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Do you want to make a bigger IMPACT on your organization?

This book is a collection of Mike Koper’s “seven” articles focused on tips that you can easily implement and prompts thatwill help you recognize opportunities to improve your performance and the performance of your workforce.

For over 17 years, Mike Koper helped establish new training programs for GP Strategies™ and continues to be a subjectmatter expert in the manufacturing industry. He has written and published numerous thought leadership articles forthe industry.

Seven Prompts: Actions for Leading and Learning

Please feel free to pass this book on!

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Self-knowledge is conscientiously divided into gut-checking, soulsearching and reacquainting with self-time, each strongly related

to the success in life and work.

In the writing of this blog, I normally stick to the mechanicalsteps of leadership development and performanceimprovement. Yet, feedback is a crucial element. In many waysit can be eye-opening and informative, and possibly open acan of worms, depending on the demeanor of the responder.In one study, the best predictor of a high performance appraisal

was seeing yourself as others see you; the best predictor of a lowappraisal was overrating your skills.

As a leader, you are deploying your skills daily against life’s situation.You should continually develop and redefine your work skills to really

know what you’re good, average and bad at, what you’re untested in and what youoverdo or overuse.

Knowing yourself better and becoming aware of your weaknesses doesn’t get you in asmuch trouble as unforeseen blind spots. You can loop around and compensate for a knownweakness; however, a blind spot is the worst thing a leader can have. Leaders, and allmanagers for that matter, can really get into performance and managerial trouble whenthey don’t know or are unwilling to admit that they are not good at something. They willventure into areas that should make them cautious and humble, but they go in struttingand confident. Disaster soon follows. An important life and career goal is to have as fewblind spots as possible and be aware of them.

Knowing your self-identity traits is only part of the battle; being aware of them, planningaround them and mitigating their impact is of utmost importance for many high-

performing global leaders. Here are seven prompts to help keep your blindspotsin clear view.

Seven Self-Identifying Prompts

for Tomorrow’s Global Leader

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1) Get feedback

2) Seek confidential feedback

3) Rank and prioritize the results

4) Work the feedback loop continuously

5) Analyze and categorize the feedback

6) Keep your personal opinion in check

7) Don’t flip on the defense switch

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1) Get feedbackPeople are generally reluctant to give you certain typesof feedback, especially negative or correctiveinformation. Generally, to get it, you must ask for it. Ifpeople are reluctant to give criticism, help them bymaking self-appraisal statements rather than askingquestions. Saying “I think I focus too much onoperations and miss some of the larger strategicconnections; what do you think?” is much easier formost people to reply to than a question that asks themto volunteer this point.

Seek feedback from more than one source. Pose thequestion to customers, peers, your direct reports andindividuals from various support functions in yourorganization, etc. as they are likely to know more aboutand be more accurate about different competencies.Fruitful areas for bosses usually include strategic grasp,selling-up skills, comfort around higher management,presentation of problems, solutions, clarity ofthinking, team building, confrontation and sizing uppeople’s skills.

Customers generally know about responsiveness,listening, quality orientation, problem-solving skills,understanding of their business needs andpersuasiveness. Peers know persuasion, selling,negotiation, listening to find common cause, keepingthe interests of the organization in mind, follow-throughon promises and how well you maintain give and takein 50-50 relationships. Direct reports are best at theday-to-day behavior of leadership, management, teambuilding, delegation, confronting, approachability andtime use. When you get a piece of feedback, ask yourselfif the person is in a position to know that about you.You may be the only one who doesn’t know the truthabout yourself. Other sources agree much more withone another about you than you will likely agree withany one of the sources. Even though your own view isimportant, don’t accept it as fact until verified by morethan one other person who should know.

2) Seek confidential feedbackA private discussion, a private 360-degreeconversation, tends to be more realistic and moreaccurate than an Annual Performance Appraisal as ageneral procedural form of feedback. Don’t be wowedto indefensibility by your public feedback. For most ofus, it’s an excessively positive view. When the individualproviding the feedback knows results will be public,scores go up and accuracy goes down.

3) Rank and prioritize the resultsFocus on the highest and lowest items or competencyresults from each individual or group supplyingfeedback. Spend less time worrying about whetheryour scores are high or low in an absolute sense. Indevelopment, you should worry about what’s relativeto you, not you relative to anyone else. Your goal issimply to know yourself better. To do this, answer thefollowing questions: Why am I this way? How did mystrengths get to be strengths? What experiencesshaped my pattern? Do I have strengths tipping overinto weaknesses such as “I’m intelligent but make othersfeel less so” or “I’m creative but disorganized”? If youare clearly poor at something, what’s getting in yourway? Many times you’ll find you don’t like it and havea poor understanding of why and how it’s done well.Think of tough situations for yourself where yourstrengths and weaknesses can play out.

4) Work the feedback loop continuouslyThere are several ways to get continued, high-qualityfeedback:

• Allow for anonymous responses through open-umbrella comment boxes designated to specificareas you are concerned about.

• Work with a development partner who knowswhat you’re working on and gives feedback asyou try new things.

• In areas you are working on, ask others whohave watched you to debrief events with youshortly after they happen.

• On new initiatives, ask others if they haveexperience with similar initiatives, first-handknowledge. Then analyze the results andexecution of the initiatives.

Seven Self-Identifying Prompts for Tomorrow’s Global Leader

Know thyself– Socrates, 78 AD.

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5) Analyze and categorize the feedbackSome people will supply on-point answers while othersmay supply answers that are overly flattering and highlycritical. Look to categorize the answers into these threebuckets:

• Things others see that you also see that are trueabout you.

• Things others think they see, but you don’tagree and are not really true about you. Theperceptions of others may not be true about you.

• Things that others see that you don’t see thatare true about you—this will surface strengthsyou have that you sell yourself short on andweaknesses you have that you deny or areunaware of (blind spots). Once the blind spotsare exposed, understand when they occur, becognitive of them and determine the bestsolution to identify the blind spot.

6) Keep your personal opinion in checkMany people who have a towering strength or lotsof success get little feedback and roll along until theirmanagerial credibility finds itself in trouble. If youare viewed as arrogant, you may have to repeatedlyask for feedback, and when you get it, there may besome anger with it. Almost by definition, arrogantpeople overrate themselves in the eyes of others.Others who think you are arrogant might rate youlower than neutral observers. If you devalue others,they will return the insult.

7) Don’t flip on the defense switchDefensiveness is another major blockage toself-knowledge. Here people suspect you really can’ttake it, that you are defending against something,probably by blaming it on others or the job context.Defensive people get less feedback, thereby fulfillingtheir dream of being perfect. To break this cycle, youwill follow the rules of good listening, and giveexamples of the behavior being described to validatewhat people are saying. While this may sound unfair,you should initially accept all feedback as accurate,even when you know it isn’t. On the matters that reallycount, you can go make a plan to return to it forrepairing.

Working to a plan for accurate feedback on a continuousschedule allows leaders to focus on the tasks with the mostmomentum and surface the blind spots for addressingremedy. Global leaders willing to build such skill sets areopen to criticism, but for those who have acquiredinfluence, they can begin to build an invaluable asset ofbeing approachable. Regardless of which bucket ends upbeing fullest at the end of your analysis, engaging thisexercise can produce clear direction for optimizing yourperformance in conjunction with your teams.

You can know yourself only throughaccurate analysis – Napoleon Hill

Seven Self-Identifying Prompts for Tomorrow’s Global Leader

Do you have a feedbackloop management tool you

most favor to educateyourself on yourself?

Would you say yourleadership demonstrates a

feedback approach fosteringcollaboration?

How?

Repeatability…is the basic essence of measuring a successfulinitiative, especially one that has sustainability. More easily

described, repeatability is a methodology that, when used andimplemented, will yield as good or better results than whenpreviously used. For today’s managers, time is limited and soare resources. Therefore, in order to attain even a minimallevel of success, each initiative must incorporate an elementaryset of attributes that surfaces not only the positive aspects ofproject management, but the negative ones, too. On the positiveside, each performance objective must clearly and precisely

describe the parameters.

Secondly, each initiative must be followed up and tracked with a score-keeping method, which may include placard reporting. Thirdly, when

superior execution leads to initiative success, recognize it and reward thegood performance.

On the flipside, seven critical facets can defeat repeatability on most any initiative;they include the following:

Seven Critical Prompts to

Avoid Management Missteps

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1) Lack of motivation from immediate supervision

2) Not recognizing team or individual performance

3) Failing to recognize basic human thinking

4) Failing to recognize industry constraints, whichmeans not fully understanding the industry thatone operates in

5) Failing to demonstrate common courtesy

6) Failing to command reciprocal trust

7) Failing to assess the cost consequences ofdecisions or the impression on team culture

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1) Lack of motivation from immediatesupervisionSpawning out of actions by leadership that fails touphold foundational guiding principles, resulting ingoals being compromised. Leaders must eliminate theoccurrence of disjointed directives or sending mixedsignals to the worker, especially when those sameworkers are the performers and are held to certainperformance standards. Work in its most appealinglight and supported by the right attitude is ameaningful piece of the whole company puzzle.

2) Not recognizing team or individualperformanceA core group of workers will excel and that effort mustbe recognized when exercising the desire to contribute.According to a recent study of skilled workers, mostcraved three conditional functions they derived fromtheir work: First was autonomy, demonstrating the factthey could work productively. Second was mastery ofa skill, knowing that they had the ability to performwith confidence. Third was being reminded of howwhat they do everyday fits into the overall goals andobjectives of the company. Leaders in sync with theirimmediate team members can springboard workers’efforts by providing direction and foresight, resultingin an atmosphere that contributes to a high-performance level from team members

3) Failing to recognize basic human thinkingRecognize how workers think individually and how itoccurs within each working team member. In general,every leader is responsible for communicating themessage that each worker contributes to what thecompany makes/does. Furthermore, every leader mustlink how when workers excel at their activities, how itreflects on the overall success of the company, andwhy efficient and effective execution is demanded tocreate a more stable workplace.

4) Failing to recognize industry constraints,which means not fully understanding theindustry that one operates inWell-established industries, often those with nonewness or cutting-edge technology, become bestsuited for productivity increases. When more directlyapplied, productivity increases are found in optimizingoperational performance, for example the “mechanicalfunctions” related to performing leak tests onrefrigeration piping or streamlining administrativefunctions to avoid duplication. This helps more to beperformed with fewer inputs. Leaders must continuallybe current with the state of the economy and with thestate of the company’s customers and clients.

5) Failing to demonstrate common courtesyThe ebb and flow of common courtesy when correctlydesigned strengthens the terms of work whileacknowledging the flexibility demonstrated by bothperformers and managers. Such flexibility is paramountto the success of a company’s mission, especiallyduring the challenging current conditions found intoday’s economic climate.

6) Failing to command reciprocal trustTrust is gained or lost through words and actions. Onemanagement faux pas is stating a company directiveor condition; however, the condition is not beingapplied across the board throughout the company oris later retracted by corporate leaders. Commonlyreferred to as “egg-on-your-face” syndrome, trust isthen compromised. Leaders must stay consistent withthe policies set forth by the company, however,recognizing at times variations do occur. Whenvariations dictate the conditions, leaders must garnerencompassing support from all levels of the workplace.

7) Failing to assess the cost consequences ofdecisions or the impression on team cultureTeam culture comes in many forms from ConcertedTeam Management to Impoverished Authority-Obedient Management. In every decision affecting teammembers, a benefactor is made apparent while a payeris also apparent, too. Leaders must work diligently tominimize the costs to team members, avoid blatantinefficiencies and carve out culture cronyism.

Seven Critical Prompts to Avoid Management Missteps

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In summary, sustainment of any great organization is garnered by creating a sense ofownership in all of the employees, that is, getting employees to think and act like owners.Surface a sustainable attitude of “how can we help” versus “what’s the difference to me.”Only when the attitude is elevated will the repeatability be sustainable.

Seven Critical Prompts to Avoid Management Missteps

Do you have a specific sustainment managementtool you most favor used to attain better team

performance or momentum?

Would you say your leadership skills demonstratea methodical approach to sustainment?

Let us know on our blog.

The most common element of life and work is “time.” Some callit a non-rechargeable bank account, one that zeros out at theend of each day and is confined to 168 hours per week. Theuse of this valuable asset is said to be the determining factorbetween successfully completing both large- and small-scaleprojects or lead to their failure. Its characteristics allow for it tobe gained or loss, leveraged or mishandled, and used effectively

and efficiently, or not. Time is the one common element in projectmanagement that is being burned at the same rate for all team

members, no matter what country you are domiciled in.

As global teams work together, they collaborate on problem-solving tasksthat lead to increased performance. The rate upon which the solution is attained

is said to save time and money, now and in the future. In manufacturing, a number of acronymshave been created to give a name to these problem-solving tasks. Examples include MTTR –mean time to repair, MTTD – mean time to diagnose and FTC – first time through capability.Nevertheless, teams are confronted with challenges that take on ever-changing new dimensionsduring the process to uncover the root of the problem. Similarly, teams need to quickly begiven the highest priority task by the global leader. Execution of challenging tasks can behandled more effectively when all team members collaboratively work towards a knowngoal or desired expectation.

Priorities by the global leader must be set and time must be managed to not onlysurvive the challenge, but also to prosper as a functioning team unit. Through myexperience, I have developed seven prompts to achieve a given task, including

the following:

Seven Timely Prompts

for Global Leaders to Manage

Functional Teams

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1) Set the desired goal

2) Sketch out a timeline

3) Time is money

4) Prevent against distractions

5) Collaborate with other global leaders

6) Pick your power performers

7) Interaction can cause friction

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1) Set the desired goalNot many things have more impact on time than theefforts of a team marching to the same beat, mappedby a plan and tracked with measurement. The act ofgoal setting helps identify those tasks with the highestpriorities. Classify such tasks as mission-critical, urgentand important, nice to do or true bottlenecks. Here iswhere the global manager must be able to create afocus, remove roadblocks and quickly laser in on thecritical few steps necessary for success.

2) Sketch out a timelinePlacing tasks on a piece of paper is only a partial stepin task completion process. The other critical step isdefining deadlines and a timeline. Some tasks may beinterlinked and predicated upon the completion of apreviously scheduled task; therefore, a timeline givesthe visual of the when tasks are estimated to beexecuted and provides for team preparation of suchevent. Global leaders need to become experts atdisplaying the timeline to team members through theuse of Gantt and PERT Charts or other softwareprograms. When a timeline sketching is put on paper,overlooked or out of sync tasks will be uncoveredmore easily.

3) Time is moneyTo be successful as a global leader, the cost of thetime the team spends on the project must beparamount. The cost of the group and its membersmust be broken down to hourly, daily and weekly rates.This will supply a measuring device to determine thecosts of task completion; this added to the timelinechart will result in a percent of time spent versus thepercentage of tasks performed (or complete).

4) Prevent against distractionsDifferent cultures and different customs throughoutthe world place competing demands on team membertime. Map and forecast out each team member’sexpected schedule. Know who is available to work onthe tasks at hand, and regulate the execution or lackthereof through active team member reporting.Distractions will surface in the wash once a task isdelegated with an anticipated completion target andan expected quality benchmark.

5) Collaborate with other global leadersDon’t be an island, especially if it’s your first globalproject. Leverage the talents or at least the advice ofothers that have had global projects, such as off-shoredevelopment projects or international strategic ramp-ups. Remotely managing a team can pose its ownlogistical challenges, and those who have once beenthere possess time-saving solutions to advance thefluency of the project.

6) Pick your power performersGlobal leaders are also learners. The process ofregulating the completion of tasks will surface bestpractices of team members that can be incorporatedinto the project timeline itself and provide guidance toother team members in need of time managementassistance. Watch, compare and obtain feedback as towhat went well and what went wrong with the assignedproject tasks. Highlight the bottlenecks; it may have beentechnological snafus or communication hiccups thatworked as project anchors. If solutions and shortcutswere uncovered, highlight those to team members.

7) Interaction can cause frictionBe sensitive to the time of others, and look to limitexcessive interaction once the tasks have been assignedand ownership or its completion passed. One of themost detrimental acts a global leader can do is get inthe way of progress of highly skilled team members.Certain acts and over-interactions in many cultures areseen as a lack of confidence or a disgrace to theperformance of the team. Star performers will seeklofty plateaus in most every global society; poor timemanagement by the leader can shut down progressand hinder moving on to the next task to perform.

The most common elementof life and work is “time.”

Seven Timely Prompts for Global Leaders toManage Functional Teams

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In all, global leaders have the responsibility of demonstrating leadership, disclosing a goal,mapping the plan and tracking the progress. Leaders and team members must collaborateupon the task to be performed along with leadership protecting team members fromdistractions. An important time saver is the ability to say no. Global leaders may have anumber of projects all at once, and certain tasks need to be delegated, delayed and eliminatedto keep themselves and team members on track to successful project completion.

Seven Timely Prompts for Global Leaders toManage Functional Teams

Do you have a concise and quick processto assess time to tasks

and explain quality benchmarks?

Would you say your leadership approachfosters team collaboration?

Share your thoughts on our blog.

Gray matter…that is the gray substance that exists between yourears. It’s been said that technology is doubling every six months,

a statistic that has been reducing in time and increasing inspeed. As technical know-how advances, so does the need tokeep our minds sharp and our access to information fluid.Your ability to acquire knowledge, master skills and put theskill to use in solving life’s challenges is your intellectualhorsepower.

I once read an article in Popular Science where the writers claimedthat we use only 10% of the brain’s capacity—and much of that

was structurally set at birth. All is not lost; it’s safe to say that wehave the extra brain capacity to put to good use, and access to

information is more prolific now than ever before.

Similar to how you manage your time, managing your intelligence is a use it-or-lose it bankaccount; those who work to stay mentally sharp show continual slight increases in intelligencethroughout their lifetimes. Here are some prompts to rev up your intellectual horsepower:

...we use only 10% of thebrain’s capacity—and much of thatwas structurally set at birth.

Seven Prompts to ElevateIntellectual Horsepower

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1) Become Centered

2) Expand Your Beliefs

3) Move More

4) Drop Opinions

5) Dig Deeper

6) Picture Proof

7) Seek Skills

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1) Become CenteredWe are very emotionally inspired creatures, and thoseemotions can hijack the brain, persuading it to becomeineffective, lose composure and demonstrate stresseddecision making. Take a deep breath; regaincomposure over a minute of silence. Brain researcherssay that it typically takes two to three decision attemptsto actually get to the correct decision-in general, thefirst decision is emotionally driven.

2) Expand Your BeliefsOur experiences unknowingly create boundaries forour thinking. In fact, the Chinese use a host of wordsto describe the word “danger.” Similarly, many Indiantribes from various regions may use one word for“snow”; however, other Indian tribes in northernclimates have as many as 24 different words for 24different types of snow conditions. Broadening yourmind can expand your intelligence; this is commonlyreferred to as thinking outside the box.

3) Move MoreHealthy living is on everyone’s mind; many of thegurus in health say move more or exercise more.Consequently, the mind is the same—mental exerciseswork to increase the use of your intellectualhorsepower. Some helpful exercises include makingchecklists, running possible scenarios, charting thepros and cons, visualizing problems with solutionsand identifying patterns. Further resources to stimulatethe mind can be searched on the Internet.

4) Drop OpinionsYou don’t know what you don’t know…more specifically,increasing knowledge begins with knowing the facts,not making premature conclusions. From Dr. Edwardde Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats,” gathering facts,information and research are the characteristics ofthe brain performing White Hat mental exercises.Some White Hat questions include the following: Whatare the facts? Where do I get the facts? How do I gettrue facts and avoid manipulated opinions?

5) Dig DeeperFor most of us, when presented with a problem, ournormal reaction is to buzz in with the answer faster thananyone else. We all have preconceived notions, favoritesolutions and prejudices that prevent our intellectual skillsfrom dealing with the real facts of the problem. Take abreather, shut down the buzzer-beating answer machineand carefully absorb the facts. Do some personal research,which is easier than ever. Various Internet websites showhow things are made, such as eHow, How It Works andYouTube. A few seconds of research can link dialogue todemonstration.

6) Picture ProofIt’s been said that pictures says a thousand words; themind is the world’s best camera. From experience tomemory, a problem or situation placed in a visualizedformat can surface trends, hiccups in strategy or gainknowledgeable insight. Become an expert in usingimagery. The use of graphics, photos illustrations, chartsand flowcharts can bring clarity to a situation.Troubleshooting flowcharts are standard learning toolsfor repairing complex equipment.

7) Seek SkillsBuilding a strong intellectual mind is much like buildinga strong house from the foundation on up. Obtain abook on “mind mapping” techniques to uncover whoyou are and how you learn best. Skills can be developedin a methodical, strategic manner, especially skillsdesigned to solve problems. Certain problem-solvingconcepts are discovered through the mapping processand directional clarity, yielding steps to operationalizeyour strategy.

Seven Prompts to Elevate Intellectual Horsepower

Do you have specific intellectualhorsepower management toolsyou most favor to attain better

team performance or momentum?

Would you say your leadership skillsdemonstrate a methodical approach

to inspiring intelligent thought?

How?

Problem-Solving Skills (PPS) should be one of the primary sought-after skill sets of a company’s workforce. Do you have those

skills? Just what is meant by PPS? Most colleagues andcoworkers are smart enough and have the ability to solveproblems effectively; additionally, most possess the know-how.Yet time and time again, without a methodology, most peoplestruggle in getting to the desired outcome on a consistentbasis. Situations that can contribute to this varied outcome mayinclude failing to use a problem-solving scheme; failing to fullydefine the problem with supporting details; intuitively jumping

to a conclusion; or overanalyzing the problem, especially if theproblem is dynamically changing. Supporting data must be compiled

into a usable format that will guide the user to a credible outcome.

Certainly business has been adaptive at assisting key stakeholders makewell-informed decisions through problem-solving reports. Such reports have been

developed in many forms and styles, along with being made accessible via input to worksheets,matrixes and logs. More specifically, critical elements of the report must exist in order touncover the correct information to generate an informed solution. Asking the right questionsearly on works cogently to surface the facts quickly, thus becoming the basis for PPS intoday’s data-driven marketplace.

Defining the problem and taking action occur almost simultaneously for most situations;therefore, the greater effort in the front end analysis, the easier it is to come up with agood solution. Keeping the facts straight is the function of the problem-solving reportwhile the content is handled in the process of defining the problem. Seven critical

prompts for problem-solving reports include the following:

Seven Critical Prompts for

Problem-Solving Reports

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1) State the theme (topic)

2) Provide a statement of the problem situation

3) State a targeted goal that is quantifiable,measurable and achievable

4) Uncover the cause

5) Focus on countermeasures

6) Present the Timing Plan

7) State potential bottle-neck follow-up items

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1) State the theme (topic)In short order, what are you trying to change oraccomplish? Answers the question, “What do Ireally what?” One example is reducing Mean Time toRepair (MTTR).

2) Provide a statement of the problem situationMust cover these five criteria: The standard to beachieved is quantifiable, tangible and measurable; itdefines a specific expectation.

• In the current situation, what is happening versusthe standard?

• How much discrepancy is between the standardand the current?

• When is the anomaly occurring, how often, inwhat location, what’s the trend and who isaffected by this type of defect?

• What is the level of urgency of addressing theproblem?

3) State a targeted goal that is quantifiable,measurable and achievable Answers the following:

• Do what? A one-word action verb(for example: increase, raise)

• To what? What you want to do in thecurrent situation?

• How much? In specific measurement terms

• By when? Specific date (for example: Increasethroughput by 10% by January 1.)

4) Uncover the causeDrill down to find the root of the problem.

• List and investigate any potential causes to helppinpoint the most likely cause.

• Highlight the most likely causes that should beassumed using expert opinions.

• Develop a discrepancy problem statement thatcontinues to ask “why” at least five times;continue to investigate until the root cause isuncovered.

• State the final root cause; state countermeasuresagainst it.

5) Focus on countermeasuresList the steps to address the problem in the short termand how to permanently prevent recurrence. If needed,address both countermeasures for defect and escapecause. Ask, “Do the countermeasures meet thefollowing criteria: effectiveness, feasibility and impact?”

6) Present the Timing PlanCritical steps; dates; responsibility of what, when,where, who and when, again.

7) State potential bottle-neck follow-up itemsCheck method – Monitor the progress of theimplementation plan, and monitor the results of thecountermeasures. Check date – How often will youfollow up, and provide recommended actions.

Increase your chances of better solutions by first definingthe problem, and then begin to look for connections andpatterns in the information on the problem-solving report.Play like a strategic master and recognize hundreds ofpatterns prior to making the move. Don’t just collect thedata—pattern it. Put the data in categories that make senseto you. Ask a lot of qualifying questions at least 50% of thetime. The more relevant questions asked, the more relevantinformation will be gleaned for a concise solution.

Do you have specific problem-solving management toolsyou most favor to better

define a problem and thenseek its solution?

Would you say your leadershipskills demonstrate a methodical

approach to problem solving?

How?

Seven Critical Prompts for Problem-Solving Reports

From an early age, we have all heard the analogy, from our parentsthat “you were given two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as

much as you speak.” So true is this lesson in today’s businessenvironment, especially for the leaders in charge of companygrowth. The climate of growing business is more of a challengeunder the anemic economic conditions facing every industryin the country. Additionally, in this new “the world is flat”environment, so too is the communications cycle. In my lastblog, I wrote about the feedback loop and its importance ingauging the performance of your leadership skills. One of the

most crucial aspects of feedback is demonstrating the abilityto listen.

Let’s investigate the most common mistakes a leader can make indemonstrating their skill to be able to effectively listen. If your feedback

loop surfaces any of these statements, now may be the time to sharpen your listenskills. Warning statements include the following: cuts off people before they finish, interruptsto jump to a solution, appears not to be listening, demonstrates to others to be impatientand uninterested, or inaccurately restates the case of others. Each one of these statementsis a red flag that you need to improve your listening skills.

Leaders of today’s marketplace must, under all circumstances, remain attentive and activelylistening, have patience to hear people out and demonstrate consistently the ability toaccurately restate the opinions of others even when he/she disagrees. Here are sevenprompts for growth leaders to improve their listening skills:

Seven Listening Prompts for

Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders

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1) Demonstrate to others that you are sincerelylistening

2) Listen for the direction of the conversation

3) Good listeners ask a lot of questions to get agood understanding

4) Listen to all without any preconceived notions

5) Know how to manage those who couldunintentionally waste a lot of time

6) Be able and ready to listen even if you’re beingpersonally attacked

7) Place the conversation into your ownmental totes

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1) Demonstrate to others that youare sincerely listeningEspecially those that report to you by keeping yourmouth closed and retaining good eye contact. Facialexpressions must also be held in check. Currently, thedigital world is the main form of communication; manyviewpoints can be introduced to the conversation;however, reflecting on the history of the communicationwill make the dialogue remain on point.

2) Listen for the direction of the conversationEvery growth leader is pressed for time; the job ofdeveloping people and growing their skills for newopportunities requires enormous energy. A key in notinterrupting others is also avoiding the “wave off”; ifyou find yourself saying “Yes I know that” or “Yes I’veheard that before,” then it’s time to take a step backfrom the conversation and pick out the highlights. Youcan improve your listening etiquette by respondingwith “Let me see if I know where this is going” or “Ibelieve both of us can save time if we could streamlinethe issues.”

3) Good listeners ask a lot of questions to geta good understandingProbing questions are the best that offer open-endedanswers, allowing others to explain in detail. Clarifyingquestions can restate the obvious and be close-endedwith either a yes or no answer. Locking in on a positionis essential to grasping the intent of the conversation;therefore, confirm questions beginning with “Is this whatyou are trying to say?” Or asking a question or two willfurther be a sign to others that you are truly listening tothe content of the message.

4) Listen to all without any preconceivednotionsListening is an artful skill developed over time; listeningto those whom you normally don’t is a challengingendeavor under most circumstances. It’s human natureto listen more intently to the ones we report to andlisten slightly less to those that have little or not muchto offer or are identified as complainers. Listen fortrigger statements that will provide insight to themessage, rather than blowing off those speaking; tryto capture and summarize the direction, purpose andreason why they have relayed this message to you.

5) Know how to manage those who couldunintentionally waste a lot of timeWith those you don’t have time to listen to, switch tobecoming a coach. Assist them in a way to craft theircommunication to you in a more digestible way, suchas through a matrix or chart. Sometimes asking for anew format will surface the underlying data to eithersupport the message or to make the message a mutepoint. Another positive technique for dealing with chaosis to focus the message with common terms byrequesting a quick sketch of the solution; it doesn’thave to be a Mona Lisa, but a drawing can putdirection and problem solving on the same path.

6) Be able and ready to listen even if you’rebeing personally attackedAssuming that people are wrong in what they are saying,all rules remain the same. You need to work on keepingyourself in a calm state when getting negative feedback.Face reality; all people should try to work together,but at times the chemistry is wrong and it’s an oil-water mix. You need to shift your thinking. When gettingfeedback, your only task is to accurately understandwhat the person is trying to tell you. Do not attempt torefute at that time—your duty will be to absorb theenergy of another and allow the venting and listenwith clarifying questions. Your best bet in situations ofharsh feedback is to continue with questions until theother person has run out of disparaging words.Separate personalities from the response, and onlyaddress the message content.

7) Place the conversation into your ownmental totesInvariably you will need to set up mental buckets forprioritizing and indentifying the content of thecommunication. More likely than not, you will need tobe agile and demonstrate the ability to guide thosewith disorganized messages to focus them byemploying communication tools. Identify those wantingto be chatty by surfacing the important topicsdiscussed. Redirect the efforts of those who want tounload a problem by summarizing. Handle chroniccomplainers with requests for them to write down theproblem and solutions, and then schedule a time todiscuss the points written about—this to temper thevolume and lighten the venom.

Seven Listening Prompts for Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders

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Each listening technique has its own time of use, and not just one fits all situations. Listeningis one of the most sought after skills of growth leaders, but listening can form traps such asthe overuse of listening by spending too much time listening, avoiding taking the necessaryactions needed to solve problems, using “ignoring” as a method of management andallowing listening to be confused with agreement on one position or another.

In summary, techniques of good listening are essential to growing and developing teams ofperformance. Growth leaders with the best performing teams tend to be able to listen, notinterrupt, paraphrase the conversation and listen to identify the underlying meaning ofothers views. Growth leaders must be able to tactfully ask, “Where do we go from here?”

Seven Listening Prompts for Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders

Do you have specific listeningmanagement tools you most favor to betterunderstand a message or surface its intent?

Would you say your leadershipdemonstrates a feedback approach

fostering collaboration?

How?

Clarity and Innovative CultureSometimes the best practices are born of frustration. The current

climate of the marketplace is one of skewed fluctuations,demonstrating wide swings of survival-mode thinking toadvance planning in order to obtain a greater market share.Innovative leaders are leading the field, taking tenacious ideasand transforming initiatives into reality. Tapping into innovativeadvancement can be a struggle to many businesses, especiallythose that have dealt with a wave of challenge and uncertaintythrough changes in business model; compliance with governmental

regulation; or adjustments in customer behavior reflecting the real,new marketplace.

Decision to Innovate Requires ChangeChief executive officers, senior management and directors are faced with

many perils of business, but more universal to the issue is determining what theyare trying to accomplish. Grow? Avoid? Or venture into a new field? This is the decision ofsenior leadership’s due diligence after much discernment. It was said by a colonel of the GreatBritish Empire: “Victory often goes to the army that makes the least mistakes, not the mostbrilliant plans.” In other words, decreasing the number of bungled occurrences can result ina steadfast path to attaining a particular objective. The following are clarification promptsthat each leader of management must ask themselves:

Seven Leadership Prompts for

Transformation Success

18gpstrategies.com

1) What is the strategic intent and importance of theinitiatives that are understood by all?

2) How is the implementation of the initiative to remainrunning true and fulfilling its original intent?

3) What are the expected outcomes and measures ofsuccess for the initiative, and are they clearly stated?

4) Does more research need to be performed to furtherdemonstrate the need and the sanity of the initiative?

5) Does an external base of knowledge exist or has a closelyrelated project been started to springboard off of?

6) Do I have the right chemistry of people to engage on thisproject and have confidence of a successful outcome?

7) Can I sketch a visual picture of what the final successfulproject initiative will look like?

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Linking objectives to expected outcomes can help define the answer to the clarity question.Each exercise in defining clarity must incorporate core elements that include the following:

• Intent clarity(aligned vision, business impact)

• Intent integrity(baseline, execution)

• Outcomes focus(vision realization, measurement)

Then, and only then, when strategic intent is clear, executional methods applied and well-defined measurements captured can probable outcomes become expectations; so too cantransformational success be achieved.

Victory often goes to the army that makes theleast mistakes, not the most brilliant plans.

Seven Leadership Prompts for Transformation Success

20

Seven Self-Identifying Promptsfor Tomorrow’s Global Leader

1) Get feedback2) Seek conf idential feedback3) Rank and prioritize the results4) Work the feedback loop continuously5) Analyze and categorize the feedback6) Keep your personal opinion in check7) Don’t flip on the defense switch

Seven Critical Prompts to Avoid Management Missteps

1) Lack of motivation from immediate supervision2) Not recognizing team or individual performance3) Failing to recognize basic human thinking4) Failing to recognize industry constraints, which

means not fully understanding the industry thatone operates in

5) Failing to demonstrate common courtesy6) Failing to command reciprocal trust7) Failing to assess the cost consequences of

decisions or the impression on team culture

Seven Timely Prompts for GlobalLeaders to Manage Functional Teams

1) Set the desired goal2) Sketch out a timeline3) Time is money4) Prevent against distractions5) Collaborate with other

global leaders6) Pick your power performers7) Interaction can cause friction

Seven Prompts to ElevateIntellectual Horsepower

1) Become Centered2) Expand Your Beliefs3) Move More4) Drop Opinions5) Dig Deeper6) Picture Proof7) Seek Skills

Seven Critical Prompts forProblem-Solving Reports

1) State the theme (topic)

2) Provide a statement of theproblem situation

3) State a targeted goal that isquantif iable, measurableand achievable

4) Uncover the cause

5) Focus on countermeasures

6) Present the Timing Plan

7) State potential bottle-neckfollow-up items

Seven Leadership Prompts forTransformation Success

1) What is the strategic intentand importance of theinitiatives that are understoodby all?

2) How is the implementation ofthe initiative to remainrunning true and fulf illing itsoriginal intent?

3) What are the expectedoutcomes and measures ofsuccess for the initiative, andare they clearly stated?

4) Does more research need tobe performed to furtherdemonstrate the need and thesanity of the initiative?

5) Does an external base ofknowledge exist or has aclosely related project beenstarted to springboard off of?

6) Do I have the right chemistryof people to engage on thisproject and have confidenceof a successful outcome?

7) Can I sketch a visual picture ofwhat the f inal successfulproject initiative will look like?

Seven Listening Prompts forTomorrow’s Growth Leaders

1) Demonstrate to others thatyou are sincerely listening

2) Listen for the direction of theconversation

3) Good listeners ask a lot ofquestions to geta good understanding

4) Listen to all without anypreconceived notions

5) Know how to manage thosewho could unintentionallywaste a lot of time

6) Be able and ready to listeneven if you’re being personallyattacked

7) Place the conversation intoyour own mental totes

Seven Prompts: Actions for Leading and Learning

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