Latest Blog Posts...

Change the Game

6 October, 2011 By Mark Fritz 1 Comment

Steve Jobs is in our thoughts today.

I think the most important leadership principle from Steve Jobs is to change the game. He did that with the iPhone (changing the phone from just a telephone to much more), and at the same time he changed the relationships with the mobile companies too.

When you change the game you automatically bring something new or you could also bring the same thing in a new way. It is very motivating for a company’s people when they are changing the game or how the game is played.

To gain a competitive advantage and a motivating workforce, either change the game or play it in a new way.

Filed Under: Blog, Change, Innovation

Momentum can be a Powerful Wave

2 October, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

Every executive leading a international organisation is concerned about creating the right momentum towards their organisation’s goals. They understand that momentum is key for keeping the energy high in the teams and for everyone staying focused on what needs to be done.

A successful executive’s approach to creating that momentum is to focus on creating a powerful wave that the organisation can ride (and ride as long as they can). Executives know that is never about one big communication or event, but that it comes from a series of communications, events, follow-ups; as well as stepping stone successes that build the wave.

It can only be done with some quality upfront thinking, structured preparation, and getting the key people in organisation involved in making it happen. In order to create momentum in your organisation, invest some time in understanding how you can create your wave.

Filed Under: Blog

Get Everyone Involved

29 September, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

When you hold meetings, do the people who do all the talking have the best ideas? Also, could the people who stay quiet in the meetings have some good ideas too? The best leaders know that the ideas for good solutions is always in the room, and their job is to have a process to get it out of their people’s heads and discussed.

Most meetings are consumed with 80% of the time getting the ideas out, and only 20% of the time in discussing the ideas. Successful leaders drive their meetings in the exact opposite way. They focus 20% of the meeting in getting the ideas out, and that leaves 80% of the meeting to discuss the ideas, and work them into some good solutions.

These successful leaders either ask for input from everyone prior to the meeting, or use post it notes (if a face-to-face meeting) to get the ideas out very quickly in the beginning of the meeting. Remember, the ideas are always there…the only problem is getting the ideas out of the people’s head quickly so that you can get to discussing them much faster.

Lastly, getting everyone’s input has another benefit. People who feel they contributed to a solution (however small that contribution) will always have more ownership for the solution too.

Filed Under: Blog, Ownership, Solutions, Teamwork

Having Strategic Patience

26 September, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

Every successful leader is impatient and wants to achieve everything as quickly as he or she can. However, there are times when a little patience is not only something desirable, but can be absolutely necessary.

In some cultures, a consensus process is necessary to get people aligned to implement quickly, and leaders who bypass this for the sake of speed often end up frustrated with themselves that they did. At these times, a little patience is needed…strategic patience. Being patient, when it is necessary, actually increases the overall pace of the achievement, not delaying it.

Leaders with good listening skills develop the right sense to know when strategic patience is needed, and are patient at the right times when it can really make a big difference.

Filed Under: Blog, Influence

DAD Knows Best

19 September, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

Decision, Action and Discipline can be the key to drive even greater leadership success. In the USA years ago, there was a TV Show called Father Knows Best. In every episode the father faced family challenges and always had the right advice. Well, this is DAD Knows Best. Not just for the advice Dad would have given us, but also for what the letters in DAD could stand for: Decision, Action and Discipline. These are three attributes of every successful leader.

Decision
Today, we have so many choices as to where to focus our time and the resources in our organisation. Where our organisations are right now is really the result (the quality!) of the decisions we have made up to now. You could say that Everything Starts with a Decision.

Action
Nothing really happens unless we take action. Our thoughts determine the choices (our decisions), but we need to take action to turn those decisions into reality. Without action, it is simply a wish or an intention. Make a decision a “Real Decision” by Taking Action.

Discipline
Now, if you are making a big decision, then you (and your people) probably will need to create some new habits in order to achieve it. Creating new habits takes discipline to do what’s required, not just what you feel like doing. Everyone who has ever achieved great success can track back the start of their success to their Discipline to Create the Necessary Habits.

So, now you realise why DAD Knows Best (Decision, Action, Discipline).

A fantastic focus to become an even more successful leader.

Filed Under: Action, Blog, Choice, Discipline

What They Put in Front of Themselves

17 September, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

Today’s economic climate brings a great deal of uncertainty to any business, and what businesses chose to focus on and do during these challenging times will determine their future. However, businesses are really the sum of their people, and it is the total impact of what each individual in the business focuses on that creates today, tomorrow and the company’s future.

In these times, leadership is even more important to help people put the “right” focus in front of themselves. There’s a big difference between leadership and management during times of uncertainty, and especially when leading people at a distance. Success comes when each individual understands the direction well enough to determine their focus and daily actions for themselves (without being told all the time). Leadership communicates the direction, and each individual’s daily actions create the success.

Filed Under: Blog, Focus

When the Choices are ALL Good

16 September, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

It is interesting, that as success grows, so do the choices you have to make and the difficultly of those choices grow as well. Everyone is great about choosing the good from the bad, but not everyone is great at choosing the very good from the good.

Sometimes, people shy away from leadership roles because they fear the choices they would need to make. With respect to making choices, the best leadership skill is the ability to develop confidence in your people. People with confidence will take on the challenges of those difficult choices, and with the energy to see them through. When you have leaders throughout your organisation with the confidence to make the choices, progress comes much faster.

You now live in a world that often has multiple right answers, and greater success always comes from choosing the very good from the good.

Filed Under: Blog, Confidence

Delegate What You Like Doing

11 September, 2011 By Mark Fritz Leave a Comment

Every leader likes to delegate what they don’t like doing, as it feels great to get rid of that work; and usually there is someone in their team that could do it better too. However, real delegation comes when you begin delegating those things you like doing, and it is probably the things that you should be letting go of anyway!

Leaders of growing companies are often finding that they need to continually define their role as their company grows. What they were good at and what they enjoyed doing last year may not be something they should be doing this year. As a company grows, the leader also has to grow, and that means letting go some some things they enjoyed going in order to take on the challenge of the new things they should be doing.

One thing to remember…by keeping hold too long of things you shouldn’t be doing, you are slowing the growth of two things: 1) Your key people – as you prevent them from growing by not delegating those things to them – and 2) Your company – by keeping on doing those things, you might not be seeing some opportunities to grow your company even more.

How about you? Are there any things you enjoy doing that you should be letting go of today?

Filed Under: Blog, Delegation

Mark Fritz

DAILY THOUGHT

SIMPLICITY IN A COMPLEX WORLD

Latest Blog Posts...

Change the Game

Momentum can be a Powerful Wave

Get Everyone Involved

Having Strategic Patience

DAD Knows Best

What They Put in Front of Themselves

When the Choices are ALL Good

Delegate What You Like Doing

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