When We Assume In Life And Business OOOPS!-- ASS-U-ME ---Luciano The Key Santini

Good morning to all my continued readers and supporters of this great journey to assist people reach their potential as individuals and also business owners reach their goals in life and business. We all want to accomplish what is best for both the mind and body. We should understand exactly what that means.

Sometimes we will try to accomplish things because they sound good at the time while not getting the correct mind set in place and thus we find ourselves failing. The other thing for today is to have a clear understanding regarding leadership and as we all know countless books have been written over the last hundred years on this subject.

Don’t overlook small details. Remember that the universe and all that is in it are made from tiny atoms.

There is an old expression that says, “If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.” It’s another way of saying that every job is composed of many small details, any one of which, if overlooked, can create big problems later. If you have trouble dealing with details — paperwork, expense accounts, and other annoying details — set aside a time during your work cycle (daily, weekly, or monthly) to deal with such unpleasant tasks. 

 

Prepare yourself mentally to deal with those tasks, and you may find that you dispense with them quickly and efficiently. You may even find that the job wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as you expected it to be. 

 

What is leadership?

I can tell you that most leaders today are called leaders but they have no idea what leadership is. I can also tell you from the countless people that I have coached both at a supervisor level or an executive level that most manage or lead through fear or simply put they lead by power of position in other words what I say goes or go look or find another job. 

I can tell you that this work for a while but most will eventually fail. My friend and one of my many mentors and friends has stated what it means to be a leader and of course I agree but have disagreed with him in the past and guess what that just makes me human with a different way of looking at things. Here what I wrote to an executive leader regarding a letter he had sent me. 

Please be aware that all this is under the assumption that your leaders know and have a clear understanding regarding implementation and execution of the strategic plan and what each mean such as:

What is and how to execute successfully transformational change to be able to create a high performance culture which in turn becomes integration between both companies.

 

Communication skills: What is the process of not only transmission of words but to create the thought that  will or should follow making sure it was clearly understood.

 

Relationship building skills: What is the process of repairing a damaged relationship between partners? Or Staff members?

 

Building and getting the buy in of employers.

 

Leadership: January 2015 | byClaudio Feser, Fernanda Mayol, and Ramesh Srinivasan

 

• Solving problems effectively. The process that precedes decision making is problem solving, when information is gathered, analyzed, and considered. This is deceptively difficult to get right, yet it is a key input into decision making for major issues  as well as daily ones (such as how to handle a team dispute).
• Operating with a strong results orientation. Leadership is about not only developing and communicating a vision and setting objectives but also following through to achieve results. Leaders with a strong results orientation tend to emphasize the importance of efficiency and productivity and to prioritize the highest-value work.
• Seeking different perspectives. This trait is conspicuous in managers who monitor trends affecting organizations, grasp changes in the environment, encourage employees to contribute ideas that could improve performance, accurately differentiate between important and unimportant issues, and give the appropriate weight to stakeholder concerns. Leaders who do well on this dimension typically base their decisions on sound analysis and avoid the many biases to which decisions are prone.
• Supporting others. Leaders who are supportive understand and sense how other people feel. By showing authenticity and a sincere interest in those around them, they build trust and inspire and help colleagues to overcome challenges. They intervene in group work to promote organizational efficiency, allaying unwarranted fears about external threats and preventing the energy of employees from dissipating into internal conflict.

He believed that leadership was simply making and changing policies and sending out to supervisors to implement.Remember that sometimes we think we know it all simply because we are sitting in a position of power and sometimes that is where we will fail as leaders because we assume and we all know what that means right and if not please allow me to remind ourselves.

When we do not make sure whether something is right or wrong or we simply do not know or understand and we push and push by assuming the other person has a clear understanding what we mean. 

When we 

assume the consequence can make us look like an ASS-U-ME

This is what a client drew and gave to me and I was very flattered and thankful. WOW!!

Never Be Caught Inside The Box Continuously Think Outside The Box

Hello friends and well today I want to thank everyone who follows my blog. It so good to read comments regarding my writing. I really appreciate the great comments and the suggestions. I write to reach many people around the globe and to realize where they are now and where you want to be and how to get there by thinking in a way that is different from the norm. I believe so many people try to hard to stay with the status quo that we create our own issues in life as individuals and huge problems within our business.

Have you ever dealt with a person who starts to talk about you without the facts just words in the hopes some people will believe them?

The funny thing is, when you present the other person with nothing but the facts and they can't win they STILL hold onto their belief stubbornly.  Why is that? I await your comments on this question.

 Me and Santa Barbabra Mayor

Authority.By Christian Knutson We’re most familiar with authority influence – this is positional influence.  The sense of duty or obligation we feel to people in positions of authority. Why do you think advertisers of toothpaste or medicinal products use doctors to front their campaigns?  Or why do you do what your team leader asks?

Job titles, uniforms, and even accessories like cars or gadgets can lend an air of authority, persuading us accept or do what the other person says.  

As a leader, be aware that what you say others will do.  Or at least take to heart.  They’ll also watch you like you’re a fish in a fishbowl.  The leader is never alone, regardless how lonely he/she might feel.  For there are always eyes watching.

Clear Expectations with 10 Day Plan

 

Remember, the new person has really no idea what you expect from them unless you tell them. For the first 2 weeks or so, the partners or management should be setting up lunches and meetings with various clients, staff, etc. so the new partner can get to know both the business/projects and people that they will be working with.

Here is the where the role of the manager becomes very important. On the first day on the job, the manager should sit down with the new partner and spend time with them going over what they see their role as being within the team, what are their deliverables/measurements, and then work with them to create a 3 week plan. This plan should include description of roles and responsibilities as well as deliverables.

 I have stated so many times that Napoleon Hill has been one of my mentors for many years and yes I know he has not been around for many years but his wisdom and choice of words have shown me so many things that I have utilized in my live and for businesses when I do coaching for staff or executive coaching.

It is a beautiful thing when an entire city celebrates you-Luciano The Key Santini

There always remains an opportunity to make a new start.

Though it may not seem so when you first encounter a serious blow, you can never lose two of the most important assets you have. These are the power of your mind and your freedom to use it. Once you have turned them to understanding what laid you low, you can begin forming new plans. You may not have the money you once had; you may lack the allies you had cultivated. But you still have the benefit of a universe that eventually rewards honest effort, as well as gaining the experience of mistakes you will never make again. Remember, no matter where you are now, whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. 

Making choices: When you need to make a choice remember that you cannot make some one els's choice so why do you allow others to make yours.

Here is an article by  Don Bulmer:

1. First. It is important to understand the 'core issue' associated with the challenge that you are dealing with and gather as many facts and insights surrounding the issue as possible.   At this stage, it is important to separate ‘facts’ from ‘opinions.’  As a leader, you are often presented with 'facts' that are presented to support a specific argument or point of view - which by default make them adverse.  This is not to say that these adverse or 'position-based' facts are not valid, but they seldom represent a fully informed view of the core issue that needs to be addressed.  
2. Second.  Ask a lot of questions.  This will help you understand the options on the table as you make sense of the facts and sift through potential agendas/motives of people involved.  Asking the right questions also helps you measure the risk and impact that your decision will have on your business and with key relationships.
    

 Have you ever thought just how can a leadership influence culture ? By OYG.com
Whether a leader comes up through the organization or is brought in from the outside to change the organization, there are ways that leadership can have an impact on culture.

 Walk the Talk People observe what you do, not just what you say and the values of the leader, not just what they say, While Enron C.E.O. Kenneth Lay and his management team were stealing from shareholders, many of his traders were laughing how they were going to bankrupt little old ladies for their heating bills. This is the toughest part of leadership. Having worked with people who wrote books on the subject, I can tell you that often times their actions did not match their words and the affect was that a number of people had no respect for them. When you say you are going to do something, you need to follow through and do.

  Communicate clearly
It may sound like an obvious statement but in the absence of clear communication there is unclear and informal communication, i.e. gossip. Gossip can undermine any change and have a negative impact on the culture. People appreciate honest and straightforward communication, even when it is negative. The worst part is not knowing.

 

Research on the difficulty of debunking myths has not been specifically tested on beliefs about Sept. 11 conspiracies or the Iraq war. But because the experiments illuminate basic properties of the human mind, psychologists such as Schwarz say the same phenomenon is probably implicated in the spread and persistence of a variety of political and social myths.

The research does not absolve those who are responsible for promoting myths in the first place. What the psychological studies highlight, however, is the potential paradox in trying to fight bad information with good information.

Schwarz's study was published this year in the journal Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, but the roots of the research go back decades. As early as 1945, psychologists Floyd Allport and Milton Lepkin found that the more often people heard false wartime rumors, the more likely they were to believe them.

The research is painting a broad new understanding of how the mind works. Contrary to the conventional notion that people absorb information in a deliberate manner, the studies show that the brain uses subconscious "rules of thumb" that can bias it into thinking that false information is true. Clever manipulators can take advantage of this tendency.

What this Means for Talent Management

Although difficult, when combined with the studies by Dr. Schwartz on how the brain operates (specifically how our thoughts create neural pathways), we can understand the importance of creating the 'ahas' which signify a new neural pathway and change in the thinking and then providing the organizational structure to support that change. Learning, especially experiential, creates the change by building a detour around the old belief. Like a road detour, traffic (thoughts) are routed through this new pathway and if it is well built it will create the sustainable change desired. By applying a series of organizational strategies (more on that in another article), we can then ensure that the road continues to be used and the learning sticks. 

In other words, through learning and organizational development we can fight the myth and replace it with the good information that will allow us to move and stay competitive both as people and as organizations

In Order To Change There Must Be Ongoing Challenges And A Particular Mindset-SSDE-Luciano The Key Santini

Good morning to all those who continue to read and support my blog. It has been a great year so far and here we are so close to April 2015 WOW!

How do you create transformation in your personal life and in the workplace. I can tell you from the many people that I have been their personal life coach that it takes so much to be able to create that personal transformation within oneself. People think that it is simply thinking about that changes but it goes so much deeper into the soul of understanding. First let me define personal transformation for you:

"To Transform One Must Face Challenges With An Open Mind" Luciano Santini

Personal transformation is a change in the way you feel about yourself and subsequently the world. Personal transformation is sometimes called personal development, personal growth or spiritual transformation. Personal transformation can happen in many ways.

You see my friends when you change from within it will eventually transfer on how you look at others and the rest of the world it goes deeper then just a perception of others and the world. Another definition is as follows: One will need to create an analysis as you would for a business or in the workplace or what is known as a  concept analysis of personal transformation. Here is a pretty good model that I like to use in real life and in the workplace. I personally used this model while doing my research on human psychology and self development of the human mind.

Personal transformation, a multidimensional concept, is applicable to nursing practice, education, and research. Using a modified version of Walker and Avant's concept analysis model, personal transformation was analyzed relative to Newman's Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness. By integrating common themes from definitions of several disciplines with Newman's theory, a definition of personal transformation was derived.

 Personal transformation is a dynamic, uniquely individualized process of expanding consciousness whereby individuals become critically aware of old and new self-views and choose to integrate these views into a new self-definition. A conceptual map depicts the defining attributes, antecedents and consequences of personal transformation. A model case illustrates the applicability of the concept to nursing education. Because the transformation process is revealed through individual patterns, qualitative research for further analysis of the concept is recommended.

"Look Inside Yourself To find What Makes You Who You Are"  Luciano The Key Santini

I always find it hilarious when someone is asked what transformational change is and we all have different definitions of what we may think it is or might be and the answers might all be correct,however if we do not know how to implement or execute the models or the techniques then you will become stuck whether you are an individual or a corporation for profit or a non profit.

Now remember one must have the understanding of the self first in other words know who you are and understand where you are in life. Once a person whether the individual trying to figure who and where they are or a CEO trying to figure out where the corporation or organization is trying to go. 

Whatever the situation may be do not try to push ideas on people when you the pusher or pushers have no idea or you may know, however the ones who you are asking to implement your ideas have no idea how to execute what they are trying to push on to other individuals in general.

I will share a concept from two professors of who are still mentors by Marcia Daszko and Sheila Sheinberg, PhD's;

Transformation has become a popular, overused and misunderstood word in organizations in the twenty-first century. Hundreds of organizations hear the mandate for transformation. The mandate comes from Congress, the Pentagon, government agencies, and the senior military, corporate executives or school Superintendents. Leaders and their organizations are compelled to respond to the mandate. 

They attempt to “talk the language” and take action in pursuit of transformation. Often the response, however, is a reaction, actions and mere incremental changes that are neither sustainable nor systematic. Unfortunately, few individuals understand transformation or why there is an imperative for transformation, not merely incremental or transitional change. 

Often, people confuse transformation with any kind of change, technology breakthrough, innovation, process improvement or transition. However, few changes are truly transformational. Management typically interchanges the words and thinking for changing and transforming an organization. 

But there are unique distinctions—and those distinctions, applied and realized, not only result in a competitive edge but in unparalleled leadership that is rare to find and that can make a difference for society. However, while all transformation is change, not all change is transformation. To transform means to change in form, appearance or structure. Transformation in the context of the management of organizations and systems occurs first in individuals, and then, in the organization. 

Transformation is the creation and change of a whole new form, function or structure. To transform is to create something new that has never existed before and could not be predicted from the past. Transformation is a “change” in mindset. It is based on learning a system of profound knowledge and taking actions based on leading with knowledge and courage. 

"How We Think And Where We Are Is Relevant To Who We Will Become"Luciano The Key Santini

    

Understanding Knowledge Management-Luciano The Key Santini SSDE

I hope that everyone is having a fantastic day so far. I was doing a one one coaching Friday night at a local restaurant and I asked  what the issues were that was causing the owner to prepare to perhaps let the current manager go and hire another one. The owner simply stated that his current manager was not cutting the mustard. I then asked another probing questions. I asked who trained him? The answer was (I did).

I looked at him and stated that perhaps that was the issue and believe me it was something he did not want to hear. The owner became somewhat defensive but I was prepared for that already. I explained to him to define management to me from his perspective and he did, however it was the wrong definition. I explained that management is doing everything yourself but allowing other to assist you. He stared at me with a (What the hell are you talking about look?

I stared back at him with a allow me to explain to you look. I explained to him that I understood the dilemma he found himself in, but that the fault was not because of the manager trying to run his business but the real issue was the person who trained them. I explained to him that because he was the owner does not mean he knows the business. Eventually  he understood what I had been trying to teach him. I explained to him that managing is not doing everything on their own because when this happens one becomes overwhelmed and no longer focused on the business thus causing some serious issues within.

Managing is understanding yourself as a person first before you can understand others and that is where most so called managers will fail. I find that sometimes people get management and leadership confused and try to separate them form each to the or try to be one or the other. There was time when managers would simply tell people what to do and give out tasks or assignments and that was that, however in today's world it is different.

Once again like I stated above in today's world, where value comes increasingly from the knowledge of people, and where workers are no longer undifferentiated cogs in an industry, management and leadership are not easily separated.

 One of my all time mentors and yes mentors can be people you read about and follow their genius and Mr. Drucker one of the best of the best on this subject stated;

With the rise of the knowledge worker, “one does not ‘manage’ people,” Mr. Drucker wrote. “The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of every individual.”

I have an example for you to think about. Let us say you hire someone who interviewed so well that he/she blew your mind out of the park and left you with a WOW!! So you give him/her the position. The first day that they take over they walk that walk and talk about all the procedures and policies so much to the staff that staff become so impressed by him/her. 

Staff starts coming to him/her with issues and she/him explains the policies and procedures as he/she did six months ago but yet staff is failing on tasks and communications are awful and staff morale is low why? What is happening?

I see this all the time in organizations now here is what I have been able to accomplish with people no matter who they are or how experienced they are not. You see my friends we can wear a  $100.00 shirt with a bow and arrow hitting the target and a pair of $ 200.00 archer pants and use a $1000.00 bow that has writing and says "Champion" on it.

 The perception might seem like we are champion archers and so get picked on a team to lead and when the games begin we cannot hit the wall much less the target but by now it is to late to pick someone else  to lead the team and now you must do the best you can with what you have which becomes mediocre at best.

I tell all who cross my path LEARN,LEARN SPEND LOTS OF TIME LEARNING AND NEVER STOP.

Persuasion And Influence In The Workplace "The Execution"--Luciano The Key Santini

Hello everyone and how has the past week been for you? I have been busy busy and well busy. I have been looking and doing so much research on Emotional Intelligence that I believe my brain hurts ouch!!

OK let us start with some words of wisdom on persuasion from one of my mentors:

When you have talked yourself into what you want, stop talking and begin saying it with your actions.

Persuading yourself that you can do something is a strong beginning. Next develop a sound plan and get into action. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to begin. Seldom is a plan perfect. If you have a clear vision of your goal and a plan that is flexible enough to allow you to deal with unexpected obstacles or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities, don’t delay another minute. Just getting into action — even if you do have to make adjustments later — will help focus your mind and channel your energies in the direction of your objective.

Now let me just say a bit on persuasion of which I have used a few times in organizations to help both stakeholders and employees for better relationships and partnerships. We all know what persuasion is but do you know how to implement it and use it correctly that my friends is the trick. You ever find yourself dealing with an employee that does nothing but resist your every task and fights you tooth and nail until they get what they want. 

Have you then seen another person ask the same task and have that once resistance annoying person eating out  of their hand. What is the difference.? OK let me tell you ! It is simply how you execute and If you use your influence to persuade and use persuasive techniques without the use of power or control. We need to understand the changing workforce in organizations in today's world is so much different then 60 years ago. 

For one take a look at the technology! Then look at the new type of workers we are hiring. The days to control and tell people what to do are gone. I like to use the team approach and allow employees to think on their own and allow to make decisions that work for them. To have effective communication is probably the most important piece to bring employees and managers to think as one. leaders have to understand Emotional Intelligence and how to use it as well as learning the art of influence and persuasion to be able to accomplish any goals for their organization with so much less resistance and frustrations.

The Best Bosses Aren't Bossy

Good management motivates you to be productive—because you want to.

Post published by Victor Lipman on Apr 10, 2015 in Mind of the Manager

 

I was reading with interest recently about Sheryl Sandberg’s campaign to ban the word “bossy” (link is external)—because of the negative implications it can have for young girls’ feelings about future leadership.  While I’m very sympathetic to Sandberg’s message, there’s another aspect of the word “bossy” that interests me even more.  Even though the word “boss” has long been synonymous with “manager,” the simple fact is, the best bosses aren’t bossy.

The best bosses motivate you to be productive for them.  Not because you have to, but because you want to.

Over managing is one of the least discussed but most prevalent problems of management.   Too much management, or, more specifically, ineffective management—too often aka bossiness—is the enemy of productivity.

Human nature being what it is, the trouble with bossiness is it alienates people.   It doesn’t put them in the mindset to do their best for you.  If long-term employee productivity is your goal as a manager (and why wouldn’t it be?), there are numerous reasons why, over the long run, too much of the wrong kind of management will only work against you.

Let’s look quickly at a couple of management manifestations bossiness frequently takes.

Pesky micromanagement produces frustration more than productivity—Nobody likes to be micromanaged.  It’s natural to default to this style of management when you feel out of control and therefore want to exert control, but over time too much of this yields turnover not positive results.  The best managers invariably want to expand employees’ horizons, not confine them.

“Gotcha” management gets defensive behavior more than positive results—I’d been hearing so many complaints about this style of management recently, I made it the star of a recent post.  By “gotcha” management, I mean an approach that focuses management energy on catching employees doing something wrong.  “Gotcha with that one.”  “Gotcha there!”  Suffice to say, if employee engagement and productivity are your goals, “gotcha” management rarely gets you where you want to go.

Indeed, one of the keenest and most helpful insights I ever got about managing came from a former employee who’d grown tired of my bossiness.  One day she took me aside and said to me simply:

Tell talented people what you want done, not how to do it—She was entirely right.   Give talented people clear strategic direction and most often they’ll find their way to a far better solution than if you dictated one.  Sure, of course you as the manager need to be available to answer questions and instruct and coach and hold employees accountable as needed… but mostly what talented people need is space, not confinement.  The best managers create an environment where employees are confident to step out and take chances, not work in fear of mistakes.

The Passion To Serve Others Is A Must In Business-Luciano The Key Santini (SSDE)

Hello and good morning to everyone who continues to believe in my skills and also who read my posts. Thank you for the continuous support. Today I would like to continue talking a bit more on partnerships. I received some great feedback and some great questions from readers. Here are some questions that were sent to me: I will do my best to answer them as we go. remember this before going into any type of partnership!!! You must a have a love, and a passion to serve others.

People do not leave organizations-People leave bad leadership!!

The right partners will usually make great organizations. The wrong partners will usually not work out and will destroy a great idea and at the end the organization.

 

How do you see decisions being made? By whom? How will we resolve conflicts?

I think that when choices or decisions need to be made they need to be made by the person who is the leader or manager of the operation, however I also believe that before making any choices or decisions staff needs to be involved so they are aware of the changes that may be coming and why the changes are going to take place. 

On conflict resolution, I believe that any conflict that may arise from the choices you as a leader makes needs to be taken care of immediately  because if it is not addressed immediately it will grow to the size of a mountain and will be much more difficult to resolve. I also believe that if there are issues that involve service or employees they need to be brought into a meeting room and hash it out between people so there are no questions left unanswered.

I believe this is a very good question because it asks straight forward and so I will try to give you the best answer I know from experience.

Have you ever been in a partnership before? What happened?

This is a question to ask the partner to be, because if they have never been a partner before they will need to really think about what it means and how it will change their way of thought and how they will manage people and themselves. If they have been partners before what happened and have them explain their experience as a partner. If they had been a partner they need to be honest and explain why it did not work out or why it was a great partnership.

 If you remember previously I had stated in my last posting that sometimes a business partnership is like a marriage. If there is no commonality then there will be a rocky marriage which could end in a divorce (yes). If the answer is yes they had been in a partnership but did not work out or was not working out then ask why and what did they learn from that and did they make the changes needed for it to work.When this conversation is taking place you will be able to assess the truth  and you can a wiser choice whether to go into a partnership or not.

I will now talk about leadership and motivation one of my favorite subjects to talk about. I believe that as a leader a person needs to really be aware of the people they manage and to motivate them. The biggest issue is what i ask? well I sat that the biggest issues is this and really it is the biggest question.

I always ask the leader How do you motivate yourself? AAAAHAAA and that is where the problem lies because when I ask the question they have no idea what motivates them to begin with!!! It is a problem simply because if you the leader has no idea what motivates them,then how do they expect to motivate their staff hellloooo!!! I find this to a very big issue with organizational leadership. 

I also have found that sometimes it is not their fault because the organization has no intention to keep people for a long ting but what about the organizations that preach vision and mission and well being for their employees but have no idea what or how to do it!! 

When you have motivated leaders you will have motivated employees it is really that simple but so difficult to acquire. It is also a choice that needs to be made by the individual to be or not to be motivated!!!!!

Please continue to send me your most hear burning questions and I will continue to serve you with the best answers that I can come up from my experiences in business and with people in general.