The Three Laws of Leadership:
Inspiring Your Team to Peak Performance
—
Brian Tracy

A good leader has an intense desire to lead; they possess the mentality of a role model who has a clear vision of a better future and steadfast ambition. A good leader inspires their team to peak performance and motivates others to achieve their goals. They have a clear picture of the kind of future they want to create, and they have the ability to communicate this vision to others in an exciting and inspiring way. There are three laws of leadership you must learn in order to become an inspiring leader and an excellent role model for your team.

The Law of Superb Execution

The Law of Superb Execution states that a good leader must commit to achieving peak performance. A good leader knows that excellence is a journey, not a destination. They constantly strive to be better in their key result areas and become a role model of excellence for everyone who reports to them. They are ruthless about weeding out incompetence and poor performance.

Leaders demand quality work and insist that people do their jobs well. The leader sets the standard of excellence. No one, or no part of the organization, can be any better than the standard that a good leader represents and enforces. For this reason, leaders are committed to personal excellence and achieving peak performance in everything they do.

People are most inspired when they feel they are working for an organization in which excellence is expected and they have a role model to look up to. The very best way to motivate and inspire others is for you to announce your commitment to peak performance in your field or industry.

Then, continually benchmark your performance and the performance of your organization against the very “best in class” in your business.

Leaders identify their core competencies, the vital tasks they do that are responsible for them being in business. They continually look for ways to upgrade these core competencies to assure that they maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace. A good leader or role model thinks ahead and identifies the core competencies that will be required for peak performance. They then develop plans to acquire those core competencies well before they will be needed to compete effectively in the marketplace of tomorrow.

The Law of Integrity

The Law of Integrity states that peak performance comes to you when you choose to live your life consistent with your highest values and your deepest convictions. Great business leadership is characterized by honesty, truthfulness, and straight dealing with every person, under all circumstances. This Law of Integrity requires that you be impeccably honest with yourself and others. Integrity lies at the core of leadership, at the heart of the leader.

Perhaps the most important thing you do as a good leader is to be an excellent role model. Lead by example. Walk the talk. Always carry yourself as though everyone is watching, even when no one is watching. A good leader is an excellent role model because they are completely reliable. People can take them at their word and trust that they will do what they say. A trusted role model makes promises carefully, and always keeps their word.

A key mark of integrity in human relations is consistency, both internal and external. The best leaders are consistent from one day to the next, from one situation to the next. Because of this internal consistency, these leaders are trusted. People know what to expect. There are no surprises.

The Law of Ambition

The Law of Ambition states that since a good leader has an intense desire to lead; he has a clear vision of a better future, which he is determined to realize. Vision is the one common quality that separates leaders from non leaders. A good leader or role model has a clear picture of the kind of future they want to create, and they have the ability to communicate this vision to others in an exciting and inspiring way.

Leaders have the ability to visualize, to see the big picture and then to inspire others to work together to make it a reality. The true leader sees leadership as a tool he or she can use to bring about a result that is bigger and more important than any single individual. A true leader can inspire and motivate others to peak performance.

You become a good leader when you set a goal, make a plan, and then throw your whole heart into making it a reality. You become a leader when you develop an inspiring vision for yourself and others.

A good leader or role model can explain clearly to other people what it is they are trying to accomplish, why they are trying to accomplish it, and how they are going to bring it about. They are excited about what they are doing, and as a result, they get other people excited as well. Leaders have goals, plans, and strategies that they are working to implement every day. They are in a hurry. They have a lot to do and they feel that they have too little time.

Perhaps the most important part of The Law of Ambition is clarity on the part of the leader. A good leader or role model has a clear vision, clear values, a clear vision, and clear, written goals, plans, and strategies for his or her department or organization. Most of all, leaders want to lead, to be in charge, to be responsible, to encourage others to peak performance. They are willing to endure the risks and the sacrifices that are required to make a real difference in their worlds.

Qualities of the Effective Leader:
How to Improve Your Management Skills for a Leadership Role
—Brian Tracy

For you to break through the success barriers in your own life, you must aspire to maintain a successful leadership role and become an effective leader. You must develop your management skills and influence others to work with you to achieve your goals and objectives.

Becoming a leader, however, requires that you understand the leadership role and responsibility of being an effective leader. Individuals in a leadership role must strive to make better choices and decisions for the sake of others.

Leaders are largely self-made as the result of continuously working on themselves and improving their management skills over the years. No one starts off as an effective leader, but you can aspire to improve your management skills by learning what leaders do and then by copying them until you become one yourself. Here are some qualities of successful leaders you can focus on to strengthen your management skills.

Focus on Strengths

An effective leader focuses on strengths. They focus on the strengths in themselves and on the strengths in others. The fact of the matter is that strong people have far more weaknesses than they have strengths. You can never achieve greatness by compensating for your weaknesses. But you can become an outstanding and effective leader by identifying your areas of great potential strength and by then focusing all of your energies on becoming outstanding in those few areas.

Lead by Example

One of the most important qualities of an effective leader is to maintain a respected, leadership role model, to be the kind of person that everyone else looks up to and wants to be like. An important quality of an individual in a leadership role is that they carry themselves at all times, even when no one is watching, as if everyone was watching.

Leaders live in a goldfish bowl. Everyone is watching the individual in the leadership role. They are very aware of the impact of their words and gestures on the people around them. You must always be sensitive to the fact that everything you say or do is magnified times the people who report to you or look up to you for guidance.

Quality of Integrity

Perhaps the most important and respected quality of a person in a leadership role is the quality of integrity. It is the most required and most admired quality of all people, but especially of the effective leader with impressive management skills.

Trust is the quality that binds all relationships together. The willingness and ability to trust the people that you look up and report to is absolutely essential to your ability to perform at your very best. One of the most important things you do, if you want to be successful at work, is to choose your boss with care. I have seen very few occasions where a person has been successful under a negative or dishonest boss with poor management skills. In most cases, you are wasting your life and your career by staying in a situation with a negative person because the situation has no future.

Clear Vision

The effective leader always begins with the “needs” of the situation. The most common characteristic of leadership, throughout the ages, is that leaders have “vision.” Leaders can see the big picture. The effective leader can project forward 3-5 years and imagine clearly where they want to take the organization and what it will look like when they get there.

Leaders have the ability to articulate this vision in such a way that everyone around them can see and understand where they are going. The individual who maintains a successful leadership role has the ability to articulate an exciting vision of a compelling future that everyone wants to be a part of.

IIM graduates’ environment-friendly detergent Krya averages sales of Rs 1 lakh a month

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/20…

Finding Good People is a Top Priority for Great Leaders
Mark Bowser

Successful teams are made up of successful people. Because of this fact, great leaders make finding good people one of their top priorities. The late Jim Rohn, who was known as one of the foremost business philosopher once said, “Good people are found, not changed.” Recently I read a headline that said, ‘We don’t teach our people to be nice. We simply hire nice people. “Wow! What a clever shortcut.”

Mr. Rohn is right. It is a clever shortcut to hire quality people. The truth of the matter is that we can’t make people change. A number of years ago, I was at a banquet where Dr. Mike Murdock was the speaker. Dr. Murdock, knowing what I do for a living as a corporate trainer and professional speaker, singled me out during his presentation. He called me by name in front of the entire audience and said, “You can’t change anyone unless they want to be changed.” That wasn’t something I wanted to hear but Dr. Murdock, being older and wiser, knew I needed to hear it.

I wanted to change the world. I wanted everyone to listen to me. I wanted everyone to move when I spoke, to sit in awe of my great vision and words. I was young and naïve. We can’t change, motivate, turn around anyone unless they want to be changed, motivated or turned around. So, the moral of the story is to be extremely picky about whom you allow on your team. Finding great people is a great, clever shortcut to success. And in this economy, you have lots of choices. Choose well.

Management Thought – Don’t work harder – work smarter

This concept is common sense but not common practice. Most people still think that there is direct relationship between the amount of work they do and their success – the more time they put in, the more successful they will be. When asked to speak to a group of college students about what it takes to be successful, one accomplished entrepreneur said, “This is the shortest speech in the world. All you have to do is work half a day. You can work the first twelve hour or the second.”

Successful people do work hard. But they think before they act. They are proactive, not just reactive. Most people mentally have a sign on their desk that reads, “Don’t just sit there. Do something!” The best advice I ever received was to revise the sign to read, “Don’t just do something – sit there!”

If you take time to think, strategise, and prioritise, you’ll work a whole lot harder, without enjoying the benefits of a job smartly done.

From “The Heart of a Leader” by Ken Blanchard

How would You Like to be Remembered?

About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The news papers had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there? When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him. The obituary read, “Dynamite King Dies.” And also “He was the merchant of death.”

This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words “merchant of death,” he asked himself a question, “Is this how I am going to be remembered?” He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize.

Just as Alfred Nobel got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same.

v v What is your legacy?

v v How would you like to be remembered?

v v Will you be spoken well of?

v v Will you be remembered with love and respect?

v v Will you be missed?

Management Thought – Ask Why

During Gallup’s eighty thousand manager interviews we asked this question: “You have a talented employee who consistently shows up late for work. What would you say to this employee?” The answers ranged from authoritarian to the laissez faire:

“I would fire him; we don’t tolerate lateness here.”

“I would give him a verbal warning, then a written warning, then fire him.”

“That’s fine. I don’t care what time they come in as long as they stay late and get their work done.”

Each of these responses is defensible. Each has its merits. But these are not the answers of great managers. (When given this question) the great managers gave this one reply, which sums up their attitude toward manager-employee relationship:

“I would ask why.”

May be it has something to do with bus schedule. May be he has to wait for a nanny to arrive. May be there is trouble at home. Once they had understood the employee’s personal situation, they might take any number of different actions – ranging from changing the employee’s hours to ten to six to telling him to get the situation sorted out. But no matter what the next step, their first step was always to get to know the employee: “Ask why.”

From “First, Break all the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Quote – Albert Schweitzer

My eyesight grows dim, but my vision is clearer than ever.

Game

There are two ways to win a game.
One is to play to your strength and other is to play to opponent’s weakness.
Victory is certain if one can combine the both.

Innovations in design: Products to make to daily routine simpler

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What’s in it for me?

Christiansen’s restaurant, which is located in Victorville, California, in the high desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, serves lots of salads, soups, sandwiches and main courses. But Christiansen had noticed one area of weakness. Too many of the customers finished with their meals and then called out for the check. What the restaurant needed, Christiansen decided, was to sell more pies. So he announced a contest to see who could sell the most.

“When we started,” he recalls, “we were selling two pies a day. So I explained to the crew how I thought they should sell pies. I gave them a little demo on how to sell pies. That crew knows me well enough now to say,’Okay, Mr. C, if we start selling all these pies, what’s in it for us?’ I mean they are a bunch of ruthless capitalists, and we understand that, and that’s okay.”

All because of that one act of recognition.

Management Thought – TALENT

Great Managers define talent as a “recurring pattern of thought, feeling and behaviour that can be productively applied.” The emphasis here is on the word ‘recurring’. Your talents, they say, are the behaviours you find yourself doing often. You have a mental filter that sifts through the world, forcing you to pay attention to some stimuli, while others slip past you, unnoticed. Your instinctive ability to remember names, rather than just faces, is a talent. Your need to alphabetize your spice rack and colour code your wardrobe is a talent. So is your love of crossword puzzles, or your fascination with risk, or your impatience. Any recurring patterns of behaviour that can be productively applied are talents. The key to excellent performance, of course, is finding the match between your talents and your role.

From “First, Break all the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Rajiv Bajaj: Inside the mind of India Inc’s most unconventional CEO

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/20…

Management Thought – Purposeful Action

The simple fact is that being busy is easier than not. Most managers cannot admit that a fragmented day is actually the laziest day, the day that requires the least mental discipline and the most nervous energy. Responding to each new request, chasing an answer to the latest question, and complaining about overwhelming demands are easier than setting priorities. Fortunately, most managers can overcome their habitual fire fighting. To do so, however, they must first clear the most difficult hurdle: the belief that they are indispensable. Managers who complain about having too little time often thrive in the sense of importance that their busyness generates. They enjoy being at the centre of frenetic activity where people continually ask them for help, information or advice. If they were honest, then they would really not want time to reflect.

Purposeful action takers deal very differently with demands than their busy colleagues do. Rather than simply responding to any request that gets thrown at them, they manage their demands by developing an explicit personal agenda, practising slow management, structuring contact time, and shaping demands and managing expectations. To minimize constraints of overwhelming demands, you must develop a clear personal agenda. That means coming up with a precise idea of what you want to achieve in your job. For example, rather than keeping general aims in mind such as “growth” or “good customer service”, try crafting a vivid mental representation of your objectives that includes ways to achieve them.

From “Citings” by Sumantra Ghoshal in “The Economic Times” dated 25.02.2010

10 Tips for Building Trust
Charles A Breeding

One day last January, I watched as eight inches of snow piled up one morning. My neighbour, Gene proceeds to go out and shovel his driveway. It must’ve taken him an hour of back-breaking work. Then surprisingly, I watch him as he walks to my yard and shovel MY driveway — it took him over an hour!

Now, if Gene ever needs a “favour” from me, he has it — yes? Although he didn’t do it for this reason, by selflessly giving to others, you sort of create an invisible ‘bank account’ — if you never give of yourself or your time or money, don’t expect much of the same in return.

• Tip# 1: Build a reputation for benevolence, or doing
  something kind, helpful or useful for someone else.

Practice doing something for someone else every day for no apparent (ulterior motive) reason, and watch your trust build; it could be as simple as a handwritten thank you note. Ever see the movie, “Pay It Forward?” If not, go rent it and watch it for a good example of this tip and principle.

You can feel a sense of benevolence in many ways, some of which include:
· · They consistently put your interests ahead of their own.
· · They ensure that in any conflict, you’ll feel as if you came out better than they did, even if they had to lose something in order to reach a consensus.
· · They under-promise and over-deliver.
· · They have a “servant attitude”; it is clear that they are there to serve others, and if you needed someone at a crucial time, you could count on them.

• Tip# 2: Become more competent every day.

Think about this: You’re either ‘green and growing’ as a person, or ‘ripe and rotting.’ Embrace lifelong learning. Realize that besides your faith, the biggest contributor to an increased sense of HOPE is continuing education, seminars, books, etc. Competence breeds trust!

• Tip# 3: Remember that a decision sets you free!

Mike Litman says that more is lost in indecision, than in making the wrong decision. You have to trust yourself, once you’ve done the research, to make a decision. Like Nike says, “Just Do It.”

Procrastination kills countless great ideas. The achievers of this world treat ‘mistakes’ NOT as failures, but as learning lessons. Like Mike Litman also says, “Don’t get it perfectly right, just get it going!” Be willing to trust your gut, guys – or your intuition, ladies more than you do today.

• Tip# 4: Walk your talk.

Remember when you mother or father would say something that you shouldn’t do, and then do it themselves? A lack of congruence — a match between what you say and DO — is critically important to building and maintaining trust. Consistency breeds trust. Be very slow and careful about what you promise. Under-promise and you’ll over-deliver and build trust.

• Tip# 5: Be transparent — be authentic and genuine, with no ‘masks.’

Like it or not, we all tend to wear a sort-of “mask” or façade, depending on the situation and people we find ourselves. In my experience, those people who are most transparent about their true intent tend to be trusted the most. They don’t play games; they don’t behave differently in one situation or another. They are also open to being vulnerable, sharing their emotions, deepest thoughts or important life wisdom.

• Tip# 6: Have unquestionable integrity.

This is a HUGE problem in the world today. I have someone at least once a week tell me a story of how they can’t find honourable, trustworthy employees to hire. You may not agree with me, but in my and others’ opinions, there is a war going on between good and evil. You want greater trust with people? Great, then if you violate a sense of ethics or morality, your boat is sunk. You have to be trusted at your word, period.

I graduated from West Point, the US Military Academy and served in the US Army. West Point’s Honour Code reads, “I will not lie, cheat or steal NOR tolerate those who do.” So, let’s say you observe your work buddy lifting a few boxes of CD disks from the office supply room — do you turn your back, or question him (and/or report him?) It’s about doing the “harder right than the easier wrong.” If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything.

• Tip# 7: Create light by over-communicating.

True trust-building leaders communicate often and well so that people feel “in on things.” Don’t you like to feel like you’re “IN on things,” and rarely feel as if you’ve been left in the dark? Think of leaders that you’ve enjoyed working with in the past — didn’t they ‘over-communicate,’ constantly worked to make sure you felt in the loop, had seldom surprises because they saw communication as light in a dark room?

When you ask a child to do something, often they ask the simple question, “Why?” Adults are no different (we’re all just grown-up kids) and they want to understand the reasons ‘why’ it should be done, or why in that manner.

• Tip# 8: Be emotionally intelligent.

Take full responsibility for who you are, where you at right now in life, and no excuses or rationalization.

Admitting when they don’t know something or better, surrounding themselves with very competent people in the areas that the leader is marginal or not an expert

Trusts others by delegating and empowering other people while not abdicating their own ultimate responsibility. They gently inspect what they expect.

Emotionally mature: when they make a mistake, they admit it quickly and sincerely.

• Tip# 9: “Can I be honest with you?” is a great compliment to hear…

I have people constantly ask me, “Charlie can I be honest with you?” I sometimes say, “Well, of course, but what you have been until this point in time; dishonest?” What they are saying is one of several things:
· · If I share this with you, will you keep in confidential?
· · If I share this with you, will you also give me YOUR HONEST opinion (be careful)?
· · This goes “against the grain” of what others are commonly thinking or saying, so here’s how I really stand on this issue or question…

The point here is that people want to be honest with one another, but constantly are concerned about office politics, being politically correct and other generally unjustifiable concerns. If you’re the type of person who commonly has people say to you, “Can I be honest with you?” it’s a good sign that you’re on the right path to being more trustworthy.

• Tip# 10: When all else fails, remember that a thought of FEAR and
  a thought of FAITH or Courage cannot exist in the mind
  at the same time.

Probably the best, recent example of a benevolent company leader is the true story of a Massachusetts company whose manufacturing building burned to the ground, and whose owner continued payrolls until the plant was re-constructed. Loyalty breeds trust.

When your mind is filled with thoughts of faith, confidence, hope, charity and positive expectancy, fear has little ground in which to take root, and that helps you maintain trust, about people, organizations and the future.

5 Ways to Deliver in Boss’ Absence
Anumeha Chaturvedi

For professionals constantly used to working in the shadow of their supervisors, going it solo can be a rattling experience. The tendency to take assignments lightly and delay work can creep in. But with a little effort and consideration, one can keep going at the same pace, says Anumeha Chaturvedi.

1. 1. Get Clarity on Your Work: The tendency to delay work and assignments creep up when the boss is on leave, says Swapnil Kamat, CEO of executive education and training firm Work Better. “Breaks are longer than usual, and one tends to work from home or come in late. To avoid falling into such habits, it is important to seek clarity on the scope of work and deadlines before the boss goes on leave,” he says. “One might be expected to take certain decisions too and it would help to ask what is within your purview before they go on leave.”

2. 2. Adhere to Work Timings: Remember, bosses have trusted colleagues who are their eyes and ears in their absence, says Kamat. “You would not want them to hear tales of your sneaking out early or coming in past lunch time in their absence.”

3. 3. Connect with Peers: Shweta Jain, a marketing professional, always reaches out to peers and people from other teams when she feels she is slackening in her boss’ absence. “It helps to get a reality check on how action-oriented they are and how they are faring in comparison and puts me back on track,” she says.

4. 4. Develop Yourself: Kamat says times like these provides opportunities to reskill. “If one feels one is lacking in certain skills and tasks, it would be worthwhile to connect with others who have been on similar projects and assignments when one is stuck and to learn something new,” he says.

5. 5. Assume Responsibility: One is bound to interact with the senior management and the boss’ boss. “It is an excellent opportunity to seek guidance and support from them if they reach out to you,” says Jain, who seeks out collaborations and additional projects if she feels she does not have enough on her plate.

You’re Not Working Hard Enough!
David Leigh Weber

Insulting title, huh? The reason I used it is it reflects the common myth that if you aren’t rich (or making ‘enough’ money) you aren’t working hard enough. I saw this in college when I worked in a factory. The way to make money was to work overtime, sometimes LOTS of overtime, so you could have the things you wanted. If you were white collar the solution was to work a second (or third) job to get what you wanted. Then, of course, there is the usual working late at the office to please the boss in hopes of someday getting that promotion. In these ways you were working hard and providing for your family and your future.

But what is really going on here? Let’s start with the core of the issue — if someone has money they are ‘working hard’. Conversely, if they don’t have money or are struggling they aren’t working hard enough. Um, okay…

The reality is money has little or nothing to do with working hard in the traditional sense. You can work hard at a fast food restaurant for a year and never make as much as a stockbroker who presses a few buttons and makes a killing on a hot stock. Likewise, a celebrity like Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga can put their name on any product and it will make more money than you could ever make at McDonald’s.

Even worse, statistics show that millions of people are working hard yet getting nowhere relatively speaking. Real wages are basically the same they’ve been since the early 1970’s. And a recent report shows the income gap between the majority of workers (often referred to as the 99%) and the rich (the 1%) is the largest in over 100 years. So, by the accepted definition of the term, the rich are the only ones who are really working hard.

Are you insulted even more? Don’t be. There are reasons I am bringing this all up:

1) It may sound weird but you have to give up the notion of ‘working hard’: If you live your life thinking you’re not working hard enough or that everyone around you (especially those portrayed in the media) are working harder you’ll drive yourself crazy. It’s a vicious cycle that never ends, unless of course you work yourself to death. (I’ve known many people who have)

2) Substitute ‘working hard’ with ‘working smart’: Working smart means everything you do is as efficient and seamless as possible. I can’t tell you the number of meetings and teleconferences I’ve been on over the years where the entire reason for the meeting could have been resolved in five minutes.

3) Learn to work in flow, from your core: Flow is about doing everything naturally, like breathing. Work should be both enjoyable and rewarding, financially or otherwise. In high school I used to work as a dishwasher in a nursing home. I actually loved it, and felt I had both worked hard and gotten something out of it. I have used that same feeling (doing a job in flow) to determine whether a job or project was truly right for me.

4) Don’t stress! If you are working in flow you are calm and content, and any challenge is surmountable. Plus, your concerns about ‘doing it right’ as far as working hard suddenly disappear. Only when you lose sight of who you are and how YOU work will you succumb to all the anxiety and stress people traditionally experience.

Bottom line? Discover how you work, ignore the media and the ‘keeping up with the Jones’ mentality, and ensure your work life revolves around you instead of the reverse.

11 Simple Concepts to Become a Better Leader

Being likeable will help you in your job, business, relationships, and life.

All of the concepts are simple, and yet, perhaps in the name of revenues or the bottom line, we often lose sight of the simple things – things that not only make us human, but can actually help us become more successful. Below are the eleven most important principles to integrate to become a better leader: