The Nine Star Social Values: How to Thrive in 2013 by Mike Lipkin

Here's what I know based on twenty years of Environics Social Values Research, and my own personal experience: Stars have Nine Social Values that enable them to shine. Let's explore each of the Nine Star Social Values and they can boost your capacity to achieve extraordinary results this year...

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What Happens When You Don't Get What You Want? by Alan Kearns

You have been training for 15 years of your life. You have won a Gold medal in the Sydney Olympics & a sliver at the Beijing. You have just had a great swim, are in 15th place coming out of the water...things are going swimmingly. You are running your race, according to your game plan. You get up on your bike & start out of the gate, for the second part of your race. You're feeling fresh & exicted; you even have the wind at your back. You race your bike up the hill & get ready to put your foot into your shoes.

You hit a speed bump. You crash & wipe out; your Olympic race is over. You watch the winner complete the race & receive the gold medal, as you sit in the medical tent.

Speed Bumps.

For Simon Whitfield, this speed bump meant the messy ending to a terrific Olympic career. He shared, "I hit the speed bump just as I went to put my shoe on, I think. I hit on a funny angle and ended up crowd surfing, which is good for concerts and not so good for sport events." Everyone has them at some point in their lives, a time when your life veers off of your own game plan. From getting laid-off, a frustrating job search, not being chosen for aleadership role, or not being accepted into the program you were hoping to enter. 

Speed Bumps Hurt.

I thought of not just the physical pain that Simon was in, including a broken collar bone & a severe laceration to his foot, requiring stitches. I also thought of the emotional pain not only for Simon, but for all the other people in his life that were supporting him. "My breakdown moment was seeing my wife because I know how much Jennie puts into this and we're a team and she's put in so much sacrifice being at home a lot alone." 

Speed Bumps Can Teach.

Simon shared "It was hard to see my daughter upset, my wife upset and I was pretty upset. That means it means something doesn't it?"

1. We all hit speed bumps in our careers - it's not personal, it is part being a professional.

2. Take stock, deal with the reality of the situation, accept it, AND learn from it.

3. Start a new goal as soon as possible.

Speed Bumps Can Heal.

Simon stated "I don't know that I ever dreamed of four Olympics, two medals and flag bearer, I'm absolutely blown away by the whole thing."

When I first read his quote, I was stunned. I reread the quote to make sure that I had understood it correctly. Now THAT is a high performance athlete. It was obviously not the Olympic experience, that Simon was anticipating. I was so impressed by his forward looking perspective - from disaster to moving forward in less than 24 hours.

We have all had crash and burn experiences in our careers, but it's our response to these issues that is the key. Well done Simon, we are proud of you! You have represented Canada well & have been a great example, to those of us who desire to reach our full potential. 

  

Looking for help with your personal brand? Looking to become a more effective leader? Who's your career coach? Need help with a professional resume, job search, and interview preparation? Invest in yourself & get the edge in this competitive job market. Take a small step and book an initial coaching session.

CareerClass | Webinar - Get the Right Career, Right Now! Invest 1 hour of your time to help identify the right work situation. Join me Thursday, August 15 12-1 P.M. ET. Take control ofyour career, all from the comfort & convenience of your own desk.  

Click to register.

Giving my best, along the road with you!

Alan  

P.S. Looking for help with your job search? The 90-Day Job Search Program can help you identify the right career fit for you. Click for more details.    

  

P.P.S. Looking for career or leadership support in Ottawa? We have a terrific team to help you reach your potential & advance in your career. Click here to get started. 

The Lead Wolf Model of Leadership

Surviving the Narcissist Leader By Dr. Rick Johnson

CEOs or Presidents, who attain positions of power, reach these positions for a variety of reasons. The reasons are not always a result of competency and hard work; these positions are not always earned. As a result employees find themselves under the rule of various kinds of leaders. Even those leaders that have earned their position can be impossible to work for and it’s difficult to be happy and satisfied doing it. I was once asked to write an article for a magazine about the old style of autocratic leadership that was so effective in the 70’s and even the 80’s. I titled it B.O.S.S. this stood for Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self-Indulgent, Scumbag but the magazine made me change the last S to Sociopath.

I used to work for a B.O.S.S. He was always walking around muttering “I’m the BOSS – you’re nothing. I’m the BOSS you’re nothing.” I wanted to say, “Well, whoopee, you’re the BOSS of nothing.”

Presidents and CEOs are typically seen as sources of motivation and direction. But what's often overlooked is the fact that they not only motivate their management team but they receive motivation and even direction based on the responses from the employees below them.

What type of leader do you work for?

The Lead Wolf (servant) style of leadership is successful because these leaders take the time to listen, imagine and investigate numerous alternatives. With the involvement of people they forge creative solutions to difficult problems. They challenge their people to stretch, go beyond their previous boundaries and think outside the box. 

Successful leaders feed off their people and allow their people to feed off of them. They give credit where credit is due. They give recognition as a means of gaining respect. They believe individuals can make a difference. Through these methods they learn to create new insights and possibilities. Successful leadership means creating a sense of urgency, getting mutual commitment to action. Action steps are always clearly defined and precise.

The Lone Wolf (BOSS - Autocratic) leader at the top dominates with power. They are autocratic and intimidating. They often believe that employees are a necessary inconvenience and aren’t capable of creativity and innovation.  More often than not, they embrace the “seat of the pants” based on intuitive judgment leadership style. This allows them maximum flexibility and “shoot from the hip responsiveness.” However, today’s environment demands a more stable administrative structure that requires a change in the nature of past leadership practices. Simply put, it’s an evolution from a highly reactive, autocratic individualistic style to a more empowering, employee oriented proactive style.

It’s about going from a “Lone Wolf” leadership style to a “Lead Wolf” leadership style that has confidence in the employee’s ability to make things happen and empowers the employees to get the job done.

What about the Narcissist Leader?

            

The Narcissist leader is often very successful. In fact there may be a certain amount of narcissism in all of us. However, the narcissism that exists must be balanced with respect in our relationship with our employees. Excessive narcissism from a psychological standpoint is considered a personality disorder. 

I personally have worked for two Narcissist CEOs during my career. Both of them were extremely vain, egotistical, conceited, selfish and paranoid. Each demonstrated one or more of those character flaws to an extreme. One actually threw a stapler at his secretary. Another had bugging devices installed in his executive team’s offices.

How Do I Survive in a Narcissist Environment?

Managing your BOSS requires skill. Intelligence alone isn’t enough. It requires leadership skill on your part. Excellent communication skills are a prerequisite and self-confidence in your own ability is a must to support your actions. Delivering excellent results for every assignment will not only gain their confidence but can actually create a dependence on their part. They will come to rely on you to make them look good.

Continue to make suggestions, express ideas that support the CEO’s personal initiatives that will bring them success and credit. This is especially helpful if they can gain the credit while you take the risk. Allow the CEO to take credit for your ideas and shoulder the blame for those that don’t work out. Is this risky? Sure it is but if you want to survive or even thrive under a narcissist it’s a risk worth taking. Of course, you could also just walk but that option isn’t always practical.

Understand the Narcissist Ego

Managing or just surviving a Narcissist BOSS is difficult at best. Building a relationship with a Lone Wolf or Narcissist CEO is based upon an understanding of and a capacity to manage the narcissism of the CEO.  This means you must establish a balance between expressing your opinions; ideas and candid remarks while utilizing your knowledge of the CEO’s need to maintain his acknowledge position of power in the organization. A narcissist CEO and some Lone Wolf CEOs have an inflated sense of self. They openly demonstrate their feelings of superiority, entitlement (especially in family run businesses) and an insatiable need for attention and admiration.

Manage Your Risk

Narcissist CEOs often trust very few people. As a result they may allow their spouse to become extremely influential with regard to their leadership style. Some may even employ their spouse in the workplace. Their creation of this spousal influence and dependence can be risky for you. One Narcissist CEO I worked for was single but used his girlfriend who was employed as my administrative assistant to fill this role. The risk lies not only in trying to manage that relationship if they are also employed at the company but this dependence and influence can actually isolate the CEO from his executive team because this influence generally will support his grandiose ideas. Additionally they feed his paranoia. Be conscious at all times of the following character traits:

• All employees are expected to think the way he/she does.
• Their strategies are often dynamic but grandiose.
• They trust only their own insights.
• They can be charming, glib, accommodating but often are manipulative, deceitful, ruthless and destructive.

Are Narcissist Leaders Successful?

Just as Lone Wolf autocratic leaders were very successful in the seventies and eighties many narcissist leaders can be very effective. In fact some very famous leaders are considered narcissists by some. People like Jack Welsch of General Electric, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple to name a few. These three CEOs are all very successful; however, they may be the exception to the rule. Look at Enron and World Com. These two companies weren’t just aberrations. Personally, I believe they represent what can happen when ineffective leadership driven by narcissism creates a cancer at the top that becomes malignant and begins to filter throughout the management regime.

These leaders and many others were undeservedly worshiped when the perception of success and enormous profits disguised their real character traits and leadership model. Profit covers many sins including the sins of the CEO. It allows us to ignore physiological brainwashing, manipulation, con artistry, exploitation and abusive behavior. They are extremely insensitive to respect for employees.

There are numerous narcissist CEOs at the helm of many corporations today. The challenge of ownership, first generation founders and executive teams reporting to these CEOs is to insure that these leaders don’t self-destruct and lead the company into a death spiral. This becomes an extremely difficult task for all involved because a true narcissist doesn’t even understand their own issues let alone the willingness to work through them. Narcissists need professional counseling to help them accept reality and recognize their limitations. Their extreme independence, paranoia and self-preservation create a wall that takes a bunker busting bomb to break through.

The Lead Wolf Model of Leadership

Effective leaders must have an edge. They must be courageous enough to take risk and have an unrelenting readiness to act. Popularity is not a requirement, but the ability to generate respect from the employees is, without a doubt, one of the most critical attributes. They must be relentless in their efforts, unconcerned about personal sacrifice of their time, and willing to go beyond normal expectations. Tough decisions are commonplace; uncharted territories will be the norm. Honesty and impeccable character are musts.

Lead Wolf leaders take charge and are not afraid of responsibility or risk. Most people want to follow them. A good leader develops openness, honesty, clarity of purpose and a sincere caring for the people they lead. They gain commitment and trust by demonstrating respect for the individual. They have a keen sense of understanding. They believe in their task, they understand the objectives, they communicate clearly and they honestly project the understanding that they need the efforts of everyone to succeed. That’s the Lead Wolf model of leadership. It’s all about believing in employees and their ability to create success. 

E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for the Lead Wolf leadership thought provoker checklist and sign up for The Howl leadership newsletter at www.ceostrategist.com.

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www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free* monthly newsletter and get your choice of "CEO Strategist's Hiring and Interview Guide" or "The Guide to Effective Training Sessions", valuable resources for all levels of management. The Howl addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues.  Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com.

Learn Tony's methodology for defining success for yourself

I am a big fan of Tony Robbins. His programs "Personal Power", "Get the Edge", and his books "Unlimited Power" and "Awaken The Giant Within" are always close to my heart. I've learned so much about myself and I will recommend to anyone who wants to achieve his dreams and be happy.

In this film, Tony is sharing a step-by-step process for:

• clarifying your values
• prioritizing what matter most
• making sure that your actions are driven by a greater purpose.

Do the exercises and enjoy! Be happy!

http://robbinsmadanescoachtraining.com/?p=1089

"We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish." - Anthony Robbins