Positive Paranoia

June 1, 2011

As a professional speaker I was in the airport the other day getting ready to fly to Las Vegas. (I’m there more than Cher.) I was relaxing at the President’s Club, eating cheap cheese and old fruit with all my elite-status, high-mileage brethren. The gentleman who sat down beside me wore a baseball cap that read “NYC Police.” He proceeded to tell me he was an undercover cop, so I had to ask, “Then you only wear this hat on your days off?”

I think a great number of people have no idea how they appear to others. You could fill a large psychiatry office with all the books that have been written about how we perceive ourselves. But few books have any real impact in the area of how we are viewed by others. Taking a look at how others see us is not an easy thing to do. However, if we want to have enough personal influence to make all the communication skills and brilliant ideas we have succeed, willingness needs to raise its ugly head. For example, if you sit down to put on your rollerblades and your spouse calls out “Honey, please be careful,” it means you do not skate well! If people look at your artwork and say things like “Wow, you sure used a lot of paint!” or “This would look awesome in the garage,” it means you don’t have any talent.

Getting honest about who you really are to others is crucial to success. It’s a practice common among top businesspeople. In our 10-year survey of 5,000 top professionals, Wynn Solutions found that the most successful – the top 1% – had a realistic view of how others perceived them. This dose of realism serves them well because they can influence others only as far as those others will allow. So if the great self-portrait I’ve painted in my mind far exceeds the exhibit I’ve put on display to the public, I’ll struggle to convince anyone of my genius.

Believing in yourself is great, but you need others also to believe in you if you hope to motivate or lead people in the direction you want. It’s good to have confidence, and certainly self-esteem is important … but if I believed I was OK regardless of society’s opinions, I would be at the grocery store in my underwear.

We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that something’s true if we just believe strongly enough. I believe the speed limit on toll roads should be 100 mph. That’s slower than the no-speed-limit autobahn, so it seems fair to me. But the cop who pulled me over last week believed I should go to jail. So what I believe is often not only irrelevant; it’s illegal!

Is it possible that some things you believe about yourself may not be true? Can you ask a very close, give-it-to-you-straight friend how you come across to others? This may sound to some like an invitation to developing a slight case of paranoia. But spending your life obliviously unaware of what is preventing you from being seen as valuable is much worse. Being worried about not being OK makes you human and relevant. Showing up to the big board meeting in an ’80s dress with shoulder pads could make you (literally) history – especially if you are a man!

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

Leadership Success: Five BIG LEADERSHIP MISTAKES you may never see coming

August 10, 2010

The key to leadership is influence and the key to influence is making sure your people feel valuable.

  1. The seduction of power: Being the boss can cause some people to believe they are superior beings.  If you feel like you kind of own your people and they are lucky to be working for you, you have a problem. You may be power crazy if you refer to yourself in the 3rd person, you interrupt your employees in the middle of important business tasks to get them to do personal favors for you or people tend to bow and clasp their hands when they ask you questions.
  2. Causing people to stop using common sense: People who are demanding cause their people to get distracted away from their priorities. Common sense is not always that common! You need to make sure you are not distracting your people away from thinking and you get people to think by asking good questions.
  3. Indulging in favoritism: Do you have employees that you like more than others?   Do you think the other employees know that? This is a big deal because it can cause a good employee to lower their productivity.  If some employees feel less valuable than others they will stop giving their best effort.
  4. Overreactions that create liars: You may act in a way that makes your people not want to tell you things (you end up the least informed person in the office). There is enough dishonesty in the world without us creating it in the people around us. Some of us have more control over our reactions that others. Overreactions are an acute awareness. If you have quick reflexes, you tend to be over reactive (a good pilot or Astronaut is the exception but they are hard to find). The key is to be accepting and tolerant or tell people you may overreact but you recover quickly.
  5. Believing that it’s not what you say, it’s what you do:
    Your strategic thinking won’t help you enough.
    What comes out of your mouth creates the culture around you. It’s not what you do, it’s what you say in reality.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

Influencial Leadership: What top leaders do differently

April 7, 2010

If your job is to get everybody on the same page, you should at least make that page a lot easier to read.

Influencial leaders have value and clarity

  • They can clearly explain their value in 20 seconds. You have to know what people value before you can influence them. Knowledge is not enough.
  • They are able to get people to think: Teaching is not enough. Always ask questions. Good question: “Is there a question I didn’t ask today that you think I should have?”

How leaders cause their people not to think – Sometimes we’re so dominant, people just react to our behavior and don’t use common sense. They focus on what we leaders want in the moment, and not on job requirements.

Avoiding bad questions is easy; asking good questions takes effort.

  • They use the agreement formula: Ask, listen, agree, recommend. The reason this works is because people rarely disagree with their own ideas.
  • They don’t use their intelligence against themselves. It doesn’t matter how smart you are if no one knows what you’re talking about. Communication is about making sure people actually understand what they are supposed to do. It’s not just about making the information available. It’s a complete cycle.
  • They don’t show a lack of tolerance. If you are intelligent, you may lack tolerance for those who don’t understand things as well as you. If that is the case, you may be labeled a poor communicator, which robs you of influence. You are now the smartest person in the room with the least amount of influence. Congratulations!

They clearly communicate their point and don’t give mixed messages.

They avoid “jellyfish management”

  • A jellyfish manager is a leader who doesn’t stand behind company initiatives and then loses patience with his or her employees when they can’t get the job done to company specifications. A true leader does not blame those in upper management.

Effective language: “It’s definitely different but can be done. I know you can do it because I’m confident you have the skills to make it happen.

They know the perfect team is not perfect

  • The definition of a team is people who play different positions. If we all thought and believed the same way, we’d make a terrible team. A good team needs people with different schools of thought.
  • The job of a leader is to forge a team out of a diverse group of people who may not always agree. A good leader can make the peace, hold the team accountable, and make them feel valued as a unit.

They have fair partnerships that create good relationships

  • People need to know the leader is doing all they can. Employees under 30 don’t work hard if they think the boss is not working hard. Work … or look like it! It’s possible to have authority without influence.

They deal well with younger workers

  • Praise them along the way to the goal.
  • Younger generations need to know up front the consequences for ignoring policy. They need stiff guidelines, not vague warnings.  Show how their work affects the big picture of the whole company, not just their individual job.
  • Make sure that every task has a legitimate reason for existing: show the value of safety and let them know how valuable they are.
  • The worst leadership strategy you can have is wishing people were more like you.

They know how to hold people accountable

  • The best way to hold people accountable is by holding yourself accountable first in front of them. Most leaders will not readily do this, but the most effective leaders always do.
  • What to say: “Things were not optimal last week. As your leader, I’ve looked at some things I could do differently. I can attend safety meetings with you and communicate initiatives more clearly. Now let’s go around the room and talk about what else we can do differently.” People instantly become accountable when given a say.

They make good first impressions

  • What looks good instantly – People are apt to choose what looks good right off the bat.
  • Instant image impact – The most influential people make sure people believe in what they are doing before they do it
  • People don’t work for companies; they work for their direct supervisor.

They know that companies grow and they need to adjust

  • Compliance – When a company grows, the tactics have to change to fit the size of the company.
  • It’s like hunting larger prey. You need a bigger weapon. Some guns just make polar bears mad. The tactics have to fit the job.
  • Increased professionalism – If you work in the same place for a long time, you only know that culture. When the culture changes due to growth, you are required to change with it. The benchmark of a professional leader – You need to tell people why they are doing something, not just what to do.

They spend time with people who can position them to succeed

  • Good leaders network with the right people and associate themselves with those who can help them succeed. If you spend all your time with people who can’t help you succeed, you don’t have time for those who can or will. Spend a lot of time with your top performers, not just your low performers.

They know how to keep and attract top performers

  • The driving force behind success – Compulsive behavior can drive successful employees. And sometimes great talent comes with great weakness. Most leaders over manage their top performers. We have to understand the best way for some people to work is by literally doing it their own proven way.
  • Your own ego issues – Don’t let your ego clash with your employees’. You might have to set strict guidelines, but you have to get out of the way and let top performers succeed. Ensure they have an effective environment.
  • Why they really leave, and why they won’t tell you – Research from Rice University showed the number one reason employees under 30 leave is because their supervisor does not pay enough attention to them and they aren’t getting sufficient feedback. Workers over 30 leave because they don’t feel valued by their coworkers or boss. People under 30 equate attention with value. As we get older, we may lose the need for attention, but we still need to feel valued.

They understand why people leave

  • Lack of leadership – People don’t really work for companies; they work for their direct supervisor.
  • The video store experiment – If a leader does not make his or her people feel valuable – if they yell or don’t show respect – once that manager isn’t looking or isn’t around to watch employee activities, productivity drops to nothing. You could have the same group of employees with different shift managers, and the employees will change their behavior based on which manager is around. The attitude of the supervisor affects the behavior of the workers.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

The REAL Truth about Change Management

January 26, 2010

Let’s get real! The main reason people don’t want to change is because no one wants to be a senior beginner.  If people believe their value or expertise will be undermined as they’re forced to adapt to the new way, resistance to change is the natural reaction.

Transition does not feel the same for everyone.
Some adapt well (but not as many as you’d think), some struggle but manage to adapt, and some lose the will to live! Several studies show that when an organization’s most talented people decide to leave, it’s during times of change. The people who are committed, naturally good at what they do, and driven compulsively to succeed have the most difficulty with change. It’s a lot easier to be totally flexible when you pretty much sucked anyway. My (melodramatic) point is that adaptability is a wonderful trait to have in an employee; it’s just not a trait you are likely to find in your superachievers.

If you hope to not alienate your superachievers (and your regular achievers) during times of change, you’ll need to make sure they feel valuable during and beyond the transition. That means the people in your organization have to be influential and not just knowledgeable about how change works. It means you’d better have their trust or be real good at rebuilding it quickly when a message like “We need to double our production with existing resources” hits the street. It means the change has to make sense to the people who can make or break your success, not just to your liquidly flexible, mediocre masses. And if you do not like what I’ve written and you are having a hard time adapting these concepts, congratulations – you’re a talented superachiever!

So what’s actually working?
Spend some time proving to your people how valuable they are during transition by making the change as easy as possible. Also, make sure the people with giant mouths in your organization who have the ear of masses know how the change will benefit them personally. You want to make sure those big mouths are flapping for you, not against you. And finally, quit using the phrase “We need to do more with less” as if it’s somehow motivational. It’s tough even for your diehard leaders to get behind that verbiage when in reality the goal of most humans is to actually do less with more! Instead, tell people the truth behind the change: “We are trying to be more profitable so we don’t have to cut your pay, which might cause you to scare off the customers!”     

Alternative truth for the politically correct 
“We are trying to be more profitable so we can afford to keep doing what’s best for the customer and our employees.”

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business success

What’s Goin’ Down With Garrison       

Lately, my time’s been spread almost equally between delivering keynote speeches, contributing weekly to the Washington Post’s online column “On Success,” and meeting demand for my new book The Real Truth About Success. Already in its second printing, the book is now available in six languages and electronically in a Kindle version. Audio’s next! Plans are being made for distribution of the book in 20 countries! After many book signings and radio interviews, I’m glad to find out that success and truth are so universally in demand.

Thanks, everyone, for making The Real Truth About Success a success!  

I’m grateful …
To my publisher, McGraw-Hill, for their hard work and guidance and making sure the book is available at all bookstores and online outlets. We are thrilled about it being a top seller – having a second printing so soon is great news!    

To the global groups who are making things happen for us. Having the book released in multiple languages is great (it looks like about 14 so far) but I’m not sure how accurately my material will translate. How exactly does one say “psychotic BS” or “jellyfish managerial style” in Korean? My agent says not to worry. She’s great, by the way; special thanks to you, Wendy. Question: When the audio version is released, will people in other countries think it’s me speaking their language? 

To Linda for making this book happen even with my crazy schedule. You are like family and a key factor in the success of the book and Wynn Solutions Team.

To Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstore personnel for coming to my speaking events and making the book available to attendees. (Special thanks to the woman in Nashville in August who worked by herself and did not panic when panic was an understandable option!)  

For the great reviews we have received from readers, media, Facebook users, Twitterers, corporations, and associations. I really appreciate all of the good feedback! And thanks also to those who have posted positive reviews at Amazon.com to help sell books online.

To the radio show hosts who’ve actually read the book before the interview. I have radio experience and know that skimming 10 minutes before the broadcast is the norm.

And finally to the all the interviewees involved in the research (even those who hung up on me!) for the valuable information you provided. This book could not happen without your willingness – to tell the real truth about success.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

The Real Truth about Success: Getting Great Results When Things Aren’t That Great

April 10, 2009

How do we get great results?

By taking a look at the truth about success!

My keynote  presentations and training programs  are based on my company’s research of top performers (5,000 top-performing people of influence in 21 industries) and shows what the most successful people have in common. Recently, I created a summery of the core ideas I presented in a keynote for a client looking to provide something extra for attendees to take home. These same idea are examined in detail in my newest book “The Real Truth about Success” . 

The Real Truth about Success is based on Wynn Solutions’ research of top performers (5,000 top-performing people of influence in 21 industries) and shows what the most successful people have in common.

Dealing with difficult people is one of the true litmus tests of being influential. When you boil it down, if you criticize the ideas of the people you are dealing with, they are less likely to use your ideas; and if you make people feel important, then you and your agenda/ideas will be more important to them. We also have to learn the importance of our behavior reflecting on our skill level. Sometimes our behavior betrays our skill. If people do not like your behavior, they will consistently look for reasons not to trust or agree with you. It is possible to be right without making others feel people wrong. People do not choose what’s best; they choose what they are the most comfortable with whether it’s the best or not.

Another often-overlooked area of influence and teamwork is judgment. Top performers acknowledge and act on the concept that everyone knows something they do not. We can all learn from one another. Also, when confronted with bad ideas or information, an attitude of conciliation is the most effective approach. In other words, instead of saying “You’re wrong,” you can take a step back and calmly state, “I disagree with your approach (ideas) but am willing to listen.” This disarms the listener and creates a spirit of teamwork that will enhance the opportunity for productivity. You might also find you are more in agreement than previously thought. Furthermore, you might discover why the person you are speaking with is in fact incorrect, and you can forward the conversation from there. The amazing part of this tactic is that as you listen and gain agreement, you will see that they will start to change their story to match yours as a product of trust gained.

Top performers also understand the truth about trust. Our research shows that trust is built on the foundation of two things: compassion and competence. Data we have collected about effective communication styles clearly demonstrates that an overwhelming number of people responded well when they felt heard or listened to. If you make them feel heard and appreciated, as stated earlier, you and your agenda will be more important to them.

When you rob people of their uniqueness, you make one of the biggest communication mistakes there is. Don’t be dismissive if people say they’ve got a problem. Agree that their problem is valid, and they will be more accepting of your solutions – so accepting that they’re more likely to take accountability for those solutions. Agreement is the foundation of accountability. People are much more likely to be in agreement with those who have agreed with them first!

Another issue is dealing with people you don’t get along with very well. Many people think getting everyone to like each other is the key to success, but our research shows that how well you work with people you don’t get along with will define your greatness. You must be willing to look at your own behavior; if you have personality conflicts on a regular basis, you need to investigate your personality.

Also, top performers know everyone has the same basic agenda: We all want sincerity, value and prestige. Sincerity is simply a matter of making sure your sincerity matches the situation – are you being real? Value is about having several scenarios or solutions for addressing a single problem. People need to know you believe there is more than one way to do things. Prestige is about making people look good to others. Can you make them look smart in front of people they want to impress?

If people know you have all three of these attributes, they will listen intently to everything you say every time you speak. It’s the foundation of influence. But even as they listen, they might encounter the obstacle of believability: Some things might be true but might not be very believable. If people believe something strongly, they just look for reasons to prove the “truth” of what they already believe. So the key to getting people to change their beliefs or see things your way is to first show the similarities before calling attention to any differences.

What the most influential people have in common 

  • They can clearly explain value in about 20 seconds: The longer it takes you to explain value, the more people might believe you don’t have any. The key to having a cohesive team is making sure your ideas are perceived as valuable not just for project success, but valuable to them personally. You have to know what people value before you can influence them. You need to teach them to think, not just give them knowledge. You can do that by asking good questions such as these: Is there a question I did not ask you today that you think that I should have?
    Is there a difference between what you think is important about your job and what others think is important?
  • Their ideas are clear enough to follow: It does not matter how smart you are if no one knows what you’re talking about. Clarity, more than intelligence, is the foundation of success. It’s hard to clarify a team vision if it’s fuzzy. You can’t build a shared vision if everyone sees it differently. Your intelligence could cause you to lack tolerance for those who do not understand things the way you do. You could be labeled a poor communicator and lose your influence. You may need to simplify things a bit to be more effective. If the goal is to get everyone on the same page, you’ll want to make that page easier to read.
  •  They understand the issues between older and younger workers: Older workers will quickly attack what they see as a lack of work ethic in younger team members. They see young people who will quit their job to go on a ski trip! Younger workers see the older people as being inefficient and unable to multitask. When they ask a question of an older worker, they feel they get the history of the answer first. They also believe older workers don’t have an accurate grasp of technology. Younger people need to know that an understanding of how things worked in the past will help older team members embrace the new way. It’s hard to create a future without understanding the past. To lead people effectively, you need to know where they’ve been. Older people need to see that you value their experience and are willing to seek their counsel. Let their experience work for you! Older leaders need to give more consistent praise and use small goals and tight deadlines. Wishing someone were more like you is not an effective tactic. You have to manage people for who they are, not who you want them to be. Also, older leaders should remember that young people are not living in our times – we are living in theirs.
  •  They have fair partnerships: A fair partnership guarantees a team effort (lead by example). You have to be willing to do some of the things you’re asking others to do. You can stand your ground but you must show fairness. • They spend time with people who can position them to succeed: Leverage the relationships that will take you somewhere and minimize the time and effort you invest in those that won’t. Spend more time with productive people and create a culture of excellence.
  • They understand the power of gratitude: You attract better people, effort and respect when people know you are grateful.
  • Change is not the problem; it is resistance to change: Top performers know they must constantly grow and adapt to lead people (or themselves) in a successful direction. Action and adaptability create opportunity. Flexibility is the key to longterm success. Intelligence and skill are not enough to make most organizations view you as effective.
  • Success lives in you; you did not get it from a keynote speech or a book: All humans have the basic ingredients of success. That’s why we are the dominant species on the planet. Never forget your value! You have the ability to be influential if you implement practices that already have a good track record of success.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

The Boss – A Moving Company’s 3rd-Generation Chief – NYTimes.com

March 23, 2009

The New York Times business section recently featured a success story about Maureen Beal, Chief executive of National Van Lines. Maureen gives us some great insight into her secret advantage on her road to success.

Since I was no longer the boss’s daughter, people would say things in front of me that they wouldn’t have before. At lunch with my colleagues, I would hear them talk about terrible bosses. This boss was demanding or disrespectful, that one didn’t listen, and another one never asked about anyone’s family when it had a crisis.
The Boss – A Moving Company’s 3rd-Generation Chief – NYTimes.com

Maureen also makes a strong point about the importance of spending most of your time focussing on what you do well, while surrounding yourself with others whose strong points balance out your weaknesses. If you spend most of your trying to improve your weaknesses, you loose the chance of ever really succeeding in what you do well.

I also learned that you have to surround yourself with people who have the expertise you lack, even if it makes you uncomfortable. My father was a visionary; administration was not his strong point. It’s mine, however, along with the ability to carry out a plan. If someone presents an idea to me, I can determine whether or not it will work. I can’t always define exactly what I want, but I know it when I see it.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

Management and Leadership

April 22, 2008

Getting Great Results Turning Talent Into Performance:  If you did not see this program live, here are some brief presentation notes

The definition of leadership: Someone following someone because he wants to, not because he has to.

Do you want to be right or effective?
Have you ever been so right that no one would talk to you? If you criticize others’ ideas, they will almost never use yours, no matter how good they are.

Effective leaders drop their judgments:
Everybody knows something you don’t. “I disagree, but I am willing to listen.” Thinking you know everything is proof that you don’t.

Listening skills:
You motivate people by listening to them; compassion and attention create dedication. When people feel heard and not judged, they will do more than just the minimum.

Managing difficult personality styles:
A high percentage of employees with difficult behavior may be getting unintentional negative consequences for doing a good job. Don’t reward an effective employee with someone else’s work.

What great managers know:
People don’t change that much. Look for the value they have now. Don’t manage for the miracle; just because you found one diamond in the rough does not mean you are a magic manager. Some people just suck!

Hiring for talent:
Look for the naturally recurring patterns that are needed to do the job. Some people are very articulate and experienced and yet have no ability. If they ask you to further explain the question you just asked them in an interview, tell them it’s their interpretation that’s important. You will now find out who they really are.

Use attribute assessments:
Stop hiring the talent impaired!

You turn talent into performance by aligning goals with talents.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

The Key to Listening to Boring People

November 29, 2007

I know that listening is important but it can be very difficult when you don’t care about what the other person is talking about. We want to care; we have compassion for people and their problems (OK, some of us do practice pathological leadership) but something about what they are saying is losing us at about 5 seconds in. Sometimes it’s the topic: when my wife talks about Yoga I just stop caring. I saw her in front of the TV doing a headstand while wearing a neck brace. Could Yoga be the problem and not the solution? Sometimes we don’t have the time for a low priority issue right before that important conference call. But every now and then it’s the person who is talking. Some people are just boring! Its not their fault I guess; maybe the were raised by boring parents in a boring environment. Our research at Wynn Solutions shows that making sure people feel heard is the foundation of trust. But what I have noticed over the years and what we now teach our clients, is that if you focus on how someone feels (happy, mad, glad, sad or freaked out) while you are listening to them (not just what they say) you are able to hang in their with the people that would normally send you to snoozeville. Also, you retain much more information (regardless of your poor listening skills) and believe it or not, you start to care more about what they are saying. It’s amazing and I highly recommend you try it.

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

Tired of Employees who Can’t Think on Their Feet?

November 20, 2007

With all the information out their on leadership/management, I think it’s interesting that we still keep asking ourselves “How do I get my people to actually think”. Knowing “it” and doing “it” seem to have very little in common these days. You can teach people what to do, but is it possible to teach them how to make good decisions? Our interviews with leaders around the world (no, it’s not just an American problem) indicate that we either have a bumper-crop of idiots taking over the globe or we have forgotten how to set effective examples. I think we get so busy and focused on doing more with less (I personally would prefer to do less with much more) that we forget to show our people how to think strategically, anticipate problems, prepare for change and prioritize. If you have the skills you want your people to possess make sure they see you using them. It’s more than leadership by example. It’s setting the pace and explaining your thinking along the way. However, if you totally suck at the skills your people need to have, you need a talented person to do it for you. You often hear “you don’t need superstars, you just need team players (that’s advice from people who may have lacked talent themselves)”. Get yourself some superstars and the rest of the team will get a lot better, fight their way to the middle or quit. A team full of people who don’t think well on their feet will often stumble (we did not need any research to come up with that one).

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Posted by Ginger Dailey Wynn

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