Red Bike Leader

take the training wheels off your leadership abilities

Archive for the ‘communication’ Category

Water Cooler Women

by Jessica | March 9th, 2010 | Posted in communication, leadership

If there could be a sign over every water cooler or for that matter every “lunch meeting” that says “Shut Up No One Cares”  I think we would get a lot more done.  Sounds rude even hurtful but if you give me a chance I think I’m making a more than valuable point.

Talking, what a gift women have!  According to many studies women on average speak three times more words a day than men and we all know those words, more often than not, are full of punch!  As a woman, I understand and often find myself joining the water cooler crowd for the latest.  It’s like this crazy magnetic force that screams at me that my opinion, my feelings, my thoughts are so important and valuable that everyone needs to hear them and not just once, but multiply times.  This God given gift of communication to the females is at its core a beautiful thing, but when used in excess turns ugly fast.

In the spirit of leadership in the work place choosing words carefully is one of the best things you can do.  Imagine a woman in the work place that speaks when necessary and gets to the point, and whenever she deviates it’s purposeful, clear, and possibly even witty!  This woman would stand out not just from the women but the men as well and become the leading lady in the office.  People respect and think highly of others that have a guard on their tongue.    We tend to subconsciously label people that speak well and with thoughtfulness as wise and deep, all wonderful leadership traits.  People will follow, respect, and even have a healthy fear of a leader that demonstrates these attributes on consistent biases.

‘I am Sorry’

by Justin Humphreys | March 2nd, 2010 | Posted in communication, leadership

Leaders have evidently learned how to apologize. The last few weeks we have seen some prominent people apologize for their actions. As of late Mark McGwire, Tiger Woods, and Toyota executives have all had to make public apologies for their actions and decisions.

Unfortunately, the public has not received any of these statements with acceptance. They were said to be vague, insincere, or just too late. People are rarely satisfied with an apology from a leader. They always want more information, emotion, or dirt. The most important action people want to see from an apologetic leader is this: RESULTS.

A leader who says, “I am sorry,” needs to produce some results. Apologizing does not mean anything unless it is followed by a change in actions. Everyone is watching to see what happens next for companies like Toyota because words are only backed up by results.

People do look to their leaders to own their mistakes. More importantly, they are looking for their leaders to change their actions.

Permission to say it

by Ryan Russell | January 19th, 2010 | Posted in communication

If you really want to grow in your leadership then you are going to have to hear what most people aren’t willing to tell you. You need to hear items that will frustrate you, challenge you, encourage you and make you better than you are today. The biggest obstacle to this will be finding someone who will tell you like it really it.

98% of the people you know don’t have the courage to tell you the honest picture.
- 40% will tell you that you are doing awesome.
- 50% will be totally indifferent and lost in their own little worlds.
- 8% will make you out to be such a loser that you will wonder why you are bothering the rest of us by consuming our finite oxygen.

You need to be searching hard for that honest 2% person who can give you clear, real, valuable, usable feedback. When you find them and they give you their time, be sure to work hard at learning from what they have to say… it will make you better.

Don’t hire employees

by Ryan Russell | December 30th, 2009 | Posted in communication, entrepreneur, leadership

I don’t like ‘employees’. The term has become synonymous with lazy, entitled, arrogant, bossy, arrived, filling in the time, doing the minimum, and getting by. I know a few exceptions, but they seem to be just that. Consider some other options the next time you are getting ready to spend money on people as a solution to your challenges…

‘Intern’ – Short term, on the team to learn and hopefully you will get an equal return on output for the time you invest in their development. Either pay them well or have them raise their own salary because your organization is just that awesome. Be sure to limit the experience between 90-180 days. Keep them if their great and always be hiring new ones… this is the place to find your best talent.

‘Contract Labor’ – 1 yr. contracts or part-time employees who can be taken off the books within 30 days. This position gives you the flexibility and the latitude to look for the very best people to have on your team. Now more than ever there are plenty of options. Why be in a long term relationship when you just aren’t sure? Even if it costs you more monthly, you can save yourself by not having health benefits, retirement and a whole host of other administrative chores, expenses and commitments if you work the deal well. A termed contract will keep the person on their toes to continually deliver their best.

‘Leader’ - This person is worth a salary and a commitment. They have demonstrated the value in one of the other 2 positions (ideally both) and you don’t want to see this person get snatched up by someone else for a lack encouragement, compensation or commitment on your part. Leaders move you ahead, they don’t just maintain systems. They solve problems, develop strategies, define and achieve wins.

‘Partner’ – A rare breed, this person is ready to sacrifice and they love the mission almost as much as you do. Partners demonstrate an ‘all-in’ mentatlity. Beyond the attributes of a leader, they have chemistry in team dynamics and make the place better by being a part of it. Not all partners have to be seen as indispensable, but certainly they bring unique contributions to the table, are highly committed and are trustworthy.

Thanks all the time

by Ryan Russell | November 26th, 2009 | Posted in communication

“Thank you!”

Thank you to my family; especially my mother, father, wife and close friends… you have all made me a better person.

Thank you to the leaders who have invested in my growth, leadership development, character formation and spiritual formation.

Thank you to the leaders who I have served shoulder to shoulder with in the trenches of work, life, ministry, sports, and home.

Thank you to all of the people who I get the privilege of doing life with.

Admittedly one of the challenges I face in life is pausing to be thankful every day, not just once a year.

Do your dots connect?

by Ryan Russell | November 16th, 2009 | Posted in basics, communication, leadership

Kids play a simple game on paper – connect the dots. The dots are numbered and when you run a line in order from one to the next they make a picture. Vision & mission statements, while always ‘en vogue’ with leader types, can quickly become meaningless in the day to day operation of a place. Your mission statement MUST constantly help your team ‘connect the dots’. More importantly, YOU serve as the vision caster (what will the final picture look like) but also as the blue printer (where do we place the numbers).

If you are leading well, your team members know exactly what it looks like to succeed. They know by definition the picture that they are creating and where to go next. So, how much stuff is your team busy with that doesn’t connect with your mission? Same challenge from a different angle – are you emphatically sure that you are hyper focused on executing a game plan that is certain to lead your team in accomplishing the most important work? Are you communicating effectively and passionately about your vision and plans? Did you do it last year, but forget to keep the vision out in front of them this week?

Your team needs you to lead well. Your team needs you to communicate with clarity, with hope and with encouragement. AND your team needs a plan that will allow them the opportunity to not only succeed, but to WIN!

RP – customer service

by Ryan Russell | October 23rd, 2009 | Posted in communication, service

Great! Worth the 11 min. investment in your leadership development. NOTE: he uses a full palette of language, so if that offends you… don’t watch.

Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk from Carsonified on Vimeo.

Blogging for Leaders – why & how

by Ryan Russell | October 19th, 2009 | Posted in basics, communication

Facebook and twitter can be huge time wasters and popularity contests so many leaders are outright banishing them from their lives and also the lives of their employees. There is some validity in this approach, but let’s tackle that on another post.  I would challenge leaders, however, to not lump-in blogging with with these other social media tools/toys.

Here is a bit of why & how on blogging as leaders —

Benefits of Blogging:

  • Increases communication between you and your follows — we never communicate as clearly or as often as we think we do with the people who are most dependent on our leadership.
    • You will see all the normal benefits of better communication as you blogging are part of your communication strategy in your leadership.
  • Keeps the vision white hot and out in front of people.
  • Helps current activities stay fresh.
  • Allows you become a ‘person’ from their vantage point, not just a machine or an unapproachable ‘rock star’.

Topics that are worthy:

  • Vision & Direction
  • ‘Why’ behind critical decisions
  • Insights of the not-too-personal nature (Don’t write about your diet, you bathroom habits and your vacation.)
  • Wins & Exciting opportunities that your team is encountering
  • Introduction to new team members & also key players.
  • Product or programming information from your vantage point (but leave the sales pitches to those departments).

Misc. / General thoughts

  • Write with a personal tone and from an ‘insider’ perspective; use your real voice not just your excited one.
  • Don’t get overwhelmed; just try to write 1x each week and don’t write more than 16 sentences.
  • You don’t need to have ‘comments’ activated; especially if you are going to moderate and/or respond harshly.
  • Do give personal touch points about yourself, your family and your activities… let us know you some and we will follow you more.