", and these may be productive.  You want to be sure you let the other side talk.

Shari Alexander writes in an article that the conversation can be like a tennis match.  You need to hear what the other side says.  Otherwise, you end up in a position where you think whoever talks last, wins, or whoever talks the loudest wins.  This calls for patience, often a skill that is in short supply.  Alex says that it also provides an opportunity to check your body language.

Bob suggests that if the conversation starts with or comes to the point where you have to deliver an apology, you have to be careful how you craft it.  The key point is to not deliver the "but".  Apologize directly and "get to the period" at the end of the sentence.

Above all else, do not make it personal.  If you do that, the gloves are off.  On the other hand, if you are on the receiving end, you need to be ready to take it and keep the conversation moving forward.

The sign that it has become truly productive when there is enough trust that both sides speak frankly about what they really want.  This is the core of integrative negotiation.

 

Leaders need to not only aware of the message they send with their own body language but how to read the body language nuances of others.  Bob and Alex start with the often discussed crossed arms and the message that they send.

Alex says another action she has problems with is the histrionics of waved arms. Bob freely admits that he was often kidded that he was like John Madden from the classic Lite Beer tastes great-less filling ad campaigns.

Clock watching is also a huge sign  of disrespect. A modern day equivalent is the use of the phone during the conversation.  To have someone look away and start thumbing through your Instagram feed.  Alex says it's almost as bad as physically turning your back on someone while talking to them.

Bob points out a minor one is playing with your hair.  Nodding is also on the list.  In earlier episodes dealing with having difficult conversations, nodding was suggested as a good strategy for trying to convey empathy.  This subtlety is acceptable, but "hard nodding' with your chin moving from the sky to your chest is way too distracting.

Eye contact is huge.  You don't want to stare them down with the crazy eyes, but sustained eye contact is an expression of strength and confidence. When you have to cut away, look to the side.  Looking down is a sure sign of submission.  Of course, rolling your eyes is completely unacceptable.

Frowning an scowling can become permanently associated with you.  If the corners of your mouth are turned down, try to use a soft smile to be more approachable.

The handshake remains a key element of body language.  Firm is important, but not crushing. Meet them with the same amount of pressure. While classically, men should wait for ladies to offer their hand, today offering the hand is more important.

Clenched fists are a sure sign of tension.  Recognizing the appropriate personal space is important.  In North America, proximity of about a foot and a half is acceptable.  In other countries, a closer distance is not uncommon.

Travis Bradberry's article on Body Language

Bob and Alex celebrate the Fourth of July by talking about the courage it takes to get your team out of the mire and inspire them.  Times that are characterized by businesses sacrificing customer service for the sake of reducing costs call for leaders to transform their teams.

It has been suggested that this scenario has arisen because it takes a lot of energy to make things better.  At the same time, people want to be liked.  Also, sometimes you business attracts less ambitious people.  As businesses try to increase profits, one handle that is all too easy to grasp and pull is to pay lower salaries.  This of course drives your best team members out the door.

Leaders need to avoid having crises of confidence and overcome the difficulty of making good choices as one sits back in their comfort zone. Uncertainty over the market and the economy tends to keep you sitting back in that chair.  At these times it can be useful to recount the passion you had during the startup of your business and create a story that will inspire your key employees and create engagement.  It suffices to say that maintaining this outlook from the start will keep you from having to spend additional resources later to recover that engagement.

If you find yourself in this situation, it is critical that you create a plan in simple components that you can sell to your team.  It's components must be measurable. You must be able to quantify success.  The big payback is that you can then reward your key top performers and show them what they accomplished.

You can find James Kerr's article on Mediocre is the New Black.

Bob and Alex talk about the nature of setting goals at the first of the year when we are also setting New Years resolutions.  At the root of the discussion is SMART Goals.  Smart goals are those which are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound.  During this chat, they share what they each consider is a special goal to them.

Bob welcomes Michael O'Neal of The Solopreneur Hour to talk about his journey to the levels of success in the online world that we find is much broader than podcasting!  Michael talks about the best boss he worked for before becoming "proudly unemployable" and about why entrepreneurs, particular those in affiliate marketing, need to consider their leadership skills very carefully.

Maren Hogan, CEO of Red Branch Media and publisher of Marenated, the blog at Red Branch, comes to Labrador Leadership to talk with Bob about leadership and her own leadership journey. Her own experiences as a chief marketing officer highlight her emerging leadership skills that have brought her to the top of Red Branch.

Maren continues the conversation started by her article of the introverts in the workplace.  Red Brach Media considers the I's as the unsung heroes of the workplace and she wants to do anything to keep them comfortable and happy in the work place.  She says they are great writers and speakers and leaders.  The I comes from where you get recharged.  You may not be this way when you are on stage.

Bob suggests that the Baby Boomers have a tough time as I's because they are also digital immigrants.  even the Gen-Xer's after them can  have troubled.

Open offices can cause problems for introverts so she has headphones for a while.  They use Yammer as a chat platform, and many places that people can goo heads down.

Her background includes being a marketing officer for many companies while sitting on an exercise ball in her attic.  Even as the CMO, she felt that her voice was not as heard.  Starting Red Branch  has seen much greater efficiencies by  getting a space.  She remembers visiting her Dad in a cube farm in Silicon Valley and was the model for her first space.  It became too corporate and too straight laced, but it was a learning experience because now she knows what she doesn't want.

She empathizes with people who were tasked with leading her in her younger professional days, characterizing herself as someone who had to be hit with a two-by-four to learn anything. One of her first jobs out of college was in a newsroom.  The deadlines there helped her learn what worked for her.  She knows that others are long term thinkers that work better on longer term projects without those deadlines.

Her advice to a new MBA today would be to be humble.  She remembers at a paper when another person was brought in over her to be editor, and this is where she learned that life is a great teacher of experience and that is to be expected.

Respect is tough to get today if you don't give it.

Reality Based Leadership by Cy Wakeman

Red Branch Media is headquartered in Omaha NE but has presence around the world.

@MarenHogen

Marenated

Articles by Maren mentioned here include these about introverts and leadership titles.