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Leadership Management Institute ™ Volume II, Number 6

LMI
Journal Provided by Donna Craig, Leadership Resources
P.O. Box 12425, Overland Park, KS 66282-2425 (913)599-4511, Email: donna@leadershipresourceskc.com, www.leadershipresourceskc.com

Achieving Leaders Are Self-Made


By Michael Diercks
We are an achievement-oriented society. The need to are born or made.
achieve is all around us. We see books on how to succeed In this research, Hall identified three groups of manag-
without really trying or advertisements aimed at our desire ers – high, average and low achievers.
to grow – to somehow become better than we are.
Nowhere are the secrets to success more prevalent than The Achieving Manager
in the field of leadership. Unfortunately, most of these Do most managers aspire to the same goals in an
books are anecdotal in na- organization but perceive
ture. You’re given the keys different pathways to their
to success based on an attainment? Or, do man-
individual’s success as a agers differ regarding the
great leader. reasons they work and
then employ practices
Is there a better answer best suited to
than just a few case studies attain their different ob-
and rags to riches stories? jectives? Differences in
Can an achieving leader be achievement imply moti-
described, measured and vational differences not
supported by research? so much in amount as
Teleometrics™ International in kind.
has provided just that with
its Achieving Manager re- Not surprisingly, high
search conducted by Jay achievers studied were
Hall, Ph.D. motivated differently
Hall studied more than “Differences in achievement imply motiva- and pursued quite differ-
ent incentives than the
11,000 managers and tional differences not so much in amount as other two groups. This
60,000 co-workers. By ap-
plying the Managerial
in kind.” had a direct relationship
to their subordinates’ rea-
Achievement Quotient, sons for working.
which measures the value a company places on man-
agers using such indicators as promotion rates, Hall Low achievers studied were characterized as self-cen-
defined what the key characteristics of an achieving tered maintenance seekers and their subordinates displayed
manager are and answers the question of whether leaders – continued on page 2 –
2 ATTITUDE LMI JOURNAL
– continued from page 1 –

many of the same qualities. High achievers


were seen as self-directed motivation seekers and so “Hall says managerial
was their team. achievement doesn’t
This sobering reality confirms that the characteristics of depend upon the
a department or organization is a reflection of the manager
more than the team itself. existence of personality
Keys to Being a High Achiever
traits and extraordinary
What is learned from this research that can be applied
skills unique to certain
to your leadership style today? Can you become a high individuals. It depends
achiever or is it something innate? Hall identifies the key instead on the manner in which the
behaviors that make up a high achiever as follows: manager behaves in conducting
◆ Belief in the incoherent competence of people. organizational affairs and on the values
◆ Engaged employee involvement. High achievers are he or she holds regarding personal and
viewed strongly by their employees as ones who allow interpersonal potentials, all of which can
them to participate and discuss openly business issues
and concerns. be learned. ”
◆ Candor, openness, sensitivity, and receptivity comprise – Michael Diercks
the rule in interpersonal relationships rather than its
exception.
◆ Build and maintain transfer ownership and
employee relation- pride of work to those
ships. Norms of in- working for him or her.
dividuality, inter- ◆ The high achiever is
personal concern one who employs an inte-
and mutual trust grative style of manage-
are engendered by ment. People are valued
building and main- just as highly as their ac-
taining relation- complishments and pro-
ships with their ductivity.
team. This comes
by accepting re- ◆ Participative practices
sponsibility for are favored over unilater-
ideas and feelings; ally directive or lame
being open to duck prescriptive mea-
thoughts and sen- sures. Moreover, the
timents of others; experimenting with new ideas; and high achiever finds
helping others to be open with their personal concepts meaning in his or her work and strives to afford such
and attitudes. meaning to others.
◆ Communication. Messages delivered by the high achiev- Hall says managerial achievement doesn’t depend upon
er differ substantially in content and scope. the existence of personality traits and extraordinary skills
unique to certain individuals. It depends instead on the
◆ Empowerment. manner in which the manager behaves in conducting
High achievers use organizational affairs and on the values he or she holds
true empowerment “The key to becoming an regarding personal and interpersonal potentials, all of
not to manipulate achieving manager is to which can be learned. The key to becoming an achieving
or delegate undes- learn to behave like one.” manager is to learn to behave like one.
ired tasks, but to
LMI JOURNAL FROM THE PRESIDENT 3

The Transforming
Power of Attitude
Personal Powers Define the
When the leaders and all
Qualities of Effective Leadership
the other team members refuse
to let circumstances discourage
them but commit themselves The ebb and flow of life may be controlled by seemingly
to thinking positively and see- random circumstances, but the ups and downs, losses and
ing possibilities, they welcome gains, and successes and failures of life, in general, are
any external circumstances usually directed by certain natural laws. Just like gravity,
that cause them to re-think what these consistent principles and truths are at the disposal of
they are doing and how they are humankind for its benefit or detriment.
doing it. They welcome these From the very core of humankind’s personal existence,
outside circumstances as chal- David Byrd humans were created with certain personal powers which
lenges to their creativity and as President, LMI benefit those who use them and impede those who ignore
signs of progress. their significance. I have learned from personal and profes-
Commit yourself to an atti- sional experience that these certain personal powers usually define the qualities of
tude of positive expectancy. Set effective leadership, and effective leaders are needed in all areas of life.
an example for those around Why are these personal powers important to me? If we understand the basic
you; refuse to let external cir- reason for our creative design, then those personal powers become much more than a
cumstances become an excuse seminar topic. If we understand the human flaw for which our personal powers were
for inertia or decreased produc- designed to counteract, then those powers become a pathway to an effective and
tivity. Instead, demonstrate a dynamic lifestyle.
positive attitude toward exter- As the president of an international training and development company that
nal circumstances and the has over 40 years of experience in helping people develop and use more of
changes they produce. This atti- their true potential. I have invested much of my life in working with top business
tude helps you to see more executives and their organizations. Every day I hear the descriptions of “people”
clearly actions you can take to problems that are presumed to be the cause of ineffectiveness. Most clients are
solve problems external circum- shocked when they first realize that their people problems are really symptoms
stances create. A positive atti- of a natural, human instinct.
tude transforms problems into Effective leadership is a unique quality, and I find that it never just happens. It
opportunities, downturns into is a skill that must be developed, and this development process does not happen
upturns, stumbling blocks into naturally in life. In the absence of this crucial development process, we find aspiring
stepping stones. leaders missing significant opportunities to learn and model effective leadership
behaviors. Regardless of your choice of development options, I urge you to
exercise your power of choice and choose to take effective action. Do something! Read
Table of Contents a book on leadership or find an effective leadership model to follow. If
Page 1-2: you choose to become a more effective leader, you must act on that choice. Yes, it
Guest Author: Michael Diercks
Achieving Leaders Are Self-Made
will take time; yes, it will cost money; yes, it will take hard work, but if you want
Page 3: From the President
to be something tomorrow that you are not today, it requires the development
Personal Powers Define the Qualities of of your untapped potential. Developing your untapped potential is not comfortable,
Effective Leadership but it is necessary in becoming an effective leader.
Page 4: Organizational Leadership
Delegating with a Purpose
With Positive Expectancy,
Page 5: Supervisory Management
Developing Your Leadership Skills
Page 6: Personal Leadership
Dealing with Common Demotivators
David Byrd
Page 7: Staff Development President, Leadership Management Institute™
Attitude: Key to Planning and Goal Setting
Page 8: Strategic Development
Bridging the Gap Between Potential
and Performance
4 ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP LMI JOURNAL

Delegating with a Purpose


For most leaders, time is the commodity in shortest ▲ Teach the task thoroughly. Proper training at the begin-
supply. The quickest way to solve the time problem is by ning ensures a successful start. One procedure that
delegation. Delegation saves time and relieves stress. More works well is to begin by working along with the trainee
importantly, delegation is the best technique available for on the project or task. When understanding seems
helping team members develop and utilize more of their adequate, ask the trainee to do it alone. Offer to be
full potential. available for help if there is a question. Then you check
Many leaders avoid delegating because they fear the results. Finally, give the team member full respon-
that others will think they’re not needed since efficient sibility. Of course, you’re always available to help if
and productive employees seem to be doing most of the some new situation arises.
work. Actually, delegation enhances the leader’s value to When a particular part of the work is delegated, give the
the organization. A leader who delegates has more time employee full credit for a job well done. Offer praise,
for planning, tracking productive output, and preventing appreciation, and thanks. If other leaders in the organiza-
crises. Innovative, creative ideas blossom and grow only tion compliment the work, give credit to the individual
when routine detail doesn’t demand constant attention. who did it. The employee gains confidence and is encour-
When you have, through wise delegation, taught essential aged to attempt other delegated responsibilities. It also
elements of the work to helps the team member de-
others, you are available velop a reputation for pro-
for promotion or assign- ductivity that makes future
ment to new, more impor- promotion possible.
tant projects. Remember the other
Although you experience side of the coin: You’re
the first visible benefit from still responsible for the
delegation, the most impor- success of the work. If the
tant, long-term benefit is the employee fails or makes a
growth experienced by team mistake, you can’t avoid re-
members. Delegation en- sponsibility by saying the
courages – sometimes even work was delegated. Since
forces – individuals to the total output is your re-
stretch and to develop new sponsibility, you must ac-
skills. Careful planning is cept blame when something
required to ensure success “...delegation is the best technique available goes wrong.
for the one who takes on a Giving credit for success
new responsibility. for helping team members develop and utilize
to the employee but accept-
▲ Match the responsibility, more of their full potential.” ing the blame for mistakes
or task, and the person. may seem a little unfair. The
Choose carefully the particular responsibility – task or long-range benefits, however, are worth it. Both tactics
area of work – for delegation. Also choose the person help the employee grow. Receiving the credit for success
who, from your observation, seems most likely to enhances team member self-image. Being protected from
perform acceptably and to benefit from learning. the censure of upper level leaders gives employees who
Evaluate the time required to perform the task and make mistakes an opportunity to try again.
adjust the individual’s workload if necessary. If you’re You can afford to accept the blame for a mistake
not sure how the delegated responsibility will be per- because your past record indicates that failure isn’t your
ceived, talk informally with the person you have tar- usual pattern. Less experienced employees, however,
geted for the work. You might say, “I am considering need to be shielded from a potentially hostile examination
delegating a particular portion of the work to someone, of their work. When you accept blame for mistakes,
perhaps even to you. What do you think about it?” you’re assured of the loyalty of employees. They will go
The response reveals whether the choice has a good to almost unbelievable lengths to correct problems and
chance of working. to prevent reoccurrence.
LMI JOURNAL SUPERVISORY MANAGEMENT 5

Developing Your Leadership Skills


When you participate in leadership development train- ◆ Your influence on team members. In addition to under-
ing, you’re building an imposing structure of success upon standing your responsibility to the organization, you
the firm foundation you’ve already laid. Your improved must also understand the needs and wants of the mem-
skills will enable you to get more done in less time and with bers of your work group. If you concentrate exclusively
less wasted effort. As you gain confidence to become more on your own needs and goals and neglect those of your
skillful, you will become increasingly valuable to the team members, a deep rift in team relationships will
organization. Improved skills will also result in less develop. If you’re achievement oriented, you may be
stress related to your responsibilities, and you will find tempted to boost your own self-esteem by downplaying
yourself enjoying your job even more. As you participate in the contributions made by other team members. But
further leadership development, you find your leadership when other team members feel that their efforts have
increasingly influencing three areas: the organization been ignored or that their value has gone unrecognized,
overall, your most directly involved team members, and the they view themselves as relatively unimportant to the
work climate. organization. Consequently, they
◆ Your influence in the organization. feel less responsibility for being
Organizations are much like human personally productive. Avoid this
beings. Each copes with challenges destructive pattern at all costs! Both
in its own characteristic way, oper- you and your team members will
ates in a manner designed to pre- enjoy the positive results of shared
serve its existence, and resists responsibility and recognition.
change. An organization is simply ◆ Your influence on the work cli-
two or more people working toward mate. When you adopt a no-limita-
a common goal. Regardless of the tions belief in the potential and
size of your organization, filling worth of every individual, you be-
your position of leadership calls for gin coaching each team member
willingness to identify with your with an enthusiasm that says, “You
organization’s purpose, to support can do it!” Your confidence in them
it with your attitudes and your ac- gives them maximum opportunity
tions, and to facilitate the changes to grow, to meet their own needs,
needed for the organization’s ongo- and to contribute to the success of
ing success. your department or work group.
Regardless of the type of your orga- When you believe firmly in the
nization – whether it’s a provider of services, a distribu- ability of people to perform productively, your expecta-
tor of goods, or a manufacturer – you’re expected first of tions become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
all to get results through people in order to operate at a People tend to live up to what’s expected of them by
profit. A not-for-profit organization is not profit driven, others, especially by those they consider authority fig-
of course, but its purpose is to get results through people. ures. When you demonstrate that you believe your team
Given limited human and financial resources, you must members can succeed, they’re willing to take more
reach certain productivity goals. The nature of the “profit” growth risks. A no-limitations belief in people also
takes different forms according to the nature of the makes it easier for you to delegate various responsibili-
organization, but the principle is the same: ties and to trust your team members to get the help,
“You are effective as a leader only when you man- resources, and training they may need to successfully
age the available resources to make the product or complete the tasks you assign. When you demonstrate
service worth more to the organization than the cost your confidence in their ability to perform and to suc-
of producing it.” ceed, they will accept the challenge more willingly and
Although your personality characteristics and skills are work harder to meet your expectations.
important, your value to the organization can be mea- Increasing efficiency and effectiveness is a basic pur-
sured only by how effectively you’re fulfilling its mis- pose of leadership development. Commit to building lead-
sion and achieving cost-effective results. ership skills through productive relationships with people.
6 PERSONAL LEADERSHIP LMI JOURNAL

Dealing with Common Demotivators


You were born to lead, but in the process of adjusting to for growth is neglected. Fear, when it becomes habitual,
the complexities of the world, you’re sometimes so occu- is overcome in the same manner as other habits. You
pied with satisfying basic needs that you can give little learn to recognize it, find a more satisfying response and
thought, time or attention to self-fulfillment and develop- replace the fear by substitution.
ment of personal leadership. Habits developed in this con- Worry
text become demotivators. Most demotivators can be lumped
together as fears, worries and doubts. Worry is prolonged, exaggerated fear. When you face a
new experience and cannot predict its outcome, you may
Fear begin to worry as a response to your inner guidance
If your needs aren’t being satisfied – or if you think they system’s attempt to alert you to the need for a decision. But
may not be satisfied – fear takes over and blots out creativ- if you know where you stand and where you’re going, you
ity. You react to your perception of a situation, rather than need not worry. You are motivated by end results, not by
to the actual situation. methods or techniques. You have
Fear is a natural and constructive confidence in your ability to cope
mechanism that calls for personal lead- with any eventualities; you’re ac-
ership. Any physical or psychological tively engaged in the progressive re-
threat sets off a system that is called alization of your goals and simply
“fear.” When the alarm goes off, your don’t have time for worry or anxiety.
body undergoes instant change. Fear Of course, your decisions won’t al-
jerks both mind and body awake so ways be correct, but you can make
that your body is prepared and ready corrections as the need becomes ob-
to act! Fear is a natural and construc- vious. Goal-directed activity and
tive force in self-preservation. Cour- maintained enthusiasm go hand in
age is one response to fear. So is hand, and they leave no room for
caution, aggression, or retreat. Al- worry.
though fear is a positive and construc- Doubt
tive way of meeting threats to both A common form of internalized
physical and psychological dangers, fear is doubt. Doubt is little more
it can become a demotivator. than lack of knowledge, information
◆ Fear is exhausting. The adrenaline, or insight. Without sufficient facts to
the muscle tension and concen- make a decision, you doubt. You fear
trated mental energy required to making a mistake or a failure. You can take either of two
overcome fear and take action are demanding. You may courses of action:
lose your sense of goal direction because your mental ◆ You can continue to harbor doubt until doubting
and physical resources must be diverted to deal with fear becomes your habitual response to life.
itself. If it prevents you from being yourself for extended
periods of time, fear is destructive. ◆ You can gather facts, evaluate them, and make a
decision.
◆ Fear can become a conditioned response. Fear is nega-
tive when it becomes a conditioned response unrelated to In other words, you can replace doubt with the habitual
a real threat. If you experience fear based only on what response of personal leadership. The demotivators – fear,
other people might say, think or do, your fears are worry and doubt – can control only those who lack
artificially created and destructive. Although they may self-confidence. Build your self-confidence, and the
have no basis in fact, such fears cause anxiety, distrust, demotivators disappear. Build a consistent attitude of
concern or even panic. self-confidence, substitute it for fear, and fear is dis-
solved. Then you live a rewarding life full of self-
◆ Fear can become generalized. Fear becomes a deadly realization, achievement and success. A personal goals
demotivator when it becomes a general method of re- program is the most positive approach you can make
sponding to life regardless of whether a threat exists in to breaking through demotivators and building a strong
the environment. It saps your strength and your potential sense of personal leadership.
LMI JOURNAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT 7

Attitude: Key to Planning and Goal Setting


Because actions come from attitudes, increasing produc- responsibilities and new assignments, starting with a
tivity may require reshaping some of the attitudes that now great splash and making quick progress, but they soon
dictate how you use time. Consider these time use practices lose momentum, never finishing the job. In contrast,
that affect productivity and see how attitudes are involved: productive people set definite goals, plan carefully, and
▲ Concentrate on high priority activities. The quickest and concentrate their attention on the action required to meet
most effective route to increasing pro- each goal. Persistent individuals keep their
ductivity is to spend time on tasks that goal in mind and work tenaciously to-
advance important goals. Make cer- ward it until they savor the success of
tain you spend your time on work that achieving it.
really matters; otherwise, you may be ▲ Get started! The best way to guarantee
completely consumed by trivial de- completion of a project is to get started on
tails. Hours may be spent solving it – now! Two reasons account for failure
problems that can be solved by oth- to accomplish important jobs – people
ers. Respond to concerns expressed either never start or they never finish.
by various team members through Both of these unproductive time patterns
empowering them to solve their own fall under the debilitating umbrella of
problems. This approach saves you procrastination. Several patterns of faulty
valuable time and gives others the thinking account for most procrastina-
opportunity to develop commitment, tion. Following these guidelines will en-
a sense of ownership, and skill to able you to avoid these pitfalls: • Begin on
solve significant problems. Help oth- required work and continue without rely-
ers spend their time on their high ing on “feeling like it.” Getting started is
priority activities, and concentrate often the most difficult part of a project;
your time and effort on high priority activities that lead once begun, “inspiration” often follows. Thomas Edison,
to the achievement of your goals. the famous American inventor, put it well when he said,
▲ Exercise self-discipline. Self-discipline enables people “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspi-
to stay focused on a task and work on it until it’s ration.” • Face the fact that some jobs will never be
complete. Establish your priorities and then refuse to let “easy” – now or later. Break the job down into logical
distractions, interruptions or happenings of the moment steps to make it more manageable at each stage. Get
destroy your concentration. Discipline yourself to give started on the job, working in a systematic method, and
tasks only the amount of time and effort they truly you will enjoy a sense of mastery that enables you to
deserve from you, or delegate them to other appropriate complete the job!
team members. Either alternative requires thoughtful ▲ Strive for results – not perfection. Overemphasis on
evaluation and consideration – and conscientious self- perfection nearly always renders negative consequences
discipline. Perfectionists especially must learn to exert – immobilizing fear of making mistakes, discourage-
the self-discipline to delegate selected jobs to someone ment, and preoccupation with what others think rather
else who may not do the job quite as well as they would than genuine productivity. Productive people distin-
but who can still meet essential quality standards. How guish between what is important and what is not. They
else will another learn to perform this job? In such cases, set aside a reasonable amount of time to accomplish a
perfectionists must learn to accept less than perfection in specific task; then they stick to their deadline. They
the interest of increasing the contributions of others, recognize some tasks simply are not important enough
creating new opportunities, and maintaining overall ef- to lavish too much time or effort on them. Even on
fectiveness and productivity. genuinely significant projects truly productive individu-
▲ Be persistent. Careful planning and goal setting, deter- als simply strive for results – not perfection.
mination to achieve, and recognizing the benefits of The goal-setting process offers the most effective method
reaching a goal are all vital to personal productivity. This for putting into practice time patterns that produce results.
combination of factors enables one to be persistent, and Goal setting enables you to identify the accomplishments
persistence is always characteristic of the successful most important to you, to establish priorities, and to put into
individual. Many people eagerly take on new jobs, new action the steps required to reach your goals.
8 STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT LMI JOURNAL

Bridging the Gap Between Potential


and Performance
Since 1966, Leadership Management Institute™
has been bridging the gap between potential
and performance by helping organizations
and individuals evaluate their strengths
and opportunities through implemen-
tation of the unique and proven
LMI Process™.
The LMI Process™...
● Develops leaders who, in turn,
empower their people to use their
untapped talents and abilities.
● Identifies key areas the organiza-
tion should focus on in order
to reach the next level of success.
● Gives direction to an effective solu-
tion and delivers measurable results.
● Practices a 93 percent effective
leadership model.
The LMI Process™ is designed around a Strategic
Development™ model with four vital components:
● Awareness ● Development
● Planning ● Results Management.
LMI® tools and processes have been making a difference in organizations
and individuals for 40 years in more than 60 countries.

The LMI Journal™ is published for Leader-


ship Management Institute™ by Rutherford
Publishing, 7570 FM 1123 #19B, Belton,
Texas 76513, 1-800-815-2323, E-mail:
rpublish@rpublish.com. Website:
www.rpublish.com Copyright © 2008
Rutherford Publishing. All rights reserved.
Material may not be reproduced in whole or
part in any form without the written permis-
sion of the publisher.
Publisher: Ronnie Marroquin
Managing Editor: Kimberly Denman
LMI Editor: Staci Dalton

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