Monthly Archives: August 2014

Inspiration, Opportunity, Success

You Can Do This

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“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” —Vince Lombardi

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

It’s All About You

Maya Angelo reminded us that, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” It’s all about you; you are in control. Have you thought about all the possibilities? We all have dreams. Do you have the will and dedication to make yours come true?

Dreams

What are your dreams? Dig beneath the material things and accomplishments. What are the feelings associated with achieving your dreams? Your brain does not respond to things or actions, it responds to the way those things make you feel. Develop a clear vision of where you are going. Now see yourself on that journey.

Motivation

Success takes action. What motivates you? What is your “why”? Place reminders where you will see them every day to remind you why your dreams are important. Make a plan and then develop the self-discipline necessary to stick to that plan. Don’t let yourself become complacent and content with the status quo. Make the commitment to yourself that your dreams will be a priority.

Opportunity

Bobby Unser said, “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Take the steps necessary to ensure you will be prepared when an opportunity arises. Learn to recognize opportunity in unexpected forms and places. Be prepared to sell yourself and your abilities. When you position yourself to win it is only a matter of time before the right opportunity presents itself.

Fear

We’ve all heard that people fear public speaking more than they fear death. But, for all of you who have been required to give a speech publically, you didn’t die did you? Nothing horrific happened. In fact, I would bet that you actually felt a certain level of pride afterward. Proud of the fact that you succeeded in facing your fear. Bill Cosby said, “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” Learn to embrace the fear. The more you try, the more you fail; the more you fail, the closer you are to success.

You Can Do This

Arnold H. Glasow told us that, “Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” Chase your dreams, come to know you motivations, seize opportunity, overcome your fear, and then celebrate the small wins along the way. It’s all about you; you are in control; you can do this.

 

 

© 2014 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Leadership, Leadership Brand, Leadership Development

Do You Need a Leadership Brand?

Success Starts Here Freeway Style Desert Landscape

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”—John Quincy Adams

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Do You Need a Leadership Brand?

Whether to are the CEO of a large corporation or an employee working on the floor, in the trenches, you have the ability to inspire and influence others. This ability places you in a position to serve as a leader, with or without formal authority. Have you thought about your leadership brand? Do you know what leadership means to you? Can you define your leadership style?

As Malcolm X said, “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. “ Your leadership must stand for something. When you are purposefully developing your leadership brand you are deciding what you stand for. This is represented by your values and principles. And, these values and principles guide your attitude and behaviors as a leader. Take a good look at yourself in the following areas. How are these areas influencing your leadership brand?

Values

Your values embody what you find important in life. They represent what you truly believe in. Your leadership brand starts with your values. You need to really give some thought to what matters most to you. How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be?

Principles

Your principles provide the rules for your behavior. These rules are based on your values. As you develop your leadership brand, evaluate yourself honestly. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? What do you need to improve on? Your principles should inspire you to become a better leader. Are you setting the leadership example you want others to follow?

Attitude

What does your attitude say about your leadership brand? How do you treat those your leadership serves? What experience do you want your leadership to provide? Your attitude will exemplify your values. Is your attitude towards leadership authoritative? A servant? Do you believe in allowing employees to participate in leadership? As a leader you must keep an eye on your attitude because you can guarantee that your followers will be.

Behaviors

As you are developing your leadership brand, keep in mind that your leadership behaviors should be consistent; others should know what to expect from you. They should also have a clear understanding of what you expect from them. Be conscious of your behaviors, you are setting the example for others to follow.

Your Leadership Brand

Be purposeful about your leadership brand. Your values, purpose, attitude, and behaviors provide a good starting point for developing a purposeful leadership brand. Be conscientious of your words and actions; make sure they represent what you truly stand for. Ask yourself if you are being the kind of leader you would want to follow.

 

 

© 2014 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Collaboration, Empowerment, Engagement, Innovation, Leadership, Organizational Culture

Growing New Leaders

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“Growing other leaders from the ranks isn’t just the duty of the leader, it’s an obligation.” —Warren Bennis

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Why Grow New Leaders?

Developing leaders throughout your organization places you in a position to conquer new leadership challenges where innovation and flexibility are the keys to success. When you build on the expertise within the ranks of your organization you improve efficiency and effectiveness. Growing new leaders allows you to tap into the talent and potential of your team members. Let’s look at three of the factors that promote the growing and nurturing of new leaders.

Environment

You must start by creating an environment where others have the opportunity and are encouraged to lead. Develop a culture where employees embrace collaboration and open communication. Value the diversity that offers a continual flow of new perspectives. Provide employees with an environment that challenges them in a way that engages and inspires. Encourage the sharing of ideas by asking great questions and valuing the answers you receive. Provide work that employees can feel passionate about. Network and relationship building are important factors in leadership. Help and encourage employees to build their network and develop strong relationships built on trust and respect. Implement programs where new leaders can be mentored.

Opportunity

If you want to grow new leaders you must provide them with experiences that help them understand who they are, what they stand for, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Give them the opportunity to participate in solving difficult problems. Allow them to make mistakes and help them learn how to grow from the lesson these mistakes teach. Encourage them to share their ideas and allow them to participate in planning and implementation of new ideas. Every employee has valuable ideas, insights, and perspectives; engage them in productive conversations. When employees feel like they are an integral part of the organization they will be more motivated and engaged in growing as a leader.

Aptitude

Give employees the training and experiences they need to develop leadership skills. These skills will enable them to have a positive influence on colleagues, make informed decisions, and contribute new ideas. Help them develop an understanding of their own biases and how these biases can impact decision making. Teach them to appreciate the benefits of obtaining diverse points of view. Help them develop the ability to ask the right questions so they can make sense of overwhelming amounts of information. Teach them the value of networking. Create in them an ownership mentality. And, most importantly, serve as a role-model of good leadership and show them how to bring out the best in others.

Everyone Wins

Everyone wins when you grow new leaders and develop the leadership pipeline throughout your organization. When you have individuals with leadership ability at every level of your organization you increase the speed at which you can respond to change, your ability to be flexible, and your ability to respond to uncertainty. When you become more involved in the leadership development of your employees you will experience improved employee and customer satisfaction. By growing new leaders, your organization becomes more nimble and innovative, able to respond more quickly to customer needs and changes in the business environment.

 

 

© 2014 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Change Management, Collaboration, Communication, Engagement, Leadership, Organizational Culture, Planning, Team Building

How Are You Managing Change?

 

 

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“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” —Arnold Bennett

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Why Change

Fight it all you want, change is inevitable. When we fail to embrace change we cause ourselves undue stress and waste valuable time and resources. Why change? Change becomes necessary when the needs of our organization, customers, or employees change.

How We Change

Once we realize that needs have changed, and therefore we need to evolve; we must set a realistic change goal. Every level of management must roll-up their sleeves and get involved. Employees must understand and believe the reason for the change and the benefit to them personally. The organization must be committed to pursuing the long-term vision and the change requirements associated with it. Here are four factors that will help you manage change.

Purpose

Have a clear purpose. How will this change influence, improve, and impact others? What problem are you solving or what are you improving on? How will it benefit you customers? How will employees benefit? How does this change fit into the overall organizational objectives? People’s main concern is their own well-being; your employees need a clear understanding of your purpose and how they will be impacted by the change.

Plan

Create a proper plan for implementing change. Spend extra time formulating a good plan. Build flexibility in the plan. Set clear goals, identify milestones, and outline the timeframe. Ensure that goals are ambitious, yet attainable. What scope does the plan cover and what are the deliverables? Identify what success looks like. Determine what relationships and resources you will need to accomplish your goals. Do your plans for change fit with the vision of the organization? You must determine a budget for the plan. Specifically identify who will be accountable for each task. Then, bring the right team of people together to implement the plan. Check results early and often to ensure you are not veering off course.

Culture

Develop an organizational culture that embraces change. Your culture should encourage a sense of responsibility, camaraderie, and generosity. Encourage the development of strong relationships throughout your organization. Let employees share in the leadership responsibility. Make sure you have the right people serving in the right roles. Provide engaging work for your employees and allow every employee to use their expertise in achieving shared goals. Build loyalty by promoting a positive culture that encourages employee participation. You should encourage innovation and allow for mistakes. Help employees develop collaborative and decision-making skills. Promote transparency. Create an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect where teams are motivated and engaged.

Communication

Successful change management is more dependent on communication than on strategy. Make sure you are clearly communicating with your employees early and often. Set an example of the level of communication that is expected. Talk truthfully about change. Be genuine in both your words and actions. Clearly outline ownership and accountability. Promote a common understanding of the long-term vision of the organization as well as the immediate goal. Listen more than you speak and ensure that you understand what’s being said. Communication is the only way to succeed. If your communication isn’t reaching your team, you won’t be successful at managing change.

Take-Away

Change is inherently uncomfortable, but the fact is we must change or we become obsolete. Failing to recognize the need for change can result in wasted time, energy, and resources. You can minimize the fear and resistance associated with change by defining and sharing a clear purpose for the change; by setting realistic goals; and evaluating who and how others with be affected by the change. Communicate the purpose, goals, and benefits to all parties that will be impacted. Always be transparent and open in your communication. Develop a culture within your organization that is agile and embraces change. Create a plan for the implementation of change and outline how success will be measured. Engage employees in the process of identifying the need for change, formulating a plan, and implementing the change. When employees are invested in the change process managing change can be a positive, transforming experience.

 

 

© 2014 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.