Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
February 13th, 2012
A company’s most important asset is its people. They make a huge difference, in working with customers and other employees. People can be a game-changer. Employees create tangible value, so it makes good sense that you would want to help them get better.
Employees who work hard and know their job well often get promoted. But once they are promoted, there is no guarantee of ongoing success. They may not be effective at motivating others or managing toward maximum results. Sometimes, after years of personal success, the environment changes so substantially that they lose their edge.
What can we do about this dilemma? If we really believe that people are a game-changer, what are we doing to help them grow and avoid becoming obsolete?
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Tags: Coaching, Leadership, Personal Development, Team
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January 13th, 2012
You expect service, no matter how it gets done, and when it meets your expectations you are satisfied. But what happens when there are mistakes?
Most people understand that mistakes happen, and companies usually have a chance to redeem themselves. Even so, service failures seem to abound that leave a bad taste and weaken or destroy reputations.
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Tags: Reflections from the Trenches, Service
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December 19th, 2011
It has been my experience that people make a huge difference in business. Their attitude, their understanding of where you want to go, and their willingness to help you get there can be your greatest assets. As a manager and leader, building strong relationships with your team is critical.
I recently was asked to share my thoughts on deepening relationships with the Building Champions team. Here are the principles I passed along to them:
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Tags: Communication, Performance, Relationships, Team
Posted in Leadership | 2 Comments »
October 31st, 2011
Leadership wisdom can be found in many places. And sometimes, it is the simplest of ideas that can make a huge difference.
This was underscored in a recent Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. The game was unremarkable for the most part, but there was an interview that caught my attention. Commentator and former coach Jon Gruden asked Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis about leadership.
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Tags: Effort, Emotions, Leadership, Passion, Reflections from the Trenches, Teamwork
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October 17th, 2011
Probably a decade ago I wrote a piece for the old Mortgage Originator about the need to lean forward no matter which way the wind blows. Strangely enough I talked about volatility and uncertainty. Times don’t change all that much nor does the message about leaning forward, or moving forward if you like, no matter the circumstances.
There is certainly more than one way to look at change. A view could be that there was a perfect window of opportunity to grow our business and we missed it. Now is not the time to take chances. Let’s do nothing or maybe even retrench. That’s one view but I don’t buy it. I never have.
Of course there are other views. Whether we are in the upside or downside of a business cycle it takes definite action to create momentous results. We need to ask ourselves what will it take to move us forward now? No matter which way the market winds blow, standing still and doing nothing doesn’t usually work.
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Tags: Action, Challenges, Decision Making, Planning, Vision
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October 10th, 2011
The Building Champions Experience a couple of weeks ago was a memorable experience for all, and I had the opportunity to discuss a subject that is very important to me. I gave a presentation on “Setting Expectations” — more specifically, asking more of our teammates and ourselves in order to achieve more.
Each of us has a tendency to set our expectations too low. If you think you can’t do something, you probably won’t try hard enough. But often success comes down to executing the basics well – or at least better than others.
No matter what others say or the failures we may have had to date, with the right focus we can unleash the potential within us. We need to think expansively, beyond what we have achieved in the past. We need to continuously move up the performance bar to do more and realize that potential.
There are eight principles that will help you to fulfill your potential – no matter what role or life stage you are currently in.
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Posted in Leadership, Strategy and Planning, Team, Uncategorized | No Comments »
October 3rd, 2011
To say there is much going in business today would be an understatement. In many ways some of this would be amusing if it wasn’t so serious.
Take, for example, all the hearings going on in Washington, DC. This is important stuff – or at least some of it is anyway! Our economy is “in the toilet” (or “struggling” if you prefer). Congress is searching for answers.
American Banker (a publication that is not known for humor) in reporting on a Congressional hearing stated, “Perhaps it was appropriate that a panel of professors testified Tuesday about how to reform the U.S. mortgage system since Capital Hill’s approach is increasingly beginning to resemble an academic exercise.”
There is nothing wrong with professors, attorneys, or consultants. But why not ask the people really involved in the activity?
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Tags: Challenges, Government, Reflections from the Trenches, Solutions, Team, The Economy
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September 26th, 2011
At the recent Building Champion’s Experience, I had the opportunity to share ideas on how to build productive, high performing teams. In this blog’s limited space, I can’t get into the same level of detail that I did during my presentation to this energetic group, so I welcome your questions and comments.
There are two key ingredients that are needed before you can begin to build a high performance team:
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Tags: Leadership, Performance, Teamwork, The Experience
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June 7th, 2011
The success of a team can depend on many things, but certainly a leader’s attitude, energy, and confidence makes a huge difference. This can be referred to as “mojo” – that certain charm or personal magnetism that makes people and teams more successful.
One gifted leader I know recently referred to that intangible quality in an insightful communication to managers, which said in part:* (more…)
Tags: Attitude, Confidence, Culture, Engagement, Mojo, Teamwork
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May 9th, 2011
While there are many who could rightly lay claim to the title of “America’s Finest,” such elite stature surely belongs to the US Navy SEALs. The SEALs exude leadership and triumph in difficult situations. The recent Bin Laden raid in Pakistan only added to their mystique.
Last year I read a riveting book, Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. Luttrell was part of a four-man mission in Afghanistan. Against all odds, he survived, but the rest of the team unfortunately did not.
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Tags: Basics, Focus, Military, Mistakes, Navy SEALs, Teamwork
Posted in Leadership | 2 Comments »
A company’s most important asset is its people. They make a huge difference, in working with customers and other employees. People can be a game-changer. Employees create tangible value, so it makes good sense that you would want to help them get better.
Jerry Baker began his career in the management development program at Ford Motor Company, later became a manager of budgets and analysis for Northrop Corporation, then furthered his management development as Deputy Director for the California Department of Commerce when Ronald Reagan was Governor.