Brandon W. Jones

Many leaders in the work force have worked for a very long time.  Some of these leaders begin to become very complacent and think to themselves, “Technology was not nearly as prevalent when I started my career and we got along just fine.  And besides the industry hasn’t changed that much in the last 20 years, why do I need to get involved in technology?”  Technology, if used properly, will change your position in the business world.  
 
Know the Trends Instantly – Smart Phone Technology
Smart phone technology will help you be informed of trends occurring in your industry.  You will get up to the minute information about industry changes so you can properly adjust your business.  The more you know about the industry the more you can adapt to keep your company on pace with your competitors.  
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In the corporate environment, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to be noticed by upper management.  Many times it seems like they are on a level that is unattainable.  Although they are on a very high level within the organization, most of them started out at an entry level position, or at least close to it based on their educational background.

So what does it take to get to their level?  I am not an executive within an organization, but I have had some insight on how they get there through conversations with executives.  The key to making it to the top is to ask for feedback and try very hard to be one step ahead of your current leader.

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Recently I went to a leadership training meeting.  The training was for a new set of leaders in an organization.  My role in going to the meeting was to be a support to the new leaders that I oversee.  As part of the training, they discussed many topics that relate to effective leadership.  One of the speakers mentioned five leadership principles that really stuck out to me.  They are discussed below. 

I. Determine Needs

Before much progress can be made the leader needs to determine the needs.  In a corporate culture, there are three areas of needs that must be identified.  These areas include the needs of the customers, the needs of the employees, and the needs of the corporation.  Two approaches you could take to determine these needs are to ask and observe members of each group specifically.  By asking what the needs are, you get direct feedback.  When you cannot ask what the needs are or they are not explicitly stated, it is very important to be observant so you can recognize the unstated needs.  Once the needs of the specific groups are determined, you can determine how to best fill the needs.

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Have you ever received a great compliment or award and thought to yourself, “Wow, they are finally realizing my worth and the value that I am providing.  I can’t believe it took them this long to thank me!”  Or have you ever received criticism and thought, “They don’t know what they are talking about.  I don’t deserve that kind of criticism.”  I am going to tell you that through the good and the bad, they are right because you earned it.

A little over a year ago I had a great teacher, Dr. Bret Simmons, for one of my MBA classes.  He helped me to realize the importance and value of good and bad criticism.  Many people out there feel they earn all of their praise, but they don’t deserve any of their criticism.  In a system where behaviors are rewarded, you earn both the good and the bad criticism. 

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Many of us have had silent leaders in our lives.  These leaders have a powerful impact on us because they don’t have to say much to be a great leader.  Also, when they lead, others follow just because of who they are.  Four characteristics with which silent leaders lead are: 

1. Example
2. Finisher
3. Teacher
4. Humble

Example 

Silent leaders know they cannot expect their followers to do anything they are not willing to do themselves, so they set the example for their followers to follow.  They realize that everything that happens around them starts with what they do.  They take initiative and determine how they are going to act in any given situation before the situation arrives.

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One of the best leaders I had while growing up was my youth-group leader.  He was a very kind and loving person.  His position as a leader was not for pay or any other form of monetary gain.  It was a non-profit volunteer position.  One of his greatest qualities was his ability to build strong relationships with those he led.

The way he built strong relationships was that he cared for my peers and me as if we were his own children.  He spent time talking to my peers and me about whatever we wanted to talk about.  He never had his own agenda and never tried to force us to do anything.  On weeknights when we had activities, he would just be “one of the guys” in the sense that as our leader he would never judge us.  He would just be our friend.  Another aspect from being “one of the guys” and our loving leader, was that he was always very concerned about our well-being.  If one of the guys in the group had a rough day or week, he would see their distress and take all the guys out for ice cream.  While getting ice cream, he would take a moment to ask how things were going.  He would show the distressed individual an added measure of love and understanding.

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Ever since I was little, I have asked many people the question, “What is the key to success?”  Some of the responses have been hard work, ethics, integrity, persistence, etc.  When I was in college, I realized another key to success that seemed to be hidden in the many responses I received.  That key is feedback.  

How do you know you are doing a good job?  Feedback.  How do you know when you are doing a bad job?  Feedback.  How do you know if you are in danger?  Feedback.  You get the picture.  Feedback is the key to growth in life.  Although feedback can be hard to receive at times, it is essential to bettering ourselves and improving as leaders.

Recently, I was speaking to a well respected friend of mine.  I asked what she did to reach her high level of success as an executive within a large corporation.  She said that the game changer for her career happened when she began actively asking for feedback.  She began asking for feedback from all sources.

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In the world we live in, there is so much innovation taking place.  Leaders all over the world are inspiring people to be more innovative than ever before.  The innovation is changing the world we live in.  Many things we now enjoy were completely unheard of ten to fifteen years ago.  Here is a comical yet powerful video clip that addresses the changes that have come about through innovation.  It also puts things into perspective.

As leaders we need to realize the great innovations we have seen in our lives, but not lose sight of where we have come from.  We can’t get so caught up in the technology that we forget the qualities of great leaders, one of which is patience.

I asked a few questions at the close of Poor Leadership, Part 1 of 2, so in this post I will answer the questions and tell you how I would respond. 

As a leader, how would you have handled this situation?

I always try to be very upfront and honest in all that I do.  With that being said, the approach I would take would be very different than that of John.  When I have people come to me for help, whether it is an employee, coworker, or customer, the first question I ask is, “What is your timeline for this request?”  From there, I work with them so we are on the same timeline.

Although this request is somewhat different than a standard request, I would take a very similar approach.  I would set out a specific timeline with the employee detailing how and when I would get the information on the requirements for the promotion and then help them obtain the promotion.  I would then schedule out blocks of time to work on obtaining information on the qualifications for the promotion.  If the promotion information was easy to obtain, I would then try to figure out what paperwork needed to be completed for the promotion.  I would be sure to regularly update the employee on the progress I was making on the timeline.  That would be especially important if there were roadblocks in meeting the specific deadlines.

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