Experts Offer Advice For How To Lead During 2021

Today, the following expert business and leadership book authors shared their advice for how to effectively lead during 2021. My question to them was:

What is your advice for leaders as we enter what is surely to be a challenging 2021 for most businesses?

Fred Dust -- Author of Making Conversation: Seven Elements of Meaningful Communication

“There’s been a surprisingly joyful outcome of 2020—quite simply, leaders are seeing those they lead as humans. They’ve seen them wrestling with children, in trying to manage personal and professional challenges at home, more Zoom gaffes than we can count, etc., which has given employers a deeply humanistic view of those they manage.

“The converse is also true. Mangers, leaders, and CEOs are grappling with the same—noisy toddlers, spouses who are also navigating unprecedented schedules, faulty technology, etc. This recognition of humanity is significant—I myself paused a team meeting yesterday when I noticed one of my colleagues was especially quiet and asked what was up. She explained a particularly difficult conversation and we all stopped and helped her work through her personal issue before diving back into business. We will continue to need this response from leaders in 2021. We cannot lose this newfound sense of humanity of the people we work with. We need to preserve it, design it into the fabric of our meetings, gatherings, workflows. This will have a significant impact on the way your organization and your people move forward into a hopeful 2021.”

Nathan Magnuson -- Author of Stand Out! and Ignite Your Leadership Expertise

“Lead with authenticity, empathy and vulnerability. That's what it takes to build and sustain the human connection that people need in the new year. When leaders admit to their own challenges instead of portraying a strong and stoic model of unshakability (on the outside), teams grow together, not apart. Think of it like this: when an orange gets squeezed, the juice is going to come out one way or another. It's the same with stress.

“So, let's anticipate it and build in psychological safety measures to succeed together instead of avoiding the inevitable. 2020 was a challenging year and 2021 will bring concerns of its own, but let's come away stronger and more empathetic because of it.”

Suneel Gupta -- Author of BACKABLE: The Surprising Truth About What Makes People Take a Chance on You

"Don’t revert back to ignoring the introverts. When we're in person, brainstorming can quickly devolve into "shout storming.” The loudest voices drown out everyone else. But in a remote culture forced by the quarantine, companies are now relying more on written thought expression, and people who have otherwise been subdued are now speaking out and being heard.

That rang so true for me—I’ve seen it happen over and over again not just in a business setting, but elsewhere, too! Friends groups, families, etc.—the way we’re interacting has changed so drastically and everyone feels on much more equal footing. I hope this trend continues!"

Jonathan Littman and Susanna Camp -- Authors of The Entrepreneur’s Faces: How Makers, Visionaries and Outsiders Succeed

“Seek out specialists. Maybe you have a new venture, or it’s time to pivot to meet the shifting demands of the Covid economy. Make sure you have the right mix of talents at the right time. Sometimes the amazing people key to your launch don’t scale in step with your company. Everyone wears lots of hats at the beginning, and generalists are great here. But as you grow, you’ll need specialists on the team: great salespeople, creative marketers, and robust techies.

“This also extends to personal growth. When it’s time to step up to become a better leader, standing on the shoulders of others can be a great strategy. Seek the expertise of vetted coaches and advisors to focus on specific areas where you need targeted help. Brian Chesky of Airbnb has done just that in recent years. He started out as the archetype we would call the Outsider, bringing a ‘Beginner’s Mind’ as a designer breaking into the hospitality space. As he grew into a more effective leadership role, he’s taken advice from some of the biggest business leaders in the world, such as Warren Buffett, who counseled him to ‘get rich slow.’ Reid Hoffman is a board member, and Chesky’s also brought in Apple alum Jony Ive – who spent years collaborating with the visionary Steve Jobs – to make some magic come true in the coming year. Spot-tune your team during this turbulent time, for more holistic growth.”

David Grossman -- Author of 8 Ways to Lead with Heart in Times of Uncertainty and Change

“My advice for leaders as they head into 2021 – or any challenging time – is to lead with heart. It’s relatively easy to lead when times are good. It takes a lot more courage, empathy and grit to lead during tough times. Now more than ever, leaders play a pivotal role in connecting, calming and inspiring their teams. Employees are looking for leaders who can move them through the storms with wisdom, grace and compassion and there are concrete actions all leaders can take to accomplish that.”

Jerold Zimmerman and Daniel Forrester -- Authors of Relentless: The Forensics of Mobsters' Business Practices

“2021 will not be a return to 2019. 2019 is gone for good. Apocalyptic events like the 2020 pandemic, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and World War II change the world, often in unexpected ways. One of our grandmothers raised a family during the 1930s. When she died in the 60s as an affluent housewife, she had cupboards full of hundreds of cans of Campbells soup, tea bags, and brown paper bags. The Depression created a hoarder. So too will the 2020 pandemic forever alter our lives. Many transformations are unfolding concurrently: telemedicine, home schooling, online shopping, virtual meetings and consumer experiences.

“But many changes coming in 2021 and beyond were unforeseen in 2020. The world still faces great uncertainty about the effectiveness of the Covid vaccines, the duration of their effectiveness, and the ability of the virus to mutate. Many industries will forever be altered: cruise lines, retail, restaurants, business travel, and higher education. We have no crystal ball, but we have some thoughts and insights based on the laws of economics and the need for organizations to drive towards constructive cultures where employees feel safe and heard.

Our advice to leaders is to anticipate a new, as yet to be determined, new normal in 2021. We are likely at the half time of this pandemic and it’s time to take stock and to apply sound thinking to a 2021 reality. More than ever, leaders must be relentless and resourceful in adapting to emerging trends. For example, not all employees will want to return to a 40-hour office job. Many will want to continue to work remotely. So be flexible and collaborative with your employees as you reshape a new social contract. Resourceful leaders wanting to keep their most productive people must devise a hybrid model that allows some to work remotely while others are in the office. Leaders should ask what groups in my company will generate the most insights by collaborating in person—feed those groups early as they will process opportunities faster.

“Be relentless in scanning your business environment for unexpected events and opportunities. Get closer to your customers and design your strategy backwards from their preferences and the problems they want solved. Consider the costs to acquire new customers as a stand-alone entity or by merging with another organization. Ensure that your teams’ incentives are aligned with the organization’s goals. Opportunistically pounce on opportunities while avoiding land mines.

“In our book, Relentless: The Forensics of Mobsters’ Business Practices, we detail instances of how relentless mobsters were quick to seize on changes in their environment. Their ability to imagine and rapidly deploy new schemes and products for their customers (while nothing we would wish to consume) should be a wake-up call to lawful leaders.

“Prohibition created opportunities, and vast wealth to supply banned alcohol. World War II ushered in rationing of basic goods, and criminals quickly began stealing and counterfeiting rationing coupons. As New York State raised cigarette taxes, the Mafia began smuggling in low taxed cigarettes from other states. Crime leaders move quickly to seize opportunities by empowering their high-performance teams to find and execute lucrative vices.

“Apply the relentlessness and resourcefulness of mobsters (but not their immorality) to adapt to the yet to be known, new normal of 2021 and beyond. Empower high performance teams with incentives to expect the unexpected and respond relentlessly.”

Comments

Don't Delay Tough Conversations With Your Employees

If you have an employee who needs to improve his/her performance don't delay the tough conversation with them. If you don't address the issue right now, the employee has little chance to improve, and you'll only get more frustrated. Most employees want to do a good job. Sometimes they just don't know they aren't performing up to the required standards. Waiting until the employee's annual performance appraisal to have the tough conversation is unhealthy for you and the employee. So, address the issue now. Sit down with your employee in a private setting. Look them in the eye. First, tell them what they do well. Thank them for that good work. Then, tell them where they need to improve. Be clear. Be precise. Ask them if they understand and ask them if they need any help from you on how to do a better job. Explain to them that your taking the time to have the tough conversation means you care about them. You want them to do better. You believe they can do better. ...

The 12 Ways Marriott Practices Good Leadership And Customer Service

The next time you stay at a Marriott hotel look in the nightstand drawer for Marriott's booklet that highlights its milestones and tells the Marriott story. In the booklet, you'll find the following 12 ways that Marriott practices good leadership AND customer service : Continually challenge your team to do better. Take good care of your employees, and they'll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back. Celebrate your people's success, not your own. Know what you're good at and mine those competencies for all you're worth. Do it and do it now. Err on the side of taking action. Communicate. Listen to your customers, associates and competitors. See and be seen. Get out of your office, walk around, make yourself visible and accessible. Success is in the details. It's more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific experience. Customer needs may vary, but their bias for quality never does. Elimin...

Important Questions To Ask Your New Hires

In Paul Falcone ’s book, 75 Ways For Managers To Hire, Develop And Keep Great Employees , he recommends asking new employees the following questions 30, 60 and 90 days after they were hired: 30-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions Why do you think we selected you as an employee? What do you like about the job and the organization so far? What’s been going well? What are the highlights of your experiences so far? Why? Tell me what you don’t understand about your job and about our organization now that you’ve had a month to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Have you faced any unforeseen surprises since joining us that you weren’t expecting? 60-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions Do you have enough, too much or too little time to do your work? Do you have access to the appropriate tools and resources? Do you feel you have been sufficiently trained in all aspects of your job to perform at a high level? How do you see your job relating to the organi...

Seven Ways To Stay Motivated

To learn how to stay motivated, read High-Profit Prospecting , by Mark Hunter . It's a powerful read that includes counterintuitive advice and cutting-edge best practices for sales prospecting in today's business world. Today, I share one of my favorite sections of the book where Hunter describes his seven things motivated people do to stay motivated : Motivated people ignore voices in their lives . These might be people in the office and friends who have bad attitudes. They're out there, and if you're not careful, they'll control you, too. Motivated people associate with highly motivated people . Just as there are negative people in the world, there are also positive people. Your job is to make sure you spend as much time with the positive people as possible. Motivated people simply look for the positive in things . Positive people count it an honor to live each day, learn from others, and impact positively those they meet. Positive people take...

Why Your Middle Managers Are So Important

The book, Power To The Middle , shows how managers are the crucial link between a company’s ground floor and top brass. “Too often company leaders view middle managers in a negative light as expendable employees who can slow down productivity and overall strategy,” explain the book’s authors and McKinsey partners Bill Schaninger , Bryan Hancock , and Emily Field . “However, new KcKinsey research reveals that this outdated perspective needs to change and that well-developed managers are the strategy that companies must prioritize to succeed today,” they add. Most importantly, by the end of their book, the authors sum up their insights and provide a playbook that will help senior leaders let go of the command-and-control mindset that has hobbled their managers for so long. The authors define middle managers as the people who are at least once removed from the front line and at least a layer below the senior lead...

10 Quotes From The 5 Levels Of Leadership -- John C. Maxwell

Soon I'll post my full review of John C. Maxwell's latest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership . In the meantime, here are some of my favorites quotes from the book that I believe should become a must-read book by any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust. The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes. In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter. In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catal...

Why A Team Needs More Than Strong Leaders

The book, Team Players , by leadership expert and New York Times bestselling author, Mark Murphy , explains why a team needs more than strong leaders—it needs the right mix of five roles and talents to succeed. In addition, Murphy reveals that the secret to extraordinary teams isn’t making everyone the same—it’s embracing and leveraging fundamental differences through those five distinct team roles. No amount of teambuilding, trust, or cohesion can overcome having the wrong mix of people in the room. The five essential roles and talents are: The Director assumes a leadership role within the team, guiding its direction and making important, difficult, and even unpopular decisions. The Achiever immerses themselves in the details of accomplishing tasks and getting things done, with a keen eye for delivering error-free work. The Stabilizer keeps the team on track with meticulous...

6 Ways To Seek Feedback To Improve Your Performance In The Workplace

Getting feedback is an important way to improve performance at work. But sometimes, it can be hard to seek out, and even harder to hear. “Feedback is all around you. Your job is to find it, both through asking directly and observing it,” says David L. Van Rooy, author of the new book, Trajectory: 7 Career Strategies to Take You From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be . As today's guest post, Van Rooy offers these six tips for how to get the feedback you need to improve performance at work . Guest Post By David L. Van Rooy 1. Don’t forget to as k : One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming things are going perfectly (until they make a catastrophic mistake). By not asking, you’re missing out on opportunities for deep feedback: the difficult, critical feedback that gives you constructive ways to improve. 2. Make sure you listen : Remember, getting fee...

My Favorite "Moral Of The Story" Tips From Harvey Mackay

I'm a big fan of best-selling author Harvey Mackay . He writes about business, sales and leadership and typically ends his articles with a moral of the story. Culled from his writings of the past few years, here are some of my favorites of his moral of the story endings: Change your thinking, change your life. It's not enough to know how to do things - you must know why you do them. If you live in the past, you won't have much of a future. If you want to outsmart the competition, you have to outthink the competition. Don't be afraid to make a decision. Be afraid not make a decision. What you learn on your first job will last through your last job. Minds are like parachutes - not much good unless they are open. If you can't be an expert, hire one. People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be. It only takes a little spark to ignite a great fire. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing to do. Mackay's best-...

What Will Your Leadership Legacy Be?

As a leader, you likely have asked yourself, " How do I want to be remembered as a leader ?" But, perhaps the more important question is, " How will I be remembered as a leader ?" The answer to that question is likely going to be based on the valuable lessons you shared with those you led, among other things. The Kansas City Star newspaper last year wrote a story about Marion Laboratories and its 60th anniversary. In its heyday, Marion had 3,400 employees with sales of nearly $1 billion and in 1989 merged with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Ewing Kauffman, fondly known as Mr. K, led Marion during its peak, and is remembered as one of the most effective, influential leaders ever in the Kansas City area. Former employees quoted in the newspaper article remember Mr. Kauffman as a leader who shared these lessons with them: "You can do anything you want if you set your mind to it and if you study your competition." "You can...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog