As I conclude this series of several articles below, I have found completely different atmosphere exists with an Engage2Lead-sensitive leader who respects his or her subordinates and who has the good sense to seek and appreciate input from employees!
When participative leaders use the 1-2-3 leadership tool, employees can enjoy being respected for sharing their ideas. They not only become truly inspired but also enhance the organization’s chances for success by virtue of their input.
With your new focus on participative leadership, you are in a prime position to take your organization to the next level by applying these principles on a daily basis.
The Summary
Houston, We Have a Self-Awareness Problem
Two Problems That Can Sink Any Leader I agree with John Maxwell when he says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” But leading can be challenging. Indeed, every leader has two problems that threaten his or her leadership – and here’s the kicker, most aren’t even aware of these threats!
The Journey from Young Entrepreneur to Effective Leader From my first days working in the warehouse of my father’s business, I was on a path toward greater understanding. As I learned and grew, so did my leadership. I always did the best that I knew how to do. Then I got an abrupt “wake-up call” that caused me to change my approach to leadership – and that made all the difference.
Volunteer Leadership Leading volunteers is the most challenging type of leadership. Why? Because they don’t have to be there. They don’t have to come to work! Fortunately, when I was the President of my Rotary Club, I discovered a very effective way to lead volunteers.
My Most Public Bad Decision Have you ever made a bad decision? I made one of my worst decisions some time ago, but I still vividly remember the details. And I also remember the lessons I learned in the process.
Lone Ranger Decision-Making I used to be a lone ranger when it came to making decisions. I didn’t even consult Tanto! Seriously, the way I made decisions by doing all the research and thinking by myself set me – and my team up for failure. And over the years, I’ve learned that most leaders don their mask and “gallop” through their workplaces – unattended and unaided by even one faithful sidekick!
The Secret to Employee Motivation The perspective we have toward our work will determine how we ultimately perform. Whether you are laying bricks or launching a high-tech startup, your success will largely be determined by this important element of human motivation.
The Birth of Engage2Lead
A New Way to Lead The candid feedback from a 360-degree evaluation caused me to rethink how I was leading my people. When I first read the results of the evaluation, I was mad! After I slept on it, I began to see the truth contained in the feedback and chose to accept the uncomfortable idea that most of my outside challenges were because of my inside problems.
What Do Chili Dogs Have to do With Success? The owner of a small downtown café in my hometown serves as a clear example of what it takes to win in business and life. When it came to business success, I developed my own “secret sauce”. The good news is that this recipe is repeatable! In fact, every leader can achieve success in their organization by cooking up a secret sauce that contains two important ingredients.
The 360-degree Evaluation That Changed My Leadership Little did I know that a TRAC 5000 Workshop led by Jim Lundy would become a major turning point in my approach to leadership. What started out as a shock, became an opportunity to learn and grow.
How to Get Your Team On Board Have you ever tried to lead a group of people, but the people did not want to follow? Did it seem like they didn’t see the benefits of getting on board with your goals and direction? It has been often said, and I experienced firsthand that “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
What is the 1-2-3 Decision-Making Tool?
The Secret to Creating 4X Growth in 4 Years How does a company that has muddled along – growing 5 to 10 percent per year for 30 years – grow 400+ percent in 4 years? The answer lies with a new approach to leadership – and boils down to three simple questions.
How does 1-2-3 work?
Does it Have to be Lonely at the Top? Until you have experienced it yourself, it may be hard to understand the oft-repeated phrase “It’s lonely at the top.” But when you are the leader of an organization, department or even a small group, you realize how true that statement is. My loneliness started to fade away as I began to adopt the Engage2Lead participative leadership style. And more importantly, my team became more motivated and engaged than ever before.
Why People Should Use the 1-2-3 Leadership Tool
A Simple Way to Empower Your Team One of the best ways to approach flat organizations in a very complex business world is a participative leadership style that I call Engage2Lead and using the 1-2-3 tool in your leadership toolbox.
– Reid Hoffman
More Engagement Means More Learning
–Ben Franklin
What if we could lead by leveraging the fundamental truth of “involve me and I learn”? Well, I’ve got good news for you! One of the best ways for your organization to learn involves a participative leadership style that I call Engage2Lead. Specifically, we’ll look at how to employ the 1-2-3 leadership tool.
A Tale of Two Companies Money buys movement, not motivation. A recent Gallup survey confirms this truth. Gallup reports that only 33 percent of employees are engaged in their work. Sadly, 67 percent of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged.
Why Don’t People Use the 1-2-3 Process?
Every CEO Wants Three Things There are three things every CEO wants. They wake up thinking about these three things, they go to sleep thinking about them, and pretty much every moment in between is consumed with the same three things. The typical CEO’s focus on these three things prevents them from considering the use of the 1-2-3 process.
The Benefits of Using the 1-2-3 Approach
The Key to Great Workplace Culture Building a great workplace culture is not about what you get. But what you give! It is not what you get from your employees. The most effective leaders are ones who enhance relationships AND drive for results all at the same.
Plan your Best Summer Vacation Ever! Family vacations present a great opportunity to lead your family using the Engage2Lead process. Use my FREE Family Vacation Discussion Guide to engage your children as you plan your next vacation.
Are You Tired of Trying to Know It All? I have observed that the days of leaders having to “know it all” are quickly vanishing as organizations face unprecedented change, competition, and stagnant organic growth. Leaders cannot survive on their own, nor do they have all the answers. Fortunately, there is a better way…
Good News, Bad News (and Great Outcomes) Years ago, I rolled out some good news to our leadership team. My voice and verbal pace quickened (as much as possible, for a Texas boy) as I shared my exciting news with them, “We’ve just purchased eight acres, including some existing facilities that we’ll transform into our new offices!” After some positive feedback and some clarifying Q&A, they soon began to think about the associated “bad news”. This meant that we would need to consolidate nine different office and warehouse facilities into this large new location. This was a major milestone in the growth of our organization. How I handled this challenge as a leader would be remembered for years.
House Rules Leading a family resembles leading a team in the workplace. To lead our “home team”, my wife and I made specific decisions about how we would teach and guide our boys. We make our choices, and our choices make us. And there is no place this truth is more evident than at home. Our boys knew the boundary lines as defined by our house rules AND the freedoms they enjoyed inside of those lines.
The Effectiveness Quotient Several years ago, I came up with a way to describe or rate a leader’s level of effectiveness that I call the Effectiveness Quotient. It is essentially a person’s measure of a person’s drive toward results as well as their intention directed toward building and maintaining relationships.
See How You Can Get Your Employees to Think Like Owners Years ago, several of our moving trucks began to show their age and required a significant amount of maintenance. It was time to shop for replacement trucks. Instead of making an executive decision and informing the rest of the team after the fact, we pulled the drivers and crew members together to talk about buying new trucks. And what followed was amazing…
This One Leadership Principle Could 10X Your Effectiveness In business, my leadership went through a trial and error process of “crawl-walk-run.” At first, I took a wobbly step or two, then I began to walk, and finally, I started to run and never stopped.
One of the best truths I discovered about leadership may, at first, seem unusual, but I’ll be the first to say that it had a profound effect on my effectiveness.
The Key to Doubling the Effectiveness of Your Team Not long ago, I read about a survey of workers in the United States who were asked if they could work harder on the job than they currently were. 85% of those surveyed said that they could. And more than half claimed that they could double their effectiveness “if I wanted to.” I’m sure you would agree, I want the people I lead to “want to” be as effective as they possibly can all the time. As our business grew, I saw the positive impact of the Engage2Lead leadership style had on our team.
The 10 Benefits of Engagement Gallup reports that only 33% of U.S. employees are engaged at work. But, they have also found that the world’s best organizations have 70% of their employees engaged. Gallup’s findings reveal engaged employees boost the bottom line, but that’s not all. Engagement produces several other benefits as well.
Ignore the Engage2Lead Approach at Your Own Peril
Is Ineffective Leadership Stifling Your Profits? Do you feel free to make constructive suggestions to your co-workers? How about your supervisor? Read about a culture of insecurity and distrust that criticized feedback which could have helped the entire organization.
We Need a Change in Leadership Are you frustrated with the growth of your organization? Here are two truths you’ll want to remember: 1) Your organization will always be defined by your leadership and 2) The size of your business reflects the size of your leadership. Your first job is to grow you, not your business.
4 Excuses That Destroy a Leader’s Effectiveness If the benefits are worth the effort, why don’t more leaders take this approach? Well, change like this can be difficult, and I’ve noticed that people create excuses to justify staying stuck in their old leadership ruts. Study the four most common excuses in this article so you’ll recognize them if they crop up in your thinking.
Which of These Assumptions Is Limiting Your Leadership? Are you advancing in your leadership? Many leaders fall victim to five incorrect assumptions, and that can limit their progress. Which of these assumptions have you made?
Do You Recognize the 6 Consequences of Poor Leadership? One of my executive mentoring clients experienced the negative consequences of what I call “Lone Ranger Leadership”. Read about his story and what happens when we exclude others from participation and decision making.
Special Applications of the 1-2-3 Leadership Approach
This One Policy Can Minimize Your Leadership Headaches Have you ever encountered a situation at work where someone was told they should expect a raise, and it didn’t come, leaving the employee with hurt feelings? What about a promotion? Or what about a working-condition perk, e.g., larger office or workstation?
Sadly, I’ve seen this happen many times at my own company. Fortunately, we developed the one-over-one policy to prevent this type of predicament.
A Simple Way to Protect Your Brand Without Discouraging Your Team I can still remember the day we discovered a front-line employee had taken way too much liberty with a project that impacted our brand, our marketing, and our bottom line! This real-life story is a prime example of how the one-over-one policy can help you avoid similar situations.
Which article attracted you the most? What one thing did you learn about Engage2Lead participative leadership style and the 1-2-3 Leadership Tool?
Please share your thoughts <here> and share this article with co-workers and friends.
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CEO of The John Maxwell Company
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