I am mid-flight from Minneapolis to Seattle. I am enjoying every minute of this flight. I travel a lot and today was fortunate to get the upgrade – 3A! Certainly makes the flight more enjoyable. Leg room. Hot coffee. Free Wi-Fi. Rock Star style en-route to Seattle! Thank you Delta!

To some degree my excitement for the upgrade was proportionate to my expectation. There was no expectation. If it happens, it happens. That is new.

There was a time in the not so distant past that I expected to be in first class.

Always.

I was entitled.

Not good.

My sense of entitlement made me a less effective leader. Less compassionate. A bit short sighted. Perhaps at times even a bit challenged to connect in a genuine, authentic and meaningful way.

Entitled Leadership is a very common syndrome. It is an occupational hazard. Blend a little talent, tenure, the corner office and country club life that comes with it and it is easy to enter the entitlement zone.

It isn’t really about first class or coach. It is really about the difference between entitlement and appreciation.

The margin of difference between appreciation and entitlement really comes down to awareness, attitude and approach.

Unfortunately, entitled leadership can significantly diminish employee engagement and the passionate connection to the organizational purpose that drives performance.

If you want to be a leader that others want to follow consider this approach:

Expect nothing. Earn everything. Every minute. Everyday.

When you demand that of yourself it is much easier to ask and expect it of others.

Earning ‘followership’ is the mark of leader.

You can’t earn it with tenure or title.

You can earn it through consistent, quality actions.

Appreciate.

3A is nice. It isn’t necessary or all that important.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership

Tags: Appreciation, Entitlement, Leadership, Management

Spring is here.  After a long Minnesota winter it is very welcome.  But that isn’t the season I am most excited about.

Nope.  I am ready for Conference Season!  The next few months will see associations and corporate teams gather in multiples.  From the annual event to the impromptu off site, busy professionals will be getting together to connect, communicate, collaborate and set the course for forward progress in their business.  I assume a little fun will be had along the way.

I recall a couple years ago hearing about the conference model dying.  The premise being that with emerging technology there would simply be increasingly less need to have a conference style event.  That premise didn’t deliver on the promise and as someone who attends 30+ conferences a year there is increasing interest the live event.  No doubt, expectations around the experience are on the rise.  Quality content and connections are a baseline requirement.  But today, people have a real need and desire to come together and share with like minded people.  I am fortunate to have two such opportunities this week.

Today, I’ll be in Little Rock talking about Passion & Purpose at the CUPA Southern Region Conference.  Then it’s immediately off to the SHRM Talent & Staffing Conference to spend a couple days with a Rock Star community in San Diego.  I simply cannot wait to be part of the conversation about the most critical issue facing just about every business as we emerge from this recession:  TALENT!

I had an opportunity to have a pre-conference conversation with SHRM about the event.  Part of that conversation included some thoughts about how to get the most out of the conference experience as an attendee.  My key thought is opt in and participate! Online.  Offline.  Tweet Up.  At breakfast.  In the evening.  Take it all in!  If you leave with 3 key ideas to take action on in the next 100 days (TAN PLAN) and 3 new, meaningful connections then the experience will have been very worthwhile.

If you aren’t able to join in the fun this week our intention is to continue the conversation online (we think it is important).  I’ll be teaming up with Don MacPherson of Modern Survey later this month for the Engage – Inspire – Empower webinar event.  We’ll explore the latest research and mega trends on Employee Engagement and provide some specific, actionable take away for business leaders.  The data alone is worth the price of admission (FREE)!  Plan to join us on Tuesday, April 26 at 11:00 am central time (register here). Don’s latest post on the value of values is also well worth the read.

Looking forward to a great season!  Hope we connect along the way!

Posted in Communications, Employee Engagement, Recruiting, Social Media

Tags: CUPA, HR, Keynote, Leadership, Recruiting, SHRM, Talent

It’s been a tough ride recently for many Managers and Leaders.  Stalled initiatives,  shrinking budgets, program cuts and layoffs.  Short term remedies, perhaps necessary, that result in making the challenge of rallying the troops toward a common purpose, capturing the very best effort and output of your human capital and cultivating confidence in the future a burdensome task.  That is why it isn’t a surprise that the Employer Branding Global Research Study conducted by Employer Brand International cited “building a leadership development program to equip leaders with the capabilities  to better manage the employment experience” as the most effective employer branding initiative.  It’s increasingly clear that leader/manager competency is a necessary area of focus and investment for organizations that hope to navigate through this turbulent economy prepared to compete and capitalize in the future.  And while employees have understanding and appreciation for circumstances that necessitate difficult short term business decisions, it’s often the absence of consistent and transparent communication that erodes confidence, disintegrates trust and derails employee engagement.  The combined effect of an effective internal communications strategy and quality leadership are what’s required and unfortunately, all too often overlooked.  Based on years of research/experience our partners at Modern Survey have identified 5 essential elements to create and sustain high levels of employee engagement.  Their thoughtful white paper is available for download here.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership

Tags: Employment Branding, Leadership