Editor’s Viewpoint:

Welcome to the first edition of The Heart & Science of High Performance.

This issue also serves as the “official” launch of our new company brand and services.

I invite you to check out our web site at walmsleyandco.com.

“Average leaders work on external issues of performance — more certifications, education, and/or technical business skills.

Great leaders recognize this is important and know skill or technique does not make up for self-awareness and character.

At the end of the day, people commit to, and follow, purpose and strength.”

Want to really have impact as a leader?

Thinking about this first issue — I kept reflecting on all of the firms and people who helped in the re-branding effort.  They forced me to really dig deep and think about how I could most help my clients while remaining true to my own values.  Almost every assumption I made about how I have conducted my business was pulled up, examined, sometimes validated and often challenged by a valuable group of clients and associates who helped me get here.

It was all about going inside.  What about that is valuable for you, the reader?

This: How critically important it is to surround yourself with a success network of people and firms who are committed to mutual success and who share values and work ethics. We have engaged a group of people and resources we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with and brainstorm.

I call this our Success Network and am very excited when I reflect on how quickly these individuals made a tremendous impact on my business.

How intact is your success network?
Do you have a group of peers and associates that get together to share and learn and more importantly, have fun?

If you have questions or comments regarding building your own success network, or ideas and suggestions about our newsletter, I hope to hear from you.

Steve
@walmsleyandco.com

Upcoming Workshops:

Breathe New Life Into Your Business / Practice:

For Independent Professionals & Consultants

February 2004
Toronto, ON
Details TBA
(800) 688-0892
(416) 778-5614

See Mastery Workshop details on our web site.

Next Issue:

“Relationship Selling: Exposing the Myths”

If you have an article you would like to place in our newsletter, please email Sherri
@walmsleyandco.com

We've all read about “old” leadership and “new” employee expectations.  Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric who has been the epitome of a successful command-and-control leader, didn’t hesitate to predict the end of his own era:

“The leader must become an even more engaged coach, an even more engaging person.  We’re going to have to create an environment where excitement reigns, where the challenges are everywhere, and where the rewards are both in the wallet; yes; but also in the soul.”

How do leaders bridge that gap in their experience and the expectations of more and more of the people they are trying to influence?  They need to make the transition while being true to themselves and recognizing that they must bring more to their work.  They’re required to bring their entire self.  Some leaders are unable to comprehend the feedback they receive unless it is stated explicitly.  Some follow a leadership style exemplified by others during their formative business years — very different than the kind younger professionals expect today.

There is little doubt that becoming a leader can be difficult for some people who once (wrongly) assumed they had to give up their true personality to put on a corporate, stony face to be taken seriously.  At some point in their career, our great leaders of tomorrow are realizing that becoming human again is not so easy if others only know them as subdued, distant or intimidating.

A few years ago I was coaching a client, a very professional, dedicated woman in her 30s who was an executive in a fast-growing firm.  She was at a crossroad in her career.  She wanted to evolve her leadership skills and was worried about her reputation for being hard on people.  Her concern was that her reputation was already etched in stone and there was little she could do to change it.  Her “face” had been hardened in the ritual of naked ambition that many firms expect for ascendance to the hallowed ranks of being a corporate “officer.”

“How can I reclaim myself?” she asked, exasperated.

We chose a behavioral route, realizing that substantive change in the attitude and perceptions of her people would grow out of consistency and positive assumptions demonstrated day to day — the kind of behavior she wanted to be recognized for.

This leads back to another leadership myth that many hold as truth.  It is that leadership is steely jawed, strong and unflinching.  If asked, many employees say they actually prefer to be led by someone who shows vulnerability from time to time and asks questions.  A leader who knows all the answers is actually detrimental in keeping employees connected to their work.  Indeed, there’s a sense that the leader will always swoop in and solve any problem.  The employees only have to sit back and wait for the solution.

So what's the alternative?  A new truth is that business is facing more uncertainty.  If there is complexity and uncertainty in the company’s framework, employees can be given space and accountability to step in and help define it.  They can make a contribution to the whole and feel validated at the same time.

Leadership is about knowing when to lead and when to stand back and allow people to discover their own skills.  Leadership is also about letting your staff know who you are, as a person.  Bringing your heart to work and leaving the ego at the door will do more to catapult a leader’s career forward than any tactic or technique that is meant to drive sales but instead drives employees crazy.

My recommendations for leaders trying to make this shift would be to find a mentor or reputable coach with the expertise to help you change.  There are many executive coaches who focus on this aspect of leadership evolution.  Many of our eminent leaders today have a mentor or coach to help them through the rough spots and ensure their message and human side is accurately portrayed throughout the organization.

This leads me back to my client asking, “How can I reclaim myself?”.  I feel confident in saying she will be one of her firm’s great leaders.  She recognizes that average leaders work on external issues of performance such as acquiring more certifications, education and technical business skills.  But professional development is so much more than that.

Unlike the CEO who was an enigma to most of his staff, she knows intuitively that the medium is the message, and that skill and technique can never make up for self-awareness and character.  She asks for validation and external mentoring to complement what her own firm provides her.  She asks for tools and approaches to make her leadership style more effective; faster.  Her employees will happily follow her because she knows people commit to and follow purpose and strength — with a human face.

Create High Impact Meetings

Clients often provide the following feedback: “We know that the professionals we meet with prepare before they see us.  We wish we could help them focus on preparing the right things, and in helping us prepare.  This would ensure we both make more progress, make better decisions, and we can execute with urgency!”

What selling professional would not adapt to that kind of opportunity?  It all starts with preparing the Agenda.  When used correctly and at every meeting, the Agenda is a powerful tool.  I use an Agenda at every meeting no matter how well I know the person or how long I have worked with a particular client.  The key is to co-develop it with your client.

This tool, above all other sales tools I have used has helped lay the groundwork for truly exceptional client relationships.  You’ll find if your agenda is done correctly that it will immediately set you apart from others in your field!  It sets the tone as well as raises the bar on the meeting.

Clients value sales professions who meet and exceed the following expectations when conducting and preparing for meetings:

• Use a 1–2 page agenda
• Demonstrate preparation
• Invite the client to help prepare the agenda before the meeting
• Outline the objectives the sales individual and client contact agree are achievable — all
• 3–5 days ahead of the meeting!
• Conduct the meeting as a discussion guided by the agenda
• Use it to help the client close on objectives

Your agenda should follow a simple six point template:

1. Reinforce their willingness to meet with you
2. Suggested objectives for the meeting
3. Recap your current understanding of the business situation and priority objectives
4. Questions you would like to ask during the meeting
5. Other areas of interest to you
6. Suggested next steps and timetables

By following these simple guidelines, you can accelerate the pace of the sales process while truly engaging your clients.  It will free you up during the meeting to listen and hear with depth, and adapt your questioning strategy.  Remember active hearing is what creates meaningful dialogue and separates you from others in your field.

Steve@walmsleyandco.com