Lead-HER-Ship

Archive for October, 2010

In preparation for a class I am teaching entitled Leadership in a Team Context, I was reviewing the characteristics of High Performing Teams.  High Performance teams are those teams in which productivity is high and sustained as is moral.  We use the acronym called PERFORM.  This stands for Purpose and values, Empowerment, Relationships and Communication, Flexibility, Optimal Productivity, Recognition and Morale. As I thought about this I realized that we as women could use this framework to assess our own abilities as leaders.  The characteristics of a high performing individual are the same as for a high performing system.

I’d invite you to assess yourself and take the opportunity to see if there are any gaps or areas you need to work on—

Scale:

1.     Not at all,  never

2.     Rarely

3.     Sometimes,  somewhat

4.     Often,  to a great extent

5.     Always

PURPOSE AND VALUES

• Am I clear on what is my life’s work, my reason for being?
• Do I have a personal mission statement which guides my choices and decisions
• Do I have clear goals which are aligned with my purpose?
• Do I have strategies in place to achieve these goals?
• What are the values I live by that guide my interactions in the world

EMPOWERMENT

• Do I have the knowledge and skills to do my work?  If not, do I know how to acquire them?
• Do I harbor practices or habits that get in the way of me doing my work and expressing my power?
• Do I allow myself to express my personal power?  Do I encourage and allow others to?
• Do I make decisions that impact my life and others positively?

RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION

• Do I communicate openly, sharing my truth and encouraging openness is others.
• Do I share my thoughts and feeling without fear?
• Do I engender trust from others?
• Do I ask for and receive feedback on my behavior and how it impacts others
• Do I manage conflict in a way that respects individual integrity and reaches satisfactory conclusion
• Do I genuinely care about others I come I come in contact with?

FLEXIBILITY

• Am I able to adapt my behavior to meet the needs of others or different situations
• Can I be both a leader and a follower as appropriate
• Do I step in if needed to take the burden off someone else?
• Do I utilize all my talents and skills?
• Can I adapt easily to changing conditions

OPTIMAL PRODUCTIVITY

• Am I producing at a high level?
• Do I maintain high standards?
• Am I constantly trying to improve?
• Do I meet deadlines?
• Have I developed the decision making skills allow me to make the best decisions
• Do I have the problem solving skills to deal with the complex issues of today?

RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION

• Do I celebrate milestones and successes?
• Do I recognize  myself when I have achieved something important
• Do I recognize the achievement of others?
• Do I have any system or practices in place to recognize the work of my team?

MORALE

• Do I take pride in my work
• Do I have satisfying relationships with others
• Am I optimistic about the future?
• Do I feel I can overcome all obstacles?

Do I deeply care about myself, my work and those I work with?

About The Author:

Dr. Eunice Parisi-Carew  is an accomplished consultant, trainer and speaker. With a broad base of experience in many facets of leadership and organizational development, she has designed, directed, and implemented training and consulting projects for a number of top North American corporations, including Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Hyatt Hotels, Transco Energy Company, and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Team building, leadership, productivity, change and person empowerment are among the topics she addresses in classes, seminars, speeches and articles. Eunice is the co-author of the extensive High Performing Teams product line at Blanchard and the co-author of two best selling team books – the one Minute manager builds High Performing Teams and High Five.

When someone interviews the highest-ranking woman in the history of the big four accounting firms, I sit up and take notice.

Since few of my readers will see the interview that appeared in yesterday’s LA TIMES, here are the five insights that jumped out for me:

* In a male-dominated profession, don’t mimic the men. Do things your own way. Remember, as my twin brother point out to me, “We enter the world as originals. Don’t die a copy”.

* Promote yourself at work. Don’t assume that others know what you have done. Keep people well informed and talk about your contributions. (Very hard for women to do!)

* Find a mentor and be a mentor. Remember, people throughout the organization can be mentors for different things. Ask for help.

* Find something you are passionate and do it.  It’s the only way you will have energy to stay the course.

* Know what is the non-negotiable in the rest of your life – whether it is a once-a-week date night with your best beloved or making 50% of your child’s ball games.

As I embark on a series of leadership programs for high potential women in both the public and private sector, the advice of this 57 year-old executive rings solid with my research.

Putting it in action is what takes skill and courage!

With the help of the fabulous Primeau Productions I have created a podcast on http://www.leadhershiponline.com/. You can subscribe via Itunes by clicking the image on the sidebar!