By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

On the eve of the ninth anniversary of the horrific tragedy that occurred on September 11th, 2001 I believe it should be incumbent upon us all to take pause and remember what happened on 9/11, to mourn those who were lost that day, and to reflect upon how the events of that day have forever changed our world. So rather than share my usual content, I want to encourage you to offer condolences to families of all those who lost their lives on 9/11, to our fallen heroes who have lost their lives since that day, and/or to send well wishes to our veterans or active duty service members. I would ask that you leave your comments below and to promote this post so that our heroes and their families will know how much we love and support them. Thanks in advance for your participation.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

First the bad news: If you’re not willing to embrace change you’re not ready to lead. Put simply, leadership is not a static endeavor. In fact, leadership demands fluidity, which requires the willingness to recognize the need for change, and finally the ability to lead change. Now the good news: As much as some people want to create complexity around the topic of leading change for personal gain, the reality is that creating, managing and leading change is really quite simple.  To prove my point, I’ll not only explain the entire change life-cycle in three short paragraphs, but I’ll do it in simple terms that anyone can understand. As a bonus I’ll also give you 10 items to assess in evaluating whether the change you’re considering is value added, or just change for the sake of change…

An Overview on the Importance of Change:
While there is little debate that the successful implementation of change can create an extreme competitive advantage, it is not well understood that the lack of doing so can send a company (or an individual’s career) into a death spiral. Companies that seek out and embrace change are healthy, growing, and dynamic organizations, while companies that fear change are stagnant entities on their way to a slow and painful death. 

Agility, innovation, disruption, fluidity, decisiveness, commitment, and above all else a bias toward action will lead to the creation of change. It is the implementation of change which results in evolving, growing and thriving companies. Much has been written about the importance of change, but there is very little information in circulation about how to actually create it. 

While most executives and entrepreneurs have come to accept the concept of change management as a legitimate business practice, and change leadership as a legitimate executive priority in theory, I have found very few organizations that have effectively integrated change as a core discipline and focus area in reality.  As promised, and without further ado, the change life-cycle in three easy steps: 

1. Identifying the Need for Change: The need for change exists in every organization. Other than irrational change solely for the sake of change, every corporation must change to survive. If your entity doesn’t innovate and change in accordance with market driven needs and demands it will fail…it’s just that simple. The most complex area surrounding change is focusing your efforts in the right areas, for the right reasons, and at the right times. The ambiguity and risk can be taken out of the change agenda by simply focusing on three areas: 1) your current customers…what needs to change to better serve your customers? 2) potential customers…what needs to change to profitably create new customers? and; 3) your talent and resources…what changes need to occur to better leverage existing talent and resources? 

2. Leading Change: You cannot effectively lead change without understanding the landscape of change. There are four typical responses to change: The Victim…those that view change as a personal attack on their persona, their role, their job, or their area of responsibility. They view everything at an atomic level based upon how they perceive change will directly and indirectly impact them. The Neutral Bystander…This group is neither for nor against change. They will not directly or vocally oppose change, nor will they proactively get behind change. The Neutral Bystander will just go with the flow not wanting to make any waves, and thus hoping to perpetually fly under the radar. The Critic…The Critic opposes any and all change. Keep in mind that not all critics are overt in their resistance. Many critics remain in stealth mode trying to derail change behind the scenes by using their influence on others. Whether overt or covert, you must identify critics of change early in the process if you hope to succeed. The Advocate…The Advocate not only embraces change, they will evangelize the change initiative. Like The Critics, it is important to identify The Advocates early in the process to not only build the power base for change, but to give momentum and enthusiasm to the change initiative. Once you’ve identified these change constituencies you must involve all of them, message properly to each of them, and don’t let up. With the proper messaging and involvement even adversaries can be converted into allies.

3. Managing Change: Managing change requires that key players have control over 4 critical elements: 1) Vision Alignment…those that understand and agree with your vision must be leveraged in the change process. Those that disagree must be converted or have their influence neutralized; 2) Responsibility…your change agents must have a sufficient level of responsibility to achieve the necessary results; 3) Accountability…your change agents must be accountable for reaching their objectives, and; 4) Authority…if the first three items are in place, yet your change agents have not been given the needed authority to get the job done the first three items won’t mean much…you must set your change agents up for success and not failure by giving them the proper tools, talent, resources, responsibility and authority necessary for finishing the race.

There you have it; the 3 pillars of change in three short paragraphs. Now that you understand change, here’s are the 10 points that need validating prior to launching a change initiative:

1. Alignment and Buy-in: The change being considered should be in alignment with the overall values, vision and mission of the enterprise. Senior leadership must champion any new initiative. If someone at the C-suite level is against the new initiative it will likely die a slow and painful death.
2. Advantage:  If the initiative doesn’t provide a unique competitive advantage it should at least bring you closer to an even playing field.
3. Value Add: Any new project should preferably add value to existing initiatives, and if not, it should show a significant enough return on investment to justify the dilutive effect of not keeping the main thing the main thing.
4. Due Diligence: Just because an idea sounds good doesn’t mean it is. You should endeavor to validate proof of concept based upon detailed, credible research. Do your homework – put the change initiative through a rigorous set of risk/reward and cost/benefit analyses. Forget this step and you won’t be able to find a rock big enough to hide under.
5. Ease of Use:  Whether the new initiative is intended for your organization, vendors, suppliers, partners or customers it must be easy to use. Usability drives adoptability, and therefore it pays to keep things simple (see yesterday’s post).
6. Identify the Risks: Nothing is without risk, and when you think something is without risk that is when you’re most likely to end-up in trouble. All initiatives should include detailed risk management provisions that contain sound contingency and exit planning.
7. Measurement: Any change initiative should be based upon solid business logic that drives corresponding financial engineering and modeling. Be careful of high level, pie-in-the-sky projections. The change being adopted must be measurable. Deliverables, benchmarks, deadlines, and success metrics must be incorporated into the plan.
8. The Project: Many companies treat change as some ethereal form of management hocus pocus that will occur by osmosis. A change initiative must be treated as a project. It must be detailed and deliverable on a schedule. The initiative should have a beginning, middle and end.
9. Accountability: Any new initiative should contain accountability provisions. Every task should be assigned and managed according to a plan and in the light of day.
10. Actionable: A successful initiative cannot remain in a strategic planning state. It must be actionable through focused tactical implementation. If the change initiative being contemplated is good enough to get through the other 9 steps, then it’s good enough to execute.

Has this been useful? Have I left anything out, or got anything wrong? Sound-off in the comments below…

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

One of the most effective ways to order your world is to simplify everything you encounter. However the problem is that keeping it simple often becomes very difficult when our basic human nature is to over-complicate everything we touch. In thinking about the people I respect the most, to the one, they possess the uncanny ability to take the most complicated of issues and simplify them. You will find that the best leaders, communicators, teachers, and innovators have a true knack for taking extremely complex, dense or intricate content and making it engaging and easy to understand. In fact, it was Leonardo Da Vinci who said: “simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.” In today’s post I’ll take a look at the often overlooked benefits of keeping it simple…

While simplicity may have become a lost art, understanding the importance of simplicity is nonetheless critical to your success in business. Consider all the presentations/meetings you’ve attended in the last few weeks; was it the people who were able to articulate their positions in a simple and straight forward fashion, or the individuals that made things complex and tedious that got traction with their ideas? It has been my experience that the more complicated, difficult, or convoluted an explanation is, that one or both of the following issues are at play: 1) the person speaking is a horrible communicator, or; 2) the person speaking really doesn’t possess a true command of their subject matter. It is one thing to toss around the latest buzz-words or to have the most complex flow chart, but it is quite another thing to actually possess such a deep and thorough understanding of your topic that you can make even the most complex issues easy to understand.

It is almost as if business people have come to believe that complexity is synonymous with sophistication and savvy. It has been my experience that the only things that “complexity” is synonymous with are increased costs and failed implementations. There is an old saying in the software development world that states “usability drives adoptability” which tends to lend support to my observations. Those of you that know me have come to understand that I prefer to cut to the chase and get to the root of an issue as quickly as possible…this requires the ability to simplify, not complicate matters.

The truth is that simplifying something doesn’t make it a trite or incomplete endeavor. Rather simplification makes for a more productive and efficient effort that is often more savvy than other more complex alternatives. Not to be overly redundant, but I can think of no better example to validate my point than the one I referred to in a previous post on the topic of design - you’d be hard pressed to find a better representation of simplicity at work than the iPod. Apple took something complex, sophisticated, and feature rich and crushed the competition by making it simple. The simplicity of the iPod is exactly what makes for a great user experience. Absolutely nothing is lost in the iPod’s simplicity, and it is in fact the simplicity itself which makes it so classically elegant.   

Another benefit of simplicity is that it serves as a key driver of focus, which enables greater efficiency, productivity, and better overall performance. Keeping things simple allows you to focus on one thing at a time without the distractions that complexity breeds by its nature alone. I would suggest that you break down every key area of your business (operations, administration, marketing, branding, sales, finance, IT, etc.) and attempt to simplify your processes, initiatives, and offerings. As a C-level executive you must focus on simplifying your day in order to maximize your efficiency. By simplifying everything from the information and reports you view, to your communications protocol, to your agenda, to your decisioning structure, you will be better able to operate in today’s unnecessarily complex world. 

What say you?

Related Post: How Dumb is Your Business?

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

This may be difficult for some the get their heads around, but perfectionism is not a leadership trait. Leadership requires attention to detail and a commitment to quality, but rarely does it require perfection. While leadership doesn’t require being perfect, it does require doing what is needed and necessary. Perhaps one of the biggest flaws with the concept of perfection is found in who defines perfect – the definition of perfection will almost always vary radically from person to person. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts on the myth of perfection.

General George S. Patton said it best: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” The pursuit of perfection is one of great adversaries of speed, performance, and execution. In fact, at the risk of being controversial I’m going to take the position that perfection does not exist. I hate to break it to you, but those of you who regard yourselves as perfectionists simply exhibit perfectionistic tendencies in an unrealistic attempt to achieve what cannot be had.

New Flash: speed trumps perfectionism. Perfectionists tend to be very busy, but rarely are they productive. Moreover, the pursuit of perfectionism rarely results in a competitive advantage, but it will result in time delays, cost overruns, missed deadlines, and unkept commitments. I would suggest that rather than seeking what cannot in most cases ever be achieved, that it makes more sense to seek the highest standard of quality that can be delivered in the shortest period of time, and that is economically balanced relative to the constraints of an ever shifting marketplace.

A huge problem for leaders who regard themselves as perfectionists is that they often set the chinning bar so high that others feel as if they cannot ever meet expectations. As a leader, if you find yourself always wondering “why others just don’t seem to get it” then you likely don’t value the contributions of others as much as you desire others to adopt your thinking. Leaders who fall prey to perfectionism tend to focus on the negatives having a hard time looking past perceived weaknesses to find strengths. The downside of this is that it stifles candor, creativity and innovation and often leads to a my way or the highway environment.

Here’s another pet peeve – the phrase “would you rather have something quick or right” makes me cringe every time I hear it. It is one of the most common copouts inept leaders use in masking their decisioning inadequacies. It’s as if using this phrase somehow justifies delaying pronouncement on the grounds that they currently possess insufficient information to make an astute decision. Almost without fail, this tactic is a trite and clichéd attempt to somehow insinuate that speed in decisioning is a weakness, and that quick decisions are somehow synonymous with reckless decisions. I would caution you against confusing speed with reckless abandon…I’m a big proponent of planning, assessment, analysis and strategy, but only if it is concluded in a timely fashion. “Analysis Paralysis” leads to missed opportunities and failed initiatives. Speed is your friend…embrace it…leverage it…win with it.

Time to face the facts: we live in a digital world where the speed of engagement, response, interaction, communication, delivery etc., was once a unique competitive value proposition – It is now a requirement for survival. As a leader you must quickly be able to assess risk and make timely decisions. Put simply, leaders cannot be successful being guided by fear and hesitation. I can tell you that without question the best leaders are able to make very complex decisions, on short time frames, and with incomplete information. If you don’t possess the experience or intellectual acuity to make quick decisions that are also good decisions, then you better surround yourself with sound counsel and advice from those who can.

While there is little debate that speed can create an extreme competitive advantage, it is not well understood that the lack of speed can send a company (or a career) into a death spiral. Agility, fluidity, decisiveness, commitment and focus all lead to the creation of speed which results in a certainty of execution. There is great truth in the old saying ”the best decision is a quick decision, the next best decision is no decision, and the worst decision is a slow decision.”

My bottom line is this…if you wear perfectionism as a badge of honor it is time for a shift in thinking. Others won’t see it as a badge of honor, but as a sign of pride, ego, arrogance or ignorance.

As always, I invite you to share your thoughts and observations in the comments below.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Allowing gossip in the workplace is like encouraging your employees to swim with sharks. Let me cut right to the chase – real leaders don’t participate in gossip, and likewise they don’t tolerate gossip from others. Gossip destroys trust, undermines credibility, and is one of the greatest adversaries of a healthy corporate culture.  While the emotional distress associated with gossip can be dealt with fairly easily, the political discord that can erupt in an organization can be nothing short of disastrous. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts on how to control gossip in the workplace…

If what you desire as an executive is to have a healthy, thriving, and productive company, it is essential that you curtail office gossip. Gossip is one of the most divisive undercurrents pervading business as it allows for the unnecessary dispersion of negative innuendo for the pleasure of a few, and to the detriment of many…Show me a person that participates in gossip and I’ll show you someone who cannot be trusted. People who participate in gossip often times view their activity as being politically savvy when in fact gossip is the tool of insecure, rank amateurs…

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I’ve written often on the importance of building solid relationships through displaying a consistency of character, creating a bond of trust, making good decisions, and striving to help others succeed. When you take part in gossip you do none of these things. In fact, gossip seriously undermines each one of the aforementioned success metrics by propagating inaccurate information. At its core, gossip is the highest form of disloyalty, and it is far from innocent or idle. Nothing can claim more tainted professional reputations, destroyed friendships, and polluted corporate cultures than gossip.

The best definition I’ve found for gossip is: “Gossip is talking about a situation with somebody who is neither a part of the solution or a part of the problem.” If you have a problem with a person, or take exception to a particular situation, go directly to the source. There are few things in life I loathe as much as those that don’t have the courage and integrity to hit things head on…

If I have a problem with someone I give them the courtesy and respect of addressing the issue with them. Talking to anyone else wouldn’t resolve the issue, it would merely be self serving indulgence at someone else’s expense. In fact, it is my opinion that the worst form of gossip is conducted under the guise of seeking advice or counsel. If you need to seek the wisdom of a third party prior to addressing the root issue, do it generically and anonymously so as not to impugn the character of another.

As I mentioned above, gossip isn’t idle, nor is it innocent, cute, or something to be trivialized as insignificant. At best gossip creates unnecessary tension, but most often it creates outright conflict. As a leader you wouldn’t likely tolerate gossip targeted at you, so if you allow gossip to be spread about others, what does this say about you? If gossip pervades your organization and you are not aware of it, then you clearly don’t have the pulse of your organization, your public statements about the importance of culture and morale will seem disingenuous, and you’re likely guilty of being what I refer to as a disconnected leader.

In the same fashion that being the source of gossip is destructive, so is furthering the damage by ratcheting up the rhetoric by participating in gossip. If someone comes to you about a problem with another person, immediately redirect that individual back to the person in question. If that doesn’t work, and you must get involved, offer to accompany the person with the problem in addressing the individual they have an issue with. 

I have watched many a well intentioned executive get sucked into gossip in an attempt to help, only to pay a big price down the road for their error in judgment. If you want to be a long-term survivor in business I would suggest that you not participate in gossip and get rid of those that do. Remember that those individuals that will gossip to you, will also gossip about you…

Many would suggest that the thought of eliminating gossip in the corporate world is an exercise in naivete. They would take the position that gossip is just part of human nature, and that gossip will always exist in any type of environment where social dynamics are present. The old saying “it is what it is” is only true until you decide to make a difference. As a leader it is incumbent upon you to do the right thing, which is to protect your reputation and those that you work with. Furthermore, allowing anyone under your charge to participate in any activity to the contrary makes you an accomplice in the decline of morale, and the decay of your corporate culture. Put simply, good leaders don’t tolerate gossip.

As always, I welcome your comments below – I be particularly interested in any examples of effective methods you’ve used to curtail gossip.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

The key to developing influence is understanding that contacts and relationships are not synonymous. Don’t confuse a database with a sphere of influence. A database consists of information records, and a sphere of influence consists of meaningful relationships built upon a foundation of trust – a point of distinction lost upon many. Spammers and info-product sales people add contacts to a database, while savvy professionals interested in creating influence invest into people for the purpose of building relationships. In today’s post I’ll describe how to create influence by developing high value relationships…

As business people nothing is more valuable than the quality of your relationships. Whether you realize it or not, your success in business (and in life in general) will largely be dependant upon your ability to not only establish key relationships, but in your ability to leverage, influence, and add value to your relationships. We have all known professionals that have been smarter, more affable, better looking, possess a better CV, or are more talented than their peers, yet they never seem to rise to the top. These professionals that seem to have the whole package yet fail to reach the brass ring simply don’t understand the power of relationships.  

Lest you think I’m overly mercenary in my approach, and only view people as pawns in a chess game, let me introduce you to Myatt’s golden rule of building relationships: ”Give, give, give some more, give until it hurts, and then when you have nothing left to give, you guessed it…give even more.” The best relationships are not built on the backs of others, but rather they are built by helping others succeed. It is by building into others and through assisting others in reaching their goals and objectives that you will find success. Reflect back upon your own experience and contrast the responses you’ve received when you ask for help from someone that you’ve previously provided assistance to, versus asking the same favor from a casual acquaintance that you’ve never lifted a finger to help.

Generally speaking there are two types of spheres of influence…those that just evolve over time by default, and those that are strategically engineered. While contacts are rarely purpose driven, relationships are highly intentional. People who are influential have spent years developing relationships spanning geographies, industries, and practice areas. They have invested both time and money developing these relationships to a high level of mutual benefit. 

So why is it that most people aren’t as influential as they would like to be? The answer is that most professionals, even if they intellectually understand the benefits of what I’m espousing, just don’t do the work it takes to build an influential network. Great relationships take great amounts of effort, energy and commitment. Think of the most successful people you’ve ever known and they will always seem to know the right person to call on in any given situation to influence or decision the needed outcome. This type of influence doesn’t just happen, rather it has taken years of painstaking effort. If you want to create a powerful sphere of influence start by taking the following six steps:

1. Create a Vision: Take pause and examine where you are currently in your professional career as contrasted with where you want to go. Think about the people who could help you reach your destination more quickly and efficiently. Don’t put any artificial ceilings on your thinking.  If knowing Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, etc. would be of benefit, take note of this and remember that almost anyone on the planet is only a few degrees of separation away from you. Be sure that your vision is based first and foremost on adding value to the lives and careers of others. Building a great relationship has little to do with what you get out of it, but everything to do with what you put into it…
2. Take an Inventory: Once you have a clear vision of where you want to go, take a personal inventory of your contacts and relationships. See who it is that you know, but also pay attention to who they know. Review in detail each and every relationship in your network and rank them on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the contacts perceived to be of the greatest value to you. Make a detailed relationship plan for each of the people that rank 3 or higher. Take a personal interest in rekindling those relationships and finding out how you can help them succeed.
3. Participate in the Dialogue: Develop a strong core competency, and then give freely of your time and knowledge. Be visible and accessible and don’t approach business solely based on a “what’s in it for me” attitude. Don’t be a joiner unless you can be a contributor. I belong to a number of organizations that I will likely never see a paying client from, but it is through these groups that I build relationships and connections that will help me serve my clients. These relationships are built upon the back of the time I invest in them. Relationships don’t get built overnight, and are not built without active participation.
4. Value Your Network: It is critical that you develop a keen understanding that your network is your business…The core value of your business is not actually steeped in the conventional thinking imparted to you in business school. The reality is that the true intrinsic value of a business is in the network that adds value to your products, services, brand, stakeholders etc. A strong network = sustainability in that it is your network that will provide you much needed resources, influence and leverage in both good times and bad.
5. Focus on the Positive: Don’t waste time with those that only see problems and flaws, but cannot ever seem to create solutions. The world is full of bitter people, small thinkers, naysayers and those that just get their kicks out of sniping from a safe distance. Remove these people from your network. Associate with energy gainers and not energy drainers.
6. Quantity and Quality Both Matter: Successful networking requires an understanding that there needs to be a balance between quantity and quality. Well built spheres of influence are both inclusive and exclusive, and while the emphasis should always error on the side of quality, this assumes that you have sufficient numbers to create leverage and scale to your networking efforts. You want to avoid at all costs the appearance of simply being in it solely for the numbers, but it is also important not to be viewed as a networking snob who doesn’t reciprocate.

Bottom line…engineer a relationship development plan built upon service, trust, giving and adding value – then work the plan. Before you whine about how much time this will take, consider if you will the potential rewards at stake and ask yourself this question: Can I afford not to do this?

If you have any additional tips or advice to add to what you’ve just read, I’d love to have your feedback and input in the comments section below…

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Over the years I’ve come to believe that there is only one sure fire litmus test for measuring leadership success, and to the chagrin of many reading this post, it has little to do with what happens on the job. Today’s post might push a few buttons and test the boundaries of your comfort zone, but if you stick with me, I promise you’ll be glad you did. I’m going to peel back the layers on your personal brand, question your priorities, and quite possibly put a big dent in your carefully crafted professional facade. We’re going to get very personal today – How’s your family life?

If the opening paragraph caused you to wince, then the text that follows is written just for you. If the next sentence seems a little preachy, it’s meant to be…The true test of any leader is not measured by what’s accomplished in their professional life, but rather by what’s accomplished at home. If you’re a well oiled machine at work, but your family is falling apart at the seams – who cares? Let me be blunt – you won’t earn anyone’s respect, at least not the respect of anyone who matters, if your concern for career success overshadows your concern for the wellbeing of your family.

My advice is simple…create a legacy that transcends your career…Having the advantage of the hindsight my gray hair affords me, I can say with great certainty that who you are as a person is infinitely more important than the title you hold at work. There are few things in life as thought provoking as witnessing what by all outward appearances seems to be a successful executive, but as you begin to peel back the layers of their carefully crafted veneer, you quickly come to realize that they are little more than an empty, bitter, and frustrated person. They work their entire career chasing some illusive form of fulfillment only to fade into the sunset with nothing more than an empty lifetime of regrets as their reward.

I’ve simply lived too long to buy into the myth that success in the workplace will create happiness at home. While it makes for a nice sound bite to console those with a guilty conscience, IT IS A LIE. If your business is growing, but your spouse is crying and your children are neglected, it’s time to do a reality check on your priorities. If your secretary respects you, but your spouse doesn’t you have serious issues that need your immediate attention. If you would rather spend time with your online “friends” than with your children, it’s time to pull the ripcord on your internet connection.

Here’s the cold hard truth…if you cheat your family to invest into your career, you and your loved ones will pay a very heavy price. It is simply wrong to value your workplace commitments over your family commitments – moreover it’s not necessary. If your focus is on your family, your career won’t suffer, it will flourish. Get this wrong and not only will your family suffer, but so will you as you someday mourn the loss of what could have been, but cannot be recovered.

If you really want to get to know me, don’t waste time reading my bio or scrutinizing my professional successes and failures, get to know my wife and my children. My best work, the work that I’m most proud of, is the relationship I have with the love of my life whom I’ve been married to for almost 3 decades, and with my two grown children who now consistently teach me more about life than I taught them. While I’ve had more career success than I probably deserve, I’m just as flawed as anyone reading this post. What I can tell you is that I’ve always made my family a priority. I don’t regret a single second of time I’ve invested in my family, but I’ve lost track of all the regrets I have over time squandered on the job.  

You see, everyone creates a legacy – the question is will it be one worth leaving? While a legacy is classically defined as something of significant and/or lasting value that survives its creator, the best legacy is one that can be lived before it is left behind.

The bottom line is this…If you’re a superstar at work, but a slacker at home you’re not succeeding at anything other than being a disingenuous, ego-centric charlatan. If this describes you, you’re not a leader you are a poser. As a very wise person once said, “don’t waste your time investing in those who won’t be crying at your funeral.”

Whether you agree or disagree with what I’ve espoused above, I’d love to hear your comments below…

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Today’s post contains a list of the Top 30 Leadership Blogs of 2010. I know, I know - another list? You’re undoubtedly thinking “who died and left Mike Myatt in charge of qualitatively assessing leadership blogs?” Great question. In fact, when striving to come-up with this list I quickly came to the conclusion that while I attempted to use objective logic in making my assessments, the reality is that a list like this is mostly subjective based upon personal preference. In the text that follows I’ll share my logic, or as some will likely point out, my lack of logic in deciding which blogs to place on the list. I hope you enjoy the list, and that you’ll add these Top Leadership Blogs to your leadership reading list.

You’ll note when reviewing the Top Leadership Blogs list below that I did not apply a numerical hierarchy to the rankings, but rather just disclosed my data points – I decided it would be a better list if I let you draw your own conclusions and render your own opinions. Therefore what I have put forth is an unordered list of my personal favorites. I invite you to challenge my logic, my assumptions, rank or order them, point out omissions, and vote for favorites by commenting below. On with the list… 

• N2growth Blog: Let’s get the self-promotion out of the way, and hey, if you don’t think my blog belongs on the list, let me know in the comments below. You can also follow me on Twitter @mikemyatt - Alexa Rank: 27,509 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: 6 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 20 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• John Maxwell on Leadership: The name says it all…in fact, I almost view John and the topic of leadership as being synonymous. You won’t find more solid thinking on the topic of leadership anywhere (can you tell I’m a big fan?). You can follow John on Twitter @johncmaxwell. Alexa Rank: 341,182 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 4 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Extreme Leadership: Steve Farber consistently lays out useful and lucid thoughts on what it takes to be an extreme leader. Steve is a a great guy and you can follow him on Twitter @stevefarber - Alexa Rank: 1,240,575 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 5 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Tom Peters Blog: Tom is the classic big thinker and is prone to the frequent politically incorrect rant, which is why I like him. Regardless of whether you agree of disagree with his opinions, you cannot challenge his candor or his passion. You can follow Tom on Twitter @tom_peters. Alexa Rank: 115,618 Google Page Rank: 6 PostRank Leadership Score: 26 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 16 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Leading With Purpose: Michael Hyatt’s leadership blog is an exceptional read by a great CEO. You can follow Michael on Twitter @MichaelHyatt. Alexa Rank: 63,303 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 2 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Lead By Example: John Baldoni is a seasoned leadership pro and one of only a few leadership coaches that I endorse. You can follow John on Twitter @JohnBaldoni.  Alexa Rank: 2,947575 Google Page Rank: 2 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 9 TwitterGrader Score: 98.5
• Daniel Pink: Thought Leader, TED Speaker and recovering lawyer, Daniel is one of a kind. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielPink. Alexa Rank: 129,999 Google Page Rank: 6 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 7 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Weekly Leader Blog: Peter Mello’s blog has a variety of contributors and is always a great read. You can follow Peter on Twitter @PeterMello. Alexa Rank: 2,799,154 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: 3 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 16 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3
• Next Level Blog: Scott Eblin’s authors some of the smartest leadership insights on the web. You can follow Scott on Twitter @ScottEblin.  Alexa Rank: 1,123,13 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 11 TwitterGrader Score: 96.3
• Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog: Wally Bock’s blog is practical, insightful, and always personal. Wally is a pure straight-shooter who pulls no punches while also happening to be one of the best writers I know. You can follow Wally on Twitter @WallyBock. Alexa Rank: 251,748 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 18 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 30 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• All Things Workplace: This blog offers opinions and general information on leadership and leadership development by Steve Roesler. Steve’s insights are thoughtful and always spot-on. You can follow Steve on Twitter @steveroesler. Alexa Rank: 523,731 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 0 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3
• Marshall Goldsmith Blog: Marshall Goldsmith is a class act, a competitor of mine (one of only two or three CEO coaches that I would recommend), and a deep thinker on the topic of leadership. You can follow Marshall on Twitter @coachgoldsmith. Alexa Rank: 5,678 (HBR) Google Page Rank: 6 (HBR) PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 0 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3
• Seth Godin’s Blog: The best-selling author, entrepreneur and “agent of change” gives you personal insights on the leadership landscape. I find myself only agreeing with Seth about 50% of the time, but he makes me think 100% of the time. You can follow Seth on Twitter @ThisIsSethsBlog Alexa Rank: 4,876 Google Page Rank: 7 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 35 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• The Management Experts:If you’re looking for a positive spin on leadership then look no further than Phil Gerbyshak. TME is Phil’s latest blogging adventure and is a multi-author take on leadership and management that is simple, to the point and always positive. You can follow Phil on Twitter @philgerb. Alexa Rank: 2,731,651 Google Page Rank: 0 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Leading Blog:  Michael McKinney authors the Leading Blog which takes a comprehensive look at all things leadership. I tend to agree with most of Michael’s positions (except when he left my book off his list) and find his business logic to be solidly grounded. You can follow Michael on Twitter @LeadershipNow. Alexa Rank: 115,581 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 18 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Great Leadership: Dan McCarthy’s blog is a great source of leadership information and a consistently good read. You can follow Dan on Twitter @GreatLeadership Alexa Rank: 333,659 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 9 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 10 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3
• Robin Sharma’s Leadership Blog: Robin’s take on leadership is always both interesting and informative. You can follow Robin on Twitter @_robin_sharma. Alexa Rank: 138,904 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 2 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Lead Change Group. The Lead Change Group was founded by Mike Henry Sr., who is one of the true nice guys in the business. You can follow Mike on Twitter @mikehenrysr.  Alexa Rank: 200,949 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 16 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 28 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Ramblings From a Glass Half Full: Terry Starbucker’s blog represents some of the more contemporary thinking on leadership. You can follow Terry on Twitter @starbucker.  Alexa Rank: 259,822 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 9 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Management Excellence: Art Petty’s blog provides consistently solid leadership wisdom. You can follow  art on Twitter @artpetty.  Alexa Rank: 746494 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 15 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3
• Daniel Decker: Dan’s blog is always reliable and grounded. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DanielDecker. Alexa Rank: 1,623,187 Google Page Rank: 2 PostRank Leadership Score: 24 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Leader Talk: Mountain State University’s leadership blog is hosted by Becky Robinson. You can follow Becky on Twitter @LeaderTalk. Alexa Rank: 297,226 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 14 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Orrin Woodward: Orrin is smart, creative and insightful – I only wish he’d publish more frequently updated content. You can follow Orrin on Twitter @orrin_woodward. Alexa Rank: 47,694 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: 50 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 1 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Tanveer Naseer: Tanveer is bright and a deep thinker. You can follow Tanveer on Twitter @tanveernaseer. Alexa Rank: 1,163,245 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 18 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 15 TwitterGrader Score: 98
• Big Is the New Small: Scott Williams is a breath of fresh air in the leadership space and well worth reading. You can follow Scott on Twitter @scottwilliams. Alexa Rank: 293,337 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 22 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Scott Gould: Scott is one of my favorite young leadership bloggers. Scott goes deep with every post and is a must follow on Twitter @scottgould. Alexa Rank: 446,936 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 7 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 27 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Leadership Solutions: The Leadership Solutions blog is written by Mary Jo Asmus. You can follow Mary Jo on Twitter @mjasmus. Alexa Rank: 1,814,538 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 14 TwitterGrader Score: 98.0
• Ron Edmondson: Ron is smart, authentic, approachable and he posts as frequently if not more than most in the leadership space. You can follow Ron on Twitter @ronedmondson. Alexa Rank: 644,746 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 5 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 40 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Leadership Freak: Dan Rockwell’s blog is a must read. While we don’t always see eye-to-eye on things, I hold Dan’s work in high regard. You can follow Dan on Twitter @LeadershipFreak. Alexa Rank: 1,051,958 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 27 TwitterGrader Score: 100
• Serve to Lead: If you’re into servant leadership then you should be reading James Strock. You can follow James on Twitter @jamesstrock.  Alexa Rank: 7,050773 Google Page Rank: 1 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 96.3
• Random Acts of Leadership: Random Acts of Leadership is Susan Mazza’s contemplative and thoughtful leadership Blog. You can follow Susan on Twitter @SusanMazza. Alexa Rank: 2,096,995 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 3 TwitterGrader Score: 100

So, who should be included on this list that I missed? Do any of the blogs listed above represent a particular favorite? Did I get your numbers wrong? Want to take a stab at ranking the top 5 or 10? Or if you’d just like to share your thoughts in general, please leave a comment below.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

“Who the **** is in charge around here?” This question left an absolutely indelible impression on my mind since I first heard it more than 30 years ago.  Our unit was experiencing its first inspection by a Sargeant Major whose reputation definitely preceded him…It took him all of about 3 seconds ask “who the **** is in charge around here?” He then proceeded to communicate in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t nearly as concerned about the faults he would find, as he was about how our leader (guess who?) could have allowed them to occur in the first place. It was at this precise moment that I came to understand that the most important factor in determining whether or not something will be successful is who is charged with the responsibility for making it happen.

I’m always amazed at the number of organizations that charge sub-par leaders with mission critical tasks and then wonder why they failed to meet their objectives. The most important decision a leader can make with regard to any implementation, initiative, project, objective, goal, task, etc. is who they are going to put in charge? As much as it may be politically incorrect to say so, it’s not nearly as much about the team, as it is the leader’s ability to assemble and lead the team. In all but the rarest of circumstances, teams simply don’t function well in the absence of sound leadership. In fact, in most cases I’d go so far as to say that in the absence of leadership you might be able to assemble a group of people, but said group will not function as an effective team on it’s own accord. 

The only exceptions I’ve witnessed that contradict my observations mentioned above are situations where a purpose-aligned execution based on the desire to give selflessly in service exists. This normally occurs in crisis/emergency/volunteer situations – for an example of this please read Wally Bock’s excellent post yesterday.  However, even in these circumstances personal leadership is still at the forefront of the success.

Whether you examine successful athletic teams, military teams, executive teams, management teams, technical teams, design teams, functional teams, or any other team, you’ll find that the best of the best have structure, a hierarchy of leadership, a clear understanding of roles, responsibilities & expectations, clear and open lines of communication, well established decisioning protocol, and many other key principals. Put simply; the most productive teams have the best leadership.   

To further my point, you can examine any organization and you’ll consistently find that the the best performing units have the best leadership, and the worst performing units have leadership challenges to overcome. Furthermore, in well run organizations you can determine which initiatives are most important to the enterprise by examining which leaders are tasked to what initiatives. Great organizations assign their best leaders to the most significant opportunities and/or to correct key shortcomings (see previous post: Resourcing 101 for CEOs).  

Bottom line…personal responsibility and accountability have always been the ultimate leadership “hot potato” in that everyone wants to be in charge, but few are willing to take ownership of the never-ending obligations that go along with the privilege of leadership. If the individuals placed in charge of executing key objectives, deliverables & results are not excellent leaders, you are simply setting yourself up for failure. The strongest argument for great leadership is what happens in its absence…very little.

What say you???

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Why do business fail? Given the current state of the economy, I would say it’s a safe bet that many of you have pondered the answer to this question as we watch companies close their doors on a daily basis. The unfortunate reality is that well more than 50% of all new business ventures fail within the first three years, and especially during tough economic times, many mature, even once category dominant companies fail over time. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts as to the real number one reason why businesses fail – It’s not what you think…

I don’t believe there’s too much debate among “the experts” that the most frequently cited cause of business failure is a lack of capital. While the recent events on Wall St might lead you to believe it’s true, capital while clearly a nice luxury, doesn’t make it a necessity (here I go picking on “the experts” again). You see, I have witnessed well capitalized ventures fail miserably, and severely under-capitalized ventures eventually grow into category dominant brands. A lack of capital can provide a socially acceptable excuse for business failure, but it is not the reason businesses fail.

While it may be every entrepreneur’s fantasy to launch their business with 5 years operating reserves in the bank, the reality is that this very rarely happens. Additionally, it is not really the amount of capital a venture secures, but rather the relationship between the amount of capital raised and identified capital requirements that matters. As we’ve all observed in recent months, the real issue is not how much capital you have, but how effectively the capital is deployed and managed that makes the difference.

I would go so far as to say that well capitalized start-ups may have a higher mortality rate than their thinly capitalized counterparts. When capital is a scarce commodity, each spending or investment decision tends to be made with great care. A lack of capital forces entrepreneurs to prioritize their decisions, and to focus their efforts on high impact areas. Conversely, well capitalized ventures often make ill-advised decisions and frivolous expenditures that result in lower margins and increased commitments to overhead creating unnecessary operational burdens on the enterprise.

The reality is that you can ask 10 different people why businesses fail, and you’ll likely receive 10 different answers. While each answer could well be a contributing factor to the demise of a business venture, there is in my opinion one singular cause for all business failures…a lack of sound leadership. When I refer to leadership in today’s context, I’m pointing specifically to executive leadership as represented by the entrepreneur or CEO. In the 10 points listed below I’ll examine some of the more common reasons attributed to business failure, and I’ll likewise assess the roles and responsibilities of leadership as they pertain to the following reasons:

1. Lack of Vision: It is the role of the CEO to clearly define and communicate the corporate vision. If there is no vision, a flawed vision, or a poorly communicated vision, the responsibility falls squarely in the lap of executive leadership. Moreover, if the vision is not in alignment with the corporate values there will also be troubled waters ahead. No vision equals no leadership… 
2. Lack of Execution: Everything boils down to execution, and insuring a certainty of execution is job number one for executive leadership. If as an entrepreneur or CEO you don’t focus on deploying the necessary talent and resources to insure that the largest risks are adequately managed, or that the biggest opportunities are exploited, then you have a leadership team destined for failure.  
3. Lack of Capital: Raising, deploying, and managing capital is ultimately the responsibility of leadership. The amount of capital required to run a business is based upon how the business is operated. Therefore if leadership operates the business without consideration for capital constraints, or irrespective of capital formation issues, then the blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of leadership. Morever, if executive leadership squanders capital through irresponsible acts, there will also be severe consequences.  
4. Lack of Management: It is the job of leadership to recruit, mentor, deploy, and retain management talent. If the management team is not getting the job done, it’s not a management problem, it’s the fault of executive leadership.
5. Lack of Sales: A lack of sales is ultimately attributable to a lack of leadership. Strategy, pricing, positioning, branding, distribution, compensation, or any number of other metrics tied to sales force productivity all rest with executive leadership.
6. No Market: Good leadership pursues sound market opportunities. Pursuing the wrong market, or pursuing the right market improperly is also the fault of executive leadership.
7. Poor Professional Advice: Nobody has cornered the market on knowledge and wisdom. If leadership doesn’t seek out the best quality advice available to them, then they will likely not make the best decisions. All CEOs and entrepreneurs need top quality professional advisers.
8. The Inability to Attract and Retain Talent: Great leaders surround themselves with great talent. They understand that talent begets more talent. If your company doesn’t possess the talent it needs to achieve its business objectives no one is to blame but leadership.
9. Competitive Awareness: A business does not need to be the category dominant player to avoid failure. That being said, it is the leadership’s responsibility to understand the competitive landscape and navigate it successfully. 
10. Obsolescence or Market Changes: If executive leadership is in touch with the market it will be difficult to be caught by surprise. It is the responsibility of executive leadership to make sure that the proper attention is given to innovation, business intelligence and market research to manage the risk of obsolescence and market changes.   

Bottom line…businesses don’t fail – leaders do. The talent that it takes to operate at the C-suite level is matched only by the amount of responsibility that goes with the territory. If it was an easy job everyone would be a CEO or entrepreneur. Please share your thoughts in the comments below…

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

If you desire to become a successful leader at any level, much less a top CEO, it will be essential for you to master the art of leveraging down. The simple truth is that all great leaders are highly skilled in matters of delegation. Think of any top performing CEO and you’ll find that to the one, they possess an uncanny ability to focus on highest and best use activities. While most executives that have reached the C-suite level understand the importance of scaling via delegation, far too many CEOs struggle with the effective implementation of the concept. To this day I’m amazed at how many CEOs still own tasks, roles, projects, and responsibilities that should be delegated to others. So, in today’s post I’ll share two a few tips on deciding which tasks, and to whom, the art of delegation should apply…

As a CEO it is critical to develop a keen understanding of your value to the enterprise, and to further develop an awareness of activities that are dilutive to said value. The number of activities a CEO takes on can certainly vary based upon skill sets, stage of corporate maturation, and the talent level of the rest of the executive team. That said, it is nonetheless safe to say that CEOs who find a way to focus their efforts on values, vision, mission, strategy, team building, innovation, networking, and branding will be the CEOs who achieve the highest and most sustainable levels of success.

One of the first things you need to understand as a CEO is what your time is worth relative to others in the organization. There is a simple short-cut which allows you to quickly extrapolate an hourly rate from a total annual compensation figure that I find useful for quick comparative purposes. The calculation works like this: if you make $750,000 per year, just eliminate the last three zeros of your annual compensation figure and divide 750 by two. This calculation will give you an hourly rate based upon a 40 hour work week and a 50 week year. In this example the hourly rate of a CEO who makes $750k is $375 dollars per hour. So if you run the same calculation on a $100k employee you find a $325 dollar per hour delta between your hourly rate and theirs. Therefore any items that don’t constitute $375 dollar an hour work that can be leveraged down to someone with a lower hourly rate provides positive arbitrage both in terms of cost savings and time recovered for higher and better use activities.

Another simple rule of thumb that allows you to maximize the equation mentioned above is to leverage down to the lowest level of talent possible while still insuring an acceptable level of execution. For instance, rather than leveraging down to the $100K talent in the example above, if you drive down further to let’s say a $30k individual, you increase your organizational leverage factor by almost another 30%. The most productive, high-performance organizations have the ability to deliver fairly complex solutions, and complete difficult tasks at the lowest levels within their organization.

Now that we’ve made the economic case for what and to whom you should leverage down to, let’s discuss what does, and does not, merit the attention of a CEO based on non-financial analysis. In Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” he put forth a simple decisioning framework that helps to distinguish between those activities that are truly priorities, and those that just appear to be priorities. Basic human nature is such that each individual believes that his/her problems and challenges are truly important, and therefore should constitute an emergency on your part. Your job as the CEO is to quickly be able to distinguish between the true emergency and the perceived emergency. In Covey’s classic illustration below, you’ll find a simple chart to use as your guide.      

Another part of the art and science of delegation is understanding how to effectively delegate to others in a fashion that sets them up for success and not failure. It is critical to understand that improper delegation not only results in the task not getting done, but in most cases in the task ending-up back on your desk in worse shape than when it left. You see if you keep authority but delegate responsibility you actually disable someone from being effective. If you give away both authority and responsibility you haven’t delegated you have abdicated. If you keep both authority and responsibility over something but delegate the task, you are tasking not delegating.  Smart leaders empower others by delegating the authority but owning the responsibility. I would suggest reading this paragraph at least 3 times and then examine your delegation style to see if you’re being effective in your efforts.

The moral of the story is this…A lack of delegation creates operational bottlenecks, delegation confused with abdication creates organization chaos, and effective delegation of authority vs. tasks creates personal and operational excellence. Focus on making the lower echelons as competent and productive as possible, driving all decisions down to the lowest level in the organization without suffering an unacceptable increase in delivery risk. The tips mentioned above will help you build a formidable organization, make better use of your time, and insure operational performance gains across the enterprise.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Great leaders are great listeners, and therefore my message today is a simple one…talk less and listen more. The best leaders are proactive, strategic listeners. They recognize that knowledge and wisdom are not gained by talking, but by listening. Take a moment and reflect back on any great leader that comes to mind…you’ll find that they are very adept at reading between the lines. They have the uncanny ability to understand what is not said, witnessed, or heard. In today’s post I’ll quickly examine the merits of developing your listening skills. Warning: this post isn’t going to coddle you and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy – it is rather blunt and to the point.

Want to become a better leader? Talk less and listen more. Being a leader should not be viewed as a license to increase the volume of rhetoric. Rather astute leaders know that there is far more to be gained by surrendering the floor than by filibustering. In this age of instant communication, everyone seems to be in such a rush to communicate what’s on their mind that they fail to realize the value of everything that can be gleaned from the minds of others. Show me a leader who doesn’t recognize the value of listening to others and I’ll show you a train-wreck in the making… 

Simply broadcasting your message ad nauseum will not have the same result as engaging in meaningful conversation, but this assumes that you understand that the greatest form of discourse takes place within a conversation, and not a lecture or a monologue. When you reach that point in your life where the light bulb goes off, and you begin to understand that knowledge is not gained by flapping your lips, but by removing your ear wax, you have taken the first step to becoming a skilled communicator. A key point for all leaders to consider is that it’s impossible to stick your foot in your mouth when it’s closed. Think about it…when was the last time you viewed a negative soundbite of a CEO who was engaged in active listening?  

The next step in the process is learning where to apply your new found listening skills. Listen to your customers, competitors, your peers, your subordinates, and to those that care about you. Ask people how you can become a better leader and then LISTEN. Take your listening skills online, and don’t just push out Tweets and Facebook messages, but ask questions and elicit feedback. Use your vast array of social media platforms, toolsets and connections to listen. If you follow this advice not only will you become better informed, but you’ll also become more popular with those whom you interact with.

Have you ever walked into an important meeting and wondered who the smartest person in the room was? If you mull this over for a moment you’ll find that almost universally the smartest person in the room is not the one doing all the talking – it’s the person doing all the listening. You’ll also notice that when intelligent people do speak-up it’s not to ramble-on incoherently or incessantly, but usually to ask a question so that they can elicit even more information. The quiet confidence of true leaders has much greater resolve than the bombastic displays of the arrogant.

Allow me to leave you with one final thought to reflect on – if you’re ready for advanced listening skills, don’t just listen to those who agree with you, but actively seek out dissenting opinions and thoughts. Listen to those that confront you, challenge you, stretch you, and develop you.

In my opinion great talkers are a dime a dozen, but great listeners are a rare commodity. What say you?

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Are you guilty of making the mistake of taking on more work than you should and thereby committing initiative overload? As we rapidly approach Q4, it is my most sincere hope that you will take pause for a bit of reflective thinking – I would ask that you ponder the following question: “Am I so busy that I’ve lost the ability to be as productive as I need to be?” One of the most common problems facing leaders is the lack of ability to remain focused on highest and best use activities. While we could talk about being better managers of technology, communications, interruptions and various other productivity killers, today’s post will focus on the number one killer of executive productivity, which is biting-off more than you can chew, or what I like to call initiative overload…

The fact is that many leaders are their own worst enemy when it comes to taking themselves out of the “productivity zone” (see Finding the Zone). Fact: bright, talented executives with a bias to action will often take on more than they should. Fiction: multitasking accomplishes more than focused effort. The reality is that maximizing results and creating a certainty of execution is all about focus, focus and more focus…

While the mind of a leader may be oriented towards the future, he/she can only act in the here and now, so the knowledge and skills required to master any endeavor only happens when we focus on what we’re currently doing. This is the definition of presence, and it is only when we operate in the present that real creativity, growth and innovation occur.

Is your rubber-band stretched so tight that it’s about to snap? Efficiency and productivity are not found working at or even near capacity. Rather entering the productivity zone is found working at about 60% to 70% of capacity. Operating in excess of that threshold will cause increased stress, lack of attention to detail and errant decisioning.

It is important for executives to learn to apply focused leverage to a limited number of highest and best use activities rather than to continually shift gears between multiple initiatives. Resist the temptation to just advance a broad number of disparate initiatives, and alternatively focus your efforts on the completion of a few high impact objectives. The simple reality is that if you continue to add new responsibilities to an already full plate, all of your obligations will suffer as a result. Face current challenges head-on by keeping your head down and applying focused leverage to the task at hand. 

Don’t delude yourself into thinking that changing direction mid-stream will produce better results as it rarely will. Remember that most people who fail just quit a bit too early in the process. While I’m certainly not recommending blind faith that flies in the face of solid business logic, but neither am I encouraging you to run away by changing focus or tactics when the right thing to do is stay the course regardless of the difficulties that may present themselves.   

It is through the accomplishment of current objectives that the victories are won and success is born. The achievement of current goals and objectives free up the time & create the resources to move on to bigger and better things…Trying to do too many things at once will impede progress, dilute effort & energy, add to chaos and lead to burn-out. Bottom line…success equals focus.

Have you bought-off on the myth of multi-tasking, or do you believe in the power of restraint and focus? Sound-off in the comments below…

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Even though few would dispute the value of being an engaged leader, many still do not practice what they preach. The harsh reality is that great numbers of leaders continue to operate in a vacuum by sequestering themselves away in the corner office and attempting to lead from afar.  Trust me when I tell you that being out of touch is never a good position to find yourself in as the CEO. I rarely come across leaders who couldn’t benefit from being more meaningfully engaged on both a broader and deeper basis, and hope that today’ post will encourage you to do just that…ENGAGE.

I have consistently espoused the value of walking the floor, dropping in for meetings on an impromptu basis, proactively engaging key stakeholders, and any number of other items that focus on raising your awareness. My advice to CEOs, regardless of whether you’re running a start-up or a Fortune 500 company, is to go see things for yourself. I think you’ll find that your view of the world will change dramatically when you rely upon your own observations, as opposed to what you read in a management report, or what you hear third or fourth hand in a meeting. Think about it…when you’re sitting in front of the board, on an analyst call, providing testimony, or speaking at the annual shareholder meeting, wouldn’t it be great to actually know what your talking about as opposed to interpreting what someone else has told you?

You know the issue of sequestered executives is a real problem when it’s main-stream enough to be made into a prime-time Reality TV show. While many have scoffed at the CBS show ”Undercover Boss,” I believe it signals a very disturbing trend. When there’s enough intrigue to keep a film crew busy, enough ”ah-ha” moments for disconnected CEOS, and enough shock and dismay to satisfy a nationwide TV audience then I submit to you that the issue we’re discussing today is a very real one…Many CEOs are simply out of touch with their businesses.  

So the real question is this…how does a CEO get to the point of being so disconnected from operations that he or she just doesn’t have a clue? The reality is that there are any number of reasons why this can happen, a few of which I’ve noted below:

• The Optimistic CEO: I have met a number of CEOs that simply choose to view the world through rose colored glasses. They will believe what they want to believe regardless of what they hear or what they observe. Even in the worst of times they believe nothing to be insurmountable. While optimism is generally a great quality for a CEO to possess, there is a point at which unbridled optimism can disconnect a person from reality.
• The Arrogant CEO: These CEOs believe they can will their view into reality in spite of circumstances, situations, or events. The arrogant CEO doesn’t value the input of line and staff management. These CEOs see management opinions as inconsequential, unless of course, they happen to be in alignment with their own beliefs and opinions.  
• The Unaware CEO: These CEO’s will take any report or piece of information at face value. These CEOs are overly trusting, and often politically naive. They fail to seek clarification, validation, or proof supporting the information they have been fed. This is a very unhealthy state of mind for a CEO hoping to survive over the long haul.
• The Disconnected CEO: Unlike CEOs who understand how to leverage time and resources via delegation while remaining connected to management and staff, the disconnected CEO does just the opposite. They have reclusive tendencies which cause them to often completely abdicate responsibility and remain disconnected from management. Sticking one’s head in the sand will not make the circumstances of a particular situation go away, rather that type of thinking will likely on exacerbate the issue.

If you’re a CEO with clouded vision and desire to change the view from the top it is critical that you maintain open lines of communication through a variety of channels and feedback loops. All good leaders maintain a connection and rapport with both line and staff. Furthermore, savvy CEOs are always working to refine their intuitive senses. A good CEO demands accountability and transparency. They challenge everything of consequence. They understand that acceptance of general statements and ambiguity, or blindness to hidden agendas will only contribute to limiting their vision…

If you’re a CEO and you haven’t personally spoken with your top customers, suppliers, vendors and partners, you’re doing yourself and your company a great injustice. If your CFO handles all communications with your banking relationships, and your Chief Investment Officer handles all of your investor relations, you’re flat out missing the boat. If your CMO is making all of your brand decisions there will be h*ll to pay down the road. Moreover, in today’s litigious and compliance oriented world where the CEO is no longer out of reach, it’s just plain smart to take a more hands on approach. Remember that there is a major difference between delegating and abdicating responsibility. I think President Reagan said it best: “trust but verify.”

Let me be very clear…I’m not suggesting that you become a micro manager or that you stop delegating, I’m simply suggesting that you do the job the way it is supposed to be done. Great leaders champion from the front…they are not disengaged invisible executives. As the CEO you are the visionary, influencer, champion, defender, evangelist and you must have a bias to action. You can be none of these things as a recluse…

Engaged leaders are very visible and very active leaders - they question, listen, assess an react. I can promise you one thing…If as a leader you don’t have a clear read on the pulse of your organization, it won’t have a healty pulse for very long.

Please share your thoughts on today’s post by commenting below on the importance of leaders being actively engaged, and/or the pitfalls of having disconnected leaders.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

My question is this: Is your intellect an asset or liability? All one has to do is watch a very bright person defend their position to understand what I’m driving at with today’s post. Observing intelligent people lecture, spin, posture, position, cajole, argue, rationalize, or justify their beliefs in order to “get the win” is often times entertaining, but it can also be exceedingly frustrating. I’ve come across more than a few self-proclaimed “intelligent” people who believe that their intellectual acuity is far superior to the discernment ability of their peers and co-workers. Not only are these intellectual giants wrong, but sadly, by the time they awaken to a state of reality it is already too late. In today’s post I’ll share the keys to leveraging your intellectual assets as opposed to having your intelligence serve as a barrier to your success… 

While leadership intelligence doesn’t have to be an oxymoron, it certainly can be. When a person begins to believe their own smoke, they have placed themselves on a very slippery slope. I am a big believer that there is truth in the statement that “a person can be too smart for their own good.” How many times have you witnessed a very bright person fail to solve a problem that a younger, less experienced, and perhaps even a less intelligent person solved with seemingly little effort? While raw intelligence is a valuable commodity, in-and-of-itself, and to the exclusion of other traits and characteristics, the sole reliance on IQ can be a barrier to professional growth and maturity.

Is your intellect standing in the way of your success? Are you so enamored with how smart you are that you can’t get anything done? Consider this…Is it more important to be right, or to achieve the right outcome? I tend to respect those who can lead others to the proper outcome as opposed to those who excoriate others just to prove they’re right. If your certitude overshadows your wisdom, you may want to dial it back a notch…

By nature of what I do for a living I tend to work with very bright people. It has been my observation that hyper-intelligent people can tend to think themselves into trouble and out of opportunities with great ease…Whenever I find myself discussing issues of intellect, ego, leadership etc., I’m always reminded of the cartoon which reads: “Rule number one: the boss is always right. Rule number two: When in doubt refer to rule number one.” If you find yourself rationalizing or justifying positions based solely upon intellectual reasoning without regard to practical realities, timing, or other contextual considerations, you may be too smart for your own good. Just as a lack of belief in gravity won’t prevent you from tripping, simply believing a particular opinion or theory to be fact doesn’t mean your right.

Often times the problem with intelligent people lies simply in the fact that they have come to enjoy being right. Bright people can quickly find themselves in the position of confusing ego with intellect, and can sometimes defend ideas to the death rather than admit they’re wrong. Winning an argument isn’t particularly difficult, but it may come at a very expensive price. This confusion of ego and intellect often stems from bright people successfully arguing wrong positions over time such that they’ve built their persona around being right, and will therefore defend their perfect record of invented righteousness to the death. Smart people often fall into the trap of preferring to be right even if it’s based in delusion.

So how do you know when you’ve crossed over to the dark-side and can’t tell the difference between fact and fiction? The following items will help you discern whether or not you are using your intellect properly or whether you’ve just simply bought-off on your own propaganda…

1. Consistent Conflict: Do you find yourself in a perpetual state of debate? Do you find yourself thinking “why am I the only one that gets it?” Is it more important for you to be right than to arrive at the correct resolution to an issue, problem or opportunity? Are you known as a bitter, pessimistic or negative person? If any of these issues describe situations that hit too close to home then you may want to take a step back and do some self-evaluation.

2. Exclusivity vs. Inclusivity: Do you use your intelligence to intimidate and stifle others or to encourage, inspire and motivate others? Do you wonder why you can’t seem to retain tier one talent or why you lose key clients?  If your brilliance is polarizing as opposed to serving as a magnet which attracts, then how smart are you really?

3. True Success: If an independent third party came into your business and interviewed your peers and subordinates alike, what would that feedback look like? Do others see you as successful, or are you merely a legend in your own mind? What I think of myself is not nearly as important as what my family, friends, clients, and co-workers think of me. If those you surround yourself with don’t hold you in high regard, then you have no reason to.

The bottom line is this…the gift of intellect is an asset to be thankful for, and put to good and productive use. It is not an excuse to be lazy, arrogant, mean-spirited or delusional. Don’t let your intellect stand in your way, but rather use it as an asset to develop those around you to their full potential thereby increasing your chances for long-term success.

Is your experience similar to, or different than what I’ve shared above? Please share you insights in the comments section below.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

I read an intersting post yesterday by Gwyn Teatro (@GwynT) entitled “The Attitude Contagion.” The point of Gywn’s post is that attitude matters because whether good or bad, attitude is contageous. So my question is this: ”How’s Your Attitude?” Show me a CEO with a bad attitude and I’ll show you a poor leader. While this sounds simple enough at face value, I have consistently found that one of the most often overlooked leadership attributes is that of a positive attitude. As a CEO, how can you expect to inspire, motivate, engender confidence, and to lead with a lousy attitude? The simple answer is that you can’t…it just won’t work. CEOs with bad attitudes will not only fail to engage their workforce, but they will quickly find themselves shown the door as their attitude’s impact on performance becomes visible to the board. In today’s post I’ll examine the importance of CEOs having a positive attitude…

Clearly the topic of “attitude” has been addressed ad-nauseum in many a self-help piece, but this doesn’t mean that it is not worthy of topical consideration for chief executives. Leaders are not perfect, and as CEO, trust me when I tell you that you’re going to have your fair share of bad days. The difference between you the CEO, and everyone else on the planet is that you don’t have the luxury of displaying a bad attitude (see a previous post entitled “Never Let Them See You Sweat“).

Why then do so many CEOs appear to have a bad attitude? While there are certainly a variety of reasons (ego, arrogance, pride, etc.) for why a CEO can display a bad attitude, I believe that in many instances it is because they have fallen prey to a bad habit. Yes, attitudes are formed, and a bad attitude is nothing more than an ingrained habit. The good news is that habits can be broken. So, this begs the question how does a CEO know when they have a bad attitude? If you answer yes to any one of the following five questions, then you are likely in need of an attitude adjustment:

1. Are your likeability and respect ratings low? While being a great CEO is not a popularity contest, the fact is that most great CEOs are both well liked and respected. They have the full faith and trust of their stakeholders, and possess strong positive relationships across constituencies. What do you reflect, and what do people see in you? If you are not well liked and respected then you will have consistent, self-imposed obstacles placed in your path that inhibit your ability to be an effective leader. Ask yourself this question – If an election for CEO was held today, would your stakeholders re-elect you in a landslide victory? If not, why not?
2. Do you tend to have a pessimistic outlook on things? If you aren’t excited about the start of each day, display a “same crap…different day” attitude, or have a “glass is half empty” perspective on things, then you likely have a bad attitude. 
3. Do people seek your input, advice, and counsel? If people see you coming and quickly run the other way, you have an attitude problem. Great CEOs are magnets that attract the attention of others. If people shy away from you versus clamor for your attention, you likely have an attitude problem.
4. Are you often frustrated wondering why others don’t see things your way? Everyone can have a bad day, and while it’s okay to have a pity-party every once in a while, it is not the kind of party you want to throw very often, and never publicly. If the majority of your conversations and interactions are negative or confrontational you likely have an attitude problem.
5. Do you have difficulty attracting and retaining tier-one executive talent? The simple truth is that people strongly desire to work with and for great leaders. Great CEOs are talent magnets…people want to be led by those who have much to offer. If you struggle with recruiting, team building, and leadership development you likely have a bad attitude.

If you still don’t know whether or not your attitude is affecting your performance, I would strongly suggest participation in a 360 review process where your strengths and weakness are objectively assessed by those whom you interface with on a frequent basis. Lastly, following are few statistics that might convince you to change your outlook on life if you tend to be a pessimist:

1. People with bad attitudes have an 800% higher incident rate of being diagnosed with clinical depression.
2. People who possess a negative outlook on life are four times more likely to suffer a stroke, heart attack, or be diagnosed with cancer.
3. People who have bad attitudes have more career turnover.
4. People with bad attitudes have a 50% higher divorce rate. 
5. People with bad attitudes are ten times more likely to have poor relationships with their children. 

If your attitude is impeding your relationships, your talent, or your health, it might be time to consider making some changes…If you have any great stories about how attitudes impact leadership and morale please share them in the comments section below.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Are you a bold leader? Have you been told that you have a bit of an edge? If so, you have likely found that it serves you very well. Let me be clear that when I refer to an edge I’m not talking about rough edges, or confusing candor with rude or arrogant behavior. What I am referring to is having a direct, no B.S. approach that allows you to get right to the heart of an issue in the shortest time-frame possible. So my question is this…how edgy are you?

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday debating the merits of new GM CEO, Daniel Akerson’s leadership style. Mr. Akerson is well known for his candid, demanding and often blunt approach to business. The article discussed the pros and cons assocaited with his style of leadership, which I personally find quite refreshing. Spare me the politicians masquerading as CEOs, and give me a leader who will cut to the chase and get things done.

On several occasions I’ve received that “I can’t believe you just said that” look from clients. In fact, one recent interaction in particular does a good job of conveying the value of having an edge…I had a client look directly at me and say: “If I spoke to my clients like that they would fire me right on the spot…How do you get away with that?” My question back to him was: “Why don’t you fire me?” His response: “because you tell me what I need to hear as opposed to what you think I want to hear, and I value that.” My reply: “That’s how I get away with it.”

I have found that people largely fall into two groups: those known for their candor, and those known for a lack thereof. I have also found that in most cases people value candor, and if they don’t, I’ve found that they tend to live in an ego-centric, altered state of denial that will result in many unnecessary hardships. I coined the following phrase to address these delusional types: “Those who seek shelter in the wisdom of sound counsel must also be willing to take refuge there…Those unwilling to do the latter, really don’t value the former.” 

I’ve never been accused of being politically correct, or a shrinking violet. In fact, my edge is a large part of my competitive value proposition. I don’t sugar coat, gloss-over, or spin…rather I tell you what you need to hear, which is always the truth, regardless of whether or not it is easy to swallow. My clients tell me that having someone to hold them accountable, challenge their business logic, force them out of comfort zones, and tell them the truth is a rarity in the marketplace (remember that scarcity = value).

As a validation for what I’ve communicated above, among the most common requests received by coaching referral services are inquiries looking for “strong” coaches. The simple truth of the matter is that I’ve rarely encountered a successful professional advisor, entrepreneur, executive, or any leader for that matter who doesn’t have a bit of an edge. Think about it this way, do you want to be a professional mind reader, or do you simply prefer that people engage in sincere, honest dialog?

Now let’s take this discussion up a notch - how sharp is your edge? We’ve all come across those people in our lives who don’t just possess an edge, but they have taken their edge to a completely different level having honed it to a razor’s edge…These people not only possess the qualities espoused above, but they have also learned how to appropriately leverage their edge by using it for the right purpose at the right time. Whether they use their edge as a subtle carving tool used for shaping and refining, a surgical blade used to implement change, as a lightning rod for shock-and-awe purposes, or a defensive instrument of protection, they know when to use it, and when to keep it in check. So, I ask again…Do you have and edge, and if so, how sharp is your edge?

What do you think of the value of candor in the workplace?

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Those of you familiar with my work know how much I detest politically correct sound-bites. Even worse is when those sound-bites are used in an attempt to make statements which embolden a corporate position that doesn’t really even exist to begin with. Just because something is written in a vision or mission statement, placed on a website, included in company collateral material, or frequently espoused by corporate leadership as a competitive value proposition doesn’t necessarily mean its true. In today’s post I’ll examine one of the most frequent offenders; “Talent is our biggest asset.”

Rarely do I speak with an executive who hasn’t drunk the talent messaging Kool-Aid. They all speak of the quality of their talent as a key success metric…in fact, many of them will emphatically state that talent is their single biggest competitive advantage. If I only had a nickel for each time a CEO has told me “We have the best talent in the industry.” Reality check…as polished as their rhetoric tends to be, the simple truth of the matter is that their elocution doesn’t match their business practices. They often talk the talk, but rarely do they walk the walk.

While I’ve often addressed what it really takes to create a talent driven organization, few companies seem willing to make the requisite investments needed to successfully align their actions with their management speak. It has been my consistent experience that talent is one of the most often discussed, and least effectively actioned issues at executive leadership meetings. If CEOs spent half as much time on talent initiatives as they do complaining about talent, their companies would see significant improvement thus obviating the need for all the complaining.

Here’s an observation for your consideration…when an executive leadership meeting is called and there isn’t a dedicated executive level talent resource present, you don’t value talent as much a you think you do. I’m not talking about inviting your HR manager to attend the meeting for a few minutes, but rather having a C-level talent executive with a regular seat at the table. If your company doesn’t have a Chief Talent Officer, Chief People Officer etc.,  then you are likely just paying lip service to the value of talent.

If you just downsized and gave your previously “highly valued assets” their walking papers then you might not value talent as much as you say you do. One of my mentors once cautioned me about treating people as furniture saying that “individuals are not inantimate objects to simply be moved around and discarded, but that people require a constant investment of time and money to develop to their full potential.” He was constantly cautioning about short-term hires, and believed that you shouldn’t hire anyone whom you couldn’t keep and develop over the long haul.  I would encourage you to read a previous post on “Workforce Reduction.”

If recruiting, training and development is being charged to a mid-level manager whose real domain expertise lies in administration and compliance then talent will likely become your largest contingent liability as opposed to your biggest asset. In a previous post entitled “Who Should Do The Hiring” I go into great detail as to why recruiting and hiring should not always be an HR function.

Bottom line…if you have high employee turnover (see “Cutting Employee Churn“), a fractured corporate culture, a lack of leadership development and mentoring programs, regressive compensation programs, and a lack of C-level focus on talent then talent cannot be your biggest asset. Don’t hype…stop complaining…fix the problem.

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Does perception matter? We’ve all heard the saying “perception is reality,” but is it true? Does perception never, rarely, sometimes, or always equal reality? While I long ago reached the conclusion that perception does in fact matter, it may not be for the reasons that you might think.  I have found that the majority of people tend to be myopic with regard to perception…they understand their own  perceptions, but are quite often either ignorant or intolerant of other’s perceptions. You see, the most important item to understand is that success as a leader has very little to do with your perception, but rather it has everything to do with the perception of others.

I’m not suggesting that you ignore your perception, subordinate your perception, or change your perception, but I am strongly suggesting that you take the time to both be aware of, and understand the perceptions of others. What I’ve just espoused has nothing to with compromising your values or being disingenuous. Rather my reasoning simply hypothisizes that if you’re not in touch with the perceptions of meaningful constituencies, your success will be impeded by your tunnel vision. In the text that follows, I’m going to give you a different perspective on understanding perception.  

Let’s start the analysis by examining the definitional differences between “perception” and “reality”:

Perception Defined: a perception is a belief, theory, hypothesis, feeling, appearance, opinion, observation, insight, awareness, or sensitivity. It may or may not constitute reality, and initial perceptions often change with the passing of time, the changing of circumstances, or the receipt of additional information.

Reality Defined: Reality is certain, authentic, actual, true, and factual. True reality is undeniable, indisputable, and not subject to debate.  

Attitudes, perspectives, and positions can in many cases be born out by facts. However they can also be little more than emotional or philosophical beliefs that are far from factual statements. The best example I can give is to ask you to revisit the image to the left…Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? My answer is yes. You see both answers are correct, both answers are a matter of perception, and to my points made earlier, both answers are very telling. If you’ll allow me to take a deeper dive on this illustration you’ll start to see why understanding other’s perceptions are critically important. Let’s look at how different individuals might view the glass:

1. The Optimist: The glass is half full.
2. The Pessimist: The glass is half empty.
3. The Salesperson: How much water would you like your glass to hold?
4. The Accountant: Does the glass really need all that water?
5. The Attorney: If there are enough people on one side of this issue I can file a class action suit.
6. The Investment Banker:  I’m only 50% leveraged.
7. The Engineer: The glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
8. The Quantum Physicist: The glass has a 50% probability of holding water. 
9. The Philosopher: If nobody looks at the glass, who’s to say whether it’s half full or half empty?
10. The Politician: Let’s take a poll and then I’ll render my opinion as to how full or empty the glass is.
11. The Servant Leader: Whatever the amount of water, I’ll use it first to quench the thirst of those I lead.  

Those of you more creative than I could likely come up with a much longer list, but I think this exercise makes the point that understanding other’s perceptions is a critical part of being an effective leader. Great leaders take the time to understand the various constituencies and spheres of influence they come in contact with. “My way or the highway” thinking, and/or positional dictatorships rarely create the culture and performance demonstrated by winning organizations. Whether you agree or disagree is not the point…The point is that understanding the perceptions of others affords you a source of intelligence, a learning opportunity, and the ability to keep lines of communication open.

So back to my original question: Does perception never, rarely, sometimes, or always equal reality? How do you feel?