I followed-up with another potential client today.  They have more than 20 employees and run a technology managed services business.  They are typical of executives I serve in companies ranging in size from 3-100 employees.  They are not leading intentionally but rather responding to events.

We met in late March and I gave them a demo of MANAGEtoWIN about one week later.  They loved it and recognized how much they need our services and software.  At their request we set them up on our demo site so they could try out MANAGEtoWIN.  They want help establishing systems and processes to fully engage their employees so they can grow more rapidly and profitably.

Yet today they put off working on their leadership for another quarter (90 days!).  As a consultant who sees the positive effects of change on a daily basis, this concerns me.  Let's say their people could improve productivity by just 10 percent.  That means, roughly speaking, waiting 90 days costs them at least $10,000, and probably a lot more.

What is the problem?

The problem is they are trying to add leadership to their list of things to do rather than choosing to lead first, and then taking care of other responsibilities.

Consider this analogy:  Most people spend their money first and then try to save what is left over.  The problem with this approach is most of the time there is nothing left over.  It works the same way with leadership. If you work on other activities first and try to fit leadership of people in when you have time, you rarely get to it and never fully develop your leadership abilities.

If you want to be a more effective leader, start each day by being a leader first and a follower of your activities second.  This means first schedule your leadership activities; work on them first; and only after that schedule time for other work.

Let me close with an example:  Colgate-Palmolive is ranked by FORTUNE Magazine as a best place to work.  More than 3,000 employees (THREE THOUSAND - almost 10% of the company) work solely on training and development.  Now, does your company look like that? Colgate-Palmolives leaders are focused on leading and developing people.  It is a key reason Colgate-Palmolive has been successful for decades instead of weeks or months.

Be an intentional leader.

MEETING IDEAS

THE TRICK TO SUCCESS is about deciding you want to change your life NOW.  You want to take control as a leader by first taking control of yourself.  Rather than blame others for their interruptions, failure to appreciate your company, lack of productivity, etc. focus on what you need to do as a leader first and employee issues will be fewer and less costly than before... IF you have the systems and processes in place to fully engage them.

Consider starting each day alone and planning for one month.  Walk through these steps and each week evaluate your progress.  When this works for you, then teach your direct reports how to do it and hold them accountable.  Then extend it beyond them to others in your firm.

1.  Determine the three most important activities you need to do as a leader to fully engage your people for the upcoming week.  This is not being "a leader" by closing a sale with a top account, completing a technical project, speaking at an event or another lead person activity versus LEADER activity.  These are three actions of a leader.

2.  Lay out your weekly Success Plan. Focus on no more than one Do It Now leadership activity a day.

3.  Start each day doing your people leadership tasks first and other work afterward.

4.  Assess your progress daily, weekly and repeat for 30 days.

5. Email me to let me know how it goes.