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INTRODUCTION
It was a privilege to know I had been nominated to attend a multicultural leadership conference which took place in Irvine, California. There are about 20,000 employees in the West Area of the company and I was one of the 350 who had the opportunity to attend. I was very pleased and excited about the opportunity to go. We were told that our supervisors or district managers nominated those which they considered had leadership attributes and leadership potential. The conference was mainly to educate us on the importance of leadership, the way to identify and develop our distinctive competencies into leadership, and the techniques of effective networking. I took notes throughout the conference and thought I'd be a good idea to share what I learned so that maybe others can use these techniques or tips in their own personal and/or professional lives.
The senior leadership hosting the event consisted of directors, executive and associate directors, and area vice presidents of different sides of the company. We also heard from an international motivational speaker. The conference was also concentrating on the fact that we are a diverse company. They spent a lot of time talking about how being diverse, is "not only the right thing to do, but it's also smart business," as stated on the company's credo.
DIVERSITY
To be honest, it was one of the aspects I was in disagreement with. The invited motivational speaker spent a lot of time educating us on the different cultural aspects and how they define the way we act and conduct business in the workplace. I realize the undeniable advantages of being a diverse company; we are able to bring more to the table by having a diverse group of individuals whose ideas are so rich and different from each other. It is also true that we are able to reach out to a larger market when it comes to selling our product/service. By being diverse we become an organization with an open-mind and accepting culture. Diversity is one of our competitive advantages.
My disagreement comes in when we begin to spend so much time talking and concentrating on the fact that we are different. When it comes to being different, it is beyond our ethnic origin; we find that our values, beliefs and ideas might be completely different from each other, even within the same predefined "cultural," "social," or "ethnic" group. This is why I consider it to be a waste of time to focus on what makes us different. It comes down to a person-to-person scenario. Every single human being is different from each other, and although some cultural aspects might predict our behavior, we can't really embrace diversity if we will not acknowledge this fact.
I learned from a mentor, which is also a very good friend of mine, that in order to establish a strong relationship, we must focus on what makes us similar to one another. Two people or two groups are unified when there is common ground between them. We must focus on what makes us similar in order to be more productive, accepting, and understanding of each other. This applies to the personal and professional relationships.
One of our senior leaders shared the analogy of concrete. He stated that being diverse is being stronger by the union of different elements. Concrete is made up of cement, sand and water mixed together. These elements when on their own are not as strong as when they are mixed together. I agree with his example, but I want to point out that once the mix is created, we no longer consider it sand+water+cement, we refer to it as concrete. It has created a new identity of its own. It is no longer the sum of its components, but it is a new solution, a new and defined solution. We are not the sum of our diverse community, we are a team working together to achieve a common goal. We are one, and our differences make us strong, but it is what we share in common that keeps us together, bonded to each other, working towards achieving a common goal.
LEADERSHIP
The way I define a leader is someone who has strong personal and ethical values, and positively influences and directs a group or team to achieve a goal. A leader directs others and leads by example; he or she posses the following characteristics:
· Confidence....
o Strength of character
o Influential
o Firm
o Courage – to stand up for what you believe in
o Backbone – Conviction, confidence and determination
· Authenticity....
o Delivers on promises
o True to his values and beliefs
o High ethical standards
o Strength of character
§ Never compromising your values
§ Unwillingness to yield
§ “Never compromise your integrity, your values, or your self-respect.”
· Accountability....
o Assumes responsibility of not only his, but his team’s actions
o Accountable even for those delegated actions
o Ownership
§ “If you are a leader… IT IS your job to take care of it.”
· Action....
o Focused and professional
o Decision-maker
o Firm
· Listener....
o Know your weaknesses
o Be open to coaching and direction from supervisors/other leadership
· Dynamic....
o Resilience – Ability to bounce back and regain focus
· Team work....
o Understands that is it necessary to trust his team
o Great leaders build and lead great teams
o “Good leaders don’t use fear to generate results.”
· Service....
o Provide feedback to your team
o Coach
o Give your team good tools and inspect for your expectations to be met
· Passion....
o Understanding and driving Excellence
o Ambition to excel – never at the expense of someone else
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“A vision without a plan is just a dream.”
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Everything in life requires work. We are not entitled to anything other than death. Leadership is not an entitlement, it is a privilege. Good leaders see each day as an opportunity to learn, grow and excel. A big part of leadership is being able to have good communication skills. We often mistake this by assuming communication means talking or expressing ourselves. Good leaders are great listeners. Being smart is not enough, we must also be aware of the emotional aspects of being a leader, and how to effectively communicate with and direct our teams.
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There are ways in which we can develop our leadership skills. We did an activity and we were asked what others perceived us as, and what we considered ourselves to be. If there was a gap between those definitions, we were to work on how to lessen that gap so that we were reaching our potential. The goal was to become a better leader, so if others saw more positive in us, we were to strive to be perceived as that, if it was us who considered ourselves something more positive, then we were to strive to let others see us as that. It was very interesting.
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In order to become a better leader we need to be more proactive and less reactive.
Good leaders are:
More proactive (not reactive)
Future oriented (not present or past-oriented)
Inspiring (more than motivating)
Listeners (more than talkers)
Initiate solutions (more than fixing problems)
Team-focused (not just individual-focused)
Win-Win (instead of win-lose)
Provides constructive feedback (versus negative feedback)
Continuously improving (versus fixing)
Behaves inclusively (versus recognizing differences)
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We also spent time developing our networking skills. We learned that more than a corporate ladder, it’s a rock-wall ladder. Sometimes in order to advance it is necessary that we move sideways, or even down so we can have a better impulse, or chance at moving up. Networking is essential if we’re trying to move up in an organization. It is important to establish strong and positive relationships not only with our team, but with those that we can benefit from. I was able to meet about 20 people. I got their contact information and we shared about ourselves and our jobs and learned from each other. I know I made an impact in some of them, and I know that I can definitely count on them for advice, information or even job opportunities. It was interesting to learn about other sides of the business. I have a better idea of where I want to go and more importantly, I know the steps I must take to walk in that direction.
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The second and last day of the conference we had the opportunity to ask our leaders questions and we got useful feedback from them about many different topics. It was inspiring to listen to the personal stories of these leaders. They share ideas and input on how to balance a healthy personal life and a successful career. In order to grow we must be willing to take risks. Not just any risks, but calculated risks. We are smart and have the potential to develop so many skills and abilities which are going to move us up not only in the professional world, but our personal lives as well. Networking is about establishing relationships, and good relationships are all about accessibility.
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One of the questions was about how they handled stress. We heard the common answers, exercise, spending quality time with their families, reading, not taking business situations personal, and one which caught my attention was self-talk. Sometimes when we talk out loud to ourselves, the words make a stronger impact. It is important to balance things and keep a positive attitude to reduce and control the stress levels. Every job is what we make it. We often expect the environment to change our attitudes, but it takes a conscious effort to think positive and realize that it works from the inside out. Another leader taught us that a little stress is not a bad thing, he said, “Success is the motivating factor which causes a person to perform an action.” Prioritizing is another way to reduce stress. When you have a list of priorities and you focus on what’s important, you will find yourself being more productive, efficient, less stressful and invigorated to take more on your plate.
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When we are in the work place, no matter who we talk to, whether a customer or a leader, or a co-worker or someone from a different part of the business, we are always being interviewed. That’s why it is so important to always be positive and professional. We never know the opportunities that will come our way, but if we are whining about our job to someone we might think has no effect or importance in our development, we might be missing out or ruining an opportunity to make a positive impact and a good impression. We never know if this person we’re venting out with might be in the position to refer us, interview us later on, or just give an opinion about us.
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If we expect to grow professionally and be offered a promotion, we must excel at our current jobs. Mastering our jobs, “but demonstrating that we have the capacity to take more” is what will make the difference. We will realize that opportunities knock on our doors if we are being the best at what we do.
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“Luck is where opportunity meets preparedness.”
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More key points they gave us included tips on how to talk to senior leadership. They explained that we must be clear, concise and to-the-point. We don’t need to talk much to communicate something; it is essential to remember this when talking to senior leadership. Also, always know your business! Articulate what you’re trying to say into one sentence. “Be clear, be quick, and be gone!” ~ It is always better to stay humble. It’s essential to be driven, willing to be coached, caring of others and honest in every business relationship we are a part of.
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“The most successful people are those who are always able and willing to learn from others.”
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At the end of the conference, we were given a book titled “You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader.” They also recommended the following reads,
“What Your CEO Wants You To Know.”
“This Is Not The Life I Ordered.”
“Becoming the Obvious Choice.”
“The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
“Execution.”
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Hope this information was useful and inspiring. I know it was for me. I left the conference feeling empowered to become a great leader. I know my weaknesses and I know what I must work on to develop myself. I hope you also found some inspiration or tips on how to grow as a leader yourself.
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Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog. I’ll make sure I keep this diverse and hopefully you’ll find some topics that will be interesting or inspiring.
