Personality Big 5 Connections and Centered Leadership

Are you still discovering who you are?

Do you have any big theories or processes that you are still working out?

One of my big unifying theory-processes-notions centers around what I call centered leadership. It's different than the centered leadership identified in a recent book by the same title (I've read that book and it is filled with great insights and I don't disagree with any of it -- it's just that it was develop outside of what I have been thinking of as centered leadership. I did try to adapt away from my thinking but it's no use, I'm heavily intellectually invested in this now so I parallel my way thru any diversions).

The purpose of this blog entry is just to capture another related notion with some connectedness. It's the psychological idea often referred to as the "Big 5". Good heavens, I have another notion I've been calling the Big 5 that has NOTHING to do with any of this but I won't let that deter me (my Big 5 is a way of measuring impact based on customer satisfaction, team member satisfaction, compliance, revenue, and expenses)M

The idea of a psychological big five is nicely summarized here:

http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/bigfive.htm

In my own curious way I've connected the dots a bit and compared the big 5 with what I think of as the 5 core leadership strengths. Except in the big 5 is a trait not at all a strength -- neuroticism. That doesn't fit into my little charting system at all. Here is the overlay that fits:

Centered Leadership Strength / Big 5

Courage / Openness
Creativity / Extraversion
Clarity / Conscientiousness
Compassion / Agreeableness

MY fifth is Centering, and that is charted as a circle in the middle of the four quadrants -- representing balance and flexibility in utilizing each and every key leadership strength skillfully and as needed. It can also be thought of as mindfulness in action.

The fifth Big 5, neuroticism, does not fit into my little chart but I would draw it as a triangle that has fallen off the chart. It's a bit like the opposite of centering: it is the absence of balance and flexibility. It is any one of the other traits taken to extreme or starved of its need.

This is just a quick thought on a deep idea -- my musings at 2 am...and I welcome any thoughts. There are enough tangents here for a book and maybe that's on its way. Who knows?

Don't you enjoy unexpected connections?

-- Doug Smith

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Communicate Your Expectations

This is a picture of my good friend Tubs. He has a look of anticipation and expectation in his eyes. He wants to be sure that whoever he is communicating with understands those expectations. If his tongue is showing, he expects a treat. If there's a toy in his mouth, he expects to play. And if he walks toward the door, he expects to go out.

Life is simple and good when your expectations are clear.

As a leader, you probably have some expectations, too. You expect a certain level of performance from each of your team members. You expect a certain professional conduct. You expect respect.

Does everyone on your team understand, clearly, your expectations? Not last year's expectations, and maybe even not last month's expectations, but rather your current expectations? And, not only what you expect but to what level of urgency do you expect prompt action?

Let them know. Tell them again. They do need to be reminded. There's no room for a mystery here, is there?

Communicate y…

Tackle Your Limiting Beliefs

What stands in your way when it comes to achieving your goals?

Life will give us lots of obstacles. We have to learn how to deal with them. But, we also give ourselves some unnecessary barriers. We build walls out of our limiting beliefs.

Limiting beliefs are those thoughts that we believe so strongly that they prevent us from doing what would otherwise be possible. They are different from person to person, but they often sound like this: "I'm not good enough...they would never appreciate me...I failed at this before so why try again...that's the kind of person who always gives me trouble..." and on and on.

Our limiting beliefs are so deeply ingrained, many of them formed when we were very young children, that we often are not even aware that they are there -- or that they are limiting our possibilities.

Our job is to increase our possibilities and choices, not limit them. Not to take unnecessary risks or subject ourselves to danger, but to overcome the little hurdl…

Building Your Team: Recruit Constantly

Team building. It's a never ending process. It starts with recruiting. Who you bring into your team makes the chemistry of your team. Who you bring into your team sets the players in place to do the work that needs to be done.

Take your time with recruiting. Start by getting to know the best talent you can. You never know who might be interested in joining your team, but first get to know them. Learn from talent everywhere. Explore places you might not usually explore to find the talent that can take your team to the next level.

They might not join your team now. They might not even be interested. But, someday they might. The only way that someday arrives is if you start the dialogue today.

Who do you know who you wish was on your team right now? What if you gave them a call?

-- doug smith

The Road Is Distorted

Have you ever been on your way somewhere and suddenly realized that you were on the wrong road? Before GPS, that would happen to me frequently. I'd get lost. Things looked different than I expected.

On our road to our goals, things can get distorted. Our expectations, formed with optimism and trust, can get twisted or tumble over a cliff. The road to any goal requires a toll. Are you prepared to pay that toll.

One early toll is seeing thru the distortions. To achieve our goal we need to see clearly. That could mean seeing things thru someone else's viewpoint. Find out the facts, sort out the feelings, and focus on as much objective truth that is available.

The road ahead is distorted. It's up to us to stay centered, focused, and on the right route to our goal.

Keep you map handy.

-- doug smith

Your Team Needs a Strong Leader

You're not just part of the team, are you?

You are, as the team leader, at the center. You set the tone. You set the speed. You set the mood.

Those are powerful abilities, if you use them in high performance ways. You'll need power, and you'll need strength, and you can't grab that from anyplace else other than yourself. Your team is counting on you. Whether or not they tell you, they depend on you to be their strong leader. The strength of patience. The strength of persistence. The strength of high expectations.

Pull your team together. Talk with them individually AND as part of the whole team. Let them know how to succeed and they'll do their best to do so.

As much as you might want it to, your team will not build itself. It needs a strong leader.

That's you.

You can do it. You're the boss.

-- doug smith

Stay Creative

Don't let anyone or anything stop you from being creative. It's power you have to use to make things better and achieve your goals. Sure, it sometimes might aggravate people. It might cause some people to bristle at having to look at things a new way. It's important. Stay with it.

Creativity will get you out of more trouble than it ever gets you into.

-- doug smith

Building Your Team: Start One on One

Find out what your team means to each team member and then build from there.

-- doug smith

When you set your goals...

You get to choose. Even when your boss gives you goals, you still get the chance to set additional goals that sing to your soul, that make you smile, that energize you and get you going. The right goals set you up for success.

When you set your goals, set goals that set you up for success.

What's your biggest, most exciting goal for today?

-- doug smith

It's the Long Haul

High performance leaders know that performance is a long term goal not a short-term gain. Think long range, long term, and strong impact.

-- doug smith

Video: Marshall Goldsmith and Feed Forward

From Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Coach, comes this is a great way to share fast, low risk coaching with a number of people. The three steps are simple and easy:

Write down an area you'd like to improve that would have a big impact for youAsk for 2 positive suggestions for the future that would help with that areaRepeat getting positive suggestions from others in the group There are two simple roles for the process:

No talking about the pastNo judging or critiquing ideas
Here's Dr. Goldsmith describing the process in one of his highly useful videos:

I found this article and video from one of my favorite sources of leadership advice, GetLighthouse.com, here.

doug smith training

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