28: Hans Answers Your Tough Leadership Questions

1. From a VP: I have a good “tough leadership question” for you to discuss on your podcast. How?do you teach your staff personal responsibility? How do you get them to really own their positions and be proactive??Answer: ?This is a very tough one. ?In many ways, this is about genes and family of origin issues. ?Illustrate with our own kids. You have to coach them. ?You have to be honest with them about their failures in this area. ?For many of the current generation that come from broken homes where they raised themselves, we have to coach them and teach them carefully. ?But you cannot make lazy people unlazy.??
   
2. From the same VP: I have good ideas but when I tell the staff what they are going to do?I don?t get the results I thought I?d get?what am I doing wrong.Answer: So I am wondering about your word “telling them.” ?perhaps they are not owning it because they are not part of the process of coming to decisions about the course of action? ?It also reminds me of situational leadership. ? Ken Blanchard and company. ?See the chart to the right.
3. I just listened to your most recent podcast this morning about setting goals.? Wow!!? What a great podcast.? This really got me excited for the new year.? I’m going to send the link for the podcast to my brother who is in some dire need for life direction in general.? Thank you for your great information and advice. ?I am also in the middle of reading Steve Jobs’ biography by Isaacson.? Despite the great advances and the impact he made in our world, it sounds like Steve Jobs was a real jerk a lot of the times.? One person quoted in the book stated that it was really tough to work for him, but they wouldn’t change their experience for anything.? Why is it, Hans, that some of the great leaders of the world have a narcissistic personality and are outright jerks to people around them?? I’m sure that they certainly don’t do the great things they do by politely asking!!!? I try to imagine an example – When Steven Spielberg directed the Indiana Jones movies, I bet if you ask the “little” people on set, he was probably a tyrant!Answer: ?The highly gifted in the world can get away with murder, by the very fact that they are geniuses. ?They find that they don’t bother being nice like the rest of us! ?
4. ?Do you lead Creative minds the same way you lead linear thinkers? ?Why or why not?Answer: ?No!!! ?In a way, this is back to situational leadership. ?I highly recommend Myers Briggs and DISC test. ?Lead people the way they are wired. ?Liner want all the facts lined up in a neat row. ?Creatives are inspired by random ideas. ?Compare Mark and Chris at WV.
5. If you have an option to build a new leadership team or use the one that is already in place what would you do?Answer: ?9 times out of 10, build a new team! ?It is tough to lead the team you inherit. ?I always had the most problems with loyalty with the guys I inherited. ?Some of them resented that I got the job instead of them. ? The most loyal are always those you hire.
6. Is it easier to ?MAKE A CHANGE? unbeknownst to those it effects because you can, or better to make changes when people know it is coming?Answer: ?Always get them in the loop. ?This is huge! ?If I am not in on it, I am down on it. ?A change imposed is a change opposed. ?Read Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. ?Listen to my podcast #13 and #14 on leading change. Only in rare cases do you have to keep things behind closed doors: ?Major staff changes. ?Relocation. Sale of the company.
7. From a missionary in Africa: ?I am struggling under a working situation where my biggest issue is lack of a team. ? The other is having leadership that is abrassive.??I can pretty much ignore the abrasiveness and the isolation from peers because I get to do what I love with our young people that I work with. ? But my wife can’t seperate the two.?I am sure this is something pastors and there wives run into all the time. I assume a pastor has the authority to protect his wife from the leadership issues of the church.??I am not sure we have the luxury of that here. ?At what point does a leader (albeit from the back seat) need to choose for his partner over the work???Don’t get me wrong.??I believe we are still effective here.??But her discouragement is effecting both of us.??I suppose the leadership principle is not to have your wife working in the same role as you.??What have you shared with pastors. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??Answer: ?I would always lean in toward the spouse. ???Tip: ?Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud.
8. From a Manager: I?m a new manager for a company and I?m trying to explain to my wife, if I?m going to climb the corporate ladder,??why I need to spend so much time at the office and why I can?t make the kids ball games.? She does not understand how important this is to me. ? ? ? ? ??Answer: ?Listen to our Valentine Special Episode #27. ? For me it is a negotiation. ?You cannot say that your job is more important than she is. ?If you do, your marriage will not survive. ?You need to bring her in as a partner. ?Show her what she will get out of this and work on ways to make it work. ?You have to give her some concessions.
9. From the Military: ?Hi Hans, I recently started listening to your podcast and I find it to be a pleasure to listen to as well as being helpful.??Let me tell you a little about where I am coming from -??I recently started my career as a general surgeon in the military.??As you can imagine, I have leadership issues from the medical side as well as the military side of things.??I am still learning a lot of military leadership skills and your podcast has given me some really good tips. ?When I was the interim supervisor for my department I had 2 coworkers that had about 15-20 years of experience over me.??My tough leadership question is how do I tell them that they need to fix their attitude because no one wants to work with them and that they are not making sound judgement calls (when it comes to surgery)? ?Answer: ?The military is a tough place, because you probably can’t hold over people the possibility of firing them. ?Probably like education world. ?First of all, I would tell them the truth and ask them if they even care. ?Attitude is everything in my opinion. ?You should recruit for attitude and train for skill. ?It does not work the other way around. ?Get them off the bus if they are not willing to change.
   
10. What?s the best way to get a fresh start when you plateau and don?t see your future path of progress? ?Answer: ? I recommend you listen to Podcast #15 and #19. ?Peter Pendell and David Beavers, two great leaders that have amazing stories to tell of bouncing back and reviving a dead heart. 1) Sabbatical ?2) New position ?3) Get around people that can help you ?4) counseling 5) conferences ?6) Ask God to stir your heart with freshness.

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