Leadership Solutions

Leadership Solutions: What's Next?

This had to happen.

After all, US businesses already outsource design, manufacturing, and customer service.

So, now there's a trend toward outsourcing the brain. That's right, now businesses are outsourcing tasks such as thinking, creativity, and decision making.

Wow.

This makes as much sense as outsourcing eating.

Admittedly, there are two issues here.

First, we can all benefit from learning how to perform core activities more effectively. This even includes eating. For example, parents teach their children how eat without dropping food on the floor or smearing it in their hair.

Second, there are activities that we must perform for ourselves. As with eating, you must eat. If someone were to eat for you, that person would soon replace you.

The same logic applies to business. We can all learn how to think more effectively. My workshops and meeting facilitation help with this.

And yet, the actual task of thinking is your responsibility. You must think through the process of creating a vision, devising strategies, and making plans. You must be creative. You must make the decisions.

If you don't do these things, the people who do them will soon own you.

Key Point: Leaders distinguish themselves from everyone else by thinking.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Advanced Procrastination

Ordinary procrastination is so dull.

It's simply a matter of not starting a task. And anybody can do that.

But advanced procrastination requires genius level creativity.

In this case, the procrastinator invents activities that make it impossible to work on unfavorable tasks.

For example, many executives preside over bad meetings. This is incredible because all of these executives know how to prepare a clearly written goal and a detailed agenda.

But they don't develop these basic business tools for their meetings. So, they waste most of their day sitting in discussions that accomplish nothing.

And that is exactly what they want to be doing -- wasting their time in pointless meetings.

You see, if they were to hold short, precise meetings they would be stuck at their desk for most of the day.

And then they'd have to work on difficult tasks -- tasks that involve risk, responsibility, and accountability.

So, they procrastinate by being very, very busy in bad meetings.

This explains two important points.

1) I spend only about five minutes during my workshop on effective meetings talking about setting goals and preparing an agenda. After all, everyone knows about these things. Then I spend the rest of the time talking about team activities that lead to results.

2) I work only with leaders who want to be more effective by holding better meetings. The ones who want to hide in bad meetings will always find a way to hold bad meetings.

Key Point: Advanced procrastination involves hiding in seemingly important but actually useless activities.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Will You Be Ready?

I'm sure that you've been waiting for this all year.

Perhaps, you've already made plans. Maybe you've bought special equipment. And then, maybe you're still searching for that one truly great idea.

In any case, you want to be ready for April Fool's Day 2009.

So to help, I've prepared a special newsletter that offers three fantastic gags. Each of these is guaranteed to cause hysterical laughter (or at least give everyone something to talk about at your farewell party).

If you already subscribe to Able Leader, then you're ready. All you have to do is wait for April First.

If, however, you don't subscribe to Able Leader, I urge you to sign up. It takes only a minute.

Visit my web site, enter your e-mail address in the field at the top left, and click on the button marked "Subscribe." It's that easy.

Then smile, knowing that every month you'll receive valuable ideas.

Or, if they aren't valuable (as might be the case with the April issue), they're at least thought provoking, informative, and fun to read.

Wish you the best,

Key Point: My monthly newsletter is worth receiving.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Unconventional Idea

Okay, I realize that this idea is so unconventional that some people will label it as dangerous.

But here goes.

What if you had to live without TV?

Most people are saying, "Good gravy, my life would be pointless without TV."

Well, let's consider some possibilities. Without TV, you could spend your free time on activities such as:

1) Reading.

This lost art, practiced by people who seem to be smart, is actually quite beneficial. By reading, you can expand your knowledge, find entertainment, and gain new ideas. In addition, people who read are able to participate in conversations, write effective reports, and perform well in their jobs (because they know something useful.)

2) Talking with family members.

First, for some people, it may take a bit of effort to find the members of their family so that they can talk to them. For example, the husband may be hiding in the garage or basement. The wife may be shopping. And the children are probably still sitting around the TV (even though it has been turned off).

Talking with family members provides a rare opportunity to learn about what they're doing, share news, and show that you care.

One caution: parents who have communicated with their children only by yelling at them will find that it takes a while to earn their trust.

3) Thinking.

Long regarded as the one activity that distinguishes human beings from celery, its use has almost disappeared. Of course, we now know that celery can watch TV more effectively than any human, demonstrated by the fact that celery is able to sleep soundly after an evening of viewing crime shows.

Nevertheless, thinking lets you figure things out, which frees you from being dependent upon talk show hosts who claim to have figured out everything that you need to know. People who think for themselves find this both useful and less expensive.

4) Other.

There may be other beneficial activities, such as exercise, crafts, and such. You can discover these by reading, talking with family members, and thinking.

Wish you the best,

Key Point: Almost any activity is better than watching TV.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Socks First

All of you do this.

You wear your shoes on top of your socks . . . unless you're a rock star or such.

It's something that you learned how to do when you were a child.

And so it's one of the rules that you take for granted. You follow it without thinking about it.

There are many other rules like this. You use them for your business, your career, and your life.

That's good, perhaps.

You see there may be exceptions.

For example, when I was eight years old, living in Chicago, we put a second pair of socks on top of my shoes, which then went into goulashes. We did that because it was five degrees outside.

So, what's the point?

We are in a time when everything is changing. The people who thrive with be the ones who are the most flexible. And that will require challenging all of those old, rock-solid rules we have followed since we were small children.

Here is a reminder to reflect on your rules. Challenge each of them for their value in helping you advance your business. Then change the rules as appropriate.

Key Point: Rules matter only as long as they serve a purpose. When that stops, we need to find new rules.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: VP Declines Bonus

It took less than a moment for her to decide.

But you expect quick decisions from a senior executive.

Olivia Felini, senior vice president at One Great Meeting, has refused to accept a bonus this year.

Her reason was succinctly summed up by, "What would I do with it?"

For example,

1) She already has half a dozen food bowls. Buying another one wouldn't improve anything in her life. And buying a bowl made out of an expensive metal, such as gold, would be absolutely pointless because Olivia cares about what's in the bowl.

2) She does not want to fly to Paris in a private jet to eat lunch. Nor does she want to ride in a limo to downtown Los Angeles. When Olivia wants to eat, she wants to eat. So she doesn't want to spend hours traveling to a restaurant.

3) Olivia does not need a new outfit, because she likes the one she's wearing. The color, style, and fit are all perfect.

And so on.

Olivia added that she hadn't done anything extraordinary to merit a bonus. She just did her job of being a cat.

And finally, Olivia asked me to print a suggestion: She thinks we should replace all of those people on Wall Street with cats because cats take only what they need. And cats certainly couldn't have caused a bigger mess than the one we have.

Key Point: Maybe enough is enough.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Soft Disconnect

Did you hear it?

Because it was there.

It happened during a conversation, perhaps person to person or over the phone.

This IT was a lapse by the other person.

It sounds like a soft disconnect, which indicates that the other person just left you. They may have left to think about something else, or to glance at a clock, or to move a paper.

Whatever caused it, you could tell that it happened. And that affected your interest in continuing the conversation. It might have even determined what you said next.

This reminds us that listening requires more concentration, more effort, and more dedication than any other from of communication.

And so, the next time that someone is talking to you, make sure that you're paying attention.

Because the other person knows if you're really there.

Key Point: Effective listening requires every bit of concentration that you have.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Survey Questions

Here's a handy survey.

You can use it to determine if a workshop on Effective Meetings would improve your business.

1) How much time do you spend in meetings each week? _____ %

2) How effective are these meetings? _____ %

3) Do your meeting have:

a) An agenda ___ Yes, ___ No

b) A clearly stated goal ___ Yes, ___ No

c) Equitable participation ___ Yes, ___ No

d) A safe environment ___ Yes, ___ No

e) A useful result ___ Yes, ___ No

Score your answers.

If your answers to questions #1 and #2 show that you waste less than 20% of your time in bad meetings, then you are above average (based on data collected from 17 years of conducting this survey).

And all of your answers to question #3 should be "yes."

So, how did you do?

If you're pleased with your score on this survey, then congratulations!

If not, then we need to talk.

Key Point: Sometimes being average is a bad thing. In this case, wasting 20% of your time on bad meetings is one day per week.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Subtle Flaw

It took a while to figure this out.

I attended a presentation last month that left me wondering. 

Everything seemed to work well. The speaker had a smooth approach. The material was logical.

But I didn't learn anything.

Why?

The presentation was based on knowing a special language related to the technology. If you understood the language, then you understood the presentation.

But if you didn't know the language (the definitions and their implications) then you could not understand the presentation. Nor could you participate effectively in the two projects during this presentation.

Here are two lessons from this.

1) Effective learning builds upon concepts (terms, technology, and so on) that are known to everyone.

Thus, be wary of leadership technologies that are based on a special language. This requires two levels of learning: the language and the concepts.

2) Effective communication depends upon using terms that are understood by all.

Thus, be wary of jargon, trendy terms, and complex speech. These require extra effort on the part of the listener. 

Key Point: Whether teaching or just speaking, your goal is to convey ideas, and not to impress, astonish, or confound.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

Leadership Solutions: Nikon Versus Apple

Here is a tale of two strategies.

Strategy #1 Hide

Nikon seems to have delayed introducing new professional level products because they want to wait until people are buying again. (I'm basing this bold statement on a) the fact that Nikon did not announce any new major camera products at PMA 2009, and b) assorted posts on the Internet.)

So Nikon is lumbering along with slow sales on products that are overdue for an upgrade.

Strategy #2 Move

Apple has aggressively introduced new products. Over the past few months, they have upgraded the iMac, improved the MacBooks, introduced a new iPod Shuffle, and released new versions of iWork, iLife, and FileMaker. And yesterday, they announced a new operating system for the iPhone.

Wow.

The result is: Apple Stores are still packed with customers. While their sales are down, they aren't as bad as they could be if they had taken a quiet approach to their business.

So, how about your business?

Are you hiding or are you moving?

This is an excellent time to build relationships with customers, implement creative innovations, and improve organizational effectiveness.

By the way, I can help with the third one. My workshops on leadership skills show people how to get more done in less time.

In fact, better leadership skills will help you a) survive with less damage to profitability and b) position your business ahead of the rest once business improves.

Interested? Call me. I can help.

Key Point: Use this time to keep moving.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site