Tag Archive - stephen covey

Core Values

August 10, 2010 in Business, Leadership with 9 Comments

Core Values 300x151 Core Values“Without beliefs or the ability to tap into them, people can be totally disempowered. They’re like a motorboat without a motor or a rudder.” – Anthony Robbins

When Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was first published in 1989, the concept of a mission statement was completely novel. But soon companies around the country started creating their own mission statements. Mission statements are the core beliefs of a company. Motivational speaker Tony Robbins suggests that living by your mission statement creates the integrity that clients are looking for.

The journey of success isn’t about the destination, it’s about discovering yourself through a series of checkpoints along the way. Helping your team understand the sense of direction allows for your ability to lead more effectively.

Internally, company-wide mission statements are important tools because employees need to know what is expected of them–just as they need to know how the company perceives itself. For example, customer service reps can’t call their manager every time a customer calls with a little gripe. They need to understand the corporate philosophy and apply it to a customer’s concerns. Sales people also need to be able to make deals and offer contracts that are consistent with mission statement.

Empower your people with solid information on you goals and expectations. The give them the ability to make decisions based on your philosophy, and then be able to broadcast your ideas to the rest of the world.

I am interested in your views on this. I’ve found there to be a lot of confusion between an employee handbook and a company’s mission statement. How are these important to you?

Searching for a Mentor?

June 10, 2010 in Business, Leadership with 9 Comments

mentor shopping 285x300 Searching for a Mentor?Setting unrealistic goals, or goals you never intend to meet, wastes everyone’s time. If you’re so out of touch with your inner self that you spend time daydreaming about wealth and riches with no plan for achieving then, it’s time for an attitude overhaul.

Ron Willingham is best known for helping organizations succeed with ethical, value-driven strategies. He teaches that the right mental attitude can make the difference in what you are realistically going to achieve. Knowing who you are and where you are going helps you set positive goals. Sure, it’s fine to fantasize about buying a Mercedes Benz (and even to purchase one if your budget allows for it), but do not allow yourself to to be motivated or driven by status. Status is really nothing more than buying things to impress people, that you really don’t like, with money you don’t have! Keeping up with the Joneses is a dangerous game to play. If you find yourself more concerned with status than personal values take stock of your life. Change your mindset: read or listen to some good books, listen to personal development CDs, and go to lectures. Redirect your thinking to focus on practical goals based on the reality of what is feasible in your life.

You may be young in the business and in need of a positive support system to plan exactly how you are going to reach your goals. Seek out a mentor and discover some new standards and practices. Experience in the field and right mental attitude is an excellent combination to enable you to achieve. Let’s face it, to succeed in business, you need to stay motivated and focused, right? But of course that is easier said than done. During a lecture by Stephen Covey, who preaches self-reflection as a way to discover the unlimited power of your own potential, knows that at some point, everyone is going to hit a wall. That is where a mentor can step in and help out. But, according to Covey, finding a mentor takes more thought and effort that most people realize.

A good place to start is to find someone whom you admire who shows an avid interest in you. Don’t prematurely choose your mentor. Get to know a variety of people who can potentially mentor you, which will minimize the chance in choosing someone for the wrong reasons. A magnetic personality is captivating, but too often, you can end up becoming a groupie, basking in the glow of your mentor’s superstar stature. It’s better to pick someone whose thought process and personality mesh with yours.

A mentor want you to learn and adapt his or her philosophies to become your own. A mentor should be available for advice and feedback, but not babysitting your insecurities. If you pick the right mentor, and you may have more than one, it’s usually the foundation for a life long friendship.

Infuse Your Team With Independence

May 26, 2010 in Leadership with 14 Comments

teamwork 300x300 Infuse Your Team With Independence While taking some time to refresh myself on ‘going back to basics’, I revisited Stephen R. Covey’s book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for the second or third time. Mr. Covey believes that we need to infuse our organizations with lots of independent team members. One way to achieve this is by being prepared to resolve mistakes that are predicated by poor decisions. As leaders, how we react to a misstep is key in helping those around us learn to work autonomously and ultimately, when appropriate, interdependently.

First, let’s remember that mistakes do happen. That is a reality in any operation. However, we also want our people to feel comfortable approaching us about these occurrences right away. These situations present an opportunity for a leader to help group members in correcting the problem before it grows into a larger complication with possibly unmanageable consequences.

For example: Let’s suppose that you asked one of your team members to assist you in creating and putting together a press kit. He or she took the proper initiative and had the documents they created proof-read. With their proof-readers approval of the draft, your co-worker had several thousand copies printed. The press kits were then stuffed into envelopes before he or she re-read the copy themselves only to discover that a crucial word had been omitted.

Your team member has two choices: Let it go, mail the kits and hope the typo isn’t noticed, or he/she can approach you and report what has happened. If they are comfortable with the way they’ve seen you handle similar scenarios, they will willingly inform you of the mistake having faith that you’ll objectively give direction and delegate an appropriate response. Conversely, if you have intimidated your work group with rash consequences in the past, the results will very likely be less favorable for the overall perceived value of your team and possibly cause irreparable damage to your organization.

When we stay calm and keep our composure, our leadership skills show. These are the qualities that help build a great team of players that will not lay blame or point fingers; Those who appreciate the value of teamwork and most importantly: A team that feels comfortable enough to ask for advice. Hence, when Stephen Covey said “Interdependence is only a choice independent people can make”, he meant it for us: Team Players.