Relics of Bygone Eras - The "Because I Told You So"
As a child, how many of us heard the response “Because I told you so!” when you asked why you had to do something? Nearly all of us have, at one time or another, heard those dreaded words growing up. That response has its origins from a bygone era when performance either at home or in the workplace was administered through command and control.
Related Fun Fact of the Week: In the Vietnam War, the majority of soldiers couldn’t make a move, shoot their gun, or do much of anything unless several rungs about them on the “command and control” ladder told them they could do so. Many statements from former veterans play out something like this: We knew where the enemy was, but we couldn’t pursue him. And when we fought him, we couldn’t kill him.”
In today’s business environment of rapid change, we can certainly see how this lack agility from a command and control environment would be a major hindrance within companies!
As a child, how many of us heard the response “Because I told you so!” when you asked why you had to do something? Nearly all of us have, at one time or another, heard those dreaded words growing up. That response has its origins from a bygone era when performance either at home or in the workplace was administered through command and control.
Certainly success can be achieved with a command and control performance model, but the actions and activities to achieve that success comes from complying with the demand rather than from a place of commitment and engagement to achieve a purpose.
Command and control was the prevalent style of management modeled and practiced after WWII, but has been on the decline since the 80’s. Still, some organizations and certain leaders manage in the past. The next generation leader doesn’t use command and control to manage their people. They inspire, enable, facilitate and develop their people and prevailing performance environments.
So now when someone asks you the “why” question, the answer is not, “Because I told you so!”. It is now an opportunity to connect with understanding, knowledge and a dialogue the engages, not demands.
Leadership is evolving and shifting, are you?
Want to know more on the shift in leadership? Contact us or take a look at our LeaderShift book or online course, complete with a guidebook that gives you a path for the evolving leader in today’s world.
For more information on how to more actively engage in your organization join our DESTINATION: SUCCESS page, or contact us!
Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in enabling success by developing a dynamic and customized pathway to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.
Want Better Employee Engagement? Become a CEO (Chief Engagement Officer) for Your People.
If you want better employee engagement, leaders need to cultivate and support an environment of engagement, not compliance. If you are a formal leader of people, add the duties of the CEO (Chief Engagement Officer) to your role.
Our clients that have seen double digit improvement in overall employee engagement have leaders that cultivate employee-led engagement. They stop managing their people and begin developing environments of personal performance, accountability, change, and connecting people to a purpose, not a task. They enable so many more decisions then they could ever personally make in the past. Now that is true empowerment!
Engaged leaders look beyond titles, roles, and position descriptions of their people. They match talent to opportunity. We had one of our clients take a product manager, tap them on the shoulder to lead the effort to build a brand-new multimillion-dollar headquarters location. That building came four weeks ahead of schedule and right on budget…..they matched talent to opportunity and success happened.
As a leader, are you:
Now is the time to make the leadershift and take on the role of CEO (Chief Engagement Officer). You and your organization will be glad you did.
For more information on how to more actively engage in your organization join our DESTINATION: SUCCESS page, or contact us!
Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in enabling success by developing a dynamic and customized pathway to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.
Leadership is Evolving, Are You?
Over the last six weeks we have explored the critical shifts occurring in leadership.
I challenge each of you to start with just one of the shifts above and put a 90-day plan in place to grow and develop your personal leadership in that area. For instance, if you feel too much of your day is task driven and you are just drifting from one day to the next, put a plan together to find purpose in what you do and connect to it. If you lack clarity in your role or organization, seek information, ask questions, and move from fiction to the truth. You will see how clarity and alignment energizes you and those around you.
Clarity and alignment energizes you and those around you.
LeaderShift is real and happening around each of us. Embrace it, own it, and lead it. I promise it will make a difference in you and your organization. For more information and to order LeaderShift for you and your team please click here.
All the best on your personal LeaderShift journey.
Now Available!
LeaderShift is not a traditional leadership book that lectures instead of teaches. This book is a compelling fable that allows you to eavesdrop and learn how one leader built a successful team. You will discover a practical framework that will help decrease turnover, improve job satisfaction and improve your bottom line.
Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in developing a dynamic and customized blue print to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.
From Duty to Passion
Are you coming into work every day out of a sense of duty and obligation to successfully complete today’s agenda and tasks? If you answered yes, you are not alone. A significant majority of people do just that.
In our last blog we talked about shifting from task to purpose. Once you make that very important shift, you will find the task you perform more meaningfully, fulfilling, and impactful. You will also find yourself moving from performing a job out of duty (obligation or burden) to delivering on a purpose with passion (a desire, hunger, or craving) and a different level of commitment. Additionally you shift from moments of apathy and surviving the day to moments of impact and thriving in the work you do.
To assist in making that shift, look at every professional relationship as a customer, in fact everyone in your sphere of influence is a customer. Both internal and external customers that you serve, the team you are a part of, you manager, basically any and all where you have direct or indirect impact are your customers. If you received a customer satisfaction rating on a scale of 1-5 stars with 5 as outstanding, what would that rating be from all of those that had any interactions with you this week?
If you will try to make that shift from duty to find purpose and passion on what you do and how you do it, it will be that passion for performance to deliver on expectations, promises, timelines, and to cultivate more authentic relationships that will create those positive moments of impact and provide a more fulfilling and meaningful day that is not driven out of burden or obligation.
Create positive moments of impact.
Shift from task and duty to purpose and passion, you will find the rewards great. Want to learn more about shifting from duty to passion? Grab your copy of LeaderShift today!
Upcoming Posts
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SEPTEMBER 12 - From Fighting Change to Guiding Change
NOW AVAILABLE!
Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in developing a dynamic and customized blue print to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.
We Don't Want to be Managed!
Today, very few people, if any, want to be managed! There is an evolution in leadership underway. In the recently released book, LeaderShift, David Cottrell and I explore the necessary balance between structure and autonomy. The 3rd shift, From Structure to Enabled Autonomy, highlights the leadership evolution taking place today from managing people and process to enabling both organizational and people performance.
Technology has allowed for more autonomy and creativity than ever before in delivering results. However, complete autonomy without the structure that creates clarity, alignment, and an environment of accountability often results in chaos, confusion, and frustration. The proper structure should enable success, not impede it.
Enabled autonomy will be the catalyst for leading change, cultivating diverse thinking, enhancing employee engagement, and supports employee-led performance, the future of organizational performance.
"Enabled autonomy will be the catalyst for leading change..."
So is your leadership and organization evolving? If not, find out how to get it started by ordering your copy of LeaderShift today.
Upcoming Posts
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AUGUST 22 - From Drifting to Purpose
AUGUST 29 - From Customer Duty to Customer Passion
SEPTEMBER 5 - From Fighting Change to Guiding Change
NOW AVAILABLE!
Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in developing a dynamic and customized blue print to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.
Stop Waiting to be Led. Lead Where You Are.
This is one of the key shifts required to sustain both individual and organizational performance discussed in our new book LeaderShift, released today on Amazon.
Future success is about creating and cultivating environments where performance is pursued, not just reviewed. Where change is led, not managed. And where formal people leaders don’t just hold people more accountable, they develop a culture of personal accountability where everyone holds themselves more accountable; no matter what.
The pace of performance no longer waits for leaders to plan, direct, control, and manage. That leadership model is too slow and ineffective in today’s complex and disruptive business environment.
So stop waiting to be led, step up and lead where you are, no matter where you are. If you don’t, someone else will.
To find out more, get your copy of LeaderShift today.
- Ken Carnes
Upcoming Posts
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AUGUST 15 - From Structure to Enabled Autonomy
AUGUST 22 - From Drifting to Purpose
AUGUST 29 - From Customer Duty to Customer Passion
SEPTEMBER 5 - From Fighting Change to Guiding Change
NOW AVAILABLE!
Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in developing a dynamic and customized blue print to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.