http://labradorleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Roxkwell.jpeg ()Dan Rockwell is The Leadership Freak. A fanatic, not a basket case. Dan started in the non-profit world. Leadership has been a part of his life since youth. He went off to school for theological training, Bob and Dan agree that the first opportunities to develop your leadership skills are sports or scouting programs. These teach you you project management and life skills. During these years the key influencers for him were people who believed in him and gave him the time when growing up. Are leaders be born or made? Dan refers to John Maxwell saying that leaders can be made. The born part may not be genetic but rather from the development support that you receive in those wonder years. Teachers, neighbors, youth leaders, sports coaches are all important. As for servant leadership, Dan quotes Pat Lencioni who says that he's tired of hearing about servant leadership, that there is no other kind. Servant leaders are concerned with what is best for the people on the team and in the organization. Command and control leadership is too much about stress, pressure, and manipulation and getting them what you want done in a leader centric style. Coming into a problem, a servant leader thinks about how he can help rather than needing to solve the problem. Dan also talks about leadership in terms of the organizational environment.. They should think about the energy levels. Ask, "What can I do from a structural view or a rhythm to just create an environment of affirmation support and energy?" A simple starting point is stopping by at the end of the day to thank someone for their efforts. Bob and Dan then suggest that turning the pyramid upside starts an environment of the organization starting to support the line, serving them more. The servant is open and interested in the welfare of others and uses a coaching style, asking questions like "What's working for you?" or "How can I help?" Sometimes the employee thanks them for just asking. Executives reticence to get a coach to help them move forward with skills such as this may in part be an ego thing. We often assume the coach is the one that know everything, but really he is the one that brings out the best in others. Part of this leadership trail is taking time for self reflection. Harry Kramer book on values CEO of Baxter, big on authentic leadership...his future father in law invited him to MN to go a three day silent retreat. Journalling thoughts and being quiet.Mindfulness has a place somewhere...executives are not quite ready as a whole to meditate at the middle of the day, but this type of practice helps prepare them to leader better. Dan's advice to a newly minted MBA is this: It's not about you. It's about others. You step away from the spotlight and put your team on the spotlight. Books Dan is currently reading include http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804137382/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andcamp=1789andcreative=390957andcreativeASIN=0804137382andlinkCode=as2andtag=bobnolleycom-20andlinkId=MYSPYAN73NQYM5AN (Essentialism) and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422184129/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andcamp=1789andcreative=390957andcreativeASIN=1422184129andlinkCode=as2andtag=bobnolleycom-20andlinkId=ZIY6I324AFKKCG7P (Act Like a Leader Think Like a Leader) Website: http://leadershipfreak.worpress.com (leadershipfreak.worpress.com) Email: dan@leadershipfreak.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/leadershipfreak (@leadershipfreak)

Best selling Amazon Author Dr. Gail Summerskill talks about her new book on writing titled Writing with Sofie. The professor and creative professional talks convincingly about the need to support those that are trying to improve their writing in the classroom or at the start of their first personal writing project.

Bob talks about research that shows the Corona Virus shutdown may have months remaining rather than weeks. He also shares a story of a pharmacist who is committed to do his duty

Bob updates a directive from the CDC for protecting infrastructure workers who may not have been able to avoid contact. He also reports on ATI Decorative Laminates President Tara Burgio moving production to serve hospitals and law enforcement.

Bob updates the state of the Eastern U.S and talks about opportunities when using power during COVID-19.

Molly Snider of the Coolest Women in the RVA chats about the expansion and hip factor of Scotts Addition. She talks about what it takes to manage one of the premier properties in midtown.

A recap of the comments from the Surgeon General and thoughts about people who cannot work from home.

This episode marks the start of a daily series on the role of leadership in the new normal.

Bob kicks off the Coolest Women in the RVA series with a special visit from Suzanne Rosenhammer. They talk leadership and career in the tech world of the RVA.

Matthew Shapiro of 6Wheels Consulting is a leader in the disability community. In this episode he and Bob talk abut his work lobbying from the state legislature to the streets on behalf os the disabled.

Bob talks about the place and importance of critical thinking in the leadership toolbox.

Bob talks about strategies we can take to improve eliminating biases in building and leading our teams.

Bob welcomes Megan Morris to the show! They discuss the concept of humble leadership and how it can trigger behaviors that will improve results for your team.

Bob talks about how leaders of a startup may have a different perspective on what leadership actions are most important.

Bob and Alex talk about a list of the top five companies that are know for leadership development.  GE, no surprise, is at the top of that list.  But there are also important points to consider if you are not in one of these larger corporations, not the least of which is whether or not there are leadership development activities going on there.  Bob contends that one of the most important activities is that of assessment, a data driven review of wheat one's strengths and weaknesses are.  Self awareness is at the top of the list, and that characteristic is at the core of emotional intelligence.

Bob kicks of the second season of the podcast with a welcome and a tribute to the leadership of Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt who passed away this summer.
Summit was the winningest coach man or woman at the division one level. She took over the team in 1976 at the age of 22. She went on to win eight national titles, appear in 18 Final Fours, and 1,098 games.
More important numbers include the number of ladies that wore the orange as players she coached: 161. Of these, 48 became coaches of their own programs.
Summitt's Take on Leadership
Even though she had the "death ray stare" that intimidated some, she exhibited the traits of a transformational leader. She showed individual consideration for her players in spite of the tough love by realizing the unique value each had. She encouraged intellectual stimulation by asking her players to be innovative and try new things.
She was inspirational and charismatic as she encouraged the Lady Vols to be positive in their attitude and believe in themselves. She also preached commitment and dedication, preparing for what comes next, and goal setting.

It's all about perception -- and if teammates find you the least bit inconsistent, moody, unpredictable, indecisive or emotionally unreliable, then they balk and the whole team is destabilized.
Most young people are all the things I just listed, and [she] was no different. If there is a single ingredient in leadership, it's emotional maturity.
Over the next two seasons, I intentionally did everything I could to break [her] down. Why? Because until she completely surrendered herself and her ego, she wasn't going to become the reliable leader we needed. A willingness to do whatever it is that needs to be done regardless of self-interest is the hallmark of a mature leader.

Notes
Entrepreneur's Leadership Lessons from Pat Summitt
Washington Post's article on Summitt's single ingredient of leadership
Dr. Joyce Russell's column on Leadership Lesson's from Summitt
Pat Summitt's Book Sum It Up
 

The impact that stress can have on leaders, entrepreneurs, and their teams can be so great that it can let all the air out of the balloon.  A recent survey showed that 40% of all workers say that their job is very stressful, 26% say they are very burned out.  A quarter of people see their job as the number one stressor in their lives.  Has life gotten more stressful?  What can this mean for you in all the critical roles of your life?

Alex admits to having the most stressful job so far in her career, but she has found ways to manage it.
Stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of job do not match the capabilities or the resources or the needs of the worker.
It can lead to poor health and injury.  People blame a lack of balance between work life and personal life.  Boundaries are important to achieving this, as we can't possibly keep monitoring all of our relationships while we are in one place or the other.

You need a support network at home and work. Friends and coworkers.  People who tend to be social could have a bigger support network.  Is this an advantage for extroverts?  Alex suggests that introverts could have deeper relationships.  In either event, they have to be people that are willing to help you.

And you need a relaxed and positive outlook.  Bob mentions this is also physically evident  by whether the corners of your mouth turn up or down.  Type A personalities tend to be more stressed. Bob's list of Type A statements suggest that many of us can be susceptible to this.  Maintaining the positive outlook can be tough for a Type A, as opposed to a Type B personality, or a Hearty Personality.

On the job, the stressors include, log hours, the workload, your bosses management style, your boss not communicating well with you, and a total lack of support.  Environmental conditions can also take a tool, including the ergonomics of the work place.

 

 

Bob is proud to welcome Entrepreneur On Fire's John Lee Dumas!  John takes time out from his hugely successful Fire Nation to share his thoughts on leadership in the service, in the corporate world, and as an entrepreneur.  Are you Labsters ready to ignite?

Bob and John compare notes on their travels to Italy.  Both are enamored with the country and the people.  John also shares stories about his deep routes in New England and his home state of Maine.  He talks of his great childhood in a small town there.

John answers the leadership question of whether leaders are born or made by saying  that you can learn to be both a leader.  He expands this though by saying that you can learn to be an entrepreneur as well.  He talks about not being focussed squarely on business early in life, taking things as they came forward up until about the age of thirty. Our life experiences and what we learn bring us to both of those things.

In his four year stint in the Army, he was immediately commissioned as a second lieutenant out of ROTC at Providence College.  His class was the first to be commissioned right after 9/11.  He now focussed on his commitment to perfecting his craft for the sake of serving and protecting his first platoon of 16 men anf four tanks.

Transitioning out of the Army at age 26 was not without difficulty. The structure is missing. There was no passion yet.  He followed in his father's footsteps into law school., but after a semester he knew it was not his passion.  Leaving law school was such a difficult decision, but one made with great courage.

In the corporate world, John entered finance and was very excited about the prospects of a new career.  This excitement lasted the better part of a year with great successes.  This time however was followed by the financial crash.  Many others were laid off, but John remained.  He then though realized that this was not the place for him.  He handed him his notice the same day.

The leader he remembers was an all-star, a hard worker, a family man, that was super successful who made a huge amount of money,

John would advise a new MBA today to find a place to be an apprentice.  Look for someone that you want to become.  Ask them to be an apprentice, to be a mentor.  Find a situation that would allow you to learn from then.  Today, apprenticeship seems to be a lost art.  Bob emphasizes that this is one of the career critical conversations that people need to be prepared to have.

Entrepreneur On Fire

John on Twitter

John on Facebook

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