Four Critical Ingredients for Effective Communication

“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership.” -Gilbert Amelio/President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp. Good communication skills are vital, and every successful organization has leaders who are effective communicators. Some are naturally great communicators, while others must learn and practice to become successful at communicating effectively.  Nevertheless, an effective leader must be a great communicator.  For example, Julius Caesar, small in stature, deaf in one ear and an epileptic, became the most powerful man in the known world. He knew what to say, how to say it and when to say it. He was a leader whose army was so devoted that they followed him without question and with great success! Another example of an effective communicator is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s communication skills were so effective that he was able to reach and bring together people of different races and ethnic backgrounds who had been at odds with each other since the beginning of the country. During the segregated climate of 1963, he led the March on Washington to advocate for civil rights for African Americans with over 200,000 Americans of different races and ethnic backgrounds in attendance. Dr. King delivered his significant “I Have a Dream” speech at the march, and the march was later credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Yet another example of a great communicator is Nelson Mandela. Mandela, with powerful verbal and nonverbal communication, helped heal a country divided by apartheid and became a unifying figure. He developed an unbreakable friendship with a young man whose life was shaped by the hardline attitude of the white Afrikaner. These three men had the power to communicate effectively both verbally and nonverbally and used this power to inspire others. This same power to communicate effectively is what leads great organizations to success! It is clear from the above examples that effective communicators need to master certain communication skills such as using nonverbal cues, listening to others, sharing information and transparency. Let’s take a closer look at each of these key skills.

Leverage Nonverbal Cues

Non-verbal communication whether intentional or not, includes implicit messages. These types of messages are expressed via non-verbal behaviors such as the following:  facial expressions, eye movements and contact, both the tone and pitch of the voice, kinesics or gestures displayed through body language, as well as proximity or the physical distance between the communicators. Since spoken messages are reinforced by nonverbal cues, leaders must be able to master the use of nonverbal cues. Just imagine a leader standing in front of you saying one thing; however, his or her body language is giving off a different message. Of course, you would be confused and wonder what the speaker is really trying to say.

Listen to Others

An effective leader must be willing to listen to team members. He or she should not be afraid to listen to their ideas because employees are often more involved in the day-to-day operations of the business and will frequently have better ideas about how things work. Additionally, listening to employees is beneficial because people like to know that they matter, and their leaders are willing to heed their advice. Put another way, listening is essential for building good working relationships.

Share Information

Do not be afraid to share information. Julius Caesar had a great working relationship with his soldiers and kept them informed. Caesar knew that if he were to get the best out of his soldiers, they needed to have faith in him and know what he expected. It is good practice to inform team members what the performance goals are and why they need to be achieved. Team members cannot know your ideas or desires if they are not shared. Therefore, we cannot expect them to do what we want without first informing them what it is that we want. Leaders who are accomplished at information sharing also seek constructive feedback from others and pay attention to it. Not only will this give the team members involved a sense of purpose, it will also foster a more engaging environment which supports enhanced performance and increased efficiency. 

Be Transparent

It is important that you treat others with honesty and respect. This reinforces that you are who you represent yourself to be and gives others confidence in you. An effective leader should show and tell employees what he or she means and remain true to it. Nelson Mandela was an honest and transparent leader. Francois Pienaar, Captain of South Africa’s 1995 Ruby World Cup winning team, stated that over 60,000 overwhelmingly white South Africans chanted Nelson when Mandela walked onto the field because Mandela delivered what he had promised. When Mandela became President of South Africa, he could have made dramatic changes to a team that was representative of South Africa’s apartheid state. Instead, recognizing the importance of the team to so many people, Mandela embraced the team even showing up to the game wearing Pienaar’s jersey. Pienaar and others believe that this was a turning point for South Africa. In fact, Pienaar was so impressed that he and Mandela developed a great friendship with Mandela becoming the godfather to his two sons. An effective leader acts as Mandela. He or she sees what is important, makes sure others see it, and always remains faithful to his or her words. These are just four of many elements affecting communication. However, mastering these four elements will not only improve your communication skills, but will help foster positive relationships with others as well.   For further related reading about communication, check out Alonzo’s blog at www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com.       

The Johari Window: An Avenue to Interpersonal Skills

In a recent blog post, I highlighted three key components of effective interpersonal skills (communication, critical thinking and confidence). Although all of these skills are important, self-awareness is arguably the glue that binds interpersonal skills together, and is the bedrock of effective leadership. For leaders who are lacking in self-awareness, the good news is that it can be developed. A simple tool that can be used to enhance self-awareness is “The Johari Window.” This model is beneficial for helping individuals improve how they are perceived and understood by others. It is also useful in guiding the exploration of one’s blind spots. The word “Johari” was derived from the names of its creators, American psychologists, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham. The model offers two key takeaways. The first takeaway is that individuals who are open to disclosing information about themselves builds trust with others and enhance interpersonal relationships. The second takeaway involves learning more about oneself through feedback from others. Individuals who discover more about themselves reduce their blind spots and increase self-awareness. The Johari Window model is presented as a window with four panes or quadrants: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johari_window.png. Let’s take a closer look at each quadrant.

Quadrant 1

The first window pane is called the Open Area or Arena. It represents the behaviors that are demonstrated by the individual that are known to the individual and known by others. This area may include information about the individual’s knowledge, behavior, skills, attitudes, and emotions. Example. A person knows she has very good organizational skills and others frequently seek her advice on ways in which they could be better organized.

Quadrant 2

This window pane is known as the Blind Area or Blind Spot. It provides insights into behaviors displayed by the person that are unknown to the person but known to others. This blind spot represents the greatest opportunity to increase self-awareness through feedback from others. However, it’s important for this feedback to be constructive so that everyone stays on to path to trust building—negativity could derail that process. Example. A team member may not be aware that he tends to not listen to others, while insisting that his ideas be heard. Another team member makes him aware of this blind spot and suggests that it would be more helpful to the team for all ideas to be heard.

Quadrant 3

This window pane is known as the Hidden Area or Facade. It reveals things that an individual knows about himself or herself that others don’t know. This façade often shields information about individuals that they are reluctant to disclose, such as fears, secrets, past experiences. Example. A leader is asked to present a proposal to the executive team for a major project. This leader is not comfortable speaking to a group of senior leaders, even though she seems to be very outgoing.

Quadrant 4 

This window pane is referred to as the Unknown Area or Unknown Self. It consists of knowledge, skills and behaviors that are unexplored and hence, unknown to the individual, and are unknown to others. These unknowns can range from hidden skills, to the inability to relate to others, to a psychological imbalance. Individuals can reduce their unknown area through self-discovery and shared discovery opportunities with others. Example. An individual who usually works in the background is asked to lead the implementation of a major project. As he works on the project, he discovers that he enjoys it and that leading the project is not a difficult task for him. The goals of the Johari Window model are twofold:

• increase the size of the Open Area without disclosing too much personal information about yourself, and
• decrease the size of the Hidden and Unknown areas.

Using the model in this way is a great start to enhancing self-awareness, relationship management, and other components of interpersonal skills like self-confidence and collaboration. For further related reading about interpersonal skills, check out Alonzo’s blog at www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com. And while there, pick up a copy of his recent book: Leading Made Easy.  

Three Key Components of Effective Interpersonal Skills

"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." — Theodore Roosevelt In the business world, interpersonal skills are often referred to as “soft skills or people skills.” Employers usually seek to hire individuals who can handle the technical demands of the job (hard skills), and interact well with others (soft skills). Having good interpersonal skills is essential for being an effective leader. Let’s take a look at three key components of interpersonal skills that are required for leadership.  

Communication

Communication is a cyclical process that involves the exchange of information between a sender and a receiver. Good communication skills form the foundation of good interpersonal skills. To be effective, leaders need to master the ability to disseminate information clearly to others in written, verbal and other non-verbal forms. In today’s fast-paced work environment, a leader typically on requests, delivers and receives information through written means of communication. While written communication is a convenient and fast way to get the information you need, there can be many pitfalls associated with this form of communication, as much of the information is left up to the interpretation of the receiver. Whether the leader is on the giving or receiving end of the written communication, it is essential that written communications be vetted carefully. When it comes to verbal and nonverbal communication, paying attention to body language is just as important as how you verbalize information. Eye contact, facial expression and body posture oftentimes reveal more than the spoken language when interacting with others. Effective communication also includes the ability to listen and remain open to ideas. Listening involves making a conscious effort to gather and assess information in an unbiased manner. The effort that the leader puts into listening will be revealed in the quality of the responses that are given. People want to be heard and feel valued; therefore, the absence of effective listening may ultimately affect productivity. Poor listening habits can negatively impact the morale of the team; however, listening effectively while remaining closed minded can also yield negative results.  Being open to ideas goes hand-in-hand with listening effectively. To lead effectively, leaders must be willing and able to listen to the recommendations of others.  

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

Problems are a part of life and the scope of a problem can challenge a leader’s effectiveness. As a leader, you will often find that you don’t have all the answers, but you are still responsible for solving the problem. Problems can be a source of stress, but effective leaders know how to leverage the talents on his or her team and find creative ways to solve them. Be resourceful and know where and how to find solutions—don’t be afraid to get help from others. Communicate your needs and leverage the collective knowledge of others (such as your team). Then, with an open mind, engage them in critical thinking as you carefully examine each option. The art of thinking critically involves questioning the status quo and long held assumptions. Work in a collaborative manner with others to devise a logical or practical strategy to solve the problem. Leaders who engage in critical thinking get things done and are highly regarded.  

Confidence

Confidence can be described as being self-assured. According to research, the more competent a person is, the more confident he or she tends to be towards serving in a role or performing a task. This competence not only gives a person confidence, but provides expert power—or the ability to influence others with his or her skills, knowledge, and experience. Leaders who demonstrate that they know what they’re talking about—and what they’re doing—gain the respect and following of others. Leaders who are confident, possess expert power and effective, are not aggressive, overbearing or handle situations passively. Confident leaders maintain their effectiveness by expressing their thoughts and beliefs in an open, honest way, while respecting the thoughts and beliefs of others. And they are not afraid to admit mistakes and apologize when they are wrong. These are just three components of interpersonal skills that are necessary to lead effectively. Other components include, collaboration, managing emotions, flexibility, a positive attitude and the ability to receive constructive feedback. For further reading about interpersonal skills, check out Alonzo’s new book: Leading Made Easy. visit www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com to learn more about his book and to purchase your copy.  

Taking a SMART Approach to Setting Performance Goals

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” —Zig Ziglar Have recent or past projects failed to live up to expectations? Do you and your team consistently fall short of achieving desired results? There could be a myriad of reasons for this shortcoming, but failure to define actionable goals is often the most obvious. One way to define actionable goals is to develop them using the SMART acronym:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timely

The use of SMART goals was originated by George T. Doran in 1981. He wrote a paper titled, “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives.” Today the SMART technique used to develop goals has grown in popularity and has been adapted for use in both business and personal life. Let’s explore each component of the SMART acronym.  

Specific (What exactly is to be accomplish?)

Leaders often talk about the desire to achieve goals. After all, they serve to guide our efforts to ensure success. But in order for a goal to serve as a guide, specific tasks related to the goal must be clearly defined. Let’s consider a scenario in which a leader, who is also an IT project manager has a goal to develop a new software application (app). This app is to provide more product information to customers compared to the existing one, and be easy to navigate and aesthetically appealing. The project manager decides to use the SMART acronym to refine the project’s goal. To meet the first criteria, Specific, he or she needs to identify the details of the goal by answering questions such as:

• Why is the app important to the company?
• What functionality will the app offer that is not offered currently?
• How will customers benefit from using the app?
• What steps need to be taken to create the app?
• Where and how will the app be made available?
• Is the app targeted at a specific age group, income level, etc.?
• Which team members should be assigned to project?

 

Measurable (How will we know when the goal is accomplished?)

After identifying the specifics of the goal, the project manager’s next step is to identify ways to determine how the success of the project will be measured. This component identifies standards which informs the degree to which the goal must be completed. While examining this component of SMART, he or she may find answers to the questions below useful:

• What end state do we want to achieve?
• How will we know when we have accomplished the goal?
• What will success look like?
• Are there existing metrics or will they have to be developed?

 

Achievable (Can we realistically accomplish this goal?)

The third criteria involve deciding if the goal can be achieved within the environment in which the team must operate. The project manager will need to consider this component thoroughly, including the resources that will be required. If the required resources are not available, he or she must explore ways to obtained them.   Considering the following question, will help determine if the goal is achievable:

• How realistic are the projected timelines for creating the app?
• What obstacles do I expect to encounter during the project?
• Is there a budget established for this project?
• Do team members have the required skills and knowledge to complete their tasks?
• What support (internal and external) will be required to complete the project?
• Can the app be develop given the current IT infrastructure?

 

Relevant (Is the goal important to the business?)

Using the SMART acronym to define how the goal relates to the organization will help identify the benefit of achieving it. Considering the app development example, scores of software applications are developed each year; however, some don’t provide the intended benefit. Therefore, the project manager must exercise due diligence before embarking on the goal. Failure to integrate the relevance component may result in a misuse of resources, which usually can’t be recouped and may cause him or her to appear out-of-touch with reality. Some questions need to be asked to determine relevance include:

• Will customers find this app beneficial?
• Could the app be used to attract new customers?
• Will the app bring in additional revenue? If so, approximately how much?
• Will maintaining the app be worth the investment to the organization?
• What is the cost/benefit of developing the app?

 

Timely (When can we accomplish the goal?)

The other component of the SMART acronym is timeliness. While all of the component of SMART are important, timeliness is arguably the most important. Getting this component wrong often leads to missed deadlines resulting in cost overruns. Continuing with the software app development example, the project manager should carefully examine whether the goal can be completed within the established time-frame, given the available resources and needs of the organization. The current state of the organization should also be considered. Questions that would be useful to answer for this component include:

• How much time will be required by team members to complete their assigned task?
• What tasks, if any, need to be prioritized?
• How much time will the team require collectively to complete the project?
• Should milestones and phases be established to monitor and report progress?
• Can the goal be achieved within the established time-frame?

Although a scenario of an IT Project Manager tasked with developing a software application was used in the example above, the SMART acronym can be applied to any goal. Using it is essential for developing definable and actionable performance goals. Anyone desiring to be more effective in his or her professional or personal life, will find the SMART acronym a beneficial tool. For more information about developing and using SMART goals, check out my blog at  www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com.  

Five Steps for Creating a Collaborative Work Environment

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent. - John Donne Some leaders get things done by micro-managing team members. But this style of leadership often limits what employees can contribute and stifles their engagement. No one wants to work for a leader who takes a top-down approach for everything. The most effective leaders create an environment of collaboration where open communication is encouraged and team members are free to contribute their ideas. When employees feel that their ideas matter they tend to be more productive and committed, compared to employees who are micro-managed. These employees can flourish as their contributions lead to more creativity and innovation that can be leveraged across the entire organization. Here are five steps that leaders can use to create a collaborative work environment.

1- Establish goals.

Goals are the foundation for creating a collaborative work environment. They provide focus from the start by communicating what is to be accomplished. Goals also help team members understand the big picture, their individual role and the importance of working together to get things done. Many initiatives have been derailed because the goals were not developed properly or communicated clearly. One approach to properly developing goals is to use the acronym SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely). I’ll provide details about developing SMART goals in my next blog post. Once goals are developed, communicate, communicate, communicate them to make sure they are clearly understood by all team members—you cannot over communicate goals.

2- Encourage idea sharing.

Provide a way for team members to share their ideas and opinions about how to achieve the goals. As a leader, be open to healthy discussions. Don’t be too quick to dismiss ideas that may seem “over the top.”  As someone once said, even a broken clock is right twice a day—and all readings have to be given their merit. You never know who will be right, or who will provide the “missing link” to new and successful ideas. Use a whiteboard (or another tool) and allow team members an opportunity to brainstorm and then narrow down the ideas together. As ideas become strategies, leaders should encourage team members to continue to work to accomplish the goal together. And when possible, make goals part of the employees’ performance objective by integrating them into the performance management process. Follow up on progress and provide frequent feedback to keep goals on track.

3- Build a diverse team

Build a team of employees with diverse personalities, genders, ethnicities and other diverse characteristics. With a diverse group of employees will come a different approach to tackling issues and will greatly enhance your efforts to achieve a collaborative work environment. For example, Millennials thrive in collaborative environments. And Generation X’s are problem solvers and have been credited with having entrepreneurial tendencies. On the other hand, Baby Boomers have strong work ethic and are achievement-oriented. Effective leaders know that collaboration is best achieved by bringing people with diverse characteristics together, and then leveraging that diversity to achieve the desired outcome. And since team members from other departments or other areas of the organization often have different perspectives, consider including some of them to augment your team, when appropriate. This effort supports collaboration across the organization. Know the strengths and weaknesses of your team members and use that knowledge to keep them engaged. And lastly, organize activities where team members can get to know each other outside of work. This will go a long way towards building the team.

4 - Adopt collaborative tools

Miscommunication can occur when team members are inadvertently left out of discussions or emails. Using collaborative tools is a great way to ensure that the lines of communication are open to everyone. Consider adopting tools like Slack, Basecamp, Teamwork or Trello to help keep communication flowing. Leaders can go a step further by using tools such as Google Apps and Office 365 which supports even more collaboration. These software suites allow users to share ideas via documents, spreadsheets and slides. These tools are especially effective for virtual teams who don’t share the same work location or geographical region of the country. Some of them may be challenging to introduce within your organization, depending on the culture. But the benefit of having them far outweigh the implementation effort.  

5- Change the culture

According to Entrepreneur, the collaborative work environment has grown in popularity, thanks to companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Zappos, to name a few. Although they have cultures that are slightly different, they all have one thing in common—a collaborative culture. Leaders seeking to build a collaborative culture, can adopt any one of the models from these companies. Building a collaborative culture often requires leaders to use change management strategies. This is especially true when attempting to affect change within a team where an established top-down culture/mindset has become entrenched. Leaders must not only know the phases of change that people experience when a change is announced, but be able to identify which phase their team members are in during the change process: denial, resistance, exploration and commitment. Leaders must use clear communication, training and employee engagement as tools to get their team members to the commitment phase. To be effective, leaders must open the doors of collaboration for their team members. Although collaboration can be challenging to implement, your efforts will pay off in the end. Don’t be afraid to accept the challenge! For more ideas on creating a collaborative work environment, visit my website at www.AlonzoJohnsonPhD.com.

Coaching Others

Guides others in decision-making and/or developing skills and abilities to improve their performance Building leadership capacity or bench strength for the future success of the organization is one of the most important tasks that leaders perform. And coaching is arguably the most effective tool to help leaders accomplish that task. Leaders use coaching for a myriad of reasons. From helping others assess their skills and determining how to broaden them, to helping them recognize and eliminate unproductive behavior, coaching is an indispensable tool for developing others. Coaching is not telling others what to do; rather, it is encouraging others to find their own solutions to problems. Coaches employ a variety of skills, such as probing questioning techniques and interpersonal communication. Effective coaches are perceived as good sounding boards, and they listen attentively to others to help guide their decision-making. As a leader, it is your responsibility to maintain proficient coaching skills and be familiar with and use all available tools to help develop others. The GROW Model is a tool that has been used to coach and develop others. It was developed in the 1980s by Allen Fine, Graham Alexander, and Sir John Whitmore. It is one of the most widely used coaching models available to help individuals clarify what they want to accomplish and determine how to accomplish it. This four-step model consists of the following components:

1. Setting Goals
2. Examining Current Reality
3. Considering Options
4. Determining the Way Forward

 

Setting Goals

The first step in the GROW Model is setting goals. Goals are used in this instance to help the individual you are coaching determine what he or she wants to achieve. These goals may also be described as objectives, targets, key results, or outcome achievements. Regardless of what they are called, the question to be answered during this step of the model is “What is the individual’s aim or desired result?” As I discussed in my book, Leading Made Easy, when setting goals, use the acronym SMART: Specific—It is clear, unambiguous, and answers the “what,” “why,” “who,” “where,” and “which” questions. Measurable—It presents measurable criteria and answers the “how much,” “how many,” and “how will I know when it is accomplished” questions. Attainable—It is achievable within the environment using given resources. Relevant—It is appropriate for the situation and consistent with other initiatives. Timely—It can be completed within an appropriate time-frame. Using the SMART acronym as a guide is essential for developing actionable and definable goals.  

Examining Current Reality

The next step in the GROW Model is examining the current reality. If the goal clarifies what the employee you are coaching is to accomplish, then an examination of the current reality lets him or her know where to start. It also allows the individual to identify the work that has to be done to close the gap between the current state and what needs to be accomplished. When identifying current realities, one should avoid false assumptions. Obtaining feedback from others helps to check for false assumptions. It is important to develop a detailed understanding of the current reality. Consider the tools available, skills, knowledge, networks, and support in order to identify potential resources that may be useful. Questions to ask when examining current reality include the following:

• Will the current environment support your efforts?
• Do you have the required skills and knowledge, or will you have to acquire them?
• How can you leverage your network to support this initiative?
• Whom will you have to involve?
• Do you have the necessary support system and budget, if required?
• What obstacles do you anticipate encountering?

Answers to these questions will help bring the current reality into clearer focus.  

Considering Options

After you determine what the person you are coaching wants to accomplish (goals) and identify his or her starting point (reality), the other step in the GROW Model is to generate some possible ways that he or she can accomplish these goals. Start by generating options that are strategic-level, and then move to the tactical and operational-level details for planning purposes. The most important thing to remember during this step is to identify as many options as possible and not to look for the “one right way.” Be innovative and brainstorm to identify multiple viable options. When choosing the final option to pursue, consider the cost-benefit and risk of each option. The second or third options that were not selected may serve as contingency options, if the first option does not work out as expected. Some useful questions that should be asked when considering options include the following:

• Has a full range of options been identified?
• How will the final option be selected?
• What are the cost-benefits and risks of each option?
• What resources are required for each option?
• Which option represents the best approach?
• Which options should serve as contingencies?

Once this step is complete, the person you are coaching should have a plan to accomplish his or her goals, or at the least, a solid framework for a plan.  

Determining the Way Forward

It’s now time to make the plan or framework you developed actionable. The final step of the GROW Model is determining the way forward. In other words, the person you are coaching will need to make his or her actions specific and identify timing to maximize the achievement of his or her goals. Another consideration during this step is whether everyone involved in helping the person you are coaching has the motivation for the journey. Questions that can help include the following:

• What are the specific steps and timing for each action?
• Do you have the required support and resources?
• What obstacles do you anticipate encountering?
• Do you have the motivation to tackle this initiative?
• How can you sustain this goal, once achieved?

In summary, a leader who coaches others . . .

• Helps others assess their skills and determine how to broaden them
• Helps others recognize and eliminate unproductive behavior
• Listens attentively to others to help guide their decision-making process
• Is perceived by others as a good sounding board
• Encourages team members to find their own solutions to problems

The above article is an excerpt from Alonzo’s new book: Leading Made Easy. visit www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com to learn more about his book and to purchase your copy.

Demonstrating Moral Courage

Does the right thing even when it is not popular The choice to do right or wrong is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives—we are constantly presented with opportunities to choose to do right, or wrong. It is admirable when someone chooses to do right. But, making the right choice and then floundering or demonstrating lack of conviction regarding that choice does not help the situation. When we choose to do right, we only show good moral reasoning, but when we act upon the choice to do right, and put ourselves at risk, in some way, we demonstrate moral courage. To better understand what moral courage is, let’s explore what is required in order for it to emerge. According to Rielle Miller, there are five requirements that must be present in order for moral courage to occur: First, you must recognize that there is a moral issue to be resolved. Second, you must choose how to deal with the moral issue. Your choice will usually be driven by personal values. Our personal values serve as the compass to our ethical beliefs and help us decide how to deal with moral issues. Third, you must act upon the moral decision that you made earlier. Fourth, you must take action(s) that put you at risk in some way and accept the consequences of your actions. Fifth, you must face your fears and overcome them. Leaders are frequently presented with ethical dilemmas; those who take action and do the right thing often do so because of their moral courage. Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for women’s education—and the youngest Nobel Prize recipient—is a great example of a leader who has demonstrated moral courage. After the Taliban took over her homeland in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan, they forbade girls from getting an education, banned them from attending school, and ordered all schools for girls closed. Blogging under a pseudonym, and giving interviews for print and television media, Malala spoke out against the Taliban without regard to her personal safety. During her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, she recounted, “I had two options, one was to remain silent, and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up, and then be killed. I chose the second one.” In Malala’s case, all of the components of moral courage were present. She was confronted with the moral issue of the Taliban’s mistreatment of women. She chose to deal with the issue and acted upon her choice by writing a blog and giving interviews to the media. She put herself at risk by taking action and overcame her fear of the Taliban’s reprisal. As a result of Malala speaking out against the injustices of the Taliban, an assassin shot her in the head in an attempt to silence her. The failed assassination attempt resulted in more scrutiny and resistance against the Taliban. It also sparked international support for Malala and her cause. She continues to speak out for women and children’s rights throughout the world, and she has garnered global support for doing so. Acts of moral courage are not only demonstrated in extreme situations, as in Malala’s case. Each of us is presented with opportunities to exhibit it in our daily lives. For example: a friend of mine, Susan, once worked in an office where some of the employees would place incoming paperwork for processing into their hold boxes and delay working on it until the weekend. Their goal was to create overflow work so that they could justify working during weekends to earn overtime pay. This practice seemed to increase when a major holiday was approaching, especially during the Christmas holiday season. As the newest member assigned to the team, this struck Susan as unethical. She asked the employees participating in this practice to stop, but her request fell on deaf ears. Since she could not singlehandedly solve the problem at the source, her next action was to inform her boss, Todd. Todd was already aware of this overtime scheme and was allowing it to happen. So he did nothing to stop it. Faced with the choice of “rocking the boat” or doing nothing to stop this overtime scheme, Susan decided on the former. She went straight to Todd’s boss, David, and informed him about the matter. After learning of this scheme, David called Todd to his office to ask why so much overtime was required for such a small amount of work. When Todd could not answer the question to David’s satisfaction, he was reprimanded for abusing overtime and informed that all future overtime work would require his approval. Needless to say, Susan was not a popular person among those who had been abusing the overtime. She became known as “Miss Straight-Laced” within the team. Earlier, I explored the importance of giving feedback as an extension of encouraging others. Some feedback requires moral courage from the leader. Some leaders cower at giving honest feedback to team members about their work performance. However, effective leaders are not afraid to give honest feedback; they say what they mean and mean what they say. Another attribute of effective leaders is that they do not postpone making tough or unpleasant decisions. They have the moral courage to jump right in and deal quickly and effectively with problems. Since true leadership is doing what is right despite the political climate or consequences, moral courage is required for leadership effectiveness. In summary, a leader who demonstrates moral courage . . .

• Does what is right despite the political climate or consequences
• Gives honest feedback to team members about their work performance
• Deals quickly and effectively with problems
• Does not postpone making tough or unpleasant decisions
• Says what he or she means and means what he or she says

The above article is an excerpt from Alonzo’s new book: Leading Made Easy. To learn more about his book and download a free leadership assessment, visit www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com

Being Open to New Ideas

Innovative and highly receptive of different approaches to completing tasks One trap into which many leaders fall is the belief that they have the best ideas and ways forward. Others fall victim to their own need to appear strong and determined, even when they don’t know the best course. Some of the more hard-headed among them confuse stubbornness with strength. Other times, a leader simply may not know how to ask for input or help. To be effective, leaders have to be able to open themselves to new ways of thinking and must constantly look for better ways to do things. Whether learning a routine skill, or mastering a required task or job that is beyond their current skill set (stretch assignment), leaders must be willing to use innovative approaches to solve problems, especially when new thinking or ways of doing things could drastically enhance outcomes. History is fraught with leaders whose openness to new ideas has changed the status quo and created life-changing innovations that are critical to modern-day life. Wilbur and Orville Wright are examples of such leaders. These aviation pioneers are credited with achieving the first powered, sustained, and controlled heavier-than-air flight in 1903. Two years later, they built and flew the first two-passenger airplane, which has evolved into what is known as a jetliner today, and a common way of travel. Steve Jobs is another leader who demonstrated the capacity to innovate. His openness to new ideas gave the world the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and ushered in a new era of miniature smart devices using touch-sensitive technologies. A 2015 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 68% of Americans owned smartphones and 45% of them owned tablet computers. The ownership of these devices is likely to increase as people around the world become more dependent upon this technology. As we see in these examples, effective leaders are willing to try new approaches to solving old problems. They are curious and question the status quo in order to uncover new methods for doing things. They never seem satisfied with their current skills and knowledge and are continuously seeking to improve them to enhance their leadership skills. Remaining open to new ideas allows leaders to generate new ideas by examining issues from different perspectives. This, in turn, places a few requirements upon the leaders. They must first make it possible for new ideas to be voiced; they have to invite people to give their ideas and constructive feedback, and do so in a way that doesn’t penalize unorthodox thinking (or blunt honesty). Then, once people have had a chance to give leaders their thoughts, the second challenge is remaining intellectually open to the new ideas in those thoughts. If you’re a leader, you must ask yourself: What am I not seeing? What lines of thought have I not completely entertained? Remaining open to new ideas is challenging because we have to be willing to separate ideas from the context of the person providing them and remain objective. This means that our own ideas, which we all naturally prefer, can no longer rank higher than anyone else’s. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like or trust someone; it doesn’t matter if they rank below you; it doesn’t matter if they’ve been wrong every time before. As someone once said, even a broken clock is right twice a day—and all readings have to be given their merit. You never know who will be right, or who will provide the “missing piece” to a new and successful idea. When leaders open themselves to new ideas from members of their team, they often find a bottomless gold mine of ideas. Sure, not every suggestion will have merit, but that’s what miners do; they work through the dirt and rocks to find the morsels of substance, then others process and combine them to make beautiful things. Mistakes and failure are a natural part of the process of being open to new ideas. The Wright brothers and Steve Jobs failed many times before they succeeded—as did many other successful, yet effective leaders throughout history. Michael Jordan, who is among the most accomplished basketball players of all times, earned that distinction due to his ability to learn from his mistakes. He once said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Remaining open to new ideas will position you to grow and succeed as well! In summary, a leader who is open to new ideas . . .

• Uses innovative approaches to solve problems
• Is constantly looking for better ways to do things
• Demonstrates the capacity to innovate
• Generates new ideas by examining issues from different perspectives
• Questions the status quo to uncover new methods for doing things

The above article is an excerpt from Alonzo’s new book: Leading Made Easy. Download a free leadership assessment.

Make Sure Team Members Keep Interviews Legal

Since people collaborate in the workplace to accomplish work effectively, it is a good practice to involve other team members in the interviewing process. There is an important caution, however, when having team members participate in the interview: keep it legal! Whether taking part in the formal interview or just going to lunch with the candidate, team members must ensure that they do not stray off the “legal turf.” They should keep discussions appropriate at all times. I have learned from experience that even experienced hiring managers are capable of straying away from the “legal turf.” On one occasion, an internal candidate traveled to our Chicago office for a final interview. Our company was considering this candidate for a lead role in our West coast operations. The candidate had been an excellent employee, had worked with the company for several years, and had an all-around solid track record. The interview wrapped up around 5:30 p.m., and we extended a job offer on the spot. The candidate did not immediately accept the offer, so the hiring manager and I decided to continue discussing the job and its requirements with the candidate over dinner. Dinner went well. We discussed more details about the specific role the candidate would perform. As we provided more information about the job’s travel requirements, we learned that the candidate was apprehensive about flying. For no apparent reason, the hiring manager leaned in towards the candidate, as if he was going to say something profound, and said: “What you need to do is discuss this job and its travel requirements with your husband.” Yikes! You guessed it—the candidate was a woman, and the hiring manager had just violated both EEOC pre-hire guidelines and our own company policy by saying that. I spent the remaining time at dinner apologizing to the candidate and un-doing the damaging comment made by the hiring manager. I assured her that it was not the company’s policy or my expectation, as the lead staffing person, to require her to consult with anyone about the job offer we had extended to her. In addition to the unlawfulness of the statement made by the hiring manager, this was, without a doubt, one of the most embarrassing moments of my professional career. A word to the wise: make sure everyone who will be involved in the interview process keeps the conversation appropriate and legal at all times. As the hiring manager, you must ensure that those invited to participate in the interview understand its burdens and responsibilities. The above article is an excerpt from Alonzo’s book: Hiring Made Easy as PIE. Through many years of experience and research, he has synthesized complex hiring practices into an easy-to-follow process. He wrote this book as a hiring guide to share this process with others.    

Asking Inappropriate Interview Questions is Like Rolling the Dice

Asking appropriate interview questions should not be left up to chance, but that seems to be happening more often than we’d expect. Over the years, I have conducted a plethora of workshops on hiring practices. I usually start the sessions with an activity. I divide the participants into two groups: the job candidate group and the hiring  manager group. Then, I ask each group to brainstorm and list the concerns they have had when preparing for interviews as either candidates or hiring managers. In all the years I have used this activity, without fail, the hiring manager group has always written a concern about asking inappropriate or illegal questions during the interview. To me, this illustrates that there are far too many hiring managers conducting interviews without a good knowledge of local, state and federal guidelines. There are hiring managers who are rolling the dice when it comes to deciding what interview questions to ask candidates. Once I had a senior leader approach me after a workshop. He said: “I have a problem with female employees quitting after being hired.” He then went on to ask: “How do I find out if they plan to have children before I hire them? How can I legally ask them that question? It’s a real problem for me.” I told him that the question is unlawful. Federal law requires that hiring decisions be based solely on the candidate’s job qualifications; a woman’s current or future pregnancy plans are not relevant to her qualifications. I gave him my best advice: if the question does not relate to the job, don’t ask it. Court rulings and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have prohibited hiring practices (such as job applications and interview questions) that disproportionately screen out applicants based on their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or over), and disability or genetic information. Individuals who fall within these categories are members of a “protected class,” as defined by federal law. Appropriate interview questions should not elicit information about any protected class. Appropriate questions should focus on the candidate’s skills, knowledge, External experience, and work behavior as they relate to the job for which he or she has applied. Your questions will likely be considered inappropriate by the job candidate—and may be illegal—if they are unrelated to his or her qualifications and do not assess ability to perform the job. Asking inappropriate questions during the hiring process could form the basis for a discrimination claim against your organization. As a hiring manager, you must be familiar with local, state and federal guidelines related to the hiring process. Knowledge of these guidelines will equip you to ask appropriate questions during an interview and helps safeguard hiring managers from rolling the dice. The above article is an excerpt from Alonzo’s book: Hiring Made Easy as PIE. To learn more about his book and download free hiring resources, visit www.AlonzoJohnsonPHD.com.