Ted Kennedy and the Legacy of Leadership

Last week Senator Edward M. Kennedy lost his battle to cancer. Over the weekend I was glued to the TV like most people watching coverage of his life and death. I could not help but be amazed by the fact that in interview after interview, from his family members and colleagues, to the average person on the street, how much he touched people’s lives because of his leadership. What a legacy Kennedy leaves behind, but most importantly, the type of leader he was offers us lessons we can all learn from.

Admit you are not perfect: Senator Kennedy was the first to admit he had made mistakes throughout his life, both personally and professionally. He even stated in an interview that he thought about giving up his senate seat because of some past mistakes and misjudgments.

Use your leadership to help others: Kennedy was known to take up causes of the voiceless, the underserved and the less fortunate. From civil rights and equal pay to education and healthcare, he fought for to right what he felt was inadequate.

Leadership is a privilege, not a right: Some will say Senator Kennedy was given his position because of his family's wealth or brother’s influence. But just like the support he received from those who elected him, leaders need the support of people to maintain their position.

Be an agent of change: Kennedy pursued issues with passion to make changes that would benefit the majority regardless of what opposition lay ahead. Most of us know, sometimes doing what is right is not always the same as doing what is popular.

Never forget to acknowledge others: While watching the coverage, I heard story after story from people who said that they had a problem, wrote the senator and he wrote them back. It has also been noted he felt it important to thank others and was known to send handwritten notes and letters frequently.

Be willing to listen and compromise: Leaders from both parties remarked how the senator had a record amount of bills passed. The common theme to these statements was that Kennedy was willing to listen and make compromises when needed.

As leaders, we should always strive to leave things better than we found them, to make a difference, to take risks and leave a legacy others will remember.

What will your leadership legacy be?

No More Negative Chatter

It never ceases to amaze me that just when you are all set to bet on you, others point out reasons why you shouldn’t. I call this negative chatter. It can bring you down, set you back, and stop you from reaching your goals. But only if you let it.

When I talked to people about wanting to start a consulting company, I heard many reasons about why I shouldn’t do it, including “this is not the time to start a business,” and “most businesses fail in the first five years,” and so on. It reminded me of two other times in my life when I was discussing big life decisions: when I got engaged—almost 20 years ago—and every miserable married person told me how 50 percent of marriages fail, so I should think before I say “I do,” and when I was pregnant with our first daughter and everyone felt compelled to share their horrible labor stories with me.

If I had listened to the negative chatter, I would never have gotten married, had kids, worked a job, graduated from college, or started a business. Don’t let negative shatter deflate your dreams or sabotage your self worth. Here, four tips to help you tune out the chatter.

1. Consider the source of the negativity and remind yourself what’s right about your decision. Commit to looking at all things positively and don’t be afraid to look into the future.
2. See yourself five years down the road living the successful life, knowing that what you are doing now is setting the stage for what you want to do.
3. Dare to dream big. Don’t limit yourself by doubting your skill and ambition before you even try to make your dreams become reality. Doubts are dead ends we set for ourselves. You only fail when you choose not to try.
4. Keep moving forward and don’t look back—even if that means you have to leave some people behind sometimes. They may not have your best interest at heart. Choose not to take the negative chatter with you.

So tell me, how do you say no to no more to negative chatter?
Email me at Patricia@xpectresults.com

Why is it so hard to do things that are easy?

Most of today’s leaders and managers are too busy doing their own job to focus on the needs of their direct reports. However, only a fraction of quality time needs to be spent to make a big difference on three key aspects of leading and managing others: hiring, training, and communication:

Hiring. Hire the best employees by using a behavior-based interview process. Learning about an employee’s past performance in similar situations is a key indicator of future success.

Training. Ensure that all of your employees are trained on what they are expected to know, and how they are expected to perform. All employees want opportunities to learn and grow in their roles through periodic coaching and development either formally in a classroom, with a coach, or informally with the help of a peer.

Communication. Communication requires two-way dialogue, exchanging ideas, asking questions, and receiving answers. Get out of your office and talk to your employees every day. Know what they are working on, what motivates them, and what they find challenging.

These three actions are fundamental to every leader and manager’s role and are easy to take. Being a better leader or manager is about taking the quality time and effort to do the easy things.

What are the steps you are taking today to ensure the easy things get done?

Jim Molloy, Consulting Partner

Social Class According to Oprah

Recently I was able to sit down, at last, and watch a few taped episodes of Oprah. I don’t know what it is about her, but I will certainly say that the message I heard when I watched is the message I needed to hear at that particular time. One show was about social class and how we tend to categorize ourselves. The guests ranged from a news anchor who lost his job, to a corporate executive who lost his six-figure Wall Street job and became Mr. Mom. There are lessons to be learned from all of the stories. I want to share what I learned from this episode:

1. Your job is what you do for a living; it is not your life. Most of the guests on the program talked about the things that they bought with the money they were making. Shoes, vacations and fancy homes they had been able to afford. The resounding lesson, they all realized, is that it can all be gone in a flash. They realized that the most important things in their lives were the people in them, and not the position they held.

2. Remove labels. It is easy to consider yourself middle-class, upper class, etc. The most important thing that we should focus on is letting go of labels and concentrate on being a well-rounded person, a member of the “human” class.

3. Decide to follow your passion. Most of us have been impacted by a downturn in the economy, but that should not stop us from moving forward and from following our passions. The out-of-work news anchor job always wanted to be a veterinarian assistant. He took the initiative to pursue his desire, and now, although his pay is significantly less per year, he looks forward to getting up every day and doing what he loves. He is following his passion.

4. Don’t give up. It is never too late to learn a new skill, enhance your education, or take up something new. In times like these we have an opportunity to do something different, to get out of our comfort zones and make a difference. We have the opportunity to follow our passion.

So what is your social class?