The Secret is to SERVE . . .

I recently sat in on a meeting with one of our project managers who was having a tough time motivating his team. His team was working on several large DotNetNuke projects that involved several custom XMod applications. Their project timelines were way behind and customer satisfaction was being affected.

His team had begun to work independently of each other and morale was down.

I then recalled a book I had read called 'The Secret - What Great leaders Know and Do" by Ken Blanchard.

I explained to the project manager that it is all about serving...

See the Future - It is about your vision as a leader for the future of your group. A compelling vision stirs passion within you. It tells everyone who works with you who you are, where you are going, and what will drive your behavior. Are you passionate about satisfying your salespeople and customers? If it doesn't fire you up and get you out of bed each morning, you can be assured your team is not going to be passionate, either.

Engage and Develop Others - You must have the right people, in the right roles, fully engaged if you are going to accomplish the things you identified under See the Future. If we do not select the right people for the right job, we have made a serious leadership error. Other people suffer when there is a poor performer on the team. The team members may not step up and say it, but it does impact them. They can easily become discouraged.

Reinvent Continuously - Great leaders Reinvent Continuously on a personal level. They are always interested in ways to enhance their own knowledge and skills. Great leaders find their own approach to learning. Some read, some listen to tapes, and some spend time with mentors. They do whatever it takes to keep learning. If you stop learning, you stop leading. Learning is critical for survival. We must all learn to Reinvent Continuously to keep up with our competitors and our ever changing world. Leaders are always seeking the answers to questions like these: How can we do the work better? How can we do it with fewer errors? How can we do it faster? Leaders must also work to instill the desire for improvement into the people doing the day-to-day work. The leader may champion this cause, but the people make it happen - or not.

Value Results and Relationships - Great leaders - those who lead at a higher level do both. Both are critical for long term survival. Most corporate leaders have said it is all about results. In reality, there are two tests for a leader. Do they get results? And do they have the followers? If you don't have the followers, it's very hard to get long-term results. If we can take care of our customers and create a motivating work environment for our people, profits and financial strength are the applause we get for a job well done. You see, success is both results and relationships.

• Listen
• Invest Time
• Care Deeply
• Accentuate the Positive

Embody the Values - All genuine leadership is built on trust. There are many ways to build trust. One is to live consistently with the values you profess. If I choose to live as if customers are not important, people will have reason to question my trustworthiness. And in the final analysis, if I am deemed untrustworthy by my people, I will not be trusted - or followed as a leader. If you embody the values of your organization, if you walk the talk and not stumble the mumble, if you embody the values, you can begin to build the trust you need to lead effectively.

It is a privilege to serve you.

'Til Next Time,
Buck and Mara Anderson