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Feb 9th 10
Posted by admin in Leadership
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At the age of 36, Michael Abrashoff was selected to become Commander of the USS Benfold – at the time, the most junior commanding officer in the Pacific Fleet. The immediate challenges that faced him were staggering: Exceptionally low morale with unacceptably high turnover. Few thought that this ship could improve. In many ways, the Benfold was actually an extreme example of the same problems facing many organizations today.
As the new head of his own command Michael only became more resolved. “In my induction ceremony, my predecessor left to cheers. The crew was actually clapping as he and his family departed. I knew then that command and control leadership was dead.”
“A lot of people do whatever it takes to secure the next promotion. All I ever wanted to do in the navy was to command a ship. I did not care if I ever got promoted again. And that attitude enabled me to do the right things for my people instead of doing the right things for my career. Along the way, it was my people that created the results that ensured my next promotion.”
The solution was to establish a system of beliefs that Michael calls GrassRoots Leadership – a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion by engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of workers.
In his book, It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from The Best Damn Ship in the Navy, Michael states that, “The most important thing that a captain can do is to see the ship through the eyes of the crew.”
To Michael, this meant interviewing every single person on his ship, from the most senior officer to the newest recruit — an experience that began to generate the most invaluable ideas, often from the most unexpected sources. For example, through one of these meetings Michael was able to address one of the most demoralizing roles of the crew: relentless chipping and painting had always been a standard task for a ship’s youngest sailors, the individuals that Michael most wanted to connect with. One of these sailors simply suggested replacing the rusting hardware with stainless-steel nuts and bolts.
“I took our credit card and bought the stainless steel hardware that day,” Michael commented. “Those guys didn’t pick up a paintbrush the rest of the time I was on board.” Today, the entire navy uses that process – a solution that began from GrassRoots efforts.
GrassRoots Leadership is a philosophy that empowers every individual to share the responsibility of achieving excellence. GrassRoots Leadership has as its core tenets:
• Lead by Example – GrassRoots Leaders know they must first change their own attitudes and behaviors before expecting their crew to change.
• Listen Aggressively – GrassRoots Leaders don’t simply listen, they hear what their people are telling them. They know that those on the front lines are the most familiar with how operations can be more effective.
• Communicate Purpose and Meaning – GrassRoots Leaders help their crew understand (collectively and individually) how their work contributes to the success of the overall mission, as well as understand how that work supports the personal goals they have for themselves.
• Create a Climate of Trust – GrassRoots Leaders trust and cultivate trust from their crew. Without trust, the barriers that prevent excellent performance will never be lowered.
• Look for Results, Not Salutes – GrassRoots Leaders maximize performance by making their people grow. They succeed only where their people succeed.
• Take Calculated Risks – GrassRoots Leaders know that taking prudent, calculated risks is instrumental in maximizing performance.
• Go Beyond Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) – GrassRoots Leaders look at standard operating procedure as a guideline, because SOP doesn’t change as rapidly as the environment and competition. Therefore, they foster a climate that encourages people to come up with better and more innovative ways to accomplish their mission.
• Strengthen Others/Build Up Your People – GrassRoots Leaders focus on making their people grow and creating an environment where everyone can win, thereby making the entire team stronger.
• Generate Unity – GrassRoots Leaders work to not only change undesirable behaviors but to alter the underlying attitudes. By working toward a mutual respect for everyone, they level the playing field, permitting everyone to perform at their highest level.
• Cultivate Quality of Life – GrassRoots Leaders actively integrate fun into the work experience. They want their crew to have as much fun from 9 to 5 as they do at home from 5 to 9; thereby, gaining the passion, enthusiasm and creativity that they usually lock in their car in the parking lot each morning.
By every measure, these principles were able to achieve breakthrough results. Personnel turnover decreased to an unprecedented 1%. The rate of military promotions tripled, and operating expenses were slashed by 25%. USS Benfold became regarded as the finest ship in the Pacific Fleet, winning the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness.
His first book, It’s Your Ship, has sold over hundreds of thousands of copies and is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Seller. While receiving accolades from such business-minded entities as Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and others, perhaps the greatest testament to Michael’s leadership style is represented by one of his crew, who published the following review of It’s Your Ship on Amazon.com:
Reviewer: EW3 Holly (Davis) Simpson from Louisville, KY December 11, 2003
I am a plankowner* of the Benfold and admired Capt. Abrashoff’s leadership. His superior leadership brought the morale of our ship from just ordinary shipboard life to a ship that many in the fleet wanted to become a part of. Our ship was a show-piece and we were proud to carry out his orders.
What could have been a horribly desolate six months on deployment, including the holidays spent in the Gulf in 97-98, turned into a memorable experience for all, thanks to Capt. Abrashoff who even made UnRep a grand event! We learned from him that although we had a VERY important job to conduct, we were rewarded with pride in our accomplishments. Capt. Abrashoff was a very approachable Commanding Officer, an experience I had never encountered in the military and has been rare while employed with state government. He made an effort to see that his crew not only did their jobs exceptionally well, but that we enjoyed the festivities he provided for the ship while in port.
I have read his fantastic book, reliving all the memories of my Benfold life and have used his leadership knowledge to become a successful professional in the “civilian” world. To the readers who feel Capt. Abrashoff is “arrogant” in his leadership style–I think if you had as awesome a ship as the Benfold to be a part of, you would be extremely proud of it and the leadership that made it such a fine place to spend a few years of your life.
*a plankowner is a member of the crew of a ship when it’s first commissioned
Michael Abrashoff is originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania and is a 1982 graduate of the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He currently resides in Arlington, Virginia and has recently published his second book, Get Your Ship Together.
Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com. Check out Entelechy’s website at www.unlockit.com.
Originally posted 2009-03-01 16:06:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Feb 9th 10
Posted by admin in Leadership
Do you claim to be a Leader in your business or your field of expertise?
I have noticed that many people claim to be Leaders, but I consider them Slackers instead. A Slacker is someone that basically likes to give instruction or direction, but takes no action on advancing themselves or their business.
Does this describe you, your up-line or someone else on your
Mastermind Team? Here are some clues that might help you out.
Leader: Praises his/her team and offers encouragement
Slacker: Quick to find fault and slow to give praise
Leader: Holds himself/herself to a higher standard that his/her team
Slacker: Has a high level of expectation for his/her team but doesn’t hold
himself/herself to that same standard
Leader: Leads by example and is a role model for his/her team
Slacker: Blends in with crowd and never steps up to take a leadership role
Leader: Has deep rooted belief in his/her business and leads new teammates
through the growth process (learning the business and facing obstacles)
Slacker: Convinces a person to join his/her team then pawns them off on someone
else or simply pushes them to the side (Referred to as “sign and drop”)
Which of these characteristics, best describes you and your teammates? Be honest with yourself.
Just remember, that a leader must lead and nourish others through the growth process. If he/she loses integrity and fails to take action, then this same failure mindset will ripple down to his/her teammates. A team will duplicate their leader and their leader’s actions.
Let me ask you one last time…Are you a Leader or a Slacker?
Find Your Why & Fly,
John Di Lemme
www.FindYourWhy.com
Originally posted 2009-02-04 15:55:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Feb 9th 10
Posted by Aldohas in Leadership
In Aldohas an Inspiration, We talk about “Leadership” every friday.
Whenever you’re considering mentoring a younger individual, here are a few matters to consider about.
Be sure that mentoring is for you. Just about good mentors sincerely, deeply love assisting younger people raise and develop. Make certain you are likely to love the process before you accept it on.
Be sure you’ve the time and flexibility. Whenever your agenda is already full or you are under tension at home, you may would like to think waiting on a mentoring commitment until things are a little less hectic.
Make certain you acknowledge what you bring to the table. No of us is skillful at everything, just every one of us is actually good at something. Whenever you acknowledge what you are good at and what additional matters you might bring to the table, you are more expected to be winning.
In his superior book, Winning, Jack Welch says that “There is no one right mentor. There are many right mentors.” From your perspective, that means you do not have to do everything. You aren’t the sole place that your protégé should get assistance.
Be sure you know what sort of people you like to work on and which ones are difficult for you. Mentoring had better be a beautiful relationship for both of you.
Make certain you acknowledge what you expect from your protégé. It is a right thought to assure him or her what you expect them to do. Clear expectations are critical to a mentoring relationship.
Make certain you acknowledge that a good mentoring relationship had better be a good experience for both of you. You had better both love it. You should both develop and rise. And you should both make an acquaintance for life.
Mentoring can be one of the most pleasing experiences of your life history or it can be a frustrating and time-consuming trial. Be sure you acknowledge what you are getting into.
image credit : sammielita
Originally posted 2009-04-17 02:35:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Feb 9th 10
Posted by admin in Leadership
If you were to build a house, you would begin with a blueprint. This blueprint proves useful because it contains more than directions on how to build a house. It also describes the finished house.
So, what does this have to do with leadership?
Last month I asked an audience of leaders to tell me the characteristics of an ideal leader. Their answers were (in the order collected):
A good listener, enthusiasm, passion, shows appreciation, a visionary, role model, trusting, integrity, organized, knowledgeable, credibility, persuasive, charisma, team building, clarity of purpose, problem solver, attitude of service, leads by example, patience, willing to act without complete knowledge, understands followers, consistent, empowers other people, and adapts to change.
I’ll add that this is essentially the same list that I receive from other audiences when I ask this question. From this comes some useful insights.
1) Notice what the list contains. All of these characteristics relate to the human side of leadership. That’s interesting because I often hear people minimize this side of leadership with terms like “soft” or “touchy feely.” Actually, applying these characteristics requires more strength than not.
2) Notice what the list excludes. Absent from this list (and all lists from other programs) are characteristics such as stern, mean, serious, short tempered, vindictive, tough, angry, harsh, punitive, controlling, violent, or ruthless. And that’s interesting because many popular representations of leadership emphasize at least one of these “hard” characteristics. In fact, these characteristics are the refuge of those who lack the strength (or the skills) to apply the human side of leadership.
3) How about you? How would you rate yourself as a leader compared to the list of positive characteristics? If you were to survey the people who report to you, how would they describe your leadership? Would they list characteristics from the “soft” list or from the “hard” list? Could you become more effective by improving upon any of the “soft” characteristics? And how about the other leaders in your organization? Do they truly maximize human potential?
People want leaders who treat them with genuine compassion, courtesy, and respect. They want leaders who help them become more successful. They want leaders who inspire them with a vision for a better world and show them how to go there.
Originally posted 2009-03-01 15:56:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Feb 9th 10
Posted by admin in Leadership
People who want to lose weight search for a magic program that will let them lose weight without changing how they eat or whether they exercise. Late night infomercials tout systems that will turn you into a millionaire overnight. We crave magical solutions that are quick and easy and produce big results.
Well, I haven’t found any magic diet programs, and I never saw a get-rich-quick program that really worked, but I do know one “magic” thing you can do to improve your results as a leader.
It doesn’t require any special equipment. You don’t have to take an expensive seminar. It won’t take you a long time to learn.
Here it is. Show up a lot.
Sounds simple, right? How could something so simple possibly produce an improvement in your leadership?
Show up a lot so your arrival won’t be an event. If you only show up to deliver big news, the people who work for you will erect their defensive shields as soon as you appear on the horizon.
Those defensive shields make communication tough. But if you show up a lot, then your appearance is just a normal part of how the world works. The shields stay down and communication can happen.
Show up a lot to learn about your people. Reports and statistics won’t get the job done. You need to see your people in action to understand them. Show up a lot and you’ll learn all about what they do well and poorly.
Show up a lot so your people can learn about you. The best way for them to do that is by seeing you in person.
Show up a lot so you can tell people what’s important. You should have crafted your one or two simple messages about the mission and your people’s part in achieving it. Show up a lot and you get more opportunities to share those messages.
Show up a lot so you can make small course corrections. Your life as a leader will be easier if you can make lots of small course corrections instead of a few big course corrections.
Remember, most effective supervision happens in the cracks in the system. Show up a lot and you’ve got lots of opportunities to make things right.
Show up a lot to learn about the real world. The real world doesn’t come to you in your office, neatly formatted into reports. If you want to get an unfiltered look at reality, get out of your office and around the people who work for you.
But how much is “a lot?” The best answer to that question is: “More than you’re doing right now.”
Make it a priority to get out among the people who work for you. Don’t just swoop in then swoop out, either.
To get benefits from showing up you have to stay and watch and listen and communicate. You have to take every encounter with someone who works for you as an opportunity to communicate, coach, encourage, and correct.
Don’t expect instant trust. If you haven’t been showing up much, your people will probably not trust you when you suddenly start acting different. It will take time for your behavior to change their expectations. Hang in there. The benefits are worth it.
Showing up a lot is an easy concept to grasp, but you have to turn it into a habit. That takes time, a month at least, but probably more. And it takes effort and attention. In the beginning, you’ll probably need to schedule your “showing up” time.
Showing up a lot won’t help you lose weight or turn you into a millionaire overnight. But it just might be the one “magic” behavior that will make you a better leader.
Originally posted 2009-01-04 15:29:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
