| Lorne Rubis - Part 2

Do You Have a GTY Project?

201115 Apr
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Posted inBe Abundant

GTY stands for Greater Than Yourself. Steve Farber is blazing a path with his thought leadership and writing on the concept and belief that it is vital to help others be greater than ourselves. In fact the greatest leaders, and this is supported by much leadership research, make others greater than themselves. My belief is that we are all leaders and that we are rich with the most valuable inventory in the world …ourselves. When I talk about the value of Abundance in the Character Triangle, the greatest act of abundance is to give of ourselves.

Steve encourages us to think of ourselves as valuable inventory to give away. This includes but is not limited to: what we do well, the meaningful experiences we have had, our life lessons, the people we know, and our admirable qualities and personal values. The richness of who we are is there to fully, frequently, and unconditionally give to others. My belief is that it is our obligation to continually grow and expand, and give ourselves to others. This is an act of abundance, and by extension, love.

Character Move:

Please think about starting your own GTY project. Who do you think might grow and gain by what you have to offer? Who do you trust and believe in? Who has values similar to your own? These are great candidates who can benefit from all you have to give.
Go to Steve Farber’s website and explore tools and techniques that can assist you with your GTY project.
Choose wisely and give with only one condition – that the person or people you choose for your GTY do the same and pay it forward.

Terry Pearce, a well know leadership coach has a quote that is worth reflecting on prior to taking this on.

“There are many people who think they want to be matadors, only to find themselves in the ring with two thousand pounds of bull bearing down on them, and then discover that what they really wanted was to wear tight pants and hear the crowd roar.”

So, before you begin your GTY project be prepared to commit and follow through. I can assure you that reciprocity is not needed, it is one of the most rewarding things you’ve done.

Being greater than yourself in the Triangle,

Lorne

How Do You Score on the RESPECT Scale? Rate Yourself and Your Boss on the “Respect 7″

201112 Apr
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Posted inBe Respectful

Those of you who follow the Character Triangle know that respect is one of the vital three values. Constantly and consistently being respectful at work involves relentless attention and practice. Paul Marciano, author of Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work: Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT, is a renowned organizational psychologist, and has over 40 years of research and practice focusing on leadership. This is what he has to say regarding the application of RESPECT.

There are seven critical ways in which managers can show respect to their employees:

Recognition. Thanking employees and acknowledging their contributions on a daily basis.
Empowerment. Providing employees with the tools, resources, training, and information they need to be successful.
Supportive Feedback. Giving ongoing performance feedback — both positive and corrective.
Partnering. Fostering a collaborative working environment.
Expectation Setting. Establishing clear performance goals and holding employees accountable.
Consideration. Demonstrating thoughtfulness, empathy, and kindness.
Trust. Demonstrating faith and belief in their employees’ skills, abilities, and decisions.

This is an actionable philosophy that speaks to how employees and managers should treat one another on a regular basis.

I think this checklist, what I refer to as the Respect 7, is a useful template for assessing how well you and I apply the respect principle at work.

Character Move: Let’s self score ourselves on a scale of 1 (poor) to 7 (great) on each of the seven points. How well do we do with our boss, teammates, and if applicable, our direct reports? Why not use an anonymous feedback tool to get real time feedback and data (e.g. use a tool like SurveyMonkey or Rypple)? Build an action plan to shore up our weakest areas. Then, let’s self score our boss. How well does he or she do? What could you do to help them get better at these? How do we communicate that in a constructive and useful manner to them? The very aspect of exploring this self evaluation is a respect-driven (and self accountable) action in its own right.

Scoring respect in the triangle,

Lorne

I Battle Regularly with My Ego! What About You?

20118 Apr
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Posted inCharacter Triangle

When I get defensive, find myself not listening well, being unnecessarily argumentative, etc., it’s likely because my ego is sitting on my shoulder like a petulant parrot, chirping away in protective but usually dysfunctional ways. This is what Sarah Morris of The Parallax Partnership (executive coaching and OD firm in the UK) stated about the ego and leadership in a blog.

“The ego is a rather brittle and inflexible character. When we are in its grip our actions are rooted subconsciously in fear. At all costs, we try to defend our rather vulnerable and fragile self concept. Above all else, the ego fears its disintegration and therefore works tirelessly to build strong defenses which maintain its integrity in the face of ‘the other.’ ‘The other’, of course, is any other person or external event which presents a threat to its stability… ego-full behaviours abound in the workplace including: manipulation, blaming, procrastination, bullying and control-freakery.”

I have become much more conscious and aware of the role of my ego the last few years. When my ego is sitting quietly, I’m able to see more clearly; bring much more calm to any situation, and be a more effective leader. I am more able to concentrate on what’s best for all versus what my ego suggests. Morris goes on to say,

“Our focus on the needs of the whole before our own, creates a more collaborative, creative and sustainable environment for problem-solving. This is the way of the Conscious Leader.”

I wish I was coached to be more aware and conscious earlier in my career. This is to help get you there faster than me!

Setting the ego aside requires the ability to observe that it’s resident and active in our minds. This is harder than it sounds. We are not our mind. One had to be present, and being conscious is the first hurdle. When we are aware, we can proceed in a more collaborative way. The ego can fight the values in the Character Triangle. It can nudge us to blame, attack and horde. It exists for a protective purpose but the ego is a tool for our use not the other way around.

Character Move: Spend time observing when your ego has put you in win/lose situations. What would have happened if you stepped back to focus on the whole? Been more collaborative? Less fearful?

Be Conscious in the Triangle,

Lorne

Are You Invited to the Summit Series? Why not? Are You a “Netlearner”?

20115 Apr
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Posted inBe Accountable

One of the hottest tickets in business is the Summit Series, a three-day Caribbean cruise for 1,000 entrepreneurs kicking off from Miami on April 8. People like Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson and Google’s senior vice president of business operations Shona Brown are attending along with many founders from start up ventures and other cultural icons. It is by invitation only.

Ok, I’m not invited and I didn’t get my invitation to Davos (World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland) this year either. But that’s not stopping me from reaching out to learn and share value with the best thinkers and doers in the world. Everyday my iPad is the gateway to text, voice, and video, bringing the most knowledgeable people in their fields right to my favorite leather chair. On LinkedIn and other sites, I can be in dialogue with people who want to exchange views and help me crystallize my thoughts. In my local community there are numerous groups for more face to face exchange. This is more than just networking. My word for it is netlearning. It involves giving and receiving; it’s a two way value exchange. Honestly, I jump out of bed each day with excitement about what I can learn and share.

Character Move: get out and create your own Summit Series. Develop a plan to find out who you want to exchange value and netlearn from. You have value. You’re worth it. Remember you have to give to receive. Get excited about the daily journey. A Cheetah may lick you!

Netlearning in the Triangle,

Lorne

PS. One day I believe I will be invited to Davos and/or The Summit Series.

Character Triangle

Our character is exclusively ours. We define it by how we think and what we do. I believe that acting with Character is driven by what I call the Character Triangle.

What, exactly, is the Character Triangle (CT)?

The CT describes and emphasizes three distinct but interdependent values:

Be Accountable: first person action to make things better, avoiding blame.
Be Respectful: being present, listening, looking again, focusing on the process.
Be Abundant: generous in spirit, moving forward, minimizing the lack of.