To Give Is To Get

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Mark C. Crowley

Roads Leading To Success And FailureA leadership development consultant my company hired several years back had an interesting theory.

It was her contention that people who hold similar or identical positions tend to be the best judges of our strengths and weaknesses.

She explained that as humans, we’re naturally inclined to attune our behavior with those whom we observe to be more effective.  And since we’re always observing the actions of people who do the same work we do, we become quite effective at identifying the limiting behavior in peers as well.

To test her theory, she assembled 20 people – all senior-level financial services executives – and asked us to express what we perceived to be one another’s greatest managerial skill and most undermining shortcoming.

All of this was accomplished anonymously.   We were handed small pieces of paper and directed to separately write down a plus and a minus for each person. Continue reading →

Posted in Heart Leadership In Practice, Leadership, Life Lessons, Wisdom From Other Authors | Tagged , , , , |

The Greatest Recognition I’ve Ever Received

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Mark C. Crowley

TriumphEarly in my career, I was asked to conduct a pilot. A consultant recommended that my bank experiment with outbound telemarketing and I was selected to lead the effort.

Neither the bank nor I had any experience in selling bank products by phone and management was skeptical that we could make a venture like this profitable.  Consequently, I was given just three months to demonstrate it could work.

By the end of our test period, we discovered that selling bank products by phone was actually a good idea.  But because outbound telephone solicitation had such low conversion rates, and also proved quite expensive, I suggested we begin promoting a toll-free number and sell to people who were already attracted to our products and promotions.

The idea of building a direct response center was entirely new in our industry at that time, and we were immediately successful.  In rapid succession, we made virtually every bank product available through our center and drove amazing – and profitable – business.

The bank, of course, was thrilled by all we accomplished, and did something extraordinary to reward it.  They sent me on a week-long trip to Switzerland!

This was my first trip to Europe and it was all exquisitely planned.  Along with 29 other managers also being feted, we stayed in a historic hotel, skied in the Alps, traveled into Germany’s Black Forest, feasted on gourmet meals and experienced authentic Swiss culture.  It was a trip of a life-time!

If you’ve already jumped to the conclusion that this was the greatest recognition I’ve ever received, you’ll be surprised by what I have to share with you.  As wonderful as this trip was, all the indulgences of our seven days there don’t hold a candle to a gesture that cost nothing – but affected me so deeply it inspired me to perform at even higher levels when I returned to work.

Here’s the greatest and most powerful recognition I’ve ever received. Continue reading →

Posted in Heart Leadership In Practice, Leadership, Life Lessons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

Effectively Responding To Problems Strengthens You As A Leader

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Mark C. Crowley

Woman Executive Pondering Her Problem Solutions

My father set an insane example for how to effectively respond to problems in life.

For starters, he had no scale.  Every setback, minor or major, instantly upended him.  He became visibly and vocally upset whenever he hit a bad golf shot, needed a pair of pliers and couldn’t find them, or when I came home with less than stellar grades.

The expressions “flew off the handle” “gone mad” and “hit the roof” were coined by my siblings to describe his reaction to the smallest of life’s delays, interruptions and obstacles.

While I didn’t realize it at the time, I went into the workforce and leadership very poorly prepared to deal with problems that inevitably surfaced.

My father’s irrationality influenced me to feel embarrassed when problems occurred and drove me to find the quickest (and not necessarily the best) possible resolutions.  I’d been unwittingly conditioned to seek perfection at all times and to take difficulties personally – as if they were all a reflection on me and on my abilities.

Gratefully, it wasn’t long before I realized I’d been badly mentored.

Seeing me anguish over some minor, but to me a seemingly monumental issue, a thoughtful manager told me directly:  “It’s a complete fantasy to believe you won’t have problems from time-to-time.  Most importantly, the leaders who make the best of their challenges are the ones who rise to the top.”

This guidance both relieved me and inspired me.  I understood that I wasn’t on the hook for every problem that came my way.  But I also became motivated to learn more effective ways of responding to the snags, hitches, and complications I would inevitably face.

Through personal experience, and by modeling the performance of other leaders I admired, I came to see that there are five essential steps to problem resolution in the workplace.  Follow this unique process to distinguish yourself as a truly intelligent, mature and thoughtful leader:  Continue reading →

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The Incredible Effects Of Your Handshake

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Mark C. Crowley

A Caring Handshake “Touch seems to be as essential as sunshine.”  

Author, Diane Ackerman

If I died tomorrow and could leave society my most valuable insight into 21st Century leadership effectiveness it would have to be this:  Always remember the people you manage are first and foremost human beings. 

The big winners in this new era will be leaders who create a sense of well being in people – resulting in happier, much more engaged and productive employees.

In Lead From The Heart and many previous blogs, I’ve detailed the leadership practices which have the most positive effects on people and therefore on work achievements.  These include building a more personal relationship with employees, proactively developing them, and routinely honoring their achievements.

According to UC Berkeley Psychology Professor, Dacher Keltner, we have an entirely new practice to add to the list – touching.

(If you’re feeling skeptical at this moment, suspend your disbelief  and read on).

Continue reading →

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Right Before You Act, Ask Your Heart

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Mark C. Crowley

Book Cover Image for Thinking Fast And SlowDaniel Kahneman, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, is a genius in our midst.

At seventy-eight-years-old, Kahneman has spent the majority of his life studying how the human mind makes decisions, especially their most important ones.

Leveraging a life’s work of research, in his new book, Thinking Fast And Slow, Kahneman concludes that, all too often, we make incredibly irrational choices – generally because we’re not sufficiently aware of how our minds work.

Kahneman tells us that we have two ways of thinking, what he’s named  “System 1” and “System 2.”

“System 1” is effectively our auto-pilot.  Acting  fast, and with no sense of voluntary control, our intuitive mind continuously generates impressions, intentions and feelings.   When subsequently endorsed by “System 2,” which is most of the time, these impulses turn into our voluntary actions.

“System 2” is our rational mind.  Deliberate, detailed and more specific in it’s processing of complex information, “System 2” slows things down to make more conscious and reasoned decisions.

There are a few things you need to know about “System 2” that might surprise you.  First, it tends to be extremely lazy relying too often on the instinctive direction it receives from its sibling, “System 1.”   And what might appear to be “System 2’s” greatest strength – it’s ability to sharply focus – actually renders it blind at times to important information. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, Leadership, Wisdom From Other Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , |