There are solid managers, and then there are leaders with the potential to think outside of the box, adapt to change, and lead their business into the future smarter, faster, and better than the pack.

Most large organizations have what they would call a “high potential leader pool”, which is the base of talent they will draw from to succeed as the next wave of leaders in the company. Being considered for this kind of advancement is not random – it’s all in your control if you make it a priority. Our organization is often brought in to companies to create leadership development programs for this exclusive group, and we’ve see what it takes to make it!

If you want to be considered as the next generation of leadership, you need to be able to see past the horizon, beyond what is and into what could be. If you decide to take on the attitude of a lifelong learner, you’re half-way there. Taking personal responsibility and injecting everything you do with passion, drive, and determination will also set you apart.

Here are three tips for becoming a high-potential leader, and they’re all about learning:

1.)   Ask your manager/ supervisor to consider you for stretch assignments. There’s nothing like having someone help you build up your experience, and when you have a supportive manager they can help you find ways to expand your expertise.

2.)   Take any opportunities your organization has for training & development. Even when your organization offers things that you don’t think you need, it can be a great investment of your time and energy to learn what the organization thinks is important. It’s a way to build relationships and to demonstrate your commitment to your own advancement.

3.)   Become a student of leadership, not just of your business. So many of us who move into leadership positions are expert in our business. Leadership is a whole new skill set. Become an expert in people! Learn about how to cultivate motivated, engaged, and productive teams.

High potential leaders are also excellent performers who contribute to the organization as a whole through their expertise and results focus. Ask questions, influence and motivate others, and cultivate a new and open state of mind. Becoming a High Potential Leader does not mean using your ambition to step on others to get ahead, it should involve positive steps to the next level of leadership that include making others around you better – which is the hallmark of a true leader. Like I said, it’s really up to you!

We all know that no one is perfect, and everyone – even the most respected of leaders – makes mistakes. You can choose to ignore the mistakes you make along the way, or you can face them head on, address them, and, most importantly, learn from them. One sign of a great leader is someone who isn’t afraid to say, “I don’t know” on occasion. It actually conveys strength and confidence, rather than weakness.

Here are a few common mistakes leaders make that you can learn from and watch our for in your own behavior:

Negative Reinforcement: Putting people down or criticism their performance in a non-constructive way won’t help them and it definitely won’t help your business. Be careful not to use scare tactics or threats to try and get the most out of people, since it always has the opposite effect. Instead of dumping on someone when you’re unhappy with their performance, talk to them about why they are valuable to the organization and what they need to do to course correct. Appreciate what they do right. Remember the wise positive psychologist Barbara Frederickson who coined the term “broaden and build”. What do you want to broaden and build? Focus on that – because what we focus on grows!

Not Listening: Really listen to those around you rather than brushing them off or convincing yourself that you have the answers. Listen to everyone, and then decide what works and what doesn’t.

Acting Solely on Emotion: Sure the pressures of work and life can creep into your performance at times, but be mindful to remain calm and focused and take deep breaths in tricky, tense situations rather than acting on a possibly misguided impulse. Take a moment or a day, clear your mind, then act accordingly. Your emotions are useful information, but self-management is an art form!

Not Admitting Mistakes: Again, remember to say “I don’t know” when necessary. If you do make a mistake don’t pretend it never happened. Show everyone around you that you respect them by fessing up – it’ll be better for everyone and for the organization in the end.

Not Delegate: This is a hard one for some folks, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed remember that it is OK and even advisable to delegate responsibilities. If you feel yourself needing to control everything, try and put trust and faith in others by letting go a little bit. It’ll foster a more positive environment!

www.theresilienceproject.net

When we increase our capacity or productivity it should be in service of something greater than growing the bottom line. It should be in service of a better world.
Good Business means a positive impact on people and planet, as well as profit.  Most corporations in 2011 have an annual CSR report and measure their social and environmental impact in some way, but are their leaders truly focused on shifting organizational structures and measures of success? Are leaders taking the opportunity of this particular time on our earth to engage their organizations in work that has meaning and purpose? It is my belief that the worlds best leaders are completely engaged in the question “What is Good Business, and how can I contribute to it?”

How Transformational Business Links to World Transformation
Corporations hold enormous power, more than at any other time in history. Some corporations are larger than whole nations. As of 2005, Fortune Magazine and the World Bank identified that of the world’s largest 150 economic entities, 95 are corporations (63.3%) [July 25, 2005 Issue of Fortune Magazine] When corporations make significant changes, they change the whole world. A small decision on the part of Walmart to use their “Sustainability 360” approach means supplies worldwide are shifting their production practices. In 2008, Walmart Canada surpassed its goal to reduce waste produced by its stores across the country by 65 percent. That is only one of 15 countries! Sims Metal Management is the world’s largest recycling company. Their impact in fiscal year 2010 alone reduced global carbon emissions by over 13.2 million tons – more than is emitted by many small countries! Small companies can make a profound difference as well. My small consulting company is committed to a net positive impact on people, planet, and profit – and through our small efforts and commitment in this last year we have planted over 1300 trees, we are carbon neutral, and by donating a portion of our profits we have been able to feed, house, clothe, and educate deserving but impoverished children who would otherwise have no opportunities. It may seem like a drop in the bucket when we look at the fact that 50% of all humans on this planet live on less than $2.50 USD per day, but it’s not trivial to those kids. And when we all jump on the bandwagon that every business has a RESPONSIBILITY to contribute positively to the world on multiple dimensions, that drop in the bucket can become an ocean.

The Forerunners versus the Dinosaurs
The forerunners are already there. Companies like Seventh Generation, Gensler, Green Soul Shoes, or Sims Metal Management are leading the way. They are beyond talking about sustainability and values based business, and they are on to generativity – how will they give back to our ecosystem? How will their impact be net positive?  We are all catching up to the forerunners, and the forerunners are running into their own issues around maintaining and managing growth.
The forerunners understand that profit must be part of the equation, even a private, social venture  company that shies away from a growth model must stoke it’s economic engine. Money is fuel – the fuel that makes things possible. They also embrace the tough questions. They aren’t afraid to ask “What do we do uniquely well that the world needs? How can we make a positive impact and a profit at the same time? What are we doing that is hurting or depleting our sacred earth and how can we shift that practice? How do we treat each other? What are we willing to fight for?”

The Strengths Revolution and the Perspective of Possibility
In order for us to truly commit to Good Business, we need our strength. We need to capture stories of what’s working, what’s exciting, what’s good and what’s possible. It is through those stories that we are able to stay motivated and focused. We also need to develop our capabilities and learn to lead our organizations with dignity, stability, and vision. Never have we needed enlightened, thoughtful leadership more than this moment.
Enlightened leaders take strengths seriously. They know that the best performance comes from maximizing what’s working well, and minimizing what’s wrong. They know that performance goes up when employees are engaged, excited, and have a sense of contribution to something greater than themselves. Enlightened leaders invest in their people, and know that retaining top talent means retaining an organization’s precious memories and lessons learned, that developing talent means leading for the long-haul, that nurturing future leaders means paving a path to positive and sustainable outcomes. Enlightened leaders know that we must not be guided only by what has been accomplished in the past, that we must open our eyes to possibilities we may never have dreamed of.
When we remember that SMALL IS BIG, that when we focus on the smallest of human interactions, we make a powerful statement. When we acknowledge performance, share meaningful work, collaborate as a team, when we give feedback that encourages someone to go beyond what they thought they could, we are having a social impact that goes beyond the workplace. We are providing environments of possibility, performance, and purpose.

There is No More Time.
There is no more time. We’re beyond emissions reduction and setting small goals to achieve over time to combat climate change. We are beyond doing small philanthropic projects and ignoring the fact that our global communities are desperate, poverty-stricken, and in crisis. We need to change how our largest corporations operate, and how our small businesses contribute. It’s time for big steps, not just small gestures. It’s time to make a big wave of change for the better for people and for our precious mother earth.
Invest in small, entrepreneurial ventures. Create cultures of positivity, perspective, transformation and caring. Ask the question – what change do we want to see in the world, and how can we bring about that change?
That question starts with US, ourselves, as individuals. And it is no small gesture, it is a BIG step to confront who we are, and how we are complicit in creating what we DO NOT want.

The Microcosm is the Macrocosm: Small is the New Big.
If each one of us there is a great opportunity for impacting the world in a positive way. From practicing  the smallest action of kindness, a smile or a thank you, we can change a workplace culture. From the smallest economic actions we can change how our organizations prioritize, whether it is a consumer decision (What product do I buy? What companies do I want to support?), or a leadership decision (What behavior or performance will I reward? What results do we want to measure? What do we expect from our vendors or partners? How do we treat our employees? Our customers? The communities we work within?) It’s time for us to shift our questions and to confront our beliefs about work. We need to ask “What am I contributing to? What impact am I having and is it the impact I want to have?”
You are a microcosm. Your behavior radiates outward. Every action you take is like throwing a stone in a pond and watching the ripples spread out in the water. Those actions can be positive or negative, but the impact goes on, rippling out and fading away. When we become more aware of our unique, personal actions and their impact, we create larger ripples. We can focus our efforts on the ripples we want to create, the size stones we want to throw. We can join others for even larger impact, until we are satisfied with the power of our waves to generate the changes we want to see.

With 2012 comes a new project for me and for Karlin Sloan & Company – The Resilience Project. I feel like we’ve been working on it for many years & it’s finally here. Yay us!

Our goal with The Resilience Project is to provide the tools for leaders and their teams to thrive during change and challenge.

We believe in five principles that guide our thinking:

1.) We all crave positive, engaging workplaces. When we experience those workplaces, we do our best work, and everyone benefits.

2.) The most engaging workplaces are the ones that are consciously working to develop and leverage the strengths and skills of their people.

3.) Developing strengths and skills shouldn’t be limited to technical expertise, it should include helping people to develop their capacity for management, leadership, and collaboration.

4.) Developing RESILIENCE – the ability to bounce back from change or challenge – is the single most important management, leadership, and collaboration skill for a new era.

5.) Resilience can be taught, and we know how!

http://www.theresilienceproject.net.

I spoke with the wonderful Ashley Welch for a series called LeaderLens this October…

I thought I’d pass it along for those who are interested in a short interview with me on the topic of resilience. Ashley is an amazing interviewer, and a passionate advocate for developing leaders who want to do GOOD BUSINESS. I highly recommend checking out all of her leadership podcasts!

Check out the Karlin Sloan on Leader Lens podcast here.

There is something very special that happens when we practice gratitude. (which is one of our company values). It “broadens and builds” the positive as Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a popular positive psychologist would say.

Gratitude does a number of things. First off, it focuses us on what’s working. It gives us a perspective that promotes joy and well being. It helps us realize how good we have it!  Our latest research on resilience shows that resilient people are excellent at reframing situations to find the positive in them. Practicing gratitude is one simple, life-affirming way to get us there.

Thank you readers, I’m grateful to connect with you via this blog, and look forward to letting you know all about LEMONADE and the RAW-Q, both of which are officially launching shortly! Stay tuned…

And if you are inspired, let me know what you’re grateful for at work! I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks to Dr. Alan Graham, Kevin Cuthbert, and a host of others we have a new assessment tool that can make a powerful difference for leaders and teams looking at how they can best adapt and cope with constant change.

Once we’ve got the pilot completed a retail version will be available online and I’ll provide the details. For now, I’m just thrilled to hear from a live audience how they like the report structure.

As we have conducted our research on at Resilience at Work, we have looked at all the research to date on resilience, and we’ve spoken with hundreds of leaders about how they cope with change and challenge. We’ve come up with a very simple model that can help individuals and teams to use their strengths and address their weaknesses in this area, and we think it’s high time for this work.

In most of the organizations I work in, I’m finding that not only are people busy coping with all of the change that’s happening internally on their teams and in their business units, but they’re also coping with the bigger picture – changes going on in the grander scheme. How many people do you know who are helping aging parents? Folks with college kids who can’t find jobs and need to move home? People with stress-related illnesses or chronic health issues? How many people you know are concerned about the global economy? Their own stock portfolio? Their own viability as a worker?

What we need now is a good dose of resilience.

More shortly!

Thank you to my friends, clients, and colleagues for your commitment to building relationship and community at work. Every day that we connect to another person and let them know they’re not alone we build greater strength.

The insane media coverage of the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 has given me pause. It is a reminder to build relationships and community, and to value those things in our lives and our work. Despite the overload I feel when I read or watch the news today, I believe it’s important for us to remember. And even more important, to be inspired to be the best of ourselves.

I remember walking through the Manhattan streets that day, watching paper fall and swirl around in a light wind. The streets were almost empty by 7pm, but small groups were clustered together talking about what had just happened. My husband and I were walking home via 6th Street and stopped in an Indian restaurant we used to frequent and sat with the waitstaff and talked. I don’t remember anything that was said, just the comfort of being with caring people who were sharing this experience.  It didn’t matter that we didn’t know each other well, we were from different countries and cultures, we were together, we were neighbors, and we were happy to have food and drink and time to talk about the day. It was really dark below 14th street, I don’t remember if the lights were on in the village or not, but I do remember walking home and looking out across the Manhattan bridge on the surreal darkness and the void where the World Trade Center was supposed to be. I had been scared all day, but this walk home,  surrounded by kindness of all sorts, I realized the power of community, even in someplace like New York City where we can feel so anonymous.

When we remember that we are all in this together, it changes us. We become bigger than just ourselves. We become more responsible because we care about the people around us and their well being. We become more compassionate because we think about how others feel. We become more powerful because we are capable of doing great things together that we can’t do apart.

When you remember where you were on 9/11, and how you felt, my invitation to you is to remember the people you were with. The connection you had to people either close to you or far away. Silently thank those people, whoever they are. If they were in the towers send them a blessing and a remembrance. If they were with you give thanks.

My hope on this anniversary day is that we use this remembrance to celebrate what’s great in our connection to each other, to remember to value times of peace, and to practice Unfear.

So what do we need to do to stoke the innovation fire, even when our corporate cultures are not used to it?

1.) Develop and Encourage Innovation Behaviors

Big picture thinking, divergent thinking, collaboration, experimentation, scenario planning and daydreaming with purpose are all important for innovation. Developing those behaviors can happen through traditional training, or through experiential learning.

2.) Reward Great Ideas

Are we punishing mistakes, or rewarding good thinking? What are some simple, non-monetary rewards you can use with your team when they innovate?

3.) Tap the Strengths Inherent in our Divergent Thinkers

Who on your team is naturally creative? Asking team members to use their natural strengths is motivating and engaging for them, and ultimately benefits everyone if they are empowered to succeed.  How can you carve out time for your divergent thinkers to tackle issues in the organization? Are you asking them provocative questions to get their best ideas?

RIP Steve Jobs.