Level Vision Newsletter June 2009

Values are very much in the news these days. The MP expenses scandal in the UK revolves around the concept of what is right. What happens if what you do is “within the rules” but your actions undermine the trust that you have built with your team, or with your clients? In my blog Personal Branding, why bother? I make the point that it is important to look after your reputation, in the same way that companies look after their good name, which they often do by using Public Relations companies. One of the best ways to start is to examine your values.
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Level Vision Newsletter

April 2009

Hi everyone

What is it that makes a leader? It’s a question that fills seminar rooms all year round at personal development conferences and it’s one too that the general public has got interested in during these tough times. In Barack Obama’s victory speech last November he talked of challenges that are “the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis of a century…” and everyone is wondering who will lead the way? What qualities do they have that fit them to the role in times of trouble?

In my blog “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” I look at one aspect of leadership that I believe is crucial, adaptability. As the saying goes: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. To my mind, to cope with the economic crisis and climate change we need some different ideas, fast and maybe you recognise that in the challenges you or your clients face too!

Leadership Tip

How well do you know your team? A key part of Leadership is communicating with and motivating people you work with and it’s worth spending some time thinking about who you work with and how they respond to situations.

What drives others?

Think about how each member of your team behaves particularly when decision making under tight deadlines, or when the stakes are high:

• Risk – are they a risk taker?
• Time – do they need lots of time to think or do they prefer to act?
• Decisions – are their decisions based on consultation or instinct?
• People – how important is consensus to them in moving forward?
• Projects – are they process oriented or do they favour relational aspects?

The differences in these behavioural preferences reflect the individual’s key drivers and what is important to them to be in place to move forward. Recognising and responding to these can have a big impact on how the individuals respond. It aids you in planning communication strategies both with them as individuals and collectively as a team.

What drives you as a Leader?

The first stage to finding out what makes others tick is self-awareness. At Level Vision we use a tool called i-Lead that allows individuals to identify and focus on their key strengths and to understand what stops them achieving success. We work with individuals to develop personal ‘success loops’ which provide a blueprint for replicating your successful outcomes and ‘derailment loops’ that highlight where they breakdown. We develop and deliver tailored coaching programmes based on your objectives and suited to meet your circumstances.

Contact us at Level Vision if you would like to work with us to develop as a Leader. Visit our website to read more about our Individual Coaching

If you think they might enjoy it too please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends, colleagues and associates.

I’d love to hear what you think.

Hilary Gander

t: + 44 (0)20 8255 6343

e: hilary.gander@levelvision.co.uk

w: www.levelvision.co.uk

practical perspectives for leadership

Level Vision Newsletter March 2009

Welcome to our first newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it and find something of interest and something of value. If you do please visit Level Vision to subscribe to future issues.

There’s an old black and white Laurel and Hardy film where the pair are engaged to paint a boat and are so uncoordinated with each other that eventually all they’ve achieved is they’re covered in paint and the boat is completely trashed. It makes me giggle every time.

Compare that with Team GB, whose teamwork is justly lauded for gaining them 47 medals at the Olympics in Beijing last Summer. In my blog Team GB – Myth or Miracle? last year after Chris Hoy had won the Sports Personality of the year, I examined the way teamwork had contributed to their success. It intrigued me because before the Olympics I had assumed that individual athletes competed for individual glory, which was a strange assumption because I know that doesn’t work well in the business world.

The concept of teams that perform is something we’re passionate about at Level Vision. Investing some time ensuring your team is united around a common vision, understands what is important to other team members and has a clear plan of action for achieving the vision will have a huge impact on individual performance and overall productivity of the team.
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