The Leadership Toolboxes

Dr. Jeffrey Belsky

• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781662431579
• eBook ISBN: 9781662431586
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Leadership
• Index: Business

If you are asking what the connection is between "toolboxes" and "leadership, " you are not alone! However, this relationship could be the most powerful element in today's ever-changing business world.The Leadership Toolboxes sets the tone for those critical skills needed to lead an organization through any business environment. These skills have withstood the test of time and are the foundation for anyone seeking to learn new concepts or sharpen their already proven leadership abilities. Yes, times have changed! Business has changed! However-expectations on effective leadership remain steadfast!In this book, Jeff Belsky concentrates on the practical application of select leadership skills-or "tools." He does this through using engaging, personal, and professional anecdotes to take the reader through all phases of their own leadership journey. Readers will immediately gain a better understanding of those leadership skills that result in increased effectiveness in the workplace.Whether you are a new or an experienced leader, The Leadership Toolboxes provides a workable and impactful road map toward personal and professional results.What is in your leadership toolbox?

Section 4

The Strategic Toolbox

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

—Winston Churchill

Shortsightedness Is Disastrous

Over my thirty years in the corporate world and working in several industry sectors, I have worked for several leaders who were so intensely focused on today that the future was unfortunately ignored. To clarify the definition of shortsightedness, it is basically the lack of imagination and foresight. A few individuals come to mind when I think of shortsightedness. Unfortunately, these individuals were leaders of an organization I was familiar with and were in charge of the overall operations in a very competitive industry. However, their focus and daily concerns were concentrating on the short-term progress rather than the long-term survivability of the organization. They were micromanagers and controlling. Their behavior was centered on some uniquely unpopular characteristics such as:

• Resist delegating work to others. For some reason, these leaders hired very qualified people in the organization but didn’t give them the work that they were more than capable of handling.
  HAMMER THIS HOME!

  “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

  Eleanor Roosevelt
• Immerse themselves in work assigned to others. When these leaders did delegate something to an employee, they always had to have their hands in it. They continually questioned progress and made unnecessary suggestions.
• Look at the detail instead of the big picture. This is what is considered “in the weeds” mentality. These leaders were so interested in the details of every assignment, project, or task. They concentrated on the finite aspects of projects instead of the outcomes. Some people would say they “jumped over dollars to pick up nickels!”
• Discourage others from making decisions. These leaders had to make the decision; they want to control the actions of every employee. As I stated, why did they hire employees who are more than qualified and capable, but discourage them, or did not trust them, to make decisions?
• Monitor what’s least important. Push aside the experience and knowledge of colleagues. Again, I have seen this repeatedly! Qualified employees, sometimes possessing skills that the leaders do not even have, are not permitted to use their skills appropriately. These leaders will measure and feverishly monitor small projects without concentrating on initiatives that will drive the organization into the long run.

All these characteristics are clear signs of someone focusing more on the organization’s daily activities than where the organization should be going. If I go back to the two individuals I earlier mentioned, they both suffered from this detrimental quality. I fondly remember one of them, who sat as the president of the organization, being more concerned with the color of the pushpins used or how much tape was in the office than anything else. She drove a team responsible for color coordination and choosing furniture styles. She would literally walk around the building and check on employees’ usage of tape and pushpin colors in their cubicles. Simply a waste of time. Furthermore, each year, one of her main priorities, as she expressed it, was to develop a new-hire training program. Something the HR director could have easily done—and is actually paid to do! This narrow-minded approach to leadership was simply an indication that she was unqualified to lead the organization or possess any visionary capabilities.

The other individual I was referring to was also the president of the organization. He also would concentrate his time on being involved in too many daily operational activities. He had an experienced staff of senior leaders, but he failed to effectively utilize them, trust them, and allow them to do what they were qualified and paid to do. He was a “numbers guy,” and everything had to somehow fit into a small box of financial calculations. If an employee made a decision, he would have to be involved even at the lowest level. This person would conduct meetings where hours of discussion would pertain to insignificant daily activities that had little impact on organizational success. This gentleman was well-liked within the organization, but many who worked there scratched their heads when it came to knowing and understanding the organization’s actual vision. Essentially, nobody knew where the company was going—not even the board of directors!

Ultimately, both individuals failed to bring the organization to where it should have been. The wasting of valuable time and resources on “small” activities and decisions derailed the organization from long-range initiatives. The organization struggled to stay competitive in many areas and was regularly behind on product innovations. Needless to say, both of these individuals are no longer with the organization for one reason: being shortsighted and not strategic.

STRATEGY AND VISION

Warren G. Bennis once said, “Leadership is the ability to translate vision into reality.” Leaders have the responsibility to envision the future and lead others toward goals—thus, strategic leadership. However, this is no easy task, especially in an environment where technological advances continue to shorten the spectrum of strategic planning and execution, and today’s workforce is more mobile and dynamic than ever.

According to a recent Forbes article, “Research has shown that only 10% of leaders are classified as strategic leaders.” What traditionally defined strategic planning as a long-range process over several years has now transformed such processes over as little as a year or even months. Leaders do not have the luxury to “think ahead” for several years—their mindset must be on critical short-term strategic objectives which match, or, at the very least, accommodate, environmental variations and organizational capabilities.

I consider the strategic toolbox to encompass a variety of factors. The toolbox should include such tools as visionary thought and foresight, strategic planning and execution, transformational and change management, and intrepreneurship (that’s right—“intre” not “entre”).

Visionary Thought and Foresight

Modern-day visionaries such as Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Airways, Mobile, and Virgin Records), Sergey Brin and Larry Page (Google), and Melinda Gates (Gates Foundation) all have one thing in common: a relentless desire to create change, think ahead, and look at the future as a robust opportunity for creativity and human advancement. Although the names mentioned above are well-known and have created notable advances, their personal characteristics, mentality, and motivations are no different than many common employees in every business across this nation. It is not the power, prestige, wealth, or notability that allows a person to think ahead and be strategic; it is their simple desire to do so.

One attribute that separates many of today’s workers is the ability to think creatively and beyond what most believe as the norm. These are the “big picture” employees who continually seek out opportunities for the future. Their attitude is indicative of those who will say “We can do it!” or “Let’s change things now,” rather than “It can’t be done” or that old cliché statement, “It’s the way we have always done it!” Visionary leaders possess a mentality that is fast-paced and contagious for those who desire rapid change, and threatening to those who love the status quo.

There are, in fact, still those employees who are complacent and never want to see change. These are the employees who sit in their offices, or are physically present in meetings, with little to say, and are only concerned about what functions they can perform that day. Tomorrow is another day for them to do the same thing. Talk about running around a hamster wheel—it is an unfortunate case of professional death by complacency!

However, in a world of daily technological advancements, increased competitiveness, revolutionized employee demands, and consumers who are desiring the most innovative products, visionary leaders are needed more than ever. These are the change agents in the organization, and they are the ones who will challenge the current processes, create new methods, and force others to move forward even in questionable times. I have always considered myself someone with a visionary perspective. Throughout my career, I always had the reputation of challenging the norm and developing ideas outside the box.

I must admit it has not always been a good reputation. I have been criticized, ostracized, and even threatened to be fired for pushing the organizational limits. I never settled for complacency and always thought those that criticized me for my visionary personality were simply incompetent. Needless to say, my relentless, strong personality is not one to be defeated by those who are shortsighted and content with the status quo. I can recall several situations where my ideas were laughed at, and times where a board of directors or company owner considered me insane. However, in many cases, my ideas were somehow implemented, and I had the luxury of proving others wrong. Call it stupidity if you want, but I have always called it leadership courage!

Now, I am not advising you to go to your office and challenge every process in place. Furthermore, I am not saying for you to be as courageously “insane” as I am at times when attempting to think and present ideas that might be relevant years in advance. However, I am asking that you strategically think about how you can build professional value in your organization by creatively thinking about the future. Then, present those ideas professionally and strategically to others in the organization. Remember, some ideas will be accepted, and others will not. Additionally, some attempted implementation of idea...

Table of contents

• Understanding the People You Are Leading
• The Tools and Skills
• The People’s Toolbox
• The Strategic Toolbox
• The Individual Toolbox
• The Faith and Trust Toolbox
• The Coaching Toolbox
• The Technology and Innovation Toolbox
• The Social Toolbox
• The Team-Building Toolbox