The Wit and Wisdom of President Mary Sue Coleman

We were honored to have President Mary Sue Coleman as the featured speaker at the April CEO Connect. She was asked about her lessons on leadership and here are her extremely useful responses:

1. “Never give up. You don’t say ‘I’m going to fold my tent’, even in the face of rejection.”

2. “Be persistent.”

3. “Listen, a lot.”

4. “The best way to move an organization forward is to layout the options, ask people’s opinions, and listen to their opinions seriously.”

5. “Make a decision in a timely fashion.”

6. “Get back to people and explain why you made the decision.”

7. “What people want most is to be heard and be respected for being heard, even though they know that you will not  always agree with their position.”

8. “Be engaging and respectful of all people, whether they’re cleaning the buildings or giving a huge gift.”

9. “Every part of the organization is made up of lots and lots of people who make it work…it isn’t a single individual.”

10. “Fight the battles, die on the hills that are important, but don’t die on too many, or you won’t be successful.”

If you would like to view President Coleman’s presentation at CEO Connect, please click on this link http://www.robertpasick.com/ceo-video-gallery/.

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Do You Follow the "Rule of Tongue"?

According to Bill Hermann, of Plante Moran, leaders need to be evaluated by the number of ridges or scars on their tongues. The more scars, the better. These ridges are formed by biting your tongue when you have the impulse to speak out, at a time when discretion says "be quiet and listen." Here are a few instances of when you can apply the "The Rule of Tongue":

1. If you feel like you need to call someone out in a public   situation, bite your tongue and wait until you can talk to the person privately. 

2. When you've said what you have to say, bite your tongue and stop talking. Over talking is a major bane of people in leadership positions.

3. When someone is learning a new skill and they are about to make a mistake, bite your tongue, because learning occurs through making and correcting mistakes.

4. Bruce Shapiro, of Plante Moran, says it clearly, "I never got in trouble for something that I didn't say".

5. Another way to say this, God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason: next time try keeping your mouth shut and listening with both ears.

I am giving a free copy of my book, "Balanced Leadership in  Unbalanced Times" to the person who can provide the best example of a time to apply  the "The Rule of Tongue" .

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

How to Manage De-energizers in the Workplace

“I read your Dr. Rob tips last week”, said Stephanie, a physician friend of mine. “I have some of those de-energizers at work. What do you suggest I do about them?” Here are a few of the suggestions I gave her:

1. As much as possible, ignore them. No matter what you do, these folks are  unlikely to change. Don’t waste your energy and time. Instead, focus on reinforcing the “energizers”.

2. If possible, remove them from supervisory positions. It’s bad enough they bring negative energy to work, but do what you can to avoid having them spread their negative vibes.

3. Consider having them work with a coach who is skilled at handling executives who are         de-energizers.

4. To counteract de-energizers, focus on becoming a “compassionate manager”. According to Peter Frost in his book Toxic Emotions at Work, a compassionate manager is one who:

       a. Reads emotional cues (their own and others)

       b. Keeps people connected by engaging in “human

          moments” with their colleagues and staff

       c. Builds a team environment where acting compassionately

           is encouraged and rewarded

       According to Frost, “managers who possess such skills

       can keep their people happy and productive in the face of

       de-energizers in the organization”.

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Have You Identified the De-energizers in Your Organization?

In Dr. Kim Cameron’s recent CEO Connect talk (see video link below), he described how de-energizers in the workplace can sap not only the morale of an organization but can also negatively impact performance. Here are some of the ways that they sap the energy out of organizations. They:

1. Always see roadblocks & have criticisms

2. Fail to create opportunities for others to be valued

3. Are often inflexible in their thinking

4. Fail to show concern for those around them

5. Often fail to come through on commitments

6. Just get louder when people don’t listen

7. Seldom smile

8. Are superficial and inauthentic

Is it possible you have some of these de-energizing behaviors? Unfortunately, too often executives can be the chief           de-energizers. This week assess your behavior to see if you may be perceived as a de-energizer.  Next week, I will discuss how to manage the de-energizers in an organization. I would appreciate your ideas on how to deal with de-energizers. Thanks once again to Kim for his excellent research and teaching skills.

Link to CEO Connect video: http://www.robertpasick.com/ceo-video-gallery/

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Have You Identified the Most Positively Energizing People in Your Organization?

Last week at Rob Pasick’s CEO Connect, Kim Cameron  presented on his research about positive energizers at work. He has found that positive energizers not only are higher      performers but tend to enhance the work of others. Furthermore, high performing firms have three times as many positive energizing networks than low performing firms. Click on the link below to see Dr. Cameron’s presentation. Have you identified and reinforced your energizers at work? According to Dr. Cameron, here are some of their characteristics:

1. They connect with others as people

2. They are trustworthy, have integrity and are dependable

3. They use abundance language

4. They are fully engaged in conversations and are heedful

5. They solve problems

6. They see opportunities

7. They smile

8. They are genuine and authentic

9. They express gratitude and& humility

When you form teams, be sure to by include positive energizers. Next week we will discuss how to deal with de-energizers in the workplace.

LINK TO CEO VIDEO GALLERY: CEO Connect Video. Please note that the video will not be posted until later today.

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com