3 Keys to Being a Fearless Executive

In my work with business executives, I have come to the conclusion that most individuals in positions of influence got there accidentally. This may sound harsh to those of you in the business world reading this article, but the truth CAN be harsh, much like the medicine our mothers gave us as young children. There is a bright side, however, to this fact: Those of you who put in the effort can rise far above the average executive. Here are three tips to do that, and quickly:

1. Learn to love responsibility

As strange as this may sound, to be a better executive in the business world, you have to want to assume more responsibility - not only for your actions but for the actions of those you lead. This means taking on tough assignments early in your career (or all the time)- the ones that nobody wants. It also means that you must learn to make decisions, and make them quickly and effectively. To do this, most executives follow a two step process.

A. They figure out what data they need to make their decision. I always ask those that I'm coaching or working as a consultant with the following question: "What do you need to know in order to make the decision?" This serves to focus their mind quickly on the solution to whatever dilemma they are facing.

B. They find someone who has that data. Once they know what data they are looking for, top leaders and executives in the business field search for the person who can deliver that data, quickly. It might be the head of the division, or it might be a mid-level manager. It might be the front desk staff.

Once they get the data they need from the correct person or position within the company, top executives quickly move ahead with their decisions. Not all decisions work out, but top executives waste far fewer hours struggling with and lamenting decisions they've made. They understand that it goes with the territory of being near the top of the company pyramid.

2. Never let your head get bigger than the doorway

The higher up an executive is, the fewer cell phones and pagers he has on his or her person. Really! I have found top CEO's far more approachable and amiable to discussion than mid-level managers. They simply don't take themselves too seriously, even though they are serious about their jobs and careers. This may be due in part to the fact that many top CEO's were once mailroom clerks or the like, and they understand that where you've come from is just as important as where you have ended up currently. Perhaps it is also due to a tendency to welcome opposing opinions as opportunities to learn rather than subjects to attack. Strong executives - those that lead fearlessly - learn just as much from their interactions as they teach.

If you find that your head no longer fits through your office doorway, you've got problems. Learn what top executives already know - learning is a continual process, and people are the most important assets any company will have. Keeping these things in mind allows them to gain a proper perspective on business and life.

3. Envision the future, delegate the mudane

Top leaders in every field master this principle quickly. Many executives wallow in mediocrity due to a lack of understanding of this principle. Warren Bennis, one of the foremost experts on leadership, wrote about this principle in the book, The Unconscious Conspiracy, over thirty years ago, though the ideas in his book are just as relevant in today's business world as they were then.

Top executives understand that getting bogged down in everyday, mundane tasks and details drastically reduces their effectiveness as a decision maker for their company. Committees, meetings, memos, phone calls - these are all obstacles to true leadership and should be delegated at every opportunity. To be a better and far more fearless executive, focus more on the future and delegate that which will impede your doing so. In sports, top head coaches surround themselves with even better assistant coaches - and it is the assistant coaches who take care of the mundane and decidedly boring tasks, such as travel arrangements, banquet preparations, recruiting schedules, etc. This allows them to focus on how to build a better team tomorrow, and to take action on their ideas and plans.

In business, the exact same process occurs. Learn to better focus your energies on the leadership duties that will position the company better tomorrow rather than keep the company where it is today.

Copyright (2005) Leif H. Smith, Psy.D. All Rights Reserved.

Performance expert Leif H. Smith, Psy.D, is the president of Personal Best Consulting, a consulting firm located in Hilliard, Ohio. To learn more tips and techniques to immediately improve performance in your life and to sign up for his FREE monthly advice newsletter, visit http://www.personalbestconsulting.com

---

Poor Employee Performance: How to Deal

KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS: "Document !Document! Document!" Keep a record of periodic performance reviews, incidents of unsatisfactory performance, conferences where warnings are administered or terminations are announced. Issue... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Value of Structure

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have a Complete Agenda

Most agendas for a meeting look like this.* Budget* Payroll* Staff* Sales* VutszxtnSome people would tell me, "That's a perfectly good agenda. I know what all of... Read More

Innovation Management ? Good Leadership

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Employee Ideas Achieve Work Life Balance

This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates how your staff feels with regard to the balance between work and personal life. It explores issues... Read More

Top Ten Tips About People Management

To get the best results you have to be very good at Managing People...and it's not as hard as you might think. Here are the secrets of... Read More

Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way

Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses. They do too much, they don't trust their people and they don't have enough skills. Here we... Read More

Business Innovation ? Value versus Quality

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Succession Planning? ... Not on My Watch!

At first blush, it would appear there is no shortage of Succession Planning Advocates convinced in theory, the importance and benefits of corporate Succession Planning. In practice,... Read More

What Makes a Good Appraisal Interview?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW?Here is a tip for supervisors that will contribute to a successful appraisal interview. Give advance notice. Employees like to have advance... Read More

Employee Success! - 7 Ways Feedback Works

By sharing how well you are doing and how well your expectations are met, your people get to understand better. So, frequent, realistic, objective feedback is not... Read More

Drafting an Employee Manual Sample Outline

One of the hardest things I had discovered running my company was drafting an Employee Manual. Also added to the stress was the fact that if you... Read More

Have You Fixed the Broken Window?

Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they... Read More

5 Questions Great Managers Ask (and they arent hard!)

However hard we try, we seem to make life more difficult for ourselves; more challenging; more complex. Yet it needn't be so. try out these five questions... Read More

10 Fool Proof Ways To Intensify Your Profits

1. Create benefit intensifiers for your list of ad copy benefits. Example, The Benefit: "Save More Time", The Benefit's Intensifier: "Never Seen Before".2. Use a little humor... Read More

One Crazy Cookie

In order to survive, you have to be happier than if you were in your right mind. Chinese Fortune Cookie When orienting someone new to the company,... Read More

Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have SMART Goals

The first step in planning an agenda is to identify the goals for the meeting. Properly done, goals have five S M A R T characteristics. They... Read More

Gift Giving for Business a Major Headache

Corporate gifting is a big headache for most business owners; how much to spend, who to spend the money on, where to get the gifts, what to... Read More

How Invisible Communication Barriers Kill Productivity

Many kinds of interferences or disturbances can confuse a message. Communication specialists call them ''noise.'' A noise is anything that competes against communication. Obviously, if we want... Read More

9 Tips for Getting the Most From Your Conference Investment

Tips for Getting the Most From Your Conference Investment All professionals attend conferences, seminars, and trade shows each year. Through my observation and person experience here are... Read More

Employee Motivation - Access Their Unique Talents

Your people are invaluable to you. They are the lifeblood of your business or organisation. And yet, in many situations, managers take little time to truly find... Read More

Is Your Business Ethical?

Ethics - in a profession or trade - is that branch of philosophy which studies the principles of right and wrong in human conduct.Is your business ethical?What... Read More

New Leadership For A New War

Military analysts call this "asymmetrical" war (as if war has a terrible symmetry); and we know that it will be as different from conventional war as three-dimensional,... Read More

Lean Principles in Action

AbstractThe electrical products industry is one characterized by fierce competition, declining margins, and legislative regulations, all that have forced the majority of electrical product manufacturers to rethink... Read More

Employee Turnover: Seven Reasons Why People Quit Their Jobs

There are many reasons why good employees quit and go to another company, perhaps even your competitor. Most of the reasons start with management and most are... Read More

Minimising Conflict With Effective Communication

Did you know there are 5 types of communication that lead to conflict? Let's look at them... Definition of 'Conflict' It helps if we... Read More