Blanchard LeaderChat

Join John Benson, Senior Director, Leadership Development for Skanska, and Scott Blanchard, Executive Vice President of The Ken Blanchard Companies for a live, online chat today at 10:05 a.m. Pacific Time. Benson and Blanchard will be answering questions immediately after their webinar on Executive Development: Harnessing the Power of Action Learning Teams.

To participate in the online discussion, stop by www.leaderchat.org  beginning at 10:05 a.m. Pacific Time.

Instructions for Participating in the Online Chat

If you have a question that you would like to ask John Benson or Scott Blanchard, just click on the COMMENTS link above.  Then post your question and push SUBMIT COMMENT.  John and Scott will answer as many questions as possible during the 30-minute online Q&A.  (Be sure to press F5 to refresh your screen occasionally to see the latest responses.)

If you can’t stay for the entire 30-minute chat, but would like to see all of the questions and responses, you can always stop by later.  You can also click on the RSS FEED button in the right-hand column to receive updates automatically through email.

In an online article for Human Resource Executive Online, Propping Up Employee Morale, author Lin Grensing-Pophal shares new research showing that engagement levels among high-performing employees have decreased at a higher rate than average performers during the recent downturn in the economy.

The 2009/2010 U.S. Strategic Rewards Survey by Watson Wyatt and WorldatWork found that “employee-engagement levels for all workers at the surveyed companies dropped 9 percent since last year — but the number was nearly 25 percent for top performers.”

In addition, “more than one-third (36 percent) of top performers said their employers’ situation had worsened during the past 12 months and the percentage who would recommend others accept jobs at their companies had declined by nearly 20 percent.”

Although HR leaders may be limited in what they can do financially, the article recommends getting creative in looking at other ways to help high performers feel valued.  While money is important, and high performers need to feel that they are being treated fairly in this area, there are other factors to consider including reward, recognition, and growth opportunities.

Ryan Johnson, vice president of research at Scottsdale, Ariz.-based WorldatWork, says that “one of the easiest things to do in an environment like this is to sit down with someone and have a discussion about their career development and where they’re headed in the organization.”

Johnson also suggests that, “simply letting high performers know that their performance is recognized and that they’re important to the company can be motivating.”

For more ideas on how you can let your high performers know that you care about them during tough economic times, be sure to check out the entire article.  For more information on other factors that lead to increased levels of engagement, also take a look at Employee Passion: The New Rules of Engagement on The Ken Blanchard Companies website.  Both of these resources can help you identify ways to build (or rebuild) engagement levels in your organization.

This Saturday, October 24 is Make A Difference Day.  Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine 19 years ago, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that encourages individuals and organizations to volunteer time to helping others in the community. In his recent post at HowWeLead.org Ken Blanchard is encouraging everyone participating in this weekend’s event to share a story about some of the ways they are making a difference. 

To learn more about this event, check out the Make A Difference Day website.  And if you want to help, but aren’t sure how to get started, be sure to check out the Idea Generator.  It’s an online tool that will help you brainstorm ways your company can help your community. Here are some of the ideas that the Idea Generator created for an organization like The Ken Blanchard Companies. 

• SELF-CLEANING COMMUNITY: In San Marcos, Calif., more than 500 San Diego County residents — representing 20 organizations — carted away 12 tons of debris from six square blocks in the Richmar neighborhood and accomplished dozens of beautification projects. The city supplied hand tools, trucks and dumpsters, while businesses donated plants and landscaping supplies.
• OFFER LEGAL ADVICE: 18 Reno, Nev., lawyers set up a booth at a mall and gave out free legal advice to 66 people on everything from family law, wills and bankruptcy to grandparents’ rights.
• REPAIR CARS: The Dodge-Chrysler-Plymouth dealer in Vacaville, Calif., gave a used van and repaired a second one belonging to the local Salvation Army for free. The dealership and its employees returned the vans packed with donated food and clothing.
• SHOW KIDS YOU CARE: Employees of the Wilkes-Barre State Farm Insurance Auto Claims Office in Pennsylvania made a meal and Halloween treat bags for residents of the Domestic Violence Service Center.
• FOCUS ON YOUR ENVIRONMENT: Five employees of PhotoFast picked up trash in downtown Oroville, Calif.
• USE YOUR NUMBERS: Hundreds of AT&T employees in five states rolled up their sleeves and rebuilt shelters, cleaned parks, prepared food and entertained disadvantaged children.

What are some of the ways your organization can make a difference?  Make A Difference Day is a great way to get started, but as Ken reminds us in his post, making a difference doesn’t have to be this Saturday only—each of us can make a difference every day.

In a recent column at Forbes.com business consultant Terry Waghorn, (who co-authored Mission Possible with Ken Blanchard) interviews teams expert Patrick Lencioni about the challenges of managing virtual teams.

Lencioni points out that the key to being a more effective virtual leader begins with acknowledging the fact that working remotely posing serious challenges. As Lencioni observes, “E-mail and voice mail and texting and instant messaging have all become so second-nature that we too often assume that a team member’s physical location makes little difference to the team’s effectiveness.

That doesn’t make sense to Lencioni who uses a family-based analogy to make his point. “After all, no family would say, “Well, Dad lives in New York, Mom lives in San Francisco, and the kids are spread around the country, but thanks to my iPhone and computer, it’s no different from living under the same roof.”

Lencioni observes that simple, daily interactions help build the bonds that people need to “thrive during good times and survive during challenging ones.”

For teams that don’t have the opportunity for daily interactions at the jobsite, Lencioni recommends that team leaders:

• Build relationships within the context of work
• Revisit their purpose, values and mission
• Develop trust and determine methods for hashing out differences remotely

To read the complete article visit: http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/16/virtual-meetings-conferencing-leadership-managing-lencioni.html

Congratulations to Patti Breckenridge of Tampa, Florida and Lee Wise of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania who were announced yesterday as the winners in our Twitter contest to help identify today’s top leaders.  Both Patti and Lee will be receiving a gift pack of 7 of Ken Blanchard’s best books, including best-sellers together with some of Ken’s newest releases.

It’s been a great week devoted to identifying all of the wonderful leaders around us today and to explore some of the traits that make them special.  We’ve looked at the people who push the edges, inspire us, and lead us to places we may not have been able to get to on our own.

We also looked at a special group of people who we called the unsung hero, or the everyday leader.  These are the people who may not be household names, but who have had a powerful positive influence on our lives.  Here are a couple of more unsung hero/leader nominations from Ken Blanchard’s Twitter page that I wanted to share:

• My favorite leader as a coach: my mother-she understands me, keeps me grounded, pushes, backs-up.
• Innovation, courage, and caring make 8th grade science teacher Sandy Willmore my choice for Top Leader.
• My unsung hero is my cousin Chris an army helicopter pilot who will be leaving for Afghanistan.
• Susan Baldwin. For maintaining relationships with previous employees to use for training and back-up.
• This may sound like a cliché, but my boss is one of the best leaders I have ever met. He never has to ask for respect.

If you haven’t had a chance to see everyone who was nominated, go over to www.Twitter.com and type @kenblanchard in the search box.  You’ll see everyone who was recognized.  Thanks again to everyone who participated over this past week.

Join Dr. Vicki Halsey of The Ken Blanchard Companies for a live, online chat today at 10:05 a.m. Pacific Time.  Halsey, best-selling author and management consultant, will be answering questions immediately after her webinar on Managing and Developing People to Be Their Best.

To participate in the online discussion, stop by www.leaderchat.org  beginning at 10:05 a.m. Pacific Time. Try to arrive early because it may be crowded–over 1,200 people have registered for the event!

Instructions for Participating in the Online Chat

If you have a question that you would like to ask Dr. Halsey, just click on the COMMENTS link above.  Then post your question and push SUBMIT COMMENT.  Vicki will answer as many questions as possible during the 30-minute online Q&A.  (Be sure to press F5 to refresh your screen occasionally to see the latest responses.)

If you can’t stay for the entire 30-minute chat, but would like to see all of the questions and responses, you can always stop by later.  You can also click on the RSS FEED button in the right-hand column to receive updates automatically through email.

Today is the last day of Ken Blanchard’s Top Leader survey/contest on Twitter. Over 2,000 people have viewed tweets, or posted nominations at www.twitter.com/kenblanchard. 

On this final day, the role of the leader as coach seems to be the aspect of leadership to highlight.  In addition to inspirational, unsung, and visionary leaders, the leader as coach has been the fourth most popular nomination.

Nominees have ranged from sports coaches, like Tony Dungy, John Calipari, and Pete Carroll, to business coaches, like Marshall Goldsmith, Stephen Covey, and John Maxwell, and finally to life coaches like Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, and Tony Robbins.

What’s the one thing they all have in common?  They see something special in others, and they use a combination of encouragement and accountability to bring it to full development.  By setting high standards, providing direction and support as needed, and always believing in their people, these types of coaches help their clients and team members get to places they might not have been able to get to on their own.

Who are the people that have believed in you?  Who has held you to a higher standard of performance—and always believed in your ability to achieve it?  Let us know by posting your top coaching leader at www.twitter.com/kenblanchard  Remember to add @kenblanchard in the body of your tweet so you’ll be entered into tomorrow’s drawing for one of two gift baskets of Ken Blanchard books.

Survey/Contest Details

LeaderChat is partnering with Ken Blanchard on Twitter to conduct a fun and interesting survey/contest.  Through October 13th, we’d like you to Tweet the name of the person you think is today’s top leader.  In order for us to know who your selection is specifically for this contest, just include “@kenblanchard” in your Tweet.

For example, your Tweet could read: “Today’s top leader @kenblanchard: John Smith”

By doing that, you will be entered into our Twitter contest. After October 13th, we will randomly select two submissions for this contest on Twitter, and we’ll send each of these winners a gift pack of 7 of Ken’s best books, including best-sellers together with some of his newest releases. If you win, Ken will send you a direct Tweet to get your contact info, and we’ll also post the winners here.

There have been a large number of nominations posted over the weekend for Ken Blanchard’s Top Leader Survey/Contest on Twitter.  (Thanks to all of you who have nominated someone, or re-Tweeted the original post.) In looking over the latest group of nominees, one thought that came to mind was the inspirational side of leadership.  Many people have nominated someone who they felt inspired them to higher levels of performance, stood up for what was right, or displayed honesty, integrity, and courage during difficult times.

 As you look over the latest group of people who have been nominated, consider who is the most inspirational leader you have ever met.  What was it about them that caused you to be inspired?  Was it something they said?  Something they did?  Or was it something harder to describe?

Once you’ve identified that inspirational leader, let us know about it.  Post a tweet with @kenblanchard in the body of the message.  That will get your message posted at Ken Blanchard’s Twitter page and also enter you into our raffle on Tuesday for one of two gift baskets of Ken Blanchard books. 

This weekend’s new nominees:

• USC football coach Pete Carroll
• Social visionary, Eboo Patel
• Steve Irwin, famed Australian “Crocodile Hunter”
• Croatian tennis player, Marin Cilic who reached the quarterfinals of this year’s US Open
• Pastor, and best-selling author, Rick Warren
• Jack Stack CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation
• Jack Canfield, best-selling author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Who’s inspired you?  Let us know, and check back here at LeaderChat to see who is inspiring others.

Survey/Contest Details

LeaderChat is partnering with Ken Blanchard on Twitter to conduct a fun and interesting survey/contest.  Through October 13th, we’d like you to Tweet the name of the person you think is today’s top leader.  In order for us to know who your selection is specifically for this contest, just include “@kenblanchard” in your Tweet.

For example, your Tweet could read: “Today’s top leader @kenblanchard: John Smith”

By doing that, you will be entered into our Twitter contest. After October 13th, we will randomly select two submissions for this contest on Twitter, and we’ll send each of these winners a gift pack of 7 of Ken’s best books, including best-sellers together with some of his newest releases. If you win, Ken will send you a direct Tweet to get your contact info, and we’ll also post the winners here.

Yesterday’s posting on “Do You Need to Be Famous to Lead?” generated a lot of discussion on Ken Blanchard’s Facebook page.  The general sentiment was that you didn’t. 

People felt that there were plenty of leaders in all walks of life who weren’t necessarily famous, but were still having a big impact on the people around them.  One example was a parent’s nomination of a teammate on a son’s high school baseball team. As the parent noted, “He (the teammate) is the leader without anyone telling him he is the leader. He is a model player who gives the credit to his teammates. No vote was needed.”

Another nomination was for a retired U.S. Navy captain.  This nominee’s leadership traits?  “He knew each person’s name in our command of over 400+ people. Never looked at your name tag–looked you directly in the eye so you knew he knew your name.”

The takeaway from today’s postings?  As one Facebook fan identified, “To be a great leader you must see something…and I’d like to add, that something can be a special trait in another, an idea for doings things a new way, or a vision for a better future.   

Who’s your nominee as one of today’s top leaders?  Let us know by posting your nominee. Be sure to check back again on Monday to see the results from this weekend.

What’s the relationship between notoriety and leadership? 

That’s the question that might surface for you as you look at the following list of people who have recently been nominated as one of today’s top leaders in our Top Leader Survey.  As you scan the list below, you’ll probably see some names you immediately recognize.  Others will seem vaguely familiar, while others will be completely unknown to you. 

Tony Dungy—John Calipari—Edward Phillip—Chris Alexander—Ken Wilber—Ron Paul—Fred Cuellar—Serena Williams—Bill George—Jessica Watson—Robert Iger—Orrin Woodward—Stephen Harper—Al Gore—Amma—James Parks Morton—Pete Seeger—Gary Cook— Angelina Jolie—Donald Neal Walsh

The one thing that all of these people have in common is that they are a great leader in someone’s eyes.  Who are the leaders in your eyes that no one else might know about?  Let us know by “tweeting” about them.  When you do, you’ll automatically be entered into our survey/raffle for one of two gift baskets of Ken Blanchard’s classic best-sellers and new releases.  To participate using your existing Twitter account, just follow this format

My choice for today’s top leader?  @kenblanchard: John Smith

That will allow us to see your nominee and also enter you into the drawing which will take place on Tuesday. 

If you don’t have a Twitter account yet, just follow the instructions at www.twitter.com  It’s easy, fast, fun, and free.