2015 Leadership Tip

If feedback shows lack of trust is an issue, look to your accountability measures. You will discover excuses and blaming will diminish desired results. Where does human performance lack commitment, competence, and follow-through? Fill those gaps with affirmative visions and steps for success.

The Levels of Influence and Leadership

When thinking about leading and influencing your followers, consider these four levels:
Transformation: This highest level integrates personal values and principles with others' commitments. Leaders aspire to this approach and followers are inspired by it.
Transference: This next level connects people with their experiences and expectations based on the leader's traits and style. The "paternal" style in hierarchial organizations is that of a distant, protective leader. The "maternal" style is that of a nurturing parent who develops character through lessons and boundaries. The "sibling" style in flat organizations is that of social and professional peers influencing one another. Leaders of both genders can apply any of the three styles of transference. (Michael Maccoby: "Why People Follow the Leader: the Power of Transference," 2004)
Transaction: The second lowest level of influence simply facilitates an action in the easiest way possible or by eliminating objections. This can be a powerful sales technique.
Compliance: This lowest level of influence focuses on laws, policies, procedures, and their consequences should they not be heeded. There is a reason why organizations have Compliance Officers! Nonetheless, there can be a void of caring or connecting--the focus is on doing what must be done, or else!
During your next meeting, decide which action items need which level of influence. Then align your leadership approach with the best choice for the situation and for your reputation.

Entitlement

We have all heard discussions about entitlement--specifically, regarding the government social programs, such as Medicare and Social Security, and referring to youth and young adults who believe they are due certain considerations. Yet, recently, I have become aware of a new form of entitlement that appears to come out of amassed resources and ego-centric people. Example i: A public school principal who was proud of hoarding $800,000 while students who needed services such as federally funded breakfast were turned away because they were two minutes late to school and who ignored special education services for students whose undereducated parents did not have the wherewithal to put their requests in writing. Example 2: A construction company boss and multi-millionaire who berated his employees when his dog escaped from the building (and him), who failed to deliver on promises for bonuses, and who created a hostile work environment with unrealistic expectations and temper-tantrums. Example 3: The police officers who forget that not every citizen is a criminal and inmate and that all individuals being detained deserve to be treated with dignity, which includes receiving direct, honest answers to their questions. I have witnessed and countered each example listed above. Some people in power positions think and act like entitled professional bullies. Each of them should resign, and then invest in therapists and coaches to retrain as productive members of society.

"I'll Support You"

Last Thursday, at a local Rotary meeting, my friend, Rich Delaney, presented a brief program with his coauthor, Christine Becicka. I had emailed him previously to let him know I would "be there to support" him. He told me that no man has ever told him that. Only his female friends mention supporting him in his professional endeavors. Upon greeting him that morning, I assured him he had my emotional commitment, not a financial investment. He was disappointed I did not bring a check made out to him for one thousand dollars! He was sure his male friends would have expected such from a "supporter." Rich is a funny man! His topic that morning was gender differences in communication among CEOs. I bought a copy of their book, You Can't Kill All the Men: Recipes for Business Leaders , 2011.

Trust Drives the Bottom Line

The health of an organization's bottom line correlates to the amount of trust displayed in its interconnected relationships. A colleague says "Trust begins and ends with the truth." Being truthful, caring, and skillful play significant roles in creating a trustworthy interaction. William Easum, an organization development consultant, says that "quantum" businesses contain trust as a major characteristic of their conduct at all levels. Trust begins with the leader of the organization and permeates into all levels of employee ranks, teams and divisions, and outward to vendors, suppliers, external customers, and the general public. Within such an environment, people can learn from mistakes and take appropriate risks to create innovation in processes, products, and services.

Years ago the Tylenol corporation gained the trust of the public when it apologized in the media for deaths associated with its products. Tylenol removed all its products from shelves and went on to develop tamper-proof containers. Those gestures demonstrated a commitment to the health and safety of their customers. To this day, the Tylenol company remains financially viable with trusted products and a large market share.

Sprint has had a harder time gaining the trust of the public. As a front leader in telecommunications, Sprint could have nurtured a loyal clientele with excellent customer service. It chose instead to go after contracts. As contracts expired, customers left Sprint for more responsive cell phone carriers. Sprint's bottom line has fluxuated like a flag in a hurricane, and its workforce never knows when the next storm will hit and they'll be dismissed again. Customer service can solidify trust or it can cancel it.

Best-Buy has learned a similar trust lesson. Its managers confessed to a consultant a few years back that they diffeentiated themselves by the best price for electronic products and accessories; they did not care about the sale after the product left the store, unless the customer purchased an extended waranty. Now Best-Buy has the Geek Squad to serve its customers--a big shift in thinking.

Internal customer service is often seen as teambuilding. Teams with little or no trust are really groups of individuals working under the same roof or though a virtual system. Without trust, employees do work for benefits and paychecks only. They are susceptible to better benefits and bigger paychecks elsewhere. Talent and skill retention become difficult to maintain and will impact performanace and productivity--both of which will affect the bottom line within time.

Micro-management and broken triangles are two relationship saboteurs that destroy trust. A competent employee who has to have each step of a task challenged or approved will begin looking for a less-hassled or non-hostile environment in which to work. An employee who constantly has to watch his or her back so that others are not talking behind his or her back will begin to feel alienated and disliked, as employees are encouraged, and perhaps rewarded, for not communicating directly with one another. Distrust will spread like black mold in that kind of environment. The resulting turnover will show itself in the bottom line.

Trust or distrust can be corporate currency. What is encouraged and rewarded will blossom or fester, respectively. Finding and telling the truth, being responsible, and being accountable build trustworthiness. Choose trust in cultivating your business relationships; it pays off in the long run.