Leadership Development - Why Invest In It?

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Leadership development is defined as any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an organization or an individual. The recent economic times have resulted in some difficult decisions regarding allocation of resources for all businesses. Leadership itself is defined as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a given task. Allan Keith has stated, “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.” Given the definition of leadership is there a business or organization that can afford not to invest in the leadership development of their most important asset  (People!)?


The benefits of good leadership are numerous. There is a direct correlation to business success and the quality of leadership within the business or organization. In general, businesses with good leadership will have the following traits:

 More Productive and Profitable – good leaders are goal focused and achieve greater productivity with the resources provided.

 Better Vision – good leaders are able to plan for the future and make better decisions as changing business conditions dictate.

 Better Communication Skills – business is essentially about a series of crucial relationships. Customers, potential customers, vendors and employees. Effective and good leaders are able to communicate effectively and efficiently with all parties. Strong relationships allow opportunities to be maximized and problems or challenges to be overcome.

 Creativity – the ability to solve problems and work with diverse and challenging people requires creative skills to craft solutions in a timely and efficient manner. Good leaders also allow other team members to engage in a manner that allows for creative solutons for complex or difficult problems.

 Accountability and Credibility - good leaders take responsibility for their actions. A good leader knows that to lead others it is imperative that one must first learn to lead him/herself. A good leader will walk the talk. Responsibility mandates accountability or else the result is simple choas.

The benefits of leadership are well known and accepted. The key issue every business or organization must ask is are we developing leaders? The first critical question is can leaders be developed. The answer to this question is relatively simple to answer. List the qualities that are required to be a good leader on a white board or piece of paper. A quick review of these qualities will reveal that virtually all of them are qualities that can be developed. Leadership clearly is a trait or skill that can be developed.

A rather startling realization is that since leadership is a skill that can developed for virtually anyone, who in our business or organization is receiving leadership development. Executive level and managerial level employees in most businesses and organizations receive some type of leadership training or development. How effective is the development or training program. Are a high percentage of the executive’s good leaders? What about the management staff? Good leaders provide many if not most of the results listed above.

Is there a cost to implementing a good leadership development program? Yes there is a cost to create and implement a good leadership development program tailored to deliver the results a given business or organization desires. This can be called the cost of an investment. Successful businesses have found both in-house and out-sourced solutions. Resources that provide excellent leadership development training is  not in short supply.

Simultaneously, what is the cost of ineffective or poor leadership? Remember to include in the analysis the lost productivity and revenues. Lost opportunity in terms of relationships with customers, vendors, employees are more difficult to get an exact figure. However, what is the customer retention rate? How many new customers are obtained through referrals from current customers? What is the employee turnover rate? Number of employee related complaints and law suits?

A good leadership development program does have a cost in terms of an investment. Poor or average leadership within a business or organization has a much more substantial cost associated with it that can be determined. Leadership development must be a high priority for any forward thinking successful business or organization. In short, leadership development is something that every business or organization will need in order to achieve success.

Why invest in leadership development? Because Leadership Development is a business necessity! Please feel free to visit my website or contact me directly for more information at 847/541-5299.

Look for a future blog article on the importance of developing leadership skills for non-management staff. They are the likely the future managers! They have direct contact with the customers! Productivity and revenue generation is due in significant part to their effectiveness. Leadership development just makes great business sense.

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Employee Motivation

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Part Two

Workplace Analysis

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model was discussed in Part One. Part Two will focus on what this means in a workplace environment. It is important to realize again that people will be motivated by different levels at different times in their lives. Motivation is an area that is often spoken about by well meaning employers. The issue raises a lot of issues and questions for any employer looking for ways to motivate his/her workforce.

Level One: Physiological Needs: rarely are these issues raised in the modern workplace. However, construction crews and other businesses that work in the great outdoors often work in the elements and issues of thirst and protection from the elements can be an issue during extreme cold or heat. These are the most basic of needs and if not met all other needs are unimportant.

Level Two: Safety Needs – the ability to feel safe and protected is a basic human need. It does not take much imagination to see how this can be disturbed in the workplace. Workplace violence has become more frequent at least far as the media reports are concerned. Law suits involving sexual harassment, age discrimination and discrimination on the basis of race, gender and ethnicity also must be factored into this section. Many businesses have engaged in a lot of proactive training meant to minimize the possibility of these types of legal actions. Ask any business that has sustained one of these types of law suits and it is obvious that the cost of litigation is not the only expense that is incurred.

Level Three: Love and Belonging Needs - the need to be accepted and well liked by others is a need that must be met. People affiliate with groups to assist in the fulfillment of this need. A workplace is the second most popular method the majority of people have for fulfilling this need. A workplace that values its people and their contributions will assist in an employee being able to perform at Level Four and Level Five. Employees who do not feel valued will seldom perform at high levels. Employee turnover and customer complaints are often the resulting symptoms for the failure to fill this need.

Level Four: Self Esteem Needs – the lower level of the esteem needs speaks to respect for others, the need for status, recognition, prestige and attention. The higher level speaks to personal strength, competence, personal mastery, self-confidence and freedom. As we relate our personal development to esteem needs, realize that these needs become satisfied only when we set and reach goals that are challenging and stretch us to use more of our potential. Recognition and attention are the two main areas to be concentrated on in this area.

Level Five: Self Actualization Needs – Remember Maslow refers to this level as growth motivation. Only when Level One through Four has been met can this level be worked on an individual level. Self-Actualization and self-fulfillment refer to the process of making maximum use of our abilities and talent, growing and becoming the unique and worthwhile people we really are. At this level a person is a constant seeker of self-improvement. They view life as a process of becoming, of learning, of living a purposeful life and to contributing to the welfare of their fellow human beings. They value life and give value to all those around them.

There is not an employer in the world who does not want their employees to be performing at level five. The question to be asked is have you as an employer done all that you can (employer related issues) to make sure the employee has the needs of levels one through four met? Are you ready to start making progress?



Feel free to visit my website or contact me directly at 847/541-5299. To Your Success…..

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Employee Motivation

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PART ONE (Motivational Needs)



Abraham Maslow, one of the founding fathers of humanist approached to management, gave us much insight into the needs and motivation of people. Maslow theorized that human behavior is directed toward the fulfillment of several levels of needs that all people have in common. It is crucial to understand that while we strive to satisfy these needs, we must understand that different levels of needs will motivate us at different times. Directing your actions towards the gratification of the particular need of the moment will have the most meaning in terms of motivation.

Level One: Physiological Needs – These needs are hunger, thirst, fatigue, air and shelter. These are basic needs that must be met. People will go to any means to satisfy them. When satisfied, we are free to move to the next level.

Level Two: Safety Needs – these needs obviously relate to safety, security, protection and freedom from fear. Included here is the need to have order, laws and structure so a person can feel protected. In the modern world these needs are often represented by things such as regular income, financial stability and proper insurance. Examples in a workplace include safety needs such as equal treatment, fairness, honesty, due process or the right to be heard and arbitrary and unfair use of authority. OSHA laws and the American Disabilities Act are examples of how we try to fill these needs in an external manner. Once the safety needs are reasonably met we are free to go to the next level.

Level Three: Love and Belonging Needs – Social acceptance and love needs are strong desires with great motivating power for virtually everyone. This need to belong, to feel others around you that share your ideas and value you as a person, is a need that leads us to join a variety of social organizations, the most basic of which is a family. Love needs extend beyond romantic love and parent- child love. Love extends to the need for affiliation, to form friendships, to love and be loved, to join groups and to generally be well liked and accepted by others. Social acceptance is often an outward indication of the needs for self-acceptance. Being accepted by others offers us assurance that we are worthwhile.

Level Four: Self Esteem – Maslow actually acknowledged two levels of esteem needs. The first or lower level of esteem is focused on respect for others, the need for status, recognition, fame, prestige and attention. The second level of esteem or higher level esteem is the need for self-esteem, personal strength, competence, personal mastery, self-confidence, independence and freedom. It is important to note that according to Maslow only when levels one through four needs are satisfied can level five needs be addressed.

Level Five: Self Actualization – Maslow refers to this level as growth motivation. When a person is in need of one of the other four levels it is typically due to a deficit. Your body will tell you when you are hungry or thirsty. When we are afraid we will dwell on finding a solution or necessary protection. Self- actualization and self-fulfillment refer to the process of making maximum use of our abilities and talents.



Part 2 will talk about motivation in the workplace as it relates to the Five Levels. Please feel free to visit my website or contact me directly at 847/541-5299. To your success…

The What and Why of Executive Coaching

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Executive coaching is  used by many successful professionals to improve performance and gain control over their busy lifestyles. This article will discuss the WHAT and WHY of executive coaching.

What is Executive Coaching?

Coaching is a process through which executives are helped to improve performance and personal effectiveness while reducing stress. A good coaching process or program will adress these areas:

• Identify Your Strengths
• Address Understanding of Behavior
• Changing Behavior
• Effective Goal Setting and Planning with a Purpose
• Decision Making and Problem Solving
• Improving Communication/Human Relations
• Motivation and Appropriate Delegation

This list can be expanded to include other important aspects of executive leadership. However, the next question to be answered is Why?

Why Executive Coaching?

The answer must be found in what are the benefits of executive coaching. Here are many of the benefits:

• Increased Profits and Productivity
• Live Your Life with a Purpose
• A Clear Focused Direction Professionally & Personally
• Results Oriented Attitude
• Better Team Building Ability
• Enhanced Leadership Ability & Decision Making

Working with a coach will help you to understand who you are and what gives your life value. Coaching will help you establish your life's purpose and pursue it with confidence, skill and commitment. Know where you are going and how you are going to get there!

5 Stages to a Successful Business

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Stage 1 – VISIONING (WHY)


It is often said, “We’d better pay attention to the future, because that’s where we’re going to spend the rest of our lives.” Business success starts with creating a foundation. The foundation for success starts with having a clear picture of where the business is going and what the end result looks like. The VISION STATEMENT is a description of what the business is to become. A well written and thought out VISION STATEMENT captures the passion and purpose of the business owner.



Stage 2 – STRATEGIC THINKING AND PLANNING (Why)

Strategic thinking is defined as the process that determines the future direction of a business. Strategic thinking addresses all aspects and resources available to the business. Its foundation is a strategic thinking process; its conclusion is a logical and well thought out plan that, when implemented, will ensure your success.



Stage 3 – BUSINESS PLANNING (How)

Business planning actualizes the strategic plan. During this phase of the process, your mission is crystallized into specific goal categories. The goal categories become actionable through goals and action steps. In larger businesses each segment or department will have a mission and business plan which contributes to the overall businesses plan. The Mission Statement of the business is normally included here. A Mission Statement is normally a twelve to eighteen month goal that propels the business toward the ultimate achievement of its Vision.



Stage 4 – IMPLEMENTING THE PLANS (How)

Success will ultimately depend on action. The most compelling vision and well thought out planning process will not result in success without action steps that are measureable. Add time frames for the action steps to get accomplished with accountability assigned to particular individual(s) and implementation can be accomplished.



Stage 5 REVIEW AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT (How)

Measurement is crucial if you are to gauge progress and manage a business. Creating a dashboard for the communication of goals and objectives is critical for measurement to take place. There is always something you can do to gain control over every situation. There is always something you can learn to get better. Your business should and will change due to growth. You must change with it. Continuous improvement of your processes, strategies and people will allow you to achieve success!



Success – the continual achievement of your predetermined goals, stabilized by balance and purified by belief.

Please visit my website to find out about the services provided by LDG Consulting.

Coaching - Understanding My "Selfs"

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The vast majority of potential coaching clients are committed to personal improvement and achievement. Many have tried to get organized and focus their life to obtain a better result. But like most people, they find that traditional resolutions are often difficult to keep. The best of intentions quickly evaporate due to everyday life pressures, issues and concerns. Self-improvement ends up being a merry-go-round experience, round and round you go, never getting anywhere. You would like to change, but you do not know how.


There is an answer to this predicament and it is within your resources to free yourself from the inhibitions and constraints that limit your personal and professional growth. Self-awareness is the foundation to growth. You must know who you are, your desires, values, strengths and weaknesses before you can move forward. Socrates said it best “Know thyself.”

In reality, you are more than one self. You are a composite of several different “selfs” that surface and recede according to the circumstances. In some circumstances you are logical, and in others you are more emotional. In certain situations you might lead, and in others you are content to follow. In some settings you are active, and in others you are passive. When you take the time to better understand yourself, you will better understand your behaviors and the behaviors of others. What makes you and others behave the way we do? Understanding your three "selfs" provide a good deal of insight to this question.

Self #1 Parental: Your “taught” concept of life – this self embodies all the rules, values, and social norms that you were taught or conditioned to use during your early formative years. This self keeps you within the socially acceptable norms of behavior. This self can be nurturing and protective as well as judgmental and critical. The vocabulary of this self utilizes restrictive words like never, don’t and mustn’t. It also has positive words such as be careful, look before you leap and value language such as “honesty is the best policy.”

When this self gives you advice that is no longer appropriate for your current age and circumstances, it can adversely restrict your creativity, imagination and development. A great example would be “Do not talk to strangers.” This is a common phrase many parents instruct small children with for the legitimate reason of keeping them safe. This phrase would clearly be a hindrance to a person in sales or in the  public speaker field.

Self #2 Adult: Your “thought” concept of life – this self is rational and objective. This self deals with facts and makes decisions; it enhances your ability to ask questions, to reason, and to accurately assess situations. Self #2 logically calculates information and makes decisions. Its vocabulary includes the fact finding questions of who, what, when, where and why.

Self #3 Child: Your ‘felt” concept of life – this self is composed of your feelings and emotions. It embodies natural feelings such as joy, sadness, anger and love. It also encompasses adapted feelings such as inadequacy, shyness, fear of rejection and desire to please others.


Self #3 may come to the surface in a pressured situation in the form of being selfish, demanding, angry or mean. In more pleasant circumstances Self #3 may come to the surface and cause you to laugh, cry, love and enjoy. The vocabulary with this self is often in the form of “I want, Why not, It’s not my fault, and Did I do ok?”

All three “selfs” play an important role in your development as a total person. Although you are likely not totally aware of their influence, their voices affect your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Sometimes your different “selfs” compete with each other for your attention. You may think you want to do one thing (child-self), while your voice is telling you that you should do (parental self) another. Internal conflict is in reality a conflict between your different “selfs”. Developing a greater awareness of the dynamic interaction among your “selfs” can help minimize their conflicting messages and result in better decisions and choices being made.

My coaching process is designed to allow the client to truly understand and affirm who they are and what gives their life value. Understanding the “selfs” is a vital part of this process. Please feel free to contact me for more information.

HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL LEADERS: THREE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND SKILLS

Part 4 of 4

This four part series on leadership illustrates that there is no real secret to being a good leader. However, Highly Successful Leaders are known to be guided by three main principles and skills. Those three guiding principles and skills are:

•  Highly Successful Leaders are Authentic - they know who they are and where they are going. They set the direction and pace for the organization and lead by example.

•  Highly Successful Leaders provide Vision, Values and Strategies to transform their organizations to higher levels of sustained success.

•  Highly Successful Leaders have Personal and Organizational Values which govern their behavior. They lead by values.

The third and final guiding principle is that Highly Successful Leaders are guided by personal and organizational values. The ability to lead others first requires self leadership. Values like honesty and integrity clearly come to mind as well as being open minded and understanding of the importance of continual learning and self development. Highly Successful Leaders are in a continual learning stage. They seek to understand people, process and strategy.

Organizational values must be clearly articulated from the leaders to all members of the organization. Equally important, these values must be present in all actions taken by the leadership team. Many will refer to this as “Values-Based Leadership.” Values-based leadership focuses on balancing the needs of the individual with the needs of the organization by aligning the vision, values and resources of all concerned.

A look at any newspaper on virtually any day will illustrate how many organizations seem to be guided “Value-less leadership.” A classic example of a company that successfully demonstrated their commitment to “Value-based leadership” was Johnson & Johnson. They recalled Tylenol capsules after some deaths were reported in Chicago that attributed to their product. They made the decision to recall the product because of the following organizational value “we believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers, and fathers and all others who use our products and services. That expressed value made the decision to recall the product a relatively simple decision. Subsequent investigation revealed the product had been tampered with after it was on the store shelf. Johnson & Johnson did sustain some short term loss due to this decision. The good will and credibility they gained by taking immediate action for the protection of the consumer is still paying dividends today.

Values must be incorporated into your strategic business plan and into your day to day activities. They are a significant factor as far as keeping all members of the organization aligned on common goals. Make sure your values are meaningful to you and your organizational success. There is not an industry or profession that cannot benefit in a sustainable manner from running their organization with a “Values-Based Leadership” mentality.

Leadership is a skill that is developed. What are you doing to develop your leadership skills? What about your team’s leadership skills?