No Whiners!

Friends,

Had enough of whiners? Maybe this form will do the trick.

Ok...this is not an actual form (WHAT....YOU BELIEVED IT WAS?). I thought it was hilarious. I laughed at the thought of some hard core drill sergeant sitting down with one of his charges helping him fill out the form if they had gotten their feelings hurt, asking if there is "permanent feeling damage?"

While it is just a joke, wouldn't it be nice if we could hand something like this to those whiners, complainers, and malingerers who infect our organizations? We would all feel better, wouldn't we?

But feeling better is not what leadership is about. Yes, it would be great if we could deal with workplace issues with a simple form. But we know it is never that easy! Workplace emotions and attitudes are always part of the office landscape. Real leadership is not in handing out a form but in confronting problems, building bridges, and dealing with drama.

Real leadership is turning whiners into winners through the difficult tasks of performance counseling, leader development, and daily inspiration. No "Hurt Feelings Form" will make this happen. That's Leader Business!

Lowering the Standard

Early in my military career, as a new cadet at West Point, my leaders shared this piece of wisdom:

"New Cadet, never walk past a mistake. If you fail to make a correction, you have just set a new standard."

As leaders, we get what we settle for. If we don't make it clear that behaviors are unacceptable, we are giving tacit approval to continue. If we are not willing to risk personal discomfort to let others know that they are messing up, then we are messing up.

Think about how many times this week you have told someone it is okay to:

-- Verbally abuse a co-worker or subordinate.

-- Fudge on timekeeping.

-- Fail to meet commitments.

-- Sleep in meetings.

-- Steal from the office.

-- Speak negatively about a customer.

"Wait a minute," you say. "I would never tell anyone that it is okay to do those things."

But the fact is, we do when we allow mistakes to go unchallenged. When we don't call out our subordinates, our peers, or even our leaders to tell them that they are coming up short, we are giving the green light to that behavior. When we conduct counseling or performance reviews and gloss over shortcomings, we are encouraging subordinates to continue along their current course.

We do it every day. And each time, we lower the standard just a little more.

Make the correction. That's what leaders do. That's Leader Business.

**Image from www.employeefactor.com

Grow Your Own

If you are a leader, every once in a while you need to stop and look over your shoulder to make sure people are still following you.
-- Retired Army General Leon J. LaPorte

Dear Friends -

Recently I heard from a panel of junior Army officers, including some who had recently separated from the military. I thought you might be interested in some of their comments. Keep in mind that these are all very high achieving, self-starting young men and women with advanced degrees and seemingly, a lifetime of experiences already under their belts.

- "The mentorship I received as a new Lieutenant decreased dramatically once I advanced in rank and became a Captain."
- "Junior leaders are much more willing to accept risk than those above them."
- "Senior leaders must be able to unconfuse the future." (My favorite!)
- "Senior leaders must help junior officers see the forest."
- "Senior leaders are completely out of touch." (Ouch!)
- "Combat highlights the importance of intent-centric versus plan-centric leadership." (In other words, tell them what to do, not how to do it).

These are some eye-opening insights that amplify the importance of the opening quote from a great Army leader. We all need to be looking over our shoulders and listening to our subordinates. We need to take time for counseling, mentoring, and for describing the big picture. We need to understand generational differences and meet teammates wherever they are - physically, emotionally, and socially.

In my experience, junior leaders don't want to be treated like kids. They only want what we wanted when we first started out: to be part of a team; to be valued for their unique contributions; and to be invested in to the extent necessary to help them mature and reach their goals. They only want us...to lead.

That's Leader Business!