JJ's Tips in this issue: 1. Developing the Leader/Influencer in You 2. JJ's Favorite Quotes 3. Tele-Coaching & Tele-Mentoring ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Use the following tips as training tools. Present this situation to your group and brainstorm solutions together, or submit your own situation question to be answered in an upcoming newsletter. ------------------------------------- SITUATION QUESTION: ------------------------------------- A Reader wrote: "Your June newsletter gave me some great insights into the qualities I need to develop if I'm going to be an exceptional leader for my company. What else can you suggest? Ironically, another reader, Jay Michlin, emailed me an article on leadership that recently appeared in USA TODAY. I suggest you read it and take notes as we are all leaders and influencers regardless of our sales or service job descriptions. --------------------- SOLUTIONS: Here's the article. --------------------- Leadership lessons from the Reagan years Friday, June 11, 2004 Ronald Reagan, described as one of the great presidents, might say greatness can be boiled down to two words: ''Well . . . leadership.'' What makes a great leader? That question is complex enough to keep an army of business consultants employed. As Reagan is laid to rest, USA TODAY went looking for the leadership lessons of the 40th president. Start with a moral foundation. Reagan was called the Teflon president because criticism didn't stick. Why was that? Alan Axelrod, author of leadership books about several leaders including Gen. George Patton and president Harry Truman -- and also a critic of many Reagan policies -- says it's because Reagan was ''a decent person with high character,'' contrary to the ''selfish pig'' impression exuded by many CEOs. Reagan saw right and wrong. To him, communism was evil, and the human craving for freedom was good. Experts say most people forgive mistakes made by leaders who have both conviction and a good heart. The vision thing matters. Vision and strategy have fallen out of favor as companies focus on the nuts and bolts of slashing costs, eliminating errors and executing. But vision is the North Star for any organization, says Wess Roberts, author of Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. Reagan had grand, long-term visions to end the Cold War and block intrusive government. He articulated a direction, says Al Vicere, executive education professor of strategic leadership at Penn State. Take the heat. Those who transform the world, or a company, make tough calls such as firing the air traffic controllers, says Noel Tichy, director of the University of Michigan Global Leadership Program. Great leaders have several qualities. One is making tough decisions. If Reagan were a corporate CEO, he would be a combination of Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and Jack Welch of General Electric, Tichy says. Be comfortable in your own skin. So what if Sam Donaldson shouts embarrassing questions? Have a jelly bean. Joke about being friends with Thomas Jefferson. That doesn't mean making light of the importance of your job. The most powerful tool is the ability to make people feel like what they do matters, says Paul Argenti, director of Dartmouth's Tuck Leadership Forum. But leaders who are at home in their skin give the OK for others to feel at home in theirs. That's when things get done. Unlike former CEOs such as Al Dunlap of Sunbeam, Reagan demonstrated that leaders need not be mean to be tough, says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of executive programs at the Yale School of Management. Reagan was secure enough to surround himself with former opponents, including his vice president, George Bush, and Treasury secretary James Baker, Sonnenfeld says. Maintain a sense of humor. At all times. Even during a nuclear arms race. ''I have left orders to be awakened in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a Cabinet meeting,'' Reagan said. Be a great communicator. Maybe more CEOs should start out as actors because they need to show more emotion and passion. Where it comes to vision and strategy, ''say it well, say it often, say it simply and say it passionately,'' says Michael Useem, director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Successful leaders take a simple message and repeat it endlessly, Tichy says. ''The absence of knowing what's going on and why creates a toxic environment where distrust, suspicion, and fear overpower confidence, camaraderie, and courage,'' Roberts says. Delegate. Get out of the way of talented people. Reagan didn't immerse himself in detail as did workaholic presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter before him. ''It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?'' Reagan said. © Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JJ's FAVORITE QUOTES: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have." Brian Tracy "I used to say, 'I sure hope things will change.' Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change." Jim Rohn "Achievement - seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton "If you envy successful people, you create a negative force field of attraction that repels you from ever doing the things that you need to do to be successful. If you admire successful people, you create a positive force field of attraction that draws you toward becoming more and more like the kinds of people that you want to be." - Brian Tracy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tele-COACHING & Tele-MENTORING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE in an area? Customer service or sales? Inbound or outbound call center sales and service? Dealing with irate internal or external customers? Motivation and growth of your people? Leading and Coaching your staff? TRY our one-on-one Tele-Mentoring (phone coaching service) that is available to business owners, executives, managers, supervisors and staff members. Call for your FREE CONSULTATION now! 800 500-9656 or 408 445-1590 _________________________________ EVALUATION OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT: _________________________________ Have you had an Evaluation of Your Environment lately so you could receive suggestions on improving it? (It's like the doctor's check up, you often don't know you need it, until after you've had it.) http://www.jjlauderbaugh.com/about.html **************************************** ABOUT JJ: **************************************** JJ Lauderbaugh, CPCM (NEW ADDRESS & PHONE) 408 445-1590 or 800 500-9656, 1716 Husted Ave., San Jose, CA 95124. JJ works with companies that want to give exceptional customer service to increase sales, and with Directors and Call Center/Help Desk Managers who want to improve human performance. She's an international speaker, trainer, facilitator and certified management consultant (CPCM) on customer service management, specializing in performance improvement, call centers, up/cross selling and outbound calling. For training resources, free articles, tips and streaming video, go to our web site at http://www.JJLauderbaugh.com ------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright and Reprints: ------------------------------------------------------------- Reprint permission is granted when the following credit appears: © JJ Lauderbaugh, CPCM, Lauderbaugh & Associates, Inc., 2004. Reprinted with permission from JJ's Tips, a monthly internet newsletter. For your own personal subscription: E-mail jj@jjlauderbaugh.com ___________________________ |