Wisdom from dysfunctional leaders

During my initial years as an employee a couple of my superiors drove me to my wit’s end. Sure they were nice and I would have to be fair and say they meant well however in my view they were completely incompetent as leaders and managers. To make it worse people on the outside used to comment to me how lucky I was to work for such a great person.

I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Over the past five years working as a leadership coach however, I have discovered that sadly I was not alone. This scenario is actually quite typical and many of my coaching clients come with war stories of their inept manager.

Being a glass full kind of woman I decided to unpack this phenomenon and asked myself - how do so many leaders with such obvious dysfunctions manage to rise to and remain in prominent, senior roles?

Fortunately in my own career, I was blessed with several capable mentors and leaders who provided me the benefit of contrast. Still, working for the dysfunctional few prompted me initially to take my hopeless situation home with me – criticising, complaining and nagging the ear off whoever would listen. Once over the initial whining though these inept leaders prompted me to seek a way up or out, motivated me to work out what it was that grated on me so badly so I could find a new path without these issues.  

The wisdom of this process was that in hindsight, I learnt far more about great leadership from a couple of dysfunctional leaders than I ever learn from the excellent ones. The pain they caused me was a strong learning stimulant for the following lessons:

Self-Motivation – Nothing like a dysfunctional de-motivator to force one to drive oneself to continue to succeed in spite of the roadblocks.

Creativity – bland leadership requires personal creativity to find inspiration in new ways of doing things outside of the norm.

Patience – This is probably the biggest lesson I learnt and is an essential leadership quality.  Patience under poor management does not mean I am waiting for them to act, it means I am persevering despite their actions.

By-gones – dealing with the stress of working under this dysfunction has taught me to be less judgmental and more inclined to give support. If you let bygones be bygones and trust that everyone is doing their best with what they know at the time it defuses a lot of your frustration and makes you more compassionate.

So if you find yourself one day working for a dysfunctional leader, take heart. Set your intention to being grateful for the wisdom and leadership tools that you will learn through the process. You’ll be glad you did.

Have fun while boosting your brand

So you’re already well versed with social networking sites - you regularly update your Facebook profile, you have hundreds of professional connections on LinkedIn, and you manage to share most of each day in bite sized a 140 character Tweets.

So what’s next I hear you ask.

While you may be well up to speed with adding value to your business through social media, do you know how to use it as a tool for successfully marketing your personal brand?

no? Well here are some quick easy tips for leveraging your brand on the web:

Utilize services that allow you to post to multiple sites and services with a single post. For this purpose, I highly recommend Posterous.com. It’s a free service that allows you to post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn by sending a single email.

Trial and error is the best way to learn: try different things to see what people respond to most. This is especially true when you have a diverse audience with varying interests, it’s important to experiment and test to see what works and what people are responding to. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what gets your audience interacting.  

Join the conversation. Social media is all about online conversations. It’s a place to listen to your users and encourage participation. If you are too heavy handed with your “marketing” you may well run the risk of alienating your community of followers. Respond to other people’s posts, interact, be yourself and join in the conversation. Remember your followers follow you because they believe you are interesting ans share content of value - never ram your stuff down their throats.

Be real. People want to follow someone they can relate to - the real authentic you. Including  photos, quotes, things that have happened to you - let people see who’s behind the brand.

Make it fun!!! Social media is about having fun and interacting. Show your passion, be a little silly, don’t be afraid to show your quirky self.

In light of this last point I have been playing around and having fun with my brand - check out my new animation video here and make your own to boost your brand! http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6516217/

Yours in prosperity, passion and purpose

Heidi Alexandra Pollard, The Living Leaders Advocate

Are you a living leader?

According to ABS research around a quarter of all employed people go to work feeling unappreciated and considering leaving their employer. Why? Because they feel unappreciated or no longer valued and like they aren’t making a difference. Sobering facts huh. Even more concerning is the fact that depression occurs in 20% of all people over the course of a lifetime.  

Did you go to college or university and learn a profession or a trade? Studied hard, learnt the skills, took the tests and completed the assignments? Did anyone prepare you though for how to deal with overwhelm, how to set goals, how to cope through the rough patches and how to deal with the issues of depression and pressure of modern life? Perhaps, but probably my guess would be probably not.

The trap many people fall into is looking too critically at what they are rather than who they are being and who they are becoming.

What do you answer when you are asked the question “what do you do?” Do you say you are an engineer, a marketer, a physiotherapist, a teacher, an entrepreneur, a writer?

What would you answer if you were asked instead, “who are you being?”

Think about it. Would you say “I don’t know”? Would you say “myself”? Or would you answer without needing to think: a conduit, an enabler, a learner, a millionaire in the making, a storyteller, a delight, a friend, a creative spirit, an experience, a life adventurer, a protagonist, a free spirit, a vessel of information or perhaps a living leader?

If you are anything like many of my clients when they first come to me, you are probably fast approaching meltdown, overwhelmed with the pressures of the job or your business, drowning in the day to day demands of society, of family, of friends, life and commitments in general. You answer may well be “a mess”.

As the Living Leaders Advocate and a coach, my purpose is to be the holder of a space that enables things to come forth out of my clients – things that are far greater than me. My job is to help my client step outside of their overwhelm and step into the possibility of what they truly desire to become. To shine a light internally on their inner being and to investigate what they want to step into.

Like the conductor of an orchestra, as a coach I need not make a sound to help my clients make beautiful music. Like the conductor, my role is not about my ego. It is my job to bring out the best in my clients – a role I relish.

With encouragement my clients become possibility thinkers. With courage they articulate what being a living leader looks like for them. With persistence they plan and take action steps to grow into that vision.

“What’s a living leader?” I hear you ask?

My definition of a living leader is someone who serves a greater purpose than themselves. A living leader doesn’t wait until they are on their death bed to pass on their wisdom. Living leaders have a desire to continually learn and grow, to drink deeply from life and to serve others. The presence of living leaders inspires others to become freer, healthier, wealthier, wiser, more creative and courageous and inspired to pass on their enlightenment to others as well.  Living leaders light their own spark and ignite the spark in others.

Living leaders:

·         Practice gratitude, compassion and positive thinking

·         Invest in social connections

·         Focus on resilience

·         Live in the present

·         Commit to their goals

·         Take good care of themself – spiritually, mentally and physically

·         Identify and maximise their character strengths

·         Focus on being authentically  themselves

·         Practice optimism, compassion and empathy.

As a person growing into becoming a Living Leaders I work harder on myself than I do on my job – I am constantly reinventing myself, continually attending courses and seminars, reading a book a week, working with my coach mentor and  travelling to meet with my mastermind to learn new information, make more connections and discover new ways of being.

What are you doing to grow your knowledge and improve yourself?

What do you do to light the sparkle in your own eyes?

And if not ask yourself “Who am I being that my eyes aren’t sparkling?”

Living leaders enable other people: be the space instead of the hero. Create the conditions instead of controlling the outcome. Once you let go of controlling the outcome you will be amazed by the power and the passion that you ignite in people.

Live with passion

Love Heidi Alexandra Pollard - The Living Leaders Advocate

Fellow Mastermind members I highly recommend

I would like to introduce you to an incredibly talented group of entrepreneurs. We work together using social media strategies to push each other to the top of Google. We support each other and learn from one another on a daily basis.

We are the MPC Social Media Tribe!

Please visit a tribe member below…

	Jenny Amon Fenig Jenny Fenig Coaching Description: Jenny is a certified career/life coach, yoga teacher,  new mom support group leader, speaker, and student in the  fascinating journey called LIFE.
	Katherine CHE Life Blossoming Systems Description: Cultivator of Joy, Katherine C. H. E. is an author and expert on the Law of Attraction. She currently works with clients to help them improve any and all areas of their lives — from their health to all aspects of their well-being.
	Phil Dyer Total Business Transformation Phil is a speaker, writer, financial planner, strategic business coach  and recovering workaholic who is dedicated to helping lifestyle entrepreneurs transform their business to support their ideal life,  create conscious wealth and have fun!
	Jessica Eaves Mathews Business Brilliance Blog Description: Jessica is a seasoned business lawyer, advisor and coach for business owners and entrepreneurs. She is also a multi-passionate entrepreneur herself, having launched a number of successful ventures of her own throughout the past 15 years.
	Dr. Robert Fenell Repetitive Strain Injuries Description: Teaching chiropractors how to effectively treat  repetitive strain injuries of the extremities.
	Laura Hollick Soul Art Studio Description: Laura is a soul artist. She has developed a series of Soul Art processes that she teaches and share with others so they can connect with their spirits and transform their lives into the most exquisite version of themselves.
	Linda P. Jones Visionary Wealth Now Linda is CEO and Founder of the Global Institute of Visionary  Wealth and Visionary Wealth Now. She follows her passion for  investing and teaching others how to have investment success  and build wealth.
	Lisa Manyon Creative Writing Services Description: Lisa is a a marketing maniac and press release magician. She helps entrepreneurs take the business message in your head & craft an authentic marketing message to connect with your ideal customer.
	Ellen Marie Martin Conquer Chaos Now!™ Considered a leader in her field, Ellen Martin is a professional  organizer, productivity trainer, motivational speaker and efficiency  coach with a passion for changing lives.
	Christine McIvor Social Media Consultant Description: Christine is a social media junkie. She helps  entrepreneurs and business owners locally get to the top of  Google using simple low-cost marketing strategies.
	Pinky McKay Breastfeeding Simply International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)  and a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, Pinky McKay is a  Melbourne based writer and editor specializing in health,  education and family issues.
	Debbie McNeill Assisting Stampin’ Up Demonstrators Description: Debbie assists Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators  with their computer and marketing needs
	Terry Monaghan Organizer of Life Description: Terry has built Organizing For Your Life on 25  years of business and entrepreneurial experience. From  corporate executives to solo-preneurs, she helps them get  the right things done, faster.
	Lynne Moore MLM Relationship Goals Coach Description: Coaching women of independent spirit to achieve their key relationship goals.
	Sue Painter Confident Marketer Description:Sue Painter is the President and founder of The Confident Marketer. Sue is passionate about helping solopreneurs create work that is satisfying and financially successful.
	Melody Park Shin Mommy Chick Join Melody as she explores conscious parenting, applying  Universal Principles, in life and business, and living a fabulously  creative life!
	Trudy Scott Overcome Anxiety Trudy helps women overcome anxiety and other mood problems  naturally (using nutrients and food) – and they love that they also  end up sleeping better, have more energy and less cravings.
	Patricia Selmo Women Spiritual Leaders The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders was  founded to serve the needs of women who are leaders in their  spiritual communities, women who have independent spiritual  practices, and women who are aspiring to be “spiritual leaders”.
	Mitch Tublin Business Strategist Mitch is a Premier Business Strategist, with expertise in Brand Building and Internet Marketing.
	Anita Wheeler Law of Attraction Diva Author of the soon-to-be-released book “The Law of Attraction is NOT a Secret”. Anita trains and coaches “ENTREPRENEURS” how to  be more proactive in their own lives to develop what she refers to as POWER FLOW™.

Get more social to boost your career

I guarantee almost everyone has done some level of ego-surfing and googled their name to see what comes up. While it may sound like a trip down vanity lane googling yourself on a semi regular basis is a great way to track and measure your professional online presence.

Using quotation marks around your name eg: “Sarah Smith” is the cleanest form of searching and will ensure you just get results for your own name (as well as any others with the same name)

It’s a great way to track and measure your presence as well as get a feel for the topics and themes associated with you on the web. Why? Because I guarantee you many prospective employers these days are googling applicants names to confirm resume claims and get a feel for what others say about them as well as what they get up to on the weekend! Sound scary?

With Facebook leading the way and Twitter activity on the rise, Australians are rapidly increasing their participation in social media, content sharing and personal brand building. A recent study showed nearly four in five of Australia’s nine million social media users sent or shared a photo in the past year and nearly three quarters shared a link. The biggest increases in social media usage were reading and posting on Twitter and reading wikis.

Twitter’s audience levels grew by more than 400% in 2009 so if you’ve got something to say, that’s the space!

“The opportunities for brands and companies to tap into the social media phenomenon are really just beginning to emerge and to date we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg,” states Melanie Ingrey, Research Director for Nielsen’s online business.

Your personal brand is the most valuable asset you have - what are you doing to build your brand online?

Yours in prosperity

Heidi Alexandra Pollard
The Communicator’s Coach

Keen to take the bosses job?

I can show you how with my Boost Your Career Home Study Course. Hurry only 3 days remain on limited one time 75% off special offer - plus as a bonus you get a FR.EE bonus 15 minute laser coaching session with me! http://www.leadingvalue.net/_product_19340/Boost_Your_Career_Home_Study_Course

Great companies grow their leaders

Is your brand as clear as Epsom salts?

My own coach from the US Therese Skelly recently posted the following article and I thought it had some great points of interest relevant to communicating your personal career brand. Enjoy and thanks Therese!

Is your brand as clear as Epsom salts?

This has got to get the award for the WORST marketing ever. Reading a bag of epsom salts (don’t ask!) I was surprised from a marketing perspective at what it said “Epsom Salt – Magnesium Sulfate U.S.P – Natural Mineral” (and here’s where it gets interesting….)

A soaking aid for minor sprains and bruises

A saline laxative for the short term relief of constipation

A plant nutrient for vigorous lawns, flowers, plants, vegetables and trees.

Now I don’t know about you, but I doubt even brilliant marketers like my friend Michele PW or the famous Dan Kennedy could come up with copy for a product that helps with bruises, constipation, and gardening! All the marketing messages I teach about having to have a unified message just get thrown out the window with this thing.

As I re-read this bag of Epsom salts, I had the fantasy that a bunch of marketers were sitting around brainstorming, and finally they said, “What the heck, let’s just throw it all in.  We can’t figure out what to say, so we’ll just list the uses and let it go from there.”

With epsom salts, you pretty much know what you use it for.  And unlike coaching or whatever business you are in, there’s only one variety.  There’s not mint flavored, low fat, west coast, designer salts.  You get one thing.  Where you put it is your own business!  But it makes it easy because there’s only ONE way it’s delivered.

But in your business you don’t have the ability to have a crappy marketing message because you can’t figure out if you work with business owners, or mom’s, or teens, or people in transition.

That’s what this article is about.  Just because Walgreen’s can get away with having a generic product with bad packaging, as a small business owner, you can’t.  Your only choice is to narrow your focus, get crystal clear about who you serve, and what they get, and then go about creating compelling language around that.

So where do you start?

The things you need to be able to clearly articulate are what you do (as in your unique expertise) who you do it for (target market) and what problems you solve for them.  Most people start out as generalists, but the goal is to refine your market, offering and services even tighter as you get more and more sophisticated.  If you are stuck here, grab a mastermind partner or survey some old clients to get more information about how they benefited from working with you.

Why is this important?  Success is about being seen as the foremost expert in your industry. 

Well I hope you enjoyed Therese’s article - something to ponder because unlike Epsom salts, there’s no one else like you!

All the best

Heidi Alexandra Pollard

The Communicator’s Coach

Are Your Fears and Fairytales Holding You Back?

The power of communication is what the listener does with the message, not what the message does to the listener. Messages, stories, speeches, movies and advertisements that move people deeply do not do so because they are powerful in themselves. They do so because they touch the audience’s most desired wants, most cherished values or even the things they dislike most. They evoke responses that are already in the listener, they don’t put them there.

The same can be said about your inner dialogue. What are you doing with the messages and stories you tell yourself? Begin to collect information on your own thoughts, observe your behaviour, responses, doubts and fears. Listen to the fairytales and beliefs you have created for your own life: “I can’t sing”; “I’m too old”; “I’ll never be rich”; “I don’t deserve that”; “I’m not smart enough to do that.”

What is your inner voice telling you and how often? How frequently do you allow those negative beliefs and tales show up? How much emotion is behind them? How do they compare to the frequency and strength of your positive affirmations?

The greatest obstacle to your success is probably you. Too often I find coaching clients hold themselves back due to their personal fears and fairytales.

One such handbrake to success is the fear of failure, probably the single greatest barrier to success in adult life. Taken to its extreme, people are totally pre-occupied with not making a mistake, with seeking approval for security. How do you know when you are coming from a position of fear? When you hear yourself saying the words “I can’t”.

Another major fear that can interfere with performance and inhibit expression, creativity and success, is the fear of rejection. Unfortunately it creates a need in us to do what pleases others because we constantly crave approval.

Be honest with yourself - how have you feeling about yourself lately? About your career or business? About your health, relationships and wellbeing? Who’s approval are you seeking? Who’s permission are you waiting for to make a change now? Are you taking chances to grow… or have you been playing it safe?

I ask because it’s where I have been and I know exactly what it feels like to be trying to move ahead with one foot nailed to the floor. It can creep up on you - starting out small and gradually building, that need for certainty, for risk aversion, the fear of making any bold moves.

For many people, this way of being serves them well most of the time, and the very fact that they are surviving makes them want to do it more. But for those of you, like me, who have a burning passion inside you, a desire to do something grander, to fulfil your entrepreneurial drive, to become someone worth becoming, to leave a legacy…this mode will slowly kill your spirit, your career or business - and your soul.

Dreams that you once had get pushed aside. Bold ideas get filed away into the “someday when the time is right” folder. Your spark of creativity gets muffled as the busyness of life, of caring for others and going through the motions take over. Worse still, your generosity of spirit shrinks as you retreat and wait for things to get better.

So what can you do to stop the downward spiral?

Here’s five actions to help you get your passion back on track…

1.     Feel the fear and do it anyway - if you wait for all the fears to leave you’ll be waiting forever. I know the more risks I take, the more confident I become.

2.     Rediscover the passion you had.- get back to that feeling of having nothing but possibilities in front of you. Build the courage to step out in your highest good and to show up every day in a big way.

3.     Move without all the answers - analysis paralysis is a killer (this was my biggest vice), you may always wonder how you are going to find the time, knowledge, money or support to do what you want to do, but without forward motion you will never find the answers.

4.     Chunk it down - this simple but powerful concept is one that has worked from me since my early 20’s. Take just one step, once a week, towards one of your goals and you will be amazed at what you can achieve in one year. Breaking your goals into week-sized chunks will make it feel much more doable and will help you create the momentum that leads to amazing long term progress and success.

5.     Get an accountability buddy - tell someone you trust about the goal you’re committed to (I tell my coach Therese). It may be scary to talk about it, but the spoken word in itself creates energy and accountability.

Don’t settle for a second rate you - decide today that you deserve better.

Personal Communication

Personal communication is one of the most common aspects of our human conversations. Personal conversations are an essential facet in almost every one of our relationships. And one might say that the quality of those relationships is dependent upon our abilities to verbally communicate.

I have discovered in the past few weeks through my own life  just how powerful interpersonal communication skills can be in shaping our personal relationships. Even as the “Communicator’s Coach” I don’t always get it right and lately I have had some doosies. So I thought I would go back to the basics and refresh for my own purposes my five key foundations for effectively building upon and improving your personal communication skills.

Foundation #1: Be interesting and interested - know what’s going on in the world around you, keep up to date with current events and trends, as well as your personal hobbies and other interests that you can share or ask questions about during personal conversations.

Foundation #2: Develop great listening skills and know when to speak and when to listen. As a rule I believe in the Pareto principle - speak for 20% of the time, listen for the other 80%.

Foundation #3: Be fully present - make and maintain eye contact with the other person while speaking and listening. Turn away from the computer, television or any distractions so you can be there 100% with the other person.

Foundation #4: Audience centric - use language in your conversation that is familiar to your listener, don’t use fancy words or terms just to show off! Learn some basic body language it will help you to read whether they are understanding and in rapport with you or not. 

Foundation #5: Be real - be genuine, show and express an interest in what the other person is saying. Try to turn down the little voice in your own head and instead focus your attention on the other person, rather than on yourself.

Personal communication skills are one of the most powerful and strategic assets you can possess. People with effective communication skills have a real strategic advantage for business, relationship and social success.

If you would like to learn more about becoming more effective in personal and business communications, please contact Heidi Alexandra Pollard, The Communicator’s Coach today through her website at http://www.leadingvalue.net or http://www.boostyourcareer.com.au or by email at heidi@leadingvalue.net