Leadership Solutions

Leadership Solutions: California Fires

It's unlikely that any of you will ever have to do this.

As you know from the news, fires are destroying wooded areas and homes in Southern California. And this time, the fires are about three miles from our home.

So, just to be safe, we packed for an emergency evacuation.

If such occurs, there is little warning. Police bang on your door, and you are expected to leave immediately.

Thus, we parked our cars in the driveway, facing the street. And we collected those things that we would want to keep.

Admittedly, it's fortunate to have any warning for a disaster. Earthquakes, for example, don't call to schedule an appointment.

Suppose you had to do this. What would you pack? Recognize that whatever you take must fit in your car. Thus, you can't take everything.

And (here's the hard part) what would you leave? Recognize that if the worst happened, you would lose everything that you left behind.

This forces you to confront basic priorities about the things that really matter in your life.

And that leads to the important question: how much of your life are you devoting to the things that you would take compared to the things you would leave behind?

Key Point: Disasters happen to remind us of our priorities. Make sure you focus on those that matter.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: How to Save Face

Business is competitive.

Thus, no one wants to be tagged as incompetent. As a result, no one wants to admit that their performance needs to be improved.

This presents a real dilemma.

Because when bad practices continue, the business suffers.

So, here's a solution: Tell the truth before anyone else discovers it.

For example, during your next meeting, stand up and say,

"This is terrible. We're wasting our time. So, I just called Steve Kaye to schedule a workshop on how to hold effective meetings."

Suddenly, you become part of the solution.

Now meetings improve, the business prospers, and you're rewarded with a promotion for demonstrating leadership.

Key Point: Effective leaders lead change.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: 1,500 Poems

The count continues.

In October I passed 1,500 poems. And I want to share the secret to achieving this.

It's very simple: I give myself the space and time to write.

That's it.

And it's important because this secret applies to every achievement. If you want to accomplish something, you must give yourself the space and time to do it.

Otherwise, dreams remain just dreams.

So, here is a friendly reminder to put your dreams on your list of things to do.

Key Point: Good things happen when provide the space and time for them to occur.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Always a Reason

Everyone is here for a reason.

For example, here are five people I encountered during the past week.

1) The 8-year old with terminal cancer, who's "not doing too well."

Lesson: Life is frail and precious. Spend each day as well as you can. Be decisive. Trade time for value.

2) The VP who's worried about how the economy will affect his business.

Lesson: Leaders carry heavy burdens. They care about their employees. They struggle with huge challenges. Thus, they need our support.

3) The tele-marketer who called and said, "You're the only person who treated me decently today."

Lesson: We're all part of the human family. We should always choose to be respectful, even when interrupted.

4) The Post Office clerk who was still cheerful at 4:52 PM.

Lesson: We are responsible for our happiness, even if we have to stand for a full day dealing with customers. That clerk is a person, just like you, who is trying to do a job.

5) The engineer who has been working 12 hour days for the past two weeks.

Lesson: Vital systems don't just happen. They require human effort, and sometimes personal sacrifice. The next time that you turn on a light, pause a moment to be grateful.

Key Point: Everyone matters, somehow, to show us lessons about life.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Resisting Common Sense

Since 1992 I have been advocating something that is so basic that it's amazing anyone needs to hear about it.

And yet, I still encounter people who refuse to do it.

The recommendation, by the way, is to prepare an agenda for a  meeting.

Some people counterattack with insults, such as: "You don't know anything about business." Or they provide eloquent excuses, such as: "A meeting is an artful expression of freedom within an environment of unstructured spontaneity." Or they claim to be an exception: "I've been holding meetings for 45 years and know what I'm doing."

And so on.

The truth is: a meeting without an agenda is a bad idea. Always. And this is true regardless of experience, explanations, or excuses.

So, why would someone refuse to apply such a basic act of common sense?

Answer: Fear.

Most commonly, they are afraid of someone telling them what to do. That is, they stay in charge by making it impossible for anyone to contribute effectively to the meeting. So their lack of a plan prevents anyone from being more powerful, effective, or competent.

They may also be avoiding responsibility. Having a goal risks being accountable for achieving it. Instead, they can blame the bad meeting on the attendees who failed to work together (on a task that hadn't been defined).

So, what's the answer?

The short answer is: Courage.

Strong leaders know that their success depends upon others being successful. In fact, great leaders help others become more successful than they are.

The longer answer is: learn how to be a better leader. My workshops will show you have to stay in charge of things that matter, while sharing the success with others.

Key Point: Effective leaders are courageous enough to apply common sense.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Which Would You Choose?

Consider this; you could either:

1) Buy a box of toothpicks for a dollar.

2) Buy a block of wood for ten cents and carve your own toothpicks.

Which would you choose?

Most people would buy a box of toothpicks because it's foolish to spend time making something that you could easily buy.

And the same strategy applies to training programs.

Consider this; you could either:

1) Buy a proven workshop that has been delivered hundreds of times by an expert who has written books and articles on the subject.

2) Ask an employee to research the topic and prepare a workshop (which will basically be a rough draft of a book report).

Which would you choose?

Or rather, which workshop would make better use of your time?

Key Point: When results matter, hire an expert. And save the Do It Yourself projects for hobbies.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Would You Do This?

Suppose you received an e-mail from a student in Zimbabwe asking for advice.

Recognize that this e-mail came from a stranger. And to put a business spin this, let's realize that it's unlikely that this student would become a client (since you work with executives in Southern California).

Would you reply?

I did.

And here's why.

We're all part of this huge family of human beings. I considered the time that I spent to be an investment in making the world better.

Now, please realize that this is not intended to be a boast.

Rather, I'm writing this to remind all of you that there's more to life than being busy. So, take a moment to review your priorities about being a member of society.

Then do something uncommonly good.

Or do something fundamentally decent, such as return those phone calls. Pay attention when someone talks to you. And so on.

As a leader, you live in a world of extraordinary wealth. Invest some of it in humanity.

By the way, the student replied with a very nice note, thanking me for my help.

Key Point: We live in a world that is larger than your office. And there is more to business than being busy.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Beyond Basic

Look at your shoes.

Good. Now, why are you wearing that pair?

Or course, I'm assuming that you own more than one pair.

So, why this pair?

Well, you chose them.

And there are two other reasons why you're wearing those shoes.

1) You gave yourself permission to wear them.

2) You believed that you deserved to wear them.

If you thought otherwise on either of these counts, you would not have put on those shoes. You would have chosen another pair.

This is important because these two reasons are at the core of every decision that you make.

In fact, these are the underlying reasons for all of our decisions.

And that brings us to personal growth.

Specifically,

1) Have you given yourself permission to take the actions that you know will help you become more successful?

2) Do you believe that you deserve the rewards that follow from becoming more than you are?

Key Point: Success starts from the inside when you allow yourself to grow.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: What Bad Meetings Really Cost

Bad meetings cost a fortune. Here’s what to expect:

1) Money

This is the cost of having people do nothing. And it's not "funny money" that can be ignored because it has already been spent. It's real money that was allocated as an investment to pay for work that is supposed to make money for the business.

2) Time.

Wasted time is more than lost opportunity. It's also a demoralizing cultural sickness that weakens a business. People want to work on tasks that advance the business. When they are stuck in meetings, doing nothing, they become frustrated and restless.

3) Turnover

Success bound employees will leave a poorly run business to work for someone else who promises a better future. Replacing an employee can cost as much as a full year’s pay. Add to this the costs of temporary help, delayed projects, and training a new employee, and the cost is huge.

4) Leadership

Bad meetings favor the least productive members of an organization. People who thrive on bluster, politics, and fluff - but lack effective work skills - thrive in the leadership vacuum of a bad meeting. If they are promoted into influential positions, they can ruin the business.

5) Future

Effective meetings produce plans, solutions, and agreements. With these a business moves forward into tomorrow. Without them, the business stays stuck in yesterday. This can make the difference between staying in business and going out of business.

Key Point: Bad meetings cost more than money.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

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Leadership Solutions: Don't Leave Work Without It

Admittedly, I thought everyone did this.

But during a workshop, someone said, "What if I don't have any questions about my job?"

My first reaction was, "Wow. So everything is perfect?"

But then others agreed that they didn't have any questions, either.

And now I'm concerned.

Why?

We live in a complex world. And there are always questions.

These are questions such as: How do I complete this task ahead of schedule, How do I improve upon my work, How do I help this business become more profitable, and so on.

And it's your job to identify questions like these.

In fact, you must have questions so that you can find answers.

Your homework for today is to make a list of questions that will help you grow.

Key Point: Questions drive thinking toward success.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

Web Site

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