What will define you in 2011? Specifically, I am talking about your leadership. What will it mean to be led by you over the next 12 months? Its a great question to ask because it forces us to look at things from our employee’s perspective. This is the foundation of Autonomy Supportive leadership.

To move beyond a rhetorical question however, lets get practical. I’m going to give you a powerful exercise.

1. First write down one paragraph detailing what you want it to be like for people who are under your leadership. When people ask your employees what its like to work for you, what do you want them to say.

2. After you do that I want you to summarize your entire paragraph in only three words. What three words are going to define your leadership in 2011? Will it be Inspiration, Fairness, and Excellence? How about Visionary, Innovative and Creative? Or maybe Execution, Results, Caring. You pick your three words that you want to define your leadership this year. To help, imagine one of your employees at the end of the year chatting with a friend who asks “What’s your boss like?” and after pausing a moment they sum you up in three words. What are they going to be?

3. For each of the three words write down 10 practical applications. For example if one of your words was Visionary then you want to write down a list of ten possible ways you might demonstrate this quality. Maybe its how you will conduct your team meetings, or telling one employee each month how much you believe in them, or creating a unique scoreboard to measure your progress, or learning to speak in a more compelling and visionary way.

This exercise is very powerful and it helps you take what are sometimes nebulous concepts, and put them into practical action.

To finish, find a creative way to print out your three words and post them somewhere you will see them on a daily basis.

Download the worksheet below to walk you through this exercise.

If you missed the previous two entries for this article on the Four Questions You Must Answer In A Speech, you can access them here: Four Questions

Question Three – How
Answering “How” is especially important for those people who really want the practical steps outlined for them. This type of learning style does not care as much about why or what, they just want the action steps to take. This is the learning style that doesn’t bother to read the introduction or forward to books or even the first few chapters. They want to jump ahead to the solutions. Of course having practical steps to take in any speech is a good idea but a certain segment of the population needs to hear this if you are going to keep their attention.
So lets take the example we used above about metabolism and weight loss. We have already answered “Why” and then “What”. So next we can segue into a series of steps on how someone might speed up their metabolism. It might be the top 5 foods to eat, or the the 7 things you can do today to speed up your metabolism. This practical list of steps will really meet the needs of this learning style.

Question Four
The last question we want to answer is “What if”. For example, “If I start eating the five foods you are telling me to eat, what should I look for, or how will I know if it is working.” In this step we are telling people what to look for “if” they have done the steps above. This helps people create their own feedback system which is important for any sense of achievement to take place.

So there you have it. Four questions you want to answer in most speeches you give, no matter how long they are. So next time you have to give a speech or convince your employees of something at your next meeting consider structuring your presentation to answer the four questions.

Good Luck

Watch this short video below and download the motivation blueprint.

So next time you need an employee to do something that is not a lot of fun remember these three things.
1. Start with their P.O.V.

2. Give them a reason why (Try and link this to something larger like purpose, people or the larger picture)

3. Try and give them as much choice in how or when they carry out the task

Download the Motivation Blueprint

If you have not seen the Youtube Video of Phil Davison’s impassioned plea for Stark County Treasurer then now is your chance. This has become a bit of an internet sensation lately.

When ever you are giving feedback on someone’s speech a good format to follow is to tell them first what you liked and then give them a “next time you might want to…” This is a great way to balance out positive and constructive criticism.

So here are a few tips that you can learn from Phil Davison Speech.

Good Point:

Passion – Probably one of the reasons this video has gone viral. Passion is attention getting. In fact when I used to teach college students how to speak in public, I wanted them to be passionate. It always wins over elequence. Whenever you speak, be passionate. Phil is definitely passionate. Passion can also add credibility to your message. Passion says you believe strongly in your message and invites others to believe to.

Next time…

Passion is great but you have to also temper it to fit the situation. You can’t be passionate every second unless your speech is only one-minute long. And if you are going to be passionate you can’t be looking at your notes all of the time. It takes credibility away from your message.

So there you have it. One good point and one Next Time from Phil Davison’s Speech.

Last month we covered the first of the four questions which was ‘Why.’ Today we move on to the second question you must answer when giving a speech and that is ‘What.’

Basically this is where you give some of the background and bigger picture type stuff. It is more theory than it is practical. That comes later. By giving some background theoretical type information you get the attention of one entire personality group. For this group knowing how something works is important for them to trust you or to buy in to your message.

So lets say I wanted to teach someone about the danger of lead-based paint. I might start my speech telling them why they need to listen (see last post) and then I might segue into an explanation on what exactly lead does when you ingest it into your lungs.

Or lets say I’m teaching someone about increasing their metabolism to help them lose weight. The initial ‘Why’ might be  “Today I’m going to show you  5 foods that  will increase your metabolism which will lead to easier and more effective weight loss. ” Then I might segue into a brief explanation about a person’s metabolism and how it works. Using an analogy I might compare it to a furnace, or a camp fire, or anything that is going to help  them understand ‘What” process is going on here. Notice that I am not giving them any of the 5 foods yet, but I am speaking to that segment of the population that wants to know some of the theory and process.

We have now covered two of the basic learning styles and next post we move on to to question 3.

Question Three – How
Answering “How” is especially important for those people who really want the practical steps outlined for them. This type of learning style does not care as much about why or what, they just want the action steps to take. This is the learning style that doesn’t bother to read the introduction or forward to books or even the first few chapters. They want to jump ahead to the solutions. Of course having practical steps to take in any speech is a good idea but a certain segment of the population needs to hear this if you are going to keep their attention.
So lets take the example we used above about metabolism and weight loss. We have already answered “Why” and then “What”. So next we can segue into a series of steps on how someone might speed up their metabolism. It might be the top 5 foods to eat, or the the 7 things you can do today to speed up your metabolism. This practical list of steps will really meet the needs of this learning style.

Question Four
The last question we want to answer is “What if”. For example, “If I start eating the five foods you are telling me to eat, what should I look for, or how will I know if it is working.” In this step we are telling people what to look for “if” they have done the steps above. This helps people create their own feedback system which is important for any sense of achievement to take place.

So there you have it. Four questions you want to answer in most speeches you give, no matter how long they are. So next time you have to give a speech or convince your employees of something at your next meeting consider structuring your presentation to answer the four questions.

Good Luck

You have to leave town but before you go, you ask one of your directs to fill in for you and lead the next team meeting. They have never led a meeting before and you can tell they are really nervous. Their anxiety is caused by a simple question; “Can I do this?”

The answer to this question is rooted in the degree of Self-Efficacy a person possesses. Self-Efficacy is the belief that you have the skills necessary to complete a task, and that you  have the capacity to translate those skills into effective performance, especially under difficult circumstances. Those who have high Self-Efficacy for a certain task will usually out perform those who score low in the same area.

The opposite of efficacy is doubt. If you doubt your ability to run the meeting in place of your boss, you will most likely experience anxiety, confusion, and negative thinking. All of these states produce sub-par performance.

So in order to give your direct the best chance of performing like a super star, you need to help them increase their self-efficacy beliefs for the task at hand. But how do you do that?

Here’s how to boost a person’s performance by helping increase their self-efficacy beliefs by focusing on these three sources.

• Previous Experience

People learn their current self-efficacy from their interpretations and memories of past attempts to enact the behavior. When you remind your direct that while they may have never led any meetings for you, they have led tons of them in the past it strengthens their confidence for the task at hand. This is why reviewing your own resume is usually an uplifting experience. It reminds you of all of things you have done before and has a leavening effect on your confidence.

• Vicarious Experiences

When we see others do the same task it gives us a great boost in confidence. It ignites the “If they can do it, so can I” principle. Asking a colleague if your direct can sit in and observe how they lead their meeting will give them a boost in confidence. This concept is even more powerful when the people we watch our most like us. If you want your child to stop wearing a life jacket in the pool, but you are having a hard time convincing them to give it up, simply put them in a pool with kids their age who are not wearing life jackets. In no time at all, your child will ditch the swimming aid for good.

• Pep Talks

Pep talks help switch a performers focus from their sources of weakness, to sources of strength. By helping people see their strengths and potential, it bolsters their internal belief that they can accomplish what lies before them. Pep talks are the most powerful when they come from someone we view possessing

• • Credibility
  • Expertise
  • Trustworthiness

Pep talks can provide a temporary boost in motivation, convincing people to at least give it one more try. By helping your direct focus on what strengths they possess that will help them lead a great meeting will increase confidence.

I have used these three principles before with my own children with great success. My teenage daughter recently had to audition for a dance academy and was understandably nervous. I was ably to remind her of all of the other auditions and tryouts she had succeeded at in various sports and then helped her focus on her natural strengths she could rely in on her audition. After my mini pep talk, she said, “Thanks that actually makes me feel better”( a rare confirmation that she is listening to me).

So next time you ask one of your directs to go outside of their comfort zone, employ the three sources of self-efficacy to help give them a boost, and watch their performance take off because of it.

Leave a comment below…

The 4 Questions

Whenever you must communicate an idea or concept, there are 4 questions you must answer to maximize the effectiveness of your message. By making sure each of these 4 questions are answered in your presentation you will hold the attention of more people in the room and get more of them to take action on what you are saying. You will also avoid giving a presentation that people are not interested in because they don’t see any benefit.

In this post we answer the first of the four questions.
Why

In your opening sentences you want to answer the question “Why should I listen to you?” You do this by outlining clear and tangible outcomes that make this information important. People are inundated with information these days and need a good reason to give their full attention. By answering “Why” in the opening you give them reason to pay attention to what you have to say.

Compare these two openings:
1. Today I want to talk to you about how to run an effective meeting. As you all know, running an effective meeting is part of the tool set every good manager needs. Meetings are an essential part of the communication process. There are three points I want to make today about running effective meetings. They are……….

2. Today I want to talk to you about how to run an effective meeting. I’m going to outline 3 things you need to do in every meeting you run. In fact, if you do these three things, you will be able to cut your meeting time in half, boost your productivity by 30%, and create an experience that soon becomes the highlight of everyone’s week.
Also by doing these three things you are going to avoid those long boring meetings where nothing gets decided, and everyone in the room would rather be someplace else.

So here you can see two different openings but the second one is vastly more impacting. Notice that in the first opening it sounds like an essay from English class. Wordy, proper, but not grabby. Our goal is to communicate a message not impress people with poise, and grammer.

The second opening does two things. First it outlines there are 3 things you need to do in every meeting you run but does not tell you what they are yet. This helps build interest. Secondly it gives reasons why you want to do these three things:

1. Cut your meeting time in half

2. Boost your productivity by 30%

3. Create a time that soon becomes the highlight of everyone’s week

These are all “Approach Motivations”. They outline positive outcomes we want.

Then the opening provides some “Avoidance Motivation” by giving what you will avoid if you do these three things.

“avoid those long boring meetings where nothing gets decided, and everyone in the room would rather be someplace else.”

A certain segment of the population are driven more by approach motivation whereas the rest are driven predominantly by avoidance motivation. Including both of these in your intro creates a compelling answer to the question, “Why should you listen to me?”

Next entry we will cover the other three questions you need to answer in every speech or presentation.

Question Three – How
Answering “How” is especially important for those people who really want the practical steps outlined for them. This type of learning style does not care as much about why or what, they just want the action steps to take. This is the learning style that doesn’t bother to read the introduction or forward to books or even the first few chapters. They want to jump ahead to the solutions. Of course having practical steps to take in any speech is a good idea but a certain segment of the population needs to hear this if you are going to keep their attention.
So lets take the example we used above about metabolism and weight loss. We have already answered “Why” and then “What”. So next we can segue into a series of steps on how someone might speed up their metabolism. It might be the top 5 foods to eat, or the the 7 things you can do today to speed up your metabolism. This practical list of steps will really meet the needs of this learning style.

Question Four
The last question we want to answer is “What if”. For example, “If I start eating the five foods you are telling me to eat, what should I look for, or how will I know if it is working.” In this step we are telling people what to look for “if” they have done the steps above. This helps people create their own feedback system which is important for any sense of achievement to take place.

So there you have it. Four questions you want to answer in most speeches you give, no matter how long they are. So next time you have to give a speech or convince your employees of something at your next meeting consider structuring your presentation to answer the four questions.

Good Luck

Leave a comment below,

James

When Henry Ford said, “Those who think they can and those who think they can’t are both right,” he had no idea that a generation later, science would back him up with evidence. In fact, belief is a powerful predictor of success and failure. In one study, a group of smokers who were attempting to quit were first given a psychological assessment. A researcher sat down with each of them and explained that based on their results, they each had a great chance of quitting because of their “strong will power and great potential to…conquer desires.” This group in fact went on to be more successful at quitting than the control group who did not go through the assessment. The tests were actually bogus, and indicated no such thing about these people, but because they expected success, it fed their belief and belief is very powerful. (Blittner, Goldberg & Merbaum, 1978)

Psychologists who have researched “Expectancy Effects” tell us that events we expect to occur are in fact more likely to occur. Beliefs come in many sizes and shapes but I want to highlight one here. It’s called Self Efficacy. It simply means having a high degree of confidence to perform a certain task. When you have a strong belief in your ability to perform a task you have what is called high self-efficacy. *Researchers have found in repeated studies that self-efficacy is one of the most powerful predictors of change and success.

So how does this relate to us and to our leadership? First, leaders need a healthy dose of confidence in their role as leaders. Too often, we doubt our skills as we search for the ‘one best way’ to lead. The truth is there are many different approaches to leadership, and sometimes the best lesson is learning to be ‘yourself.’ That is as long as ‘yourself’ doesn’t like to go around bullying your staff.
When it comes to achieving a certain goal, or objective at work, we have to decide ahead of time to believe that we will be successful. This belief spurs motivation, persistence, determination and focus; all of the things that actually help us accomplish the job.

Secondly, leaders need to demonstrate great amounts of belief in their people. We want to help boost their Self Efficacy. In the study cited above, the smokers who had higher success rates in quitting were the ones who had credible sources tell them they should be able to do so. Keep in mind; this belief was based on false information, but the belief alone spurred their commitment to the goal. As leaders, our voice carries a lot of weight with our employees. I am not saying we should mislead our staff in order to have them perform at higher levels. I am merely demonstrating that there is an inherent power in belief alone. Now how much more powerful is belief when it is grounded in truth? We need to use that weight to communicate belief, bolster confidence, and help people see the talents they really do have. Most people seem to underrate their abilities, and when we help them see how much they have to offer, and how talented they are, the greater chance they will have at succeeding in their role.

A few tips

1. Regularly take time to express belief in the abilities of your staff.

2. When you reward or recognize an employee for a job well done, remember to praise their attributes that led them to successfully completing the project and not just the completed project itself.

3. Belief is something you choose to have. Each morning remind yourself to have confidence in your ability to lead others or accomplish whatever task lies before you.

*Bandura, 1991; Kelly, Zyzanski, & Alemagno, 1991; Brownell, Marlatt, Lichtenstein, & Wilson, 1986; Candiotte & Lichtenstein, 1981; Locke, Frederick, Lee & Bobko, 1984; Stock & Cervone, 1990; Norcross, Ratzin & Payne, 1989