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As I think of top performance and Dr. Stephen Covey, there are a flood of starting points. One memory is of attending the highly acclaimed “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Dr. Covey’s signature work. My first journey through the “7 Habits” material was much like a tourist visit – interesting but all surface understanding (if that).

Months later, I completed the course again as my organization was taking serious strides to apply the profound truths. In the meantime, I had moved into a position of greater responsibility with a larger team. This significant job change caused me to carefully seek to learn from Dr. Covey.

One illustration I found especially motivating was when Dr. Covey used a large container and talked about how to best fill with large rocks, small pebbles, sand, and water. Covey showed that by working small-to-large (water, sand, etc.), it was impossible to put all the items in the single container. On the other hand, if Covey went from large to small (large rocks, small pebbles, etc.), all the items fit in the one container.

Using this physical analogy, I began to process (and continue to this day) the importance of purpose and principle-based living – the big rocks if you will. As the years passed, I re-visited the “7 Habits” material multiple times and came away each time with new insight. With this mind, here is a question to set the stage for this article.

What does it take for knowledge workers to reach

higher and higher levels of top performance?

While there could be several right answers, here are some thoughts to start the discussion.

Discover, Look At, and Shift Mind-Sets

Mental maps directly impact behavior. One speaker called mindsets “belief windows.” What is on these windows determines decisions. For instance, if I hold a mindset of respect for people regardless of race or background, I will act in a naturally positive way with co-workers and anyone else for that matter. If I hold an internal bias against people of certain races or circumstances, the behavior is eventually obvious.

The challenge is when one stumbles on a previously invisible mindset and finds it less than ideal (the deepest mental maps are the hardest to see). Several years ago, I discovered I thought of disagreement and disrespect as one in the same. (I can still take you to the spot of this realization.) What this meant in practical terms was my team members had a hard time disagreeing with me because I interpreted anything more than minor argument as offensive. The team was not living up to its potential mainly because of me.

Once I found this sub-par paradigm, I decided to adopt a new mindset of disagreement and disrespect as two, separate things. While I still have a long way to go, this mindset change had a huge, positive impact on my supervisory and team style.

Orient Around a Timeless Core

Assuming the leadership student accepts the charter to work on mindsets, what paradigms should stay, change, and by what standard? Dr. Covey argued for using principles which he defined (I’m paraphrasing) as timeless, obvious, and trust-building. As my consultant, friend Lee puts it, “what does it take to build a happy, life-long marriage?” The answer to this question creates a list of principles.

A few examples of principles includes respect, courage, integrity, humor, excellence, and service. Using principles as measuring sticks for mindset examination and change yields great outcomes. One strong argument for living with principles at the core is consequences are then predictable over the long-term. It is completely normal for most people to want high quality relationships and these blossom with principle-centered decision-making.

Make Sure the Core Includes a Personal Mission

It’s great to live principle-centered but the would-be leader will want to consider personalizing all this good information into a personally inspiring mission. This is part of what Dr. Covey referred to as the “private victory” or an inner work on self-awareness and improvement to build more effective professional and personal relationships. While the process to shape a personal mission is for another article, let me mention a few quick points.

To clarify personal purpose, the question ‘why’ is a powerful tool. Why am I here? Why do I have these unique talents, gifts, personality, and to what end? How do I best use these traits for long-term good? Why should I create a personal mission in the first place?

There are also important ‘how’ questions. How do combine seemingly diverse interests? How do I want to be remembered? How do I want to interact with others to be the best me I can be? The journey of self-discovery is a worthy – but not an overnight – endeavor.

Engage

Without action, all of the above are just good intentions. Dr. Covey often said, ‘To know and not to do is not to know.” Well said. If mindset work and principle-centered living are not important enough for concrete activity, they become another flavor-of-the-month void of results. Conversely, if the intent is matched with efforts of continual improvement, better results are the reward. The positive consequences can be many things such as stronger business performance, fewer crises, high performance teams, and deeper relationships with the people who matter most.

Another part of engagement is connection with people. Listening, one of the neglected skills, is a powerful tool for learning and growing. Dr. Covey often talked about listening with full intent and to avoid creating a mental response before the other party finished speaking. He put it as “Seek to Understand Before Being Understood.” This noble statement is harder to do than it sounds, especially when there’s conflict in the mix. And yet, the dividends are tremendous for honest, genuine listening.

The habits of effectiveness are deceivingly simple and amazingly affirming. Dr. Covey showed us the way and, as he might say, ‘What are your big rocks?’

* – Photo by Kevin on Flickr

Be Curious

Henry Knox began his education at the esteemed Boston Latin Grammar School founded by Harvard College. (Alumni included Benjamin Franklin and Sam Adams.) When the Knox family’s financial situation started to founder and then the father left home, Henry – now age 8 – was forced to stop school and take a job. Henry was hired to work at a local bookshop. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, young Knox was inquisitive and worked to steadily learn from the adult storekeepers and their many books.

Lesson: An effective leader uses curiosity as a fuel to constantly discover useful things about the organizational actions versus mission. This means cultivating professional relationships at all levels to better understand the prevailing culture (and sub-cultures). By this understanding comes wisdom on how to interact with team members to set and achieve the best strategic goals. A natural, important by-product is trust-building which is the foundation for every effective organization.

Be Hands On When Needed

In 1781 at Yorktown, the American Army outnumbered their British counterparts but the battle’s outcome was not a foregone conclusion. General Knox worked hard to prepare the battlefield, especially the night of October 7, when he and his men worked in near silence to dig substantial trenches for the upcoming fight. Because the ensuing battle looked pivotal in the war, Knox took personal command of the artillery guns to ensure the most accurate and strategic outcome. When the smoke cleared, the Americans were victorious and received the ceremonial sword of the British General.

Lesson: A great leader will have a finely tuned ability to delegate but must resist the temptation to abdicate, especially when the project goals are critical to the organizational success. The leader also may choose to be more hands-on when modeling is necessary. This is as much art as science but the team should never doubt the leader will get his or her hands dirty.

Shift Priorities Based On Principles

As Secretary of War under President Washington, Henry Knox accomplished or influenced several large-scale objectives including the following.

• Called for the a new constitution (the final product looked much like his proposal)
• Launched the U.S. Navy
• Constructed frontier and coastal defenses
• Negotiated positive treaties and policies with American Indians
• Strongly advocated for the military academy at West Point (founded in 1802 after Knox’s government service)

In addition, Mr. Knox resigned as Secretary of War when it became obvious his family needed him to be present for financial reasons. President Washington was disappointed but understanding. An interesting note about Knox is while several of his pursuits looked very different on the surface, they all served the larger mission of standing up a fledgling nation.

Lesson: A leader must constantly measure priorities against timeless principles and organizational aims. Just as important, the leader must have the humility to shift priorities to keep the company moving forward. Also, a holistic leader will not neglect a personal mission and will be ready to make even more dramatic shifts as required.

Our nation’s history is rich with incredible known and unknown heroes. As we go through this Christmas season into a new year, will you join me in a fresh commitment to more healthy professional and personal relationships for leadership growth?

Reference

Puls, Mark (2008). Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution. New York, NY. Palgrave MacMillan.

Picture Credit – Marion Doss on Flickr

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A leader’s ability to create a collaborative environment through open communication and mutual understanding is undoubtedly becoming a critical leadership skill in today’s faster-paced, increasingly interconnected world.

But how do you establish and maintain team harmony if those team dynamics are in constant flux? As team life spans continue to shrink in response to faster industry/market changes, how can leaders not only ensure team cohesion, but adapt to the changing team and personality dynamics that inevitably occur when old team members leave and new ones join?

These are questions that came to mind when I was re-elected to serve a second term as chairman of the Governing Board for one of the regional high schools. While I might be familiar with the goals and challenges we’ll have to address, the team itself has changed as more than half of the members are both new to the team and new to the process of governing an educational institution.

The opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity for this mix of old and new team members brought to mind these three key principles leaders need to encourage in themselves and within their employees to maintain a sense of team harmony regardless of how often their team dynamics might change.

1. Listen and observe to understand team dynamics and individual motivations
Regardless of whether you’re the team’s leader or one of its members, it’s easy to come into these team efforts armed with what you personally want to accomplish or focus mostly what matters to you.

In many ways this manifests itself with the leader (and sometimes other team members) trying to press changes for how the team operates to better suit their needs/interests. For everyone else on the team, such efforts often come across as a power grab or marking off territory of who’s in charge or in control of what. In these scenarios, there’s clearly little interest in trying to understand why things are approached in the manner they are as the focus is more on having one’s way.

As the team’s leader, your focus should be on spending more time listening and observing what your team members have to way; to understand what they hope to accomplish, what would make them feel like they are contributing in a meaningful fashion, and how to make them outward-focused on the team’s needs instead of inward-focused on their own.

Remember that irrespective of what title, role, or expertise you bring to the team, the simple truth is that all of you are members of the same team. For those in charge, that means making sure you’re not using your authority to try and control the process to suit yourself.

Rather, your goal should be to empower everyone at the table to be full contributors and participants. How leaders can go about achieving this can be seen in the next principle.

2. Demonstrate trust and respect through your words and actions
One of common false perceptions surrounding leadership is the notion that in order to lead others one has to be the smartest person in the room. This is why employees often resist change as those in charge spend little time explaining the measures or trying to understand the concerns of those they lead, opting instead to use their authority to simply push their decisions from the top down.

While those in leadership positions do carry the burden of responsibility for the outcomes of their team’s decisions, leaders still have to bring their team members into the discussion, openly welcoming and soliciting their input because they understand that their team as a collective will be far smarter and capable of determining the best course of action than if they were to simply chart it on their own.

It’s important not to overlook the fact that each person is on that team because of what they contribute – of how their insights, experiences and knowledge can help inform and shape the decisions made by the team as a whole. It’s a point that leaders need to communicate and evoke by treating each member with the same level of trust and respect, irrespective of what their roles might be outside your team.

This is especially important when new members join an existing team, as there can be concerns over whether long-time team members would be willing to hear an ‘outsiders’ point of view. By reminding your team through your words and actions that everyone rightfully deserves a place at the table, you will not only help empower all your employees to create and add value to the discussion, but you will also facilitate a sense of ownership in their collective efforts.

As Tony Hsieh wrote in his book “Delivering Happiness”, “people may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”

3. To be a good leader you need to be a good follower
Once leaders become comfortable with accepting the reality that they don’t need to be the smartest person in the room to effectively lead others, the next key principle to successfully managing an ever-changing team dynamic is accepting the fact that you need to be a good follower in order to be an effective leader.

I’m sure we’ve all worked on teams where one of the members has experience leading other teams and insists on using that experience to rationalize their efforts to continually point out how they’d run meetings or come to make decisions. While they might be thinking that they are helping others to become better leaders by imparting some of their experiences, the reality is that they are simply trying to be another ‘leader at the table’ by focusing more on what works for them than on understanding what works for the team.

This is why so many of today’s successful leaders not only encourage delegation of key projects and decisions, but why they also make a habit of letting others lead the teams they serve on. They understand that to be a good leader, you have to be a good follower by putting the needs of those you serve ahead of your own interests.

Providing others with the opportunity to lead reminds both leaders and their employees that it’s not about those in charge, nor is it about those who served on the team the longest, or any external, unrelated roles or functions. Rather, it’s about what they all want to collectively accomplish as a team and community.

Regardless of what field or industry you operate in, the ability to build and empower constantly-evolving teams while maintaining team harmony has become a leadership necessity, one that the old command-and-control model cannot help leaders to effectively address.

By adhering to these three interconnected principles of leadership and teamwork, leaders will be more successful in guiding their employees and organizations forward towards achieving their shared purpose, while embracing both the rapid pace and demand for change required by today’s global economy.

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Re-printed by permission. Copyright Tanveer Naseer. All rights reserved.

Leadership

Over time, the word has become abused and yet still has an uplifting sparkle. From this practitioner’s point of view, leadership is critical, not because it’s the only thing but because it’s under-taught and under-used. The ability to think long-term and bring that perspective back to the present in a constant search for more complete paradigms is a critical, competitive advantage for any organization. All too often, it is easy to become used to “the way things are” and fall into a rut of doing like we’ve always done it … forgetting the original reasons why.

Leadership jars those of us in the status quo quagmire into new ways of thinking and doing. Jim Collins’ advice to “preserve the core and innovate everything else” is sage advice for the organization desiring to stick around. (Collins, 1994)

Change

I have come to believe people do not resist change so much as they resist senseless change. People must get an idea of what’s in it for them if they are to embrace or at least tolerate change. This allowance for change ranges from passionate “kool-aid drinkers” to the person who simply wants to keep getting a paycheck. Regardless of the motivation, most team members are naturally drawn to success and can be won over in time.

The interesting thing about change is it is both art and science. For example, one excerpt in John Kotter’s book, “Leading Change” suggests a scientific approach with eight steps to creating change. (Kotter, 1996) The how-to-execute these seemingly scientific steps is where art comes into play.

Business Process

Change is incomplete without considering business processes. The underlying, steady driver that keeps organizations running is the process machine (built partly by intent and partly by evolution). Without regular house-cleaning, business process can easily slow down an otherwise smooth running operation with unneeded obstacles and extra steps. In many cases, such problems occur between departments who unknowingly optimize their own areas to the unintended detriment of the greater whole.

Collaborative Culture

Far from being group-think without direction or coherent focus, collaborative culture is an engaging, dynamic entity … as it should be! This doesn’t happen by accident but is the intersection of humble leadership, change for the sake of vibrant business results and alignment of business process. Forget leadership and the destination is unknown. Take out change and any organization will eventually disappear regardless of how noble the purpose. Neglect business process management and find an organization driving like a car with two square wheels.

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Are there more important pieces to collaborative culture besides the above? How would you prioritize leadership, change and business process? What would you add, change or delete?

References

Collins, Jim (1994). Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York, NY. Harper Business.

Kotter, John (1996). Leading Change. Cambridge, MA. Harvard Business Review Press.

Nitschke, Robert (2012). Creating a Collaborative Enterprise: Retool Your Organization to Dominate Your Markets. Bothell, WA. Book Publishers Network.

Here are two definitions to start.

• Mistakes in technique – With any change management effort, plan on mistakes in technique. This is the ‘how’ of change, the specific methods and experiments to move toward the vision. One speaker (I don’t remember his name) compared a technique mistake to accidentally making holes in a boat above the waterline. While not ideal, the boat can take a few without too much trouble.
• Mistakes in principle – Although techniques can evolve readily, there should be underlying principles that remain constant. For example, team members should treat each other with respect, even when there’s disagreement. To use the boat analogy again, ignoring a principle is like making holes below the waterline. This is much more serious.

While there are several contenders for serious change management mistakes, here are my top three. If left unchecked, each will become an error in principle.

Mistake #3 – Lack of Follow-through

Good intentions alone are incomplete. Wishing, discussing or even goal-setting for the expected change isn’t enough. One of the comfort zones during uncertainty is to stay busy with outdated activities or simply stay in a planning mode. This may not be from resistance so much as fear.

Most of us like to get As on our tests which means making few or no mistakes. In change management, it’s normal to make mistakes in technique but the follow-through must focus on the goals until reached.

Lesson – Repeatedly explain the ‘why’ of change and give reassurance about mistakes in technique. Be consistent about checking on goal deadlines and agreements. Find those who follow up naturally and appoint them as it makes sense. Lack of follow-through will kill a change effort.

Mistake #2 – Ignoring Current Culture

Periodically, senior managers mandate big change ‘or else.’ While the commitment is admirable, current culture may see the policy as a win for management and a loss for the workers. Bad move. As one wise mentor said, “Involve them.”

Please, do not under-estimate the status quo culture. Don’t be afraid but be intentionally wise. Here are some questions to help navigate the risky waters.

• What are the values of the current culture and will they need to change to ensure success?
• Where is the overlap between current methods and future techniques?
  What is the best way to capitalize on mutual goals?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the change plan? Of the current culture? Pick battles where change is the strongest and status quo is weakest.

With any serious change movement, there will be setbacks, mistakes and unexpected obstacles. Activities that might have seemed trivial may suddenly become rallying points for the status quo culture. Keep going, carefully choose battles and take alternative paths as necessary.

Lesson – Be willing to change the change. In other words adapt to the dynamic environment in method while remaining committed to the goals in principle.

Mistake #1 – Lack of Timely, Informative Communication

I have yet to visit an organization where the majority felt management communicated too much. Ironically, management in the same organizations often feels they communicate well. Why the disconnect?

Consider this context. Most of us are accustomed to more data than we can digest. Do a quick Internet search on any topic and note the number of results (in millions).

Give the team members as many updates as possible and let them filter for their own needs. Formal and informal channels buzzing with information is the life-blood of any change effort. Continually adapt the communication to meet the receivers’ expectations, needs and demands. This dialogue alone can create a healthier work setting.

Lesson – Communicate more than you think necessary … and remember this is a two-way street.

What do you see as the top three change management mistakes?

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Here is a related article.

Process Design in Operations Management (business process management) – “We all know there’s design … and then there’s DESIGN! From beautiful houses and buildings to boats – you name it – design makes all the difference in a great or just-ok outcome. Organizations are no different … design matters … a lot.”

Photo Credit: Copyright by SFB579 on Flickr. Some rights reserved.

What If You Forget Character at First?

It is bad enough to make a poor hiring decision. Any of us who have made this mistake (including yours truly) know about it within a short time after the new person begins work. However, it is worse to compound this large mistake by then trying to “reform” a person’s character through a competency lens. For instance, I once hired an individual who interviewed very well. He was articulate, respectful and knowledgeable. I thought we had a winner. Within the first 30 days of work, I knew I had blown the hiring decision. Here was the observed behavior.

• Low productivity and high social behavior (little work and much talking)
• Hit and miss customer service skills
• Excellent interactions with those in positions of high authority
• A need to do things other than in his job description

Since I was in a government system at the time, terminating this person would require a mountain of paperwork based on significant time in place to document any shortcomings. Sadly, I compounded my hiring decision by moving this person to another functional area thinking we had simply mismatched his skills with the area. At the time, I was frustrated that the behavior did not improve.

Soon after the first internal move, we started down that long road of performance review, standards communication and too much documentation. I brainstormed and coached with the supervisors in an effort to “diagnose.” In reality, I was in denial of the character problem we were facing and continued to try and salvage the employee all the while going down the government discipline road.

It was not until I could realize and communicate to the problem employee what were character problems. I eventually summed it up as, “you are unwilling to take direction and instruction.” I then followed with several clear examples to support the statement. Clearly, these were more character traits and not competency obstacles. They had little to do with his past job experience and knowledge because they were part of who he was as a person. While it is never wise to rush to judgment on a person’s character, it is still critical to go there at least in analysis.

Use Courage, Consideration and Wisdom

I can just hear all the HR people out there wringing their hands because this character discussion is what lawsuits can be made of (slander, liable, discrimination, etc.). Be smart about how you speak your thoughts during an interview discussion with other selecting members but do not dodge character issues. Focus on behavior, not on conclusions. “When you do A, B suffers” or “On such-and-such day, you did X and at this company we seek to makes decisions based on Y.” You could also use the opener from the previous paragraph as well.

If you think this person can be salvaged, you must tackle the character concerns and not dance around the issues through a competence mindset. You may want to ask your HR or legal sections for advice on how to say it but you must exercise courage and tackle this challenge. You are not putting the person down but are seeking better alignment with the values your section, division or company hold dear.

Make a Decision

You owe it to the entire company to work through these issues authentically yet compassionately. By doing so, you may create a long-term employee, increase morale and build your own credibility all at the same time. You may also discover in this process that value alignment is impossible. If this is the case, it is time to learn a lesson for next time and respectfully show the employee the door.

Character and competence. Both are essential traits to a highly effective team member but it is essential for a leader to understand both categories and how and when to apply them in any given situation. Otherwise, you can be sure your prescription will miss the mark and prolong problems within the organization.

When hiring for and growing employees within an organization, it is important to consider both character and competence traits. Considering only one or the other could be like being stuck in a fence. The single best strategy for helping a company improve results starts with hiring the right people for the right business needs. It is far better to leave a vacancy unfilled rather than fill just because “any warm body in the chair will help.”

The pain and cost of making poor hiring decisions is unnecessary. Sprinkle the hiring process with a bit more deliberation and patience and watch the long-term results take an upward course.

Too often, managers or would-be leaders blur the lines between character and competence partly out of fear and partly out of ignorance. The fear factor comes from our litigious society that promotes fudging or hiding the truth. The ignorance comes from a lack of intellectual curiosity that leaves us with too few leadership thinkers. For best use to any organization, character and competence need to be viewed in all their distinctiveness of meaning and use. Before we talk about the people side though, let’s think about the position.

Defining the Position

Go out and search the web for a few random open job descriptions. Most will focus almost entirely on the technical requirements. This is a recipe for disaster (more on that later). The fact is a job ad or description built only from technical traits is incomplete. Think about it.

Let’s pretend you want to hire a person for your IT Help Desk. In the extreme, you could find a person who could answer every alien technology question well but steal your company blind. Why? It’s a character thing.

Character and Competence Definitions

For our purposes, character traits refer to the values a person uses to make decisions, especially in difficult times. Number one on my list of preferred skills in this category is integrity. This is about consistently (as possible) doing the right thing in public and private settings.

Another character trait on my short list of favorites is excellence. Doing a task well, diligently and thoroughly is imperative for enterprises to thrive. It is related to work ethic but goes farther in the sense of working AND thinking at the same time. In other words, this means employing more than just my hands to complete a job. Of courses there is a long list of things to consider in the character area.

A second critical area to consider for employees is the competence. I could fully trust a new hire’s character but if this person does not have or cannot readily learn the skills required for the position, I have shot myself in the foot by bringing this new one on board. Examples of competence traits include trade skills, computer abilities and communication attributes to name a few. Keep in mind, competence is easier to teach than character.

Competence Now, Character Later

One of the interesting things is the tendency of managers to hire mostly based on competence and later judge by character. Perhaps this is based on a naïve assumption that most people possess higher character quality than reality or maybe on the fact that it is harder (although still possible) to measure character.

Whatever the reason, this process of hiring based on competence while expecting high levels of character often leads to misunderstandings and unneeded conflict. Usually the casualty is the new hire and the company suffers in the lost productivity, wasted payroll and training dollars and, ultimately, organizational results.

Let’s consider the two possibilities on why managers mistakenly hire for competence while wishing for better or different character.

1. Ignorance. This is a killer in today’s fast-paced marketplace. Either not asking appropriate questions or making too many assumptions will result in a more expensive cost model although the impact is usually insidious and not easily split out from other expenses unless a senior manager decides this is important. The manager may assume that things like honesty, respect and teamwork are natural traits for many seeking new positions. Do not make these or similar assumptions. A famous man once said “trust but verify.”

2. Efficiency. It’s easier to immediately see competence than character attributes. For instance, if your résumé says you can run a drill press, I can easily test your skills in a matter of minutes. If you insist you are honest, I must be more creative to verify your statement and it will likely take a bit more time. One method to test for character traits is to constantly ask in an interview for past examples of behavior in a variety of situations.

Next time, we’ll look at what you can do if you forget to hire with character in mind.

Granted, many business owners are happy to stay fully engaged in the business operations and do not want to change or grow. This is a perfectly acceptable option. However, this article is aimed at those who want to move into a big picture oversight rather than keep the organization fully dependent on the owner for daily operations.

Before we go farther, let’s define a few terms for the sake of this article.

• Strategy – Big picture and long-term. Which hill should we take?

• Tactics – Small picture and short-term. How should we take the assigned hill?

• Business Owner – A person who successfully starts and grows a business and is at its core. The business owner is mainly concerned with tactics with some attention to strategy as necessary. Take the business owner out of the picture and the business will die (slowly or quickly).

• CEO – A person who runs an enterprise with the big picture and who delegates appropriately for the organization size. The CEO is mostly focused on strategy with attending only to the most important tactics. Change CEOs and the enterprise will continue operating (assuming the new CEO is qualified.)

Anyone who has started a business comes to see that organization as his or her baby. The entity is like raising a child and is very dear to the creator. With this in mind, it is then often very difficult to mostly disengage while keeping the business viable and successful. The loss of nuts-and-bolts control is scary for most entrepreneurs to say nothing of how and who to hire to make it happen. Not only that, what can an owner do to make sure customers continue to receive the quality and personality of service and product they expect?

So how does someone move from being a business owner to CEO? While each transition is unique, here are some basic parts that remain constant.

1. Make a decision – This is usually a hard call for the successful business owner as changing to CEO is not for everybody. I have worked with business owners who expressed an intention to disengage from the daily operations but when it came down to letting go, they just couldn’t take the plunge. Again, either way is OK … just be intentional. Talk to close friends, family and business associates. Seek perspective from anywhere you respect the advice.

2. Develop a charter – First, think big picture, big picture, big picture. Did I mention you need to look at the big picture? What do you want the enterprise to look like once the transition is complete? What are the core values that have made the business thrive and must continue? Boiled down to the essence, what do the customers expect? What do employees expect in terms of corporate culture?

3. Make a plan – What are the key, daily competencies the independent organization must master in order for you to pull back? What are the crawl-walk-run processes? What are the profiles of the needed key people? Perhaps most importantly, how will YOU develop to stay ahead of the transition? Define a rough time-frame for the entire transition as well as milestones to measure progress.

4. Select a transition person – This may be someone already on staff or you may look externally. Decide if you want this person to be a bridge or eventually assume greater responsibility long-term. If you intend for the individual to stay in charge, plan on spending a lot of time mentoring and coaching. If you see this person as a bridge, collaborate intensively to ensure the project moves forward.

5. Most of all … communicate – Transitions are rarely smooth. There are unexpected setbacks and problems as well as timing speed bumps. Over-communicate (if that’s possible) with employees, business partners, customers and other key people about what’s happening, the next couple steps and, most importantly, the big picture.

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If you would like help moving from business owner to CEO, contact Leading Strategies for a complimentary, initial consultation. We offer a wide variety of scalable solutions for the successful entrepreneur.

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Related Articles

• Process Design in Operations Management

• Business Scenario Planning

• America’s Healthy Infatuation With Entrepreneurs | Stanford … – Compare the Fortune 500 CEOs interviewed on the HBR IdeaCast talking about Campbell’s Soup or Coca-Cola (podcast here) with the entrepreneurs at the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Seminar Series discussing Pandora and Instagram (podcast here). The big company CEOs sound just like you’d expect. But while most of them presumably have strong interpersonal skills and a high EQ, they come across as dry, unemotional and focused on the core business.

Suggested Reading

• Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich and Why Most Do Not by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki

Be Flexible

Now this might seem to contradict the previous point but speaks to how things can change without much warning. What if my plan does not work? One rainy winter day, I landed an F-4 with the hook down because of a hydraulic failure. (The Navy guys out there are laughing.) The firm touchdown went as planned but the hook bounced over the cable. Fortunately, my Weapons System Officer (WSO or backseater) and I had discussed this possibility and stayed on the runway to catch the opposite end cable. Had we missed again, we would have ejected from the aircraft.

One tongue-in-cheek saying in the Air Force is “flexibility is the key to air power.” Regardless of how pretty the strategic plan looks, you will have to improvise in some way. This is where knowing and living principled values will pay big dividends. Stick to decisions as much as practical but do not run your company train over a cliff for sake of your personal ego. If the market needs change, adapt. Make another decision. Be flexible.

Have An Out

An analogy here is related to formation flying of two or more aircraft. One of the staples of formation flying is the rejoin where one airplane overtakes another aircraft with speed, geometry or both. Every good formation flier always has an out in case the unexpected happens.

In the military, there is always a designated formation leader but the reality is that all pilots in the formation have basic responsibilities to keep everything safe. A nice rejoin concluding with a mid-air collision will ruin anybody’s day, hence, the “what if.” No matter how the rejoin may be going, a savvy aviator will be constantly assessing and adjusting not only the rejoin maneuver but the Plan B should something go very wrong. Fighting other airplanes requires more aggressive use of geometry although the same basic rules of a rejoin apply.

I remember a time as a new F-4 driver when in the thick of a practice fight, there were two of us unknowingly converging on the same target, belly to belly. I was going to be a hero. Thankfully I had an experienced backseater who yelled, “Belly check!” Upon rolling inverted and seeing the imminent mid-air, I wracked the airplane in an opposite direction and we all lived to fight another day.

As the leader, you may or may not want to publicly admit your Plan B to risk distracting or demoralizing your team members. You may not always have an elegant or fully developed alternative. Be always thinking though. It may be an out by phases or increments. This really is an extension on the flexibility theme but this is the era we are in. Said another way, if all our grand schemes fall apart, what will we do? How will we recover the keep the enterprise viable? How will we rally the “troops” to pick up the pieces?

Nimbleness is a critical core competency and an effective leader will always be a few steps ahead of those being lead. I am not suggesting you pursue goals half-hearted; just be smart and ready to improve a good plan with great execution.

Keep flying …

Think long-term …

Be decisive …

Be flexible …

Have an out.

Simple yet helpful steps to making your leadership skills shine.

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Think Long-Term

If an airplane is in trouble, it is common sense for the pilot to land as soon as practical. Despite the urgency, there are questions to consider that will make or break the outcome. What is my fuel state? What is the nearest field that can appropriately handle the aircraft emergency? How far to the ideal airport? What is the weather like at the intended landing airport?

So often, it is easy to be too caught up with the urgent priorities of the present while all but forgetting the long-term. Executing a flawed business plan perfectly will still assure the eventual demise of any enterprise. Leaders must consider questions like the following:

• Where will our current organizational behavior lead?
• What changes are needed to arrive at the preferred destination?
• What business are we really in … long-term?
• How should the firm change to meet fickle consumer demands?
• How should we shape internal succession plans?
• How are we educating and growing the up-and-coming leaders to meet their future challenges?

Of course, there are many more questions as well. The long-term may seem far away but it is as or more important than the present for the leader. Chances are that your employees do their best work in the present. It is your job as a leader to devote enough time to future work.

Be Decisive

Prescribing a remedy for an aircraft emergency requires making consistent and timely decisions. A pilot can only make decisions based on what is seen, heard and felt (e.g., airframe vibrations, extra weight on the flight controls, etc.). In many cases, a wing-man can take a look at crippled airplane to give any more data. Otherwise, it is time to analyze the problem and move toward a solution.

Several years ago, when an engine fire indicator came on in the F-4 I was flying, I immediately turned directly toward the home airport. This sounds basic and yet many a student pilot has wasted precious minutes in a sim by working through the checklist before turning the airplane toward a suitable landing patch.

Decision-making is an obvious skill that any successful business person will have. A wise leadership instructor once said, “Intent counts for more than technique.” His point was to make timely decisions for the good of the organization. The only people who have 100% of the data for a decision are historians (and that might even be debatable). Don’t overly labor on a decision: Make it. It is guaranteed you will learn something from it if you are open. This is particularly true if the choice turns out to be a blunder. If you are not making very many decisions, you are likely not learning much. Stay aligned with mission, vision, and values but, by all means, make a decision.

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