Family vacations were the source of many memories. Invariably our vacations took us to the local zoological establishment where we would compare that particular zoo to the many others we visited. On one such trip we were struck by the grandeur of the Golden Eagle. I watched the majestic bird as it stood confined to a small cage, while other birds were in an aviary with more room to fly. I pondered the concept of eagles trapped in cages, which was initially addressed in a poem in my book Eagles in Cages Leadership above the Rim – the poetry of possibility. 

In organizations and families all over the world, are a countless number of individuals who are not working up to their capabilities. They are functioning below expectations. They are as eagles, designed to achieve high altitudes, but are fettered, confined to a prison that restricts their mobility. These magnificent specimens reside in corporations of every size, on teams and in relationships. They sit on their monogrammed perches and make flights at low altitudes and of short duration. The toll on performance, engagement, productivity, personal satisfaction, self -actualization is enormous. Their captivity ensures that they do not;

• Participate fully with their talents
• Become fully engaged
• Have their maximum impact on results
• Stand out from the crowd by sharing their ideas
• Take risks due to fear or lack of confidence 

Captivity extracts a psychic and financial penalty. The opportunity costs are staggering; lost wages due to missed promotions, impaired innovation, reduced productivity and other financial consequences. 

The Eagles 

Who are the eagles? They are a diverse group of individuals and teams. They may differ in age, gender, race, culture, level of ability, thinking and learning styles, education, class, religious affiliation, physical and mental capacity, country of residence and origin, and in other dynamics across the human spectrum. 

They are each endowed with talents, skills, abilities in search of opportunities for expression. They are wired to behave distinctively, in our unique way. Their passion is shown in different areas and dream of accomplishing and participating in activities that match their talents. In classrooms around the world children fantasize about beauty, greatness, wealth and the adulation of friends. In factories, the workers on the front line have ideas to improve their work environment, profitability and products. There are managers who wish to display artistic freedom in executing their job description. 

It is important for eagles to accept their role in expressing their abilities. After a speech in Austin, Texas a young lady ran up to me shouting, I am an eagle! I am an eagle!  She came to grips with who she was. This kind of fervor is rarely seen, but internally it must be felt. 

The eagles face numerous restrictions that stunt their growth and impair their development. The eagles respond in various ways; conforming, silently rebelling, optimistically hoping for the best, realistically responding to their setting. Consequently, they go along with the program, suppressing their ideas, spread negative thoughts through the company grapevine, watch the clock, and do just enough to keep their jobs. 

Eagle traits

You determine someone’s talents, strengths, skills, abilities and potential by: 

• Personality assessments, motivational surveys, talent and strength finder questionnaires
• Assigning projects and provide feedback
• Observe the things they excel in on the job
• Identifying their passion and capitalize on their strengths
• Challenging them to exceed a higher standard
• Determining what holds them down and what allows them to soar
• Trusting them and relinquish some power
• Delegating authority and give them room to expand
• Not under estimating their potential

Eagles present with varying talents, abilities, skills and potential. When trained and coached in the proper environment with requisite aptitude, resources and motivation eagles fulfill their purpose and potential. When an eagle’s environment is expanded and their needs are met, they can fly higher and perform as they were born to produce. Dale was a sales representative who got in serious trouble with his girlfriend.  She had a parakeet that he would let out to fly around the apartment. He noticed that the bird always flew at low levels around the apartment. He felt the bird could not fly very high and its wings did not have the strength to fly away. So Dale decided to remove the parakeet from the cage and let it fly outdoors. He cupped the bird in his hands and threw it toward the sky. To his amazement the bird flew like it was shot from a rocket straight up into the air and immediately out of sight. Dale under estimated the potential of a freed bird when given the opportunity of a higher ceiling. 

Eagle cages 

The cages that bind the eagles are rarely of metal. They usually consist of: 

• A person’s low self-esteem, fear and a desire to stay under the radar
• Assimilation and peer pressure to stay within limits or expectations
• A corporate culture that restricts innovation by a rigid set of policies / procedures that discourage risk taking and differentiation
• Managers with weak leadership, coaching and people development skills
• Poor reward and recognition systems
• Poor training or lack of training to restrict skill development
• An environment that lacks trust, where mistakes are punished

Eagles face personal impediments, barriers from people they know or restrictions from associations where they work-study or volunteer their time. Results are linked to expectations. Low expectations usually lead to low results and high expectations lead to higher results. But your level of ascension will also be affected by your beliefs through you self-image. Maxwell Maltz, MD, a noted plastic surgeon wrote, “The “self-image” is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self-image and you change the personality and behavior.” 

Emancipation of Eagles 

There are too many eagles in too many cages. One of the major tasks facing families, individuals, corporations and civic groups is how to get the most out of people. Families have the awesome responsibility to identify talents, create a nurturing environment, instruct the eaglets when they’re young and praise their successes. They have to strengthen them when there are crash landings until they learn to use their wings for maximum effectiveness. 

Leadership in organizations must play a key role in releasing the eagles and encouraging them to reach their potential.  Command and control tactics must give way to empowerment and engagement in order to experience the glorious freedom and results from the beauty of unfettered flight.  There was a video narrated by the late Orson Wells entitled, “To try again and succeed.” It tells the story of a baby eagle and the role of an older and wiser eagle in training, nurturing, challenging and using discipline to enable the young bird to fly. When the young bird is pushed from the nest and falls perilously into the depths, we are elated to see the eaglet emerge, able to fly.  Our role as eagles is to reach our potential, as we help other eagles exercise their purpose and reach their goals and the magnificent release of their talent.

Copyright © 2011 Orlando Ceaser                      www.watchwellinc.com

In many organizations there is a clandestine society you could label the silent opposition, the underground or the resistance. They do not agree with the direction or policies of the people in charge. They have problems with the vision, mission or some of the daily practices. They believe they could do it better or there has to be someone out there who could do a better job than the current leadership team. You may not know their real identities, opinions or intent because of their whispered opposition and secret dissent. They often;

• Second guess every Corporate decision
• Question or challenge the motives of management
• Remain stuck in nostalgia and the good old days
• Poison morale with negative and unproductive thought 

What has the organization done to earn their ire? The company may have made mistakes in the past, so the group perpetuates the negative reputation. The corporation’s current manner of treating people may desire improvement. There may be a culture of favoritism where the minions of the boss are rewarded with the choice assignments and better bonuses.  Or the contingent is dissatisfied with their own position and wrestle with a stagnant career trajectory. 

Secret dissent is also due to the fact that people believe the wrong people are in power. They may not approve of the person because of their affiliation with another leadership regime. They may also find it hard to work for someone who does not share their cultural, gender, racial, ethnic or other diversity related differences. People are known to give less than their best or more than expected based on their identification with the person or group running the operation. 

Execution has received attention over the past few years, as an area of breakdown within an organization. Ineffective execution could be due to a lack of understanding, poor leadership follow-up and low commitment to the mission and vision. They may inadvertently sabotage results by not believing in the strategy. Employees who do not believe cannot achieve at the highest level. Employees who do not buy into the program may be guilty of secret dissent. 

Many times employees are not committed to the program because they have their own agenda. Imagine showing up at an event when there is the main program and another agenda being circulated at the same time. There are times and performances listed and a different order of services, relentless sidebars and competing performances. The impact of the service would be diminished and it would damage the effectiveness of the program. 

Many organizations assess the corporate climate by conducting a cultural analysis, 360 degree feedback instrument, and employee and engagement surveys to determine employee perceptions. These resources enable an organization to gauge the corporate culture and climate, so that leadership can institute a strategy to improve the environment. This should ultimately lead to an improvement in employee engagement and results. The plan is also more scientific than cultivating a list of credible informants to give their assessment of the emotional climate. 

Leadership has to address the negative grapevine or live with ineffectiveness causing compromised results and poor morale. Secret dissent can affect alignment and the achievement of corporate goals. It is difficult to lead with a faction aggressively working to undermine your position. Imagine a general leading an army toward a goal of victory when there are people in their ranks giving contradictory orders. Imagine a sports team when the blockers are following their own plays and moving in a different direction. 

Counter instructions can limit the effectiveness of an organization. A sales region for a pharmaceutical company devised a 3 part strategy to handle the secret dissent within their region. New employees changed their excitement about Regional Office staff after spending time in the field with their co-workers. Apparently, some senior representatives corrupted the minds of the new recruits with bad information. Regional leadership developed a proactive strategy to counter the negative commentary. 

The new employees were told that some people may not share their enthusiasm for the company and its regional staff.  As a matter of fact some may question leadership sincerity and competence. When they hear disparaging comments they were instructed to simply ask three questions of the accusers; 

1. “How do you know this to be true?” This is to determine if it is mere speculation or based on certifiable examples.
2. “Why are you telling me this?” Since they are new with the company and full of excitement and promise, why does anyone feel the need to bring them down with negative views from the past?
3. “If it is so bad, why are you still here?” This question usually gets to the heart of those who complain without offering solutions. They are mired in excuses and short on explanations. 

A few months after instituting this strategy a new recruit could not contain her excitement. She followed the 3 questions strategy. She reported that it worked like a charm. The sales person was delivering negative information. She caught him by surprise by asking the 3 questions. He froze in his tracks and abandoned the negative comments about the company. At least, this approach helped reduce some of the negative thinking directed at their new personnel. 

The objective is not to abolish dissent, but to encourage all voices to state their opinions and position in a consistent manner. For this to happen, a company must establish an environment where people can state their minds without fear of reprisal or retaliation. They must also teach people how to dissent. The old adage of disagree without being disagreeable is still valid instruction. Additionally, it would be helpful if everyone understood and embraced the meaning of consensus. They should fervently discuss debate and disagree, but when they settle on strategy and tactics, everyone should support it whole heartedly. Their objective should be for the greater good of the enterprise. 

It is difficult to succeed without alignment and everyone pulling in the same direction. Some resist the entire platform and other certain elements of it. Many times resistance occurs without allowing the strategy or tactics an opportunity to work. I was guilty of this early in my career. As a sales representative my manager wanted me to implement a program I felt had no way of succeeding. He wanted me to give a pharmacist 6 vials of three of our products as free samples (2 for each product). Each vial contained 12 tablets. The pharmacist was substituting generics for our products. My boss felt these 6 vials would stop him from this substituting a generic for our products. I was not concerned about these minor products because I was increasing the market share of our other products.  I told him I knew the pharmacist and he would lose a large amount of money on this approach. 

Needless to say, I did not follow his advice. I will never forget his words when he found out I did not implement his suggestion. He said, “You decided that it wouldn’t work without the decency of trying it out.” I realized my folly and put a program in place to implement and track the results. I was guilty of secret dissent. 

There may be an anti-leadership faction within your organization for many of the reasons listed. The leadership team has the responsibility to cast the vision and inspire the team and its leaders to commit to the organizational mission and vision. Incentives should be in place to reward the team when objectives are reached. Effort should be made to place the right people in the right jobs where they can have input into their development, learn mastery of skills to reach their potential and receive the joy of belonging to a higher purpose. But there is also the obligation to hear the individuals who may not be on board with the strategy. Well meaning individuals should be heard and their views taken into consideration. However, if their secret dissent undermines the integrity of the operation in a destructive manner, a decision has to be made on their value to the organization.

Copyright © 2011 Orlando Ceaser

 In simpler times, one could comfortably establish a satisfactory level of performance in any area and pace themselves while delivering reasonable productivity.  A co-worker told me that he would set a high level of work output, which was nowhere near his maximum effort, and his boss was pleased and impressed. There were no engagement surveys, but individuals surpassed the objectives and expectations of management and the marketplace. Employment was not at risk and if someone did not like their jobs they could easily find a job at another company. Today, I don’t have to tell you that times are different. 

The current economic climate resulted in layoffs.  Remaining employees are doing the work of several people. It is impossible for mediocre performance to hide. Additionally, investors are desperate and aggressively scrambling to find investment options that warrant their resources. Business demands a skill set and a mindset superior to the requirements of the past. Today, the speed, endurance and techniques (SET) of yesterday are no longer good enough to make the grade, for a variety of reasons.

1.    Survival demands Excellence   

Companies are searching for a higher brand of talent and consequently, people’s jobs are at risk. Average performers are particularly vulnerable. Average performance will no longer be condoned or tolerated. In tough times the marginally effective are an endangered species. The mandate against mediocrity is strong. Only the strong survive and the survival of the fittest is the order of the day. 

Organizations are calibrating employees and force ranking them from the best performers to the lowest. Workers are also labeled as A, B, and C employees. The closer you are to the bottom of this rating scale, the more susceptible you are to personnel cuts. The angst this creates in the workforce perpetually reminds people of pay for performance. This also means that just good enough isn’t. 

Effort alone is insufficient. The old adage of working smarter not harder still has merit. However, when you work smarter without a corresponding increase in working harder management accuses you of loafing. My earliest recollection with working smarter was in college when I worked on an assembly line changing oven liners at a General Electric plant. I devised a way to work smarter to make time to read from a book. This infuriated my foreman who said, “If you are going to create more time, take that time and sweep the floor.” He really wanted me to work smarter and to work harder. 

Nearly twenty years ago, I gave my District Sales Managers an extra office day every quarter to create something that would benefit their sales team. It could be read a book to develop a workshop or anything that would improve their level of creativity. Companies talk about being creative, but most do not take the opportunity to put words into action. Some companies such as Gore, Inc. build creativity and thinking time into their culture.

2.    Changing needs of the Marketplace

Marketplace needs change due to demographic shifts in the customer base. The buying power of diverse consumers is steadily increasing and will cause companies to alter their marketing mix to include these customers. The four generations of consumers will motivate companies to customize their marketing messages to the desired customers. Marketing was already a sophisticated practice, but it will be even more specialized.

The Total Quality Movement made quality a non-negotiable; a standard part of every product or transaction. Poor service will not be tolerated and the market will run consistent violators out of business. The customer has many options in person or on-line. Companies are vying with their competitors to acquire and inspire customers to buy their products. For example, customer services procedures mandate that returns are handled without hassle, which is different from the interrogations people encountered a few years ago. Individuals and organizations must move from acceptable performance to exceptional performance, because only in the domain of excellence can they hope to prosper. 

The competition is changing in number, methods and locations. The stakes are higher as entrants are fiercer and more lethal in their promotional strategies. Some will advocate peaceful co-existent, while others will try to annihilate the competitors.  

Students prepare for and compare themselves to their class mates. Their limited view of the competitive landscape confined to their classrooms, schools and communities. Clearly, students are competing for resources and recognition on standardized tests in their state, but many of their competitors will reside in other countries. Students across the globe are sacrificing their time and dreaming of living the prosperity of our American dream. Globalization has created a global economy where people compete directly or via the Internet. 

Paradigm shifting is almost a dance of regularity as best practices and input from outsiders accelerate the rate of change in most industries. Theodore Levitt, the esteemed Marketing guru, popularized the phrase, “planned obsolescence”, which basically challenged companies to replace their product, before the competition made them obsolete. This philosophy also works with individuals. It is incumbent on each of us to make our current skills obsolete, as we replace them with a newer version, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 or whichever version is needed to meet the needs of the future. A culture of innovation is imperative to stay ahead of the myriad of changes in the business world.

3.    Technology could make you Obsolete 

Companies must find a way to improve their products or the marketing of their products and services. Social networking and its many platforms and applications have spread the exposure of many brands to a larger audience.  Companies are evaluating the use of technological advances such as the iPad and the Internet to market their products. Technological advances are being solicited and evaluated and implemented to form a competitive advantage or maintain competitiveness.

Knowledge is doubling at a great rate, “as shown in patents and academic publication, knowledge doubles at different rates for different sectors, ranging from 2 years for nanotechnology to 21 years for other sectors.” (newsfan)

There is more to keep up with and more to master.  So everyone must keep up with new information, best practices and scientific applications for their brands, business and career. This applies to everyone, even if your focus is your education or managing a career. 

Everyone must stay on the technological wave and ascertain its value. We must find a creative way to promote our brand, even if the brand is our own identity.

Everyone must emphasize speed, endurance and techniques (SET) beyond what was previously acceptable, as we strive for the exceptional.  Clearly, we must embrace the reality that good enough isn’t.

Copyright © 2011 Orlando Ceaser

A fast track has a surface that allows the participants to move swifter than usual. The term is used in many instances such as horse racing, running and the condition of the field for athletic events. Wikipedia defines it as an informal English phrase meaning “the quickest and most direct route to achievement of a goal, as in competing for professional advancement”. 

Performance times are better under these circumstances. A fast track is also a career path that enables those who gain entrance, to move along the proverbial corporate ladder, at an accelerated pace. In business, the fast track exists for succession planning. Leadership wants to groom the next generation of managers and leaders. The leaders of tomorrow must have the necessary skills.  The top talent must be exposed to a holistic view of the company, competitors, and the challenges of the industry, which this track provides.

The fast track is reserved for the anointed ones, the heir apparent, and the chosen ones.  It is an envied path that many would like to travel. It is like the outside lane (HOV) in cities like Dallas, Texas, where you can move quickly if you are traveling with a passenger. The corporate prodigy is the passenger riding with the sponsor for their career. The track can be customized to hold one person or a field of talented individuals receiving special treatment. 

Organizations may determine there is not enough variety of thought in their leadership pool, so they structure a plan to accelerate the movement of certain individuals within the organization. Fast track status may be awarded to people as part of a diversity initiative with the focus on fairness and adhering to organizational standards of excellence.

One company established a Corporate Program to facilitate the movement of recent college graduates within the company. Aligned to prestigious universities, the plan brought in some of the best and brightest graduates and rotated them through different departments. The strategy ensured that fresh ideas from academia would continuously flow into their company.

How do you gain entrance onto the fast track? The invitation goes to the high fliers and top talent, but how do you become one of those elite players? Everyone wants to be one of those individuals who are routinely exposed to Upper Management and fluidly move through different roles to gain the background and experience to take on higher levels of responsibility. The key tactics are listed below. 

Fast track tactics

• Phenomenal Performance – Excel short-term on the job and draw attention to your effort, intellect and results
• Acquire education and expertise – Develop skill sets that are unique and in great demand
• Connections and relationships – Make contacts with key leaders and obtain their advocacy for your potential and impact on the organization
• Beyond your control – There may not be anything you can do 

Phenomenal Performance 

Fast break people many times are identified and targeted shortly after they join an organization. Their first impression is phenomenal. They get out of the starting blocks quickly and hit the ground running. They are the one’s whom management very early on says, “We have to keep our eyes on them.” They speak out in meetings; demonstrate leadership and exhibit a fresh perspective in their responses and interactions with peers. Some are new to the organization. Nevertheless, they are courageous and confident enough to challenge and question the status quo. Occasionally, they are recruited by the organization with promises regarding their career mobility. Ideally, most fast trackers are home-grown and developed through the company ranks. 

Education and expertise 

Astute employees may analyze skills and competencies that are not available in their company or in a large enough supply. They are students of the industry and corporate culture. They propose new techniques, best practices from their professional reading and experience. They work above and beyond the call of duty, which includes longer hours. They acquire the skills their research shows are lacking or they identify the need and ask to lead a project team assigned to explore and make recommendations. 

Connections and relationships 

A third strategy involves making the connections to develop the relationships to be one of those fair-haired boys and girls. This will test your political competence. You need a sponsor and an advocate. Boldness and tenacity are required to ask a senior leader to be your mentor. Introduce yourself to those in power and share your ideas for the company and your career.  Another valid technique is to ask someone to contact key personnel on your behalf and arrange a meeting. Know the culture within your organization to gauge the acceptance of your ideas before interacting with Senior Leaders.

Beyond your control

You may not be able to influence your placement on the fast track. A secret committee with secret criteria and a secret handshake may decide its members. They select people to continue the status quo or people who think like the founders of the company. One CEO placed someone as a possible successor who reminded him of himself at an early age. The fast track may be filled with people selected based on preferences and biases. Diversity initiatives may influence the placement of some individuals. These individuals cause less controversy when their talent match or exceed the qualifications of other members on the track.

When vying for FTS (Fast Track Status) use performance evaluations as a great venue to review your work against company objectives. Lobby for positions to advance your career, always strengthen your portfolio and strive to make yourself indispensable. 

Self Assessment

Be objective when reviewing your skill set for possible inclusion on the fast track. You must be objective; otherwise you will resent someone who is more qualified and suitable for the role. Get a second opinion other than your own. Be honest if you discover your talents are significant, but not among the best. Don’t worry, you can be recognized and rewarded by not being on a fast track; since most people are not on a fast track. 

Bear in mind that members on the fast track may be willing to perform and make sacrifices you are not willing to make. I had an employee who felt someone was on a fast track and he resented the promotion they were offered. The job was located in Headquarters many miles away. He felt he was being deprived of the opportunity to compete. I asked him if he was willing to relocate to HQ, he said “no”. It is not reasonable to resent someone who qualifies for a promotion, you either did not want, or were not willing to meet the conditions. He excluded himself by refusing to relocate. The information he distributed about his career aspirations and relocation restrictions denied him access to the fast track. 

If you can’t join them – Align with them 

Wise people align themselves with the anointed ones. They are cordial and cooperative with the golden men and women, in order to form a strategic alliance and gain insight into the company. They realize that someday they may be able to help each other. 

Ironically, many times the favored ones leave the company after they have amassed a stronger resume. This is particularly embarrassing to the leader who fawned all over the fast tracker, only to be used and discarded when they receive a better offer from outside the company. The previous fast tracker may ask you to join them as a part of their team in the new organization. This position could be a promotion and the stimulus your career needed to increase your portfolio, income and broaden your network. 

If you feel the rise of the anointed one will blunt your career and deprive you of promotional opportunities; you must do a few things;

• Consistently perform at your best
• Maintain morale – It helps to reduce stress and model behavior
• Exhibit leadership in the face of adversity  
• Remain positive – Complaining to your peers is not advisable
• As you evaluate your options, devise an exit strategy, even if you don’t use it

The fast track is great if you are on it and a source of mystery and suspicion if you are not. Continuous excellent performance over time could pave the way for you to move onto the fast track at a later date, so don’t give up too quickly.  However, you can have a robust career with professional and personal growth without being on the proverbial fast track. Good luck.

Copyright © 2011 Orlando Ceaser

Leaders don’t like to use the language of love when speaking about their constituents. However, caring for their people can enable them to obtain outrageous output from people who will joyfully capitalize on opportunities and achieve better results. Seven Acts of love can generate power by demonstrating compassion for those responsible for making the leader look good. 

1. Leaders want you to develop and deliver your best work
2. Leaders want you to be interchangeably self-sufficient and interdependent as needed to achieve your goals  
3. Leaders will praise you when you excel and instruct you when necessary
4. Leaders will admonish you when you are wrong and astonish you with service and generosity
5. If you leave for greater opportunities, leaders will encourage your journey, admire your risk taking and wish you success
6. Leaders will continuously invest in themselves, so that they will have more to give to you
7. Leaders will connect you to a cause bigger than yourself

Act l – Leaders want you to develop and deliver your best work

Leaders who care about their people want them to reach their potential in a role that best suits their talents. They provide opportunities to gain experience in assignments that stimulate personal growth. These assignments are chosen to stretch their employees by extending their spectrum of skills.

Leaders are not satisfied if their followers are performing below their abilities. Leaders take it personally. If they can’t extract the desired effort from their team, they feel responsible, because they are accountable.

Act ll – Leaders want you to be interchangeably self-sufficient and interdependent, as needed to achieve your goals   

The role of the leader is to teach their people to fish, but also to fish in community. They want them to acquire the skills and knowledge to learn how to function on their own. A manager cannot stand over their people’s shoulders at all times monitoring their behavior. Leaders have to trust their people, but trust is based on a track record of success. This is accomplished through instruction and inspection.   

A crucial expectation is for people to work in teams, because the results are superior when a group puts their brains and brawn together to tackle the problems of the workplace. Most assignments require interacting with co-workers, customers and classmates. Knowing when to work in isolation and how to work in a team is a notable competency. 

Act lll – Leaders will praise you when you excel and instruct you when necessary 

People respond favorably to praise. They want their effort to be appreciated, but their effort must achieve a satisfactory result. A leader who loves and cares for their people wants them to know that they are valued members of the team. Additionally, the leader knows it is their responsibility to intervene when feedback is required. A leader who cares about their people wants them to have the benefit of expert instruction and a realistic assessment of their performance. The feedback and instruction must be delivered in a timely manner. Timeliness refers to instant correction when mistakes are made and frequent evaluations of progress, rather than waiting for an annual performance review. 

Individuals who feel their leadership is committed to them will reciprocate by giving their highest level of engagement. Leaders are aware of the phenomenal results from a team of highly engaged individuals. 

Act lV – Leaders will admonish you when you are wrong and astonish you with service and generosity

A leader who cares for their people will institute disciple for behavior that violates policies or standards of excellence. People are aware of expectations and consequences, which are administered fairly to all employees. John Stout, a British theologian said “Love without truth is too soft; Truth without love is too harsh; our objective is to speak the truth in love”. A leader must have the emotional strength to deliver tough information, especially in the name of achieving excellence. 

The leader must intermittently astonish their people with generosity. This can be in the form of compliments for excellent behavior or random acts of praise, favors and material gifts.

Act V – If you leave for greater opportunities, leaders will encourage your journey, admire your risk taking and wish you success 

Invariably, a leader will lose members of their team to other organizations or departments. The initial emotional response borders on anger, disappointment and betrayal. They gave time, effort and resources to help them grow; now they show their appreciation by changing roles. These emotions are natural; however, if the leader ever cared for the person, their feelings should not have been contingent upon them staying with them forever. If they are an expert leader and developer of people, at some point they will not have enough opportunities to satisfy everyone needs for promotional growth. Leaders should be content with seeding the marketplace with excellence guided by their hands. By releasing them they may be able to return someday or offer opportunities to others. 

A leader should want only the best for those who serve them well, with a history of very high performance.

Act Vl – Leaders will continuously invest in themselves, so that they will have more to give to you 

I relocated seven times during my professional working career. These were excellent opportunities for acquiring additional skills and personal growth. Our children were perennially the new kids on the block, but they gained new skills. For example, we exposed our children to travelling, sports and musical instruments. The experiences allowed them to discuss many subjects and play multiple sports and instruments. 

I also benefited from the moves. I cultivated new aptitude, gained insight into many different jobs which made me more valuable. As I poured new skills into myself I was able to be a greater resource to my people. To speak firsthand about job assignments, relocations and the adjustments needed to be successful in today’s corporate environment was an advantage to my people. 

Act Vll – Leaders will connect you to a cause bigger than yourself

One of the yearnings of the heart is to be a part of something greater than self. A leader who can link individuals to such a cause or vision will be highly respected. People will be energized to wake up each morning knowing that they make a difference. When direct reports realize they are connected to something that makes the world a better place, it elevates their spirit and sense of purpose. 

Self actualization is achieved when each person is working at their optimum capacity. When a leader cares, followers will go the extra distance to make everyone successful.

Copyright © 2011 Orlando Ceaser

We are super saturated with images of affluence, sensuality and success. Messages are bold and subliminal imploring us to strive for these alleged standards of excellence. Individuals our age or younger are portrayed as rich and beautiful. Some have amassed small fortunes or at least a comfortable living. We take issue with the distribution of rewards and resources. We squander some of our 60,000 thoughts per day wondering, “Why not me?” 

Our mental cup overflows with endless possibilities and scenarios where we are not featured as the lead actor or actress. Surely, we deserve it. After all, we have been told that we are unique. There is no one else like us. We are equally worthy if not more entitled to the finer things in life. We also, live in the United States of America which is the richest country on the planet and the land of opportunity. The question, Why not me? open our minds to the reality that outside of those born into wealth, we can create our own wealth and duplicate their success, but there is a catch. We must duplicate their sacrifice. This means to work hard, delay gratification and acquire the education, connections and mental resolve needed to succeed. It is imperative to create resolutions to guide your journey to self-improvement. 

Why not me? Can sometimes be answered, “Because you have not done what you know to be necessary to succeed.” We are reasonably intelligent people and the secrets of success lies in the biographies read, the lives of successful people featured in human interest news stories and the character traits revealed in the plots in movies about heroes. Many millionaires are first generation wealthy, which means their parents were not rich. Additionally, you must decide what is rich or wealthy to you. Some view wealth as money, while others view it as having friends and family who love and care for them. Some view it as a cause that provides value to others. Whatever, your definition of wealth, you can be wealthy by doing all of the above. 

It is important to honestly evaluate your performance or you will blame other’s success on factors beyond your control. You will give credit to luck, the lottery, genetics, political affiliation and marrying right. The proper perspective will cause you to ask the second power question in earnest, “What if I?

What if I, paid my dues, cultivated the profitable relationships, serviced the needs of others, unselfishly helped people to reach their dreams? What if I followed the directions and instructions of those who followed the right path? What if I, determined my purpose, realized my passion and developed the habits to aggressively pursue my dreams? I know it is critical to learn where and how to meet people and how to treat people. What if I spent 10,000 hours to grow my expertise as Malcolm Gladwell mentioned in his book, The Outliers?  I know what it takes to be a winner. What if I, performed the necessary actions and adopted the mental attitude, lived a life with faith and integrity, fortified with executing the proper strategies and tactics to promote my personal brand?

What if I did all these things, then I would progress boldly with my dreams in sight. You will design resolutions that are more than annual events in futility. You would stand steadfast on the road, knowing that success was assured and ask yourself, the third power question, What else?  

What else? is the trigger phrase. What else is required of you to relieve suffering and make this world a better place? What else can you do to be the best in every key role that you play? What else can you do to give back to your community and help others along the way? What else? is the question that stimulates the mind to look for more, to innovate, to create, to search for new solutions to today problems and the challenges of tomorrow. What else? is also the question to demonstrate the confidence gained during your journey. You may ask the world in a moment of frustration, “What else do you want from me?” You may inquire of your Creator, “What else will you throw at me to test my abilities to fulfill my purpose and my destiny? 

These three power questions in combination form a formidable personal challenge to compel you to a year of powerful resolutions. A resolution can start a revolution, especially if the execution unleashes contributions to improve people and the environment.  

Copyright © 2011 Orlando Ceaser

You may see them everywhere and not realize they have a curable affliction. They are disadvantaged by an invisible ailment that can be reversed and treated without medical or surgical interventions. Unlike other maladies, it is not congenital, contagious or caused by an accident. They have a listening disability.

A listening disability in its simplest and most severe forms does not harm the individual physically, but may affect personal and business relationships and self-confidence. The condition is due to a premeditated lack of concentration or an intentional disregard of the thoughts of the speaker. People are in counseling, frustrated by friends and co-workers, on dysfunctional teams, and in conflict of many kinds because a listening disability is present. 

“Listeningitis” becomes chronic when someone’s interests exceed the interests of others. When we fail to consider that there are other ideas or more than one right answer, we may tune out a speaker with valuable information. Listening problems are seen in all relationships, including families 

The problems with listening disabilities begin before the listener interacts with the speaker. There may be biases that prevent them from being receptive and giving the respect required for an effective conversation. They may feel superior, believing they are better than the speaker because of position, age, economic status, class, race or gender. 

Evidence of Listening disabilities is all around us. The symptoms are: 

1. Physically and mentally disengaged
2.  “Speaker Interuptus” –
3. Celebrity cruising
4. Mouth to mouth combat
5. Predatory listening
6. Pseudo listening 

Physically and mentally disengaged 

This is the classic symptom. People are not paying attention to you when you speak. This is seen in their body language. They have poor eye contact; posture is retreating and their facial expressions signals they would rather be in another location. If you could see their minds, you would notice them wanderings all over the planet. If you look into their eyes you may discern the lost look. Waiting for you to finish so they can speak is a common manifestation. 

“Speaker Interuptus” 

They love to interject comments when you are trying to make a point. At other times, they want to take over the conversation. Sometimes they just want to be involved and feel important. They will often speak at the same time to give a stereophonic effect which is not a harmonious way to conduct a conversation. Dating couples say lovingly, “She completes my sentences.” This can even wear on their nerves over time. Later they can be heard saying, “She won’t let me talk without interrupting me.” 

Celebrity cruising 

We remember conversations with individuals who made us feel we were not important enough. They wanted to speak to someone better. It is amazing to watch people at meetings with the senior member of the company searching the room for someone more on their level. Also, there are the social climbers who look for someone to help their career and they used you as a place holder until someone more desirable arrived. They are searching for the MVP – the more valuable person to advance their personal agenda. 

Mouth to mouth combat 

One of my favorite pet peeves is the person who uses every conversation as a competition. They are constantly battling the speaker and preventing them from establishing their point. This mouth to mouth combat is counterproductive for the speaker and anyone in attendance. The stress level rises and the “I can top your story” attitude is visible and uncomfortable for everyone. 

Predatory listening

The predatory listener views their role as a saboteur. They are probably the most intense listener in the group, except they are listening to catch you in a trap. They look for inconsistencies in your arguments or facts they feel are not true. They are motivated to embarrass you and improve their image. They wait for you to make a point, so they can pounce on it. They want flaws in your arguments, so they can exploit your position. “Gotcha” is their victory cry. Steer clear of these conversation carnivores. 

Pseudo listening (false listening)

There is sometimes a faker in your group. Some people only pretend to be fully engaged in the discussion. Sometimes they are quiet and demonstrating all of the signals of the attentive listener. They appear to be practitioners of active listening. They have mastered the observable physical techniques. Their eyes may be locked on the speaker, but their brain may be on a safari, far away. They forfeited their focus by drifting on to other topics.   

Facing a Listening Disability 

The first step with any disability is acceptance. Secondly, develop a strategy to address the condition. Prior to a listening opportunity you should mentally place the speaker first, give their message priority and plan to listen for agreement or areas of disagreement. It is acceptable to have a difference of opinion. You should care about the speaker or their right to state their opinion. Other points to ensure a successful conversation may involve the following.

1. Be attentive – Be present
   • Physically engage through body language – mentally and physically
   • Use good eye contact, nodding, changes facial expressions, which show engagement  
2. Ask Questions to show interest and understanding
3. Flow with the rhythm of the conversation
   •  Look for natural points of entry to state your opinion
4. Signal your desire to speak
5. Minimize interruptions, especially in the middle of a thought
6. Declare your intentions to improve with a trusted person or mentor
7. Ask for feedback on your participation and progress

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

“Inspir-action-al” is a word I coined to mean inspired action. So many times we are inspired by music, motivational speakers, the actions of a hero or scenes and events in Nature. It is important to inspire and be inspired, but occasionally, you want the inspiration to lead to a result. You want to fulfill a promise, achieve a goal and improve circumstances. We seek inspiration in many ways.  We want it in our leaders and from those who are close to us. We can also find inspiration in words. I look at the word HABIT and see an acronym, Has Any One Been Inspired Today. This reminds me of my role in touching the lives of others, so that every day is filled with interactions that purposefully lift people’s spirits.

 A whisperer is someone who whispers or has the ability to connect. Cesar is the host of the popular cable television show Dog Whisperer. This show portrays his uncanny ability to relate to dogs. Jennifer Love-Hewitt is the star of the television program Ghost Whisperer where her character has the ability to speak to ghosts. These spirits have unresolved issues which prevent them from moving on to the afterlife. The whisperer concept has many listings on the Internet, from the movie Horse Whisperers with Robert Redford to cat, sales, success and others who profess an expertise in a given area. 

An Inspiractional Whisperer is therefore someone with insight and expertise in inspiring and motivating people to act and reach a positive result. They are an inspiractional leader, communicator and motivator who channel their gift to elevate performance. In the preface of my book Teach the children to dance are these words. “We are gifted by our Creator with talents and abilities, which make us unique. We are charged with the mission of discovering and cultivating these seeds that God has placed in us.” We are all whisperers in a chosen arena. 

The Inspiractional Whisperer uses their talents to illuminate the lives of others. Their approach may contain several of the steps below. 

1. Inspire
2. Instruct
3. Inquire
4. Inspect 

Inspire 

The Inspiractional Whisperer uplifts your spirits and encourages you and your abilities. They realize that deep inside of you is a boundless treasure trove of unlimited potential. You are God’s child, a child of the universe whose body is a modern marvel, a miracle that defies scientific interpretation. The body is being studied constantly for its ability to heal itself. Scientists are hoping to uncover the secrets contained within our amazing bodies. The answers are within us, waiting for our readiness to conceive, believe, and achieve the discovery. Inspiractional  Whisperers will push you beyond normal levels of exertion because excellence demands more that the average input to gain an above average output. 

Instruct 

There are a series of steps in the procedures to reach your goals. There is the SMART method of goal setting. This method states that each goal must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. The road to success in your industry has a proven path that leads you to a level of expertise and excellence required to be the best. You will be led to interview successful people and research historical and present day practices to create your own innovative signature of excellence. 

The Inspiractional Whisperer is a master to the apprentice seeking guidance and mentoring. They are the coach with the right approach, able to transfuse knowledge based on years of experience and observation. They instruct their students to ultimately think on a higher plane.

Inquire

A learner must be able to ask questions of the master. The environment and the relationship between pupil and professor should be such that inquiry occurs without intimidation. It is appropriate for the teacher to ask questions to verify comprehension and retention of the information examined and experienced. This is done by asking questions and requesting an example to prove they understand. This reminds me of the teacher who asked you the meaning of a word and then to use it in a sentence. Gathering and giving feedback is a natural part of inquiry.  

Inspect 

The timeless phrase of “Inspect what you expect,” ensures that you are evaluating execution of plans, programs, processes and principles to validate expectations. The farmer who plants the field watches over it to see it grow according to plan. The crops are fertilized, irrigated, soil samples taken and visually inspected to monitor the right result. The Inspiractional Whisperers gives the kind of attention required to demonstrate their caring and developmental skills.

The Inspiractional Whisperer deals in possibilities. They frequently reside in The “O” Zone as they strive to move people from the ordinary to outstanding performances.  The “O” Zone is the zone of opportunity where you gain the insight to inspire, instruct, inquire and inspect.

The Inspiractional Whisperer is my moniker, what is yours? Where are you acquiring the necessary skills to whisper as you speak to your passion?

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

I am fascinated by actors who perform their own stunts in motion pictures. I imagine I am no different from most people. I assumed the actors performed their own death-defying stunts when I was much younger. However, my awareness was peaked during a span of time when I watched interviews with action figures in block buster movies. There was Daniel Craig speaking about the stunts in his latest James Bond movie The Quantum of Solace. Angelina Jolie was shown hanging from a building and on top of a moving car as she performed stunts in the movie Salt. These actors were questioned about going against the conventional practice of deferring to the stunt doubles. They wanted to be more into the character they were playing.

Stunt people also exist in corporations around the world, with or without the knowledge of upper management.  Many companies require stunt people to perform the high wire, public facing acts in their organization. Public Relations, Human Resources and Legal are well-known for keeping the company out of trouble in this capacity. However, there are situations where the organization expects their leaders to perform their own stunts, but the managers are abdicating their responsibilities.  

Many managers do not have challenging scenes in their organization because they shirk their responsibility. One manager had been a District Manager for 4 years and never had a performance problem. He never fired anyone or had a disciplinary problem, which was unusual in his industry. He said it was because he did an excellent job of managing his people. However, he had numerous people who failed to meet their sales objectives.  Apparently, he did not hold them accountable for their lack of results. He exhibited pain avoidance behavior. He did not like confrontation and avoided them at all costs. His kind did not take risks or challenge employees. His supervisor was unwittingly the stunt manager because he protected him from the scrutiny of upper management.

Managers are like actors and may have an aversion to drama or adventure and allow people to get away with actions detrimental to the team and to the organization. An employee may not be pulling their weight or always asks someone else to do the heavy lifting. If the manager is aware of this practice, but does nothing about it, his or her inaction dampens team spirit and reduces productivity. Personally, the manager deprives themselves of the exhilaration of making the tough maneuvers that would help their personal development, the performance of their team and make the job more enjoyable.

Personnel matters are avoided, passed on to another manager or shifted to Human Resources. The other manager or HR becomes their stunt double. Human Resources often play a greater role in disciplining employees, therefore conducting the stunts for the manager. The higher a manager moves in an organization the greater the responsibility to make calls that cannot be delegated to a stunt double.

The stunt manager may be a mentor or coach who performs the actions or consistently provides the answers for the manager. The company has a problem if a situation arises and the mentor, coach or manager always steps in to think for the manager. If they repeatedly bail out the manager by going through the mental gymnastics, while the manager gets the credit and the glory, the organization suffers. 

Additionally, a manager may ask a co-worker to go with them to handle a problem and then insists or allows the co-worker to do the heavy lifting and most of the work. If this occurs in the presence of the manager’s employees and team members, they may lose confidence in the manager’s ability to lead. A worse-case scenario will develop when the team members consult the stunt manager over their regular manager when they have a problem. Employees quickly recognize the deficiency in their leader and go directly to the source for the best guidance and information. 

Companies, by grouping managers in teams, must be careful, otherwise, they will create an imbalance among their leaders. A weak manager can hide and rely too heavily on their strong dominant, more vocal counterpart. This happens on selling teams where one person is disproportionately responsible for driving the sales. A weak link can hide in organizational structure if management does not have a good handle on who is responsible for productivity and talent within the organization. The company needs to assess the ability and performance of all team members, managers included.

Stunt Managers are essential parts of an organization. They may be the unsung heroes that allow the company to reach and exceed the sales projections and profit. If someone is playing that role, they should be identified and rewarded for their contributions. They need to get out of the shadows of the person who is not performing their job and that person should be assigned to a role that best suits their talents.  If the organization expects their leaders to be well-rounded and able to perform all aspects of their jobs, then the stunt manager should focus on doing their own job.

I realize that some stunt managers are performing the role for which they were hired. They were selected to support weak links and hold teams together. If they are functioning in line with corporate expectations, consistent with their hiring agreement, they should accept their role with grace and gratitude.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

Customers are not to be conquered. They are not the enemy. They may be the prize, but your goal is service and collaboration, not conquest. Companies often speak of customer focus, but what they mean is the customer is “in focus” like game to a big game hunter. Sometimes with this mindset, people view their interactions with customers as a competition.   

The customer’s business is needed and sought after for your success. They have the upper hand in any transaction, whether you want to admit or not. Hopefully, they know what they need and require your product or service to meet them. Customers usually have a solution to their problem. They were not waiting for you to surface and show them the light. In most instances, they are satisfied with their solution. Your objective is to show them something vastly superior to their status quo or get them to express dissatisfaction with their current state. You achieve this objective in the sales presentation.

In the sales presentation, you showcase your expertise in product knowledge and customer service. Employees strongly believe their product is superior. You are trained to believe this. You feel that any intelligent and reasonable prospect should jump at the opportunity to buy from you.  Conversely, your prospect is skeptical of your objectivity. During the sales presentation you may encounter resistance. In your exuberance, you run the risk of mismanaging this resistance, and creating conflict.

Customers may challenge your product claims around features and benefits. They may elect to continue with their current product selection or course of action. The skilled sales person is poised, strategic and tactful in mounting their response to resistance. The sales presentation must not become a jousting match and a battle of wills. If you try to demonstrate superiority through sarcasm, impatience, contempt or use of data and technical knowledge, you will fail. If you choose to compete with the potential customer, you will choose to lose. 

You compete with your customers when you,

• View  resistance as rejection and take it personally
• Engage the customer to trap them in intellectual arguments to exploit inconsistencies in their thinking or actions
• Challenge their way of doing business and decision-making
• Appear arrogant in tone of voice and body language
• Fail to listen to their concerns or questions
• Flaunt your product knowledge in a way that does not benefit the customer

I worked with a sales person to sell a physician on using a new product.  The objective was to get the doctor to agree to use the drug on ten patients. The doctor said the drug class did not work on his patient population. After a heated exchange the representative asked if the doctor had ever used the product. “How do you know if this product won’t work on your patient if you have never used it?” This was the representative’s actual response to a legitimate customer objection. Well, the doctor’s demeanor instantly changed. He agreed to place not ten, but twenty patients on the drug. The representative was excited. He was satisfied with his salesmanship, not realizing the doctor would say anything to get rid of him. The result was as I feared; the doctor never placed any patients on the new product.

Signs of losing the customer’s interest

The customer sends clues to let you know when you are competing with them and they are losing interest. A perceptive sales representative will recognize these warning signs. They tell you the customer does not agree with the message and may harbor resistance and reservations. An outside observer, such as a manager, field trainer or coach, can be more objective and spot these signs. The best sales people also have this ability.  The clues are verbal and non-verbal.

• Verbal cues
  • Closed minded and objects to minor aspects of your presentation
  • Overly agreeable, yet wants to postpone making a decision. They will ask for information to review in an attempt to speed up the presentation or to postpone to a later date
  •  
• Non-verbal cues – Body language
  • Folded arms and pulling away
  • Standing up during the presentation
  • Facial expression changes, knits their brow, looks disinterested
  • Impatience and the resistance is sometimes so thick, it is palpable. When the customer loses interest in you, your product is close behind. 

Prospects may ask questions to show their lack of interest in your presentation. Questions that are indicators of the door closing to a sale are;

• “You mean to tell me”
• “What makes you think”  
• “How could you possibly say”

When you adopt an attitude that says someone must win and someone must lose, you may create an adversarial relationship with your potential clients. Additionally, when you take the presentation personally, your ego may get involved and cause you to compete against your client rather than work with them. Remember, your customer has something you want. You do not want to get into a situation where you are debating and competing to win the argument, which causes you to lose access to a customer’s business.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser