Posts Tagged ‘Kevin Eikenberry’

There are many reasons why trust is important to leaders.

With higher levels of trust you are able to influence change more easily and quickly. With more trust you are able to create higher levels of productivity and team cohesiveness.

I could go on, but in short, being trustworthy and trusted are two of the most valuable attributes remarkable leaders possess.

Here are seven actions you need to “get” in order to earn higher and higher levels of trust.

Get feedback. While you surely have some idea of how much those around you trust you, still start by getting some feedback. Take the time to learn more about how much people trust you and where your trust is weakest. Perhaps people trust what you say, but not your motives. Perhaps they trust your experience, but you aren’t reliable. Perhaps there is one incident that has had a negative impact on your credibility. Or perhaps the feedback will tell you people DO trust you. Whatever you hear will help you build your trustworthiness even higher.

Get clear that you are responsible. Make no mistake – you own this issue. I know trust is a perception, and how people perceive you isn’t completely in your control. But if the feedback you receive says there is room for improvement, decide that you are going to improve and get started. Justifications, rationalizations and blame won’t change how much you are trusted, only your behavior will.

Get over yourself. If you want to be more trusted, you need to be more focused on the needs of others. Working on your agenda and your issues won’t build trust. Working on the issues and challenges others have will. When you get over yourself you can begin to build trust more rapidly.

Get it done (on time). When you tell people you will do something, you need to do it. If you notice that you often tend to promise things sooner than you are able to deliver, recognize that this habit could be drastically affecting how much others trust you. Do what you say and get it done on time. This is a basic building block of trust. Make sure this block is strong.

Get them help. As a leader in particular, people recognize that you might have expertise, resources, budget or other ways to help them. So help them already! If your team is struggling under the weight of a major project, get them some
assistance, or roll up your sleeves and help yourself.

Get consistent. In words and in actions, be consistent. One of the reasons people trust others is because they know what to expect – they know that people are consistent. As a leader this is definitely true. One of the best ways to be consistent is to operate from your values and principles. When we do this we are more consistent – they anchor our words and deeds. When we share these values and principles with others, we help them see that consistent anchor.

Get to trusting them (first). One of the most valuable things you can do to create higher levels of trust is to trust others more. Don’t wait for them to prove themselves to you. Trust them. Think about it – are you more willing to trust people who you know trust you? Of course you are! Become more trusting and you will begin to build your trustworthiness almost immediately.

There you have it – seven things you can begin to do immediately to create higher levels of trust. There are many other things you can do but this is a great start.

Potential Principle – One of the most valuable things you can do to lead more effectively is to build ever higher levels of trust.

Kevin Eikenberry is the co-author of From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership. He contributes to this community and he writes The Leadership and Learning Blog.

Ok, so maybe you aren’t getting promoted right now, but you will someday, so read on.  Or you know someone who has recently been promoted, so pass it on.  Or maybe you can send it to your boss, as a hint. 

There are actually three more reasons to read this article:

1.  If you are several months into a new job, and are struggling in any way, look at this list and see what you haven’t done (or done well) yet – that action might be the key to improving your performance and moving in the right direction faster.

2.  This list will help for any new job – not just a promotion.

3.  Actually, it offers ideas for all of us – whether we have been in our job 4 days or 40 years.  Trust me.  Read on.

Here are the first seven things to do when getting promoted.

1.  Get clear expectations. First thing you need to do is really understand your role.  What do you expect of yourself, what does the organization expect of you, and what does your new boss expect of you?   These expectations form the basis for your success.  A misunderstanding or misalignment of expectations is the fastest way to frustration and failure.

2.  Set your goals.  You have an exciting (or scary) task in front of you.  What do you want to accomplish and why?  Set both personal and career goals and set them in the organization context and with expectations in mind.

3.  Talk to your new boss. You had to do this to understand expectations I realize, but you also want to get to know them, and determine how you will work together.  How and when will you communicate, what will help you succeed beyond the job description and more.  These things are critically important to your mutual success.

4.  Focus on building relationships. Yes you have a job to do.  And, the relationships with the people around you are part of that job!  No one is an island – you can’t do it alone.  Invest time in building relationships with  your new peers, people in other groups, your boss, your customers, and if you are a leader, your team.   More people fail in jobs because of poor people skills (i.e. relationship skills) than any other reason.

5.  Learn what you need to learn. Chances are,  you don’t know everything that is required for you to be successful in your new job.  Learn what you need to learn to both meet expectations and to thrive!  Make a list and then make a plan for how you will build the needed skills and knowledge.

6.  Celebrate! Of course the other thing you need to do is celebrate!  Take some time for yourself and with those closest to you to celebrate your progress and accomplishments.  Celebrating builds your confidence and awareness, and it sets you on the right path for even better performance.  While you want to celebrate, keep your mindset in balance, hence the last item on this list. . .

7.  Be happy but humble. As in most things in life, balance is important.   You should absolutely be happy with yourself for earning the promotion or the new job.  You also need to keep that all in context and at least some of it to yourself.  Remember that the person in the next cubicle might have wanted the job you now occupy.  Remember that you don’t know it all.  Remember that  being in a new job doesn’t mean you’ve arrived, it means you’ve just started.

This may not be the order in which you do these things, or you may be reading this a few weeks after your promotion, so some of these things you have already done.

Your goal  is to cover these bases as soon after your promotion as you can.  Perhaps this list give yous something to think about or someone to forward it to.

My bigger goal was to prompt action, not just thought.  Regardless of your time in your current role, what idea can you take from this and apply in your work today?

Kevin Eikenberry is the co-author of From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership. He contributes to this community and he writes The Leadership and Learning Blog.

Lately, I've been hearing the same message from a lot of smart people. It's a simple one, one you've likely heard before (of course you have.) It's about reading to learn.

John Spence, who we featured here as a guest blogger, credits much of his success to the knowledge he gains from reading a couple of hundred business books each year.

In his book, Love is  the Killer App, Tim Sanders lists knowledge as one of the three intangibles we can share with our business partners. The way he gains knowledge to share with others is through reading. He often tells audiences that his knowledge isn't inherent; he learns through reading.

Kevin Eikenberry reads pretty voraciously and reviews and recommends a new resource each week in his newsletter. (If you haven't subscribed to his newsletter, why not? It's free. Once you subscribe, it will arrive in your inbox on Monday morning at 7 ET, a great way to begin the week.)

I've always loved to read. In fact, one of my favorite family stories is the one my mom tells about me when I was three. I walked into my older brothers' room and asked "Do you have any books that would be appropriate for a three year old girl?" I've been reading ever since, sometimes more productively than others.

My favorite reading is speeding through a fantastic novel in the space of an afternoon. I'm curled up by the fire, wrapped in a blanket or I'm stretched out on a beach towel, soaking in some sun.

The most productive reading I do, though,  is reading to learn. I have my journal and pen in hand and I am taking notes to reinforce my memory. This is the kind of reading that will make the most difference for us all as we seek to grow as leaders and in our careers.

What are you reading to learn? Books, blog posts, articles? What do you do to ensure that you are continually learning and so you can add value to others? Feel free to share in the comments; I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I encourage you to come back to this blog throughout the week. We'll have some great content for you to learn from. And, if you are a member of our book community, check out our question of the week and join the conversation for even more learning. If you're not a member of our book community, buy a book and join today!

Hooray for Friday!

It's no joke that the first quarter of 2011 has sped by. I can't believe it's April already.

What did you, your team, and your organization accomplish this quarter? Why not take a moment out of your busy Friday to pause and reflect about the highlights of the year for you and your team so far this year. What has worked really well? What have you enjoyed? Who has contributed to your success? What can you do to show your appreciation for others?

As always, we dedicate this Friday post to celebrating the people who are contributing to the success of our book launch and our community.

For this Friday cheers edition, we have three reasons to celebrate:

1. The publishers of From Bud to Boss, Jossey-Bass, have sold the Portuguese rights to the book. We are excited about the potential of the book, in translation, to help and encourage more leaders, in more places.
2. Prism Money, a blog of Reuters, published this fantastic interview with Kevin: You're the boss now. Here's how to deal. Be sure to check it out if you missed it earlier this week.
3. Great new buzz for our community, thanks to Jesse Lyn Stoner. Jesse interviewed Kevin to talk about the community, then spent some time exploring the community. We are so glad to have her support and encouragement. Check out her post on her brand-new and already influential blog. Follow her on Twitter, like her Facebook page, connect on LinkedIn, and look for more from Jesse in this space soon.

While we are celebrating and looking ahead to the next quarter of 2011, I want to let you know that we are grateful to all of you who have been helping us #buildthebuzz for the book, community, and workshop. We appreciate all your blog posts, tweets, RTs, and involvement here.

Have a great weekend!

Our goal is to provide and share helpful resources to help you grow as a leader.

One fantastic resource that we appreciate is the Leadership Development Carnival, organized and hosted by our friend Dan McCarthy at his blog, Great Leadership.

We encourage you to check out today's carnival. You'll find a post from me, a post from Kevin, and a link to a podcast from Nick McCormick of his conversation with Kevin. You'll also find links to many other great posts about leadership topics from around the blogosphere.