Personal Leadership

In business, in politics, in government, in civic organizations and in society generally, the need for improved leadership is blatantly obvious.  We have a huge leadership gap in this country and that gap will not be closed by wishful thinking that the “other guy” will step up or someone new will emerge to shoulder the responsibility for leadership.

Paul J. Meyer, the founder of Leadership Management International (LMI), writes that leadership is primarily determined attitudes and that every person starts with the childlike qualities of curiosity, flexibility, adaptability and self-confidence, which if retained, developed and channeled into productive activities will determine one’s own personal leadership.  Being dependent upon attitudes, personal leadership then is internal. It is expressed in the commitment to a course of action that is personally fulfilling.  

As defined by Mr. Meyer, “personal leadership involves the development of a positive self-image that enables you deliberately to choose a course of action because it satisfies your own needs, to follow that path and to accept responsibility for the outcome.  Personal leadership demands your conscious assumption of control over your own destiny through the establishment of personal goals that give depth and meaning to your action.”

Said another way… everyone, regardless of education, experience or personality has the potential to lead and we exercise personal leadership far more often that we realize. Doing what you know is right and productive for you regardless of the obstacles or the opinions of others is the essence of personal leadership.

Personal leadership is often confused with formal leadership but it should not be. In a given setting, leadership patterns vary and emerge based on the situation.  In organizational settings, leadership is often a function of position, and one person, therefore will be in a position of leadership more often than others. But even in organizations, leadership responsibility is shifted appropriately according to the situation and the needs of the group.

What should be clear is that the exercising of formal leadership is an outgrowth of one’s self-confident commitment to doing a needed job because it benefits both the group and person leading.  Without the internal quality of personal leadership, effective formal leadership cannot exist. 

At The McGrail Group, we inspire leaders to engage their teams and take a "Victory Lap"!  

Acknowledgement: “Effective Personal Leadership” by Paul J. Meyer and LMI. 

The Secret of Great Hires

It is a familiar scenario. You need to hire someone to head up an important department. This someone will have specific abilities, as well as pretty high level of interpersonal skills.

So, you get the word out—through a listing on your website, through internal postings, through web-based job directories, though the company Linked-in page, through the local newspaper even and the other 21^st Century recruitment vehicles. Thanks to the “send” button resumes start to flow in. Many are impressive.

But there is a catch. By their very nature, resumes are like rear view mirrors. They describe where the candidate has been. When it comes to where they are able to go, they are basically silent.

Fortunately, you think, there’s the interview. You call in the most promising candidates. You find them knowledgeable, articulate and personable. But, would they be good at handling the demands of the job as they are at impressing you?

Personal assessments can provide the insight you are looking for…to not only hire great people but also avoid the costly bad hire. Personal assessments offer a comprehensive evaluation of a person’s aptitude, skills and traits. They shed light on the fit between the candidate and the company as well as his or her likelihood to succeed in a specific job. Used with resume, interviews, reference checks and other hiring basics, assessments are a valuable tool in making sound hiring decisions.

Once candidates are on board, assessments can also be used to promote personal growth, help managers in the coaching and mentoring roles, build effective teams, determine training needs and make good decisions on promotions. 

  

Posted by Joel Thigpen, Victory Lap Architect with The McGrail Group (www.mcgrailgroup.com); a leadership, productivity, membership development and performance improvement company located in Raleigh, NC, affiliated with Leadership Management International.   We inspire leaders to engage their teams and to take a “Victory Lap.”

What is the secret sauce to building a successful company? Leadership? Strategy? Technology? Revenue-generation? Customer Relationships?  All of these are essential and they are all interconnected.

Interconnectedness was the central premise in Thomas Friedman’s best-selling book, The World is Flat. What was true in 2005 is still true today. Friedman wrote, “The most important force shaping global economics and politics in the early 21^st Century is a ‘triple convergence’—of new players, on a new playing field developing new processes and habits for horizontal collaboration”.

In this interconnected world, we have to focus on what matters most. But, where to begin?

The first step is to identify—and to prioritize—your goals.  You might be surprised to know that only 13% of people have identified and prioritized goals for themselves. And, only 25% of these people (3% of all people) have actually written down their goals, with specific timelines and have developed a written plan of action for achieving those goals.  You probably would not be surprised to learn that these 3% represent the wealthiest and most successful people in society. 

What is the secret sauce for success? For individuals and for companies, the secret sauce starts with the key ingredient of goal setting. Having written, time specific, actionable and measurable goals is essential to managing the forces of change and convergence Friedman spoke of and achieving the results you want to achieve. 

At The McGrail Group, we inspire leaders to engage their teams and take a Victory Lap!