EPISODE 9: Value Based Leadership

July 14, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“The only thing that works is management by values. Find people who are competent and really bright, but more importantly, people who care about exactly about the same things you care about.” Steve Jobs, Apple, Inc.

What is Value Based Leadership?

When we are talking about value-based leadership, we are talking about having a leader who is aligned with organizational values and who we believe has the same values as us. Otherwise, we would not want to be working for the leader of that organization. There has to be that alignment. When we are looking at organizational cultures and different things, I want to reinforce to those of you listening to the podcast today, this is for entrepreneurs and business owners as much as it is for organizations. I believe that every single person no matter where they are in life is a leader and recognizing that we need to be able to operate from those core values.

When I think about core values, I think of a sliced apple where you can see the cross-section of it, where you see the seeds. The core values to me are those little seeds that help grow within a culture. They create a culture. They are not the culture but they are part of it. They enrich how the people behave within the organization and how they’re delivering the vision through those values. In order to demonstrate this I am going to go through our vision, mission, and our why, and our core values at Debra Kasowski International.

One thing I want you to keep in mind is that values are not the operations, logistics, or about sales and marketing strategies; they go much deeper than a strategy. It is really about how you personify and make your company or your business really come alive.

Our vision at Debra Kasowski International is:

VISION

To be an internationally acclaimed and chosen authority in developing emotionally intelligent leaders by dramatically improving communication, decision making, interpersonal relationships, and the well-being of executives, business owners, their staff, and their families while contributing and impacting communities at large.

MISSION

To delivery easy to follow dynamic and interactive online and live training, coaching, speaking, podcasting, and books for leaders, executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs that create a powerful learning experience in personal professional growth to achieve epic results.

WHY

The world around us is moving faster and faster. People are being challenged with: doing more with less, struggling financially, an inability to tolerate stress and decision-making are becoming more complex. It is getting harder for people to set their priorities and to find the time to do everything they want to do. It does not matter if you are climbing the career ladder, managing a business, or growing a company, there seems to be inner conflict and competition with reaching life goals. Personal and professional relationships are being strained. Life balance seems to be a mystery. Through our mission, we want to change the way people do business and live their lives and so they can become their definition of success.

CORE VALUES

Community of Trust

Creating a nonjudgmental environment where people feel encouraged and supported

Respect for the Individual

Respect people for where they are, who they are, and who they have yet to become.

Commitment to Excellence

Provide exceptional quality and commit to continuous learning.

Integrity

Do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

Responsible for Results

Taking 100% responsibility for the results we deliver.

Solution Focused

Focus on discovering positive solutions.

Unconditional Gratitude and Giving

Express gratitude for all things; without expecting anything in return.

I have a phenomenal team – Cheryl, my virtual assistant (VA), I love her to pieces. She is so dedicated and she resembles a lot of this; that is why I believe we get along so well.

You need to operate with people who are a part of your core values and who are aligned with who you are and get it. They get who you are. It’s about being able to “walk the talk”. I am sure you have run into leaders out there where you are questioning who they are because they are great at talking but you are still waiting for them to demonstrate through their actions that they follow their core values.

Why are Core Values important?

Core values are so important. Not only do they help you people have a goal toward a vision and provide direction but they inspire your culture. When people feel they’re part of something bigger than themselves, they are more motivated and they want to be a part of it.

What happens when there is a lack of values in leadership?

A downfall occurs when there is a lack of values in leadership. This is where you see leaders who will become self-serving- they only care about themselves and that they get credit for everything. They want to be seen in the spotlight but fail to recognize that it took many people to get them to where they wanted to be versus them carrying all that success. They do not share. They are unable to demonstrate it.

What needs to happen with core values within an organization?

For core values to really be a part of the core of an organization or business, values need to be:

Clear and understood,
Role modeled -not just by your front-line people or the people working for you. They need to be role modeled from the very top of the organization. People need to be able to reference them and need to be able to communicate them through orientations and through trainings that these core values are important.
All too often, they will be introduced and nobody talks about them again. They need to be communicated on a regular basis.
You need to be within your interview tools.

12755865 - a wooden and brass ship wheel I can’t empathize this enough. Your core values really like a captain’s steering wheel the ship so if you don’t have the wheel steer you will not be going in any direction. Think about the components of those spindles, those core values, but in order to develop those that being value leadership to be able to really develop your communication skills. This means listening to your people and providing them feedback on a regular basis and giving them redirection if they need it, honing your management skills and really becoming an emotionally intelligent leader.

EQi – 2.0, one of the assessments that I provide for people. If this is something of interest to you, don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail and we can set it up for you. It comes to by e-mail and we can do coaching session to debrief the results. Email me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Get your downloadable about Determining Your Core Values and you have the e-mail address and website on the form.

17078945 - success business woman draw arrow with blue background, asian model Emotional intelligence is something that is developed over time. It grows throughout our lifetime and it plateaus when we reach old age. It is a continual arch going upward that through our experiences were hopefully learning from them. We are becoming more empathetic to people’s situations. Not sympathy.

What is the difference between sympathy and empathy?

Sympathy is different than empathy. Sympathy is that you are your feeling sorry for someone. Empathy means that you’re actually putting yourself and thinking about being in another person’s shoes and understanding where someone is coming from. It may be rationalizing some of the decisions they are making based on their experiences and where they are. What supports do they have? If you were in those same shoes, would you be making some of those same decisions? Would you be making the same mistakes because that is all you know?

When we come from a place of empathy, we have a way to build people up because we can see where they are at and we can help them see where they are able to go.

What do value based leaders do?

Mother Teresa is known for value-based leadership. One of the things she said that sticks out for me is, “Be faithful in the small things this is where your strength lies.” Give of yourself full as a leader, don’t hold yourself back. You need to step into the leader who you want to be.

Leaders in organizations who step up and show up as who they want to be – they lead with a purpose. People can’t help but be magnetized; they want to be drawn to that.
They engage their followers. They want their people to be a part of the vision, walking alongside each other to be a part of the success.
They have trust, that character, where people see them as credible. They stick by their values.
They operate on what is good for the people.
They are open to the diversity ages, nationalities, sex, and religions so they can learn from their traditions, their cultures, their norms so that they can embrace and incorporate people’s ideas. If we all exactly the same, it would be pretty boring. We would not have the creativity, innovation, and the brainstorming that can go on in a boardroom or in an office or even in a restaurant on the back of a napkin – for those entrepreneurs out there. They are able to see a brighter future and want to achieve it by valuing their past and present.
They respect people for who they are NOT just on what they can do for you. It is about really getting to know them for who they are – they have families, interests, and hobbies. These are the leaders we are looking for.

Value based leadership is very much synonymous with servant leadership. They are the people who are willing to serve to make the world a better place in service of others.

Think about your leadership style. What are your core values? Print off the downloadable and determine your core values. Make your decisions by your core values and live by them. What happens when people are not aligned with their core values that this is when they struggle, have hardships, hit the roadblocks because something is not right with their core. Their decisions do not match with who they want to show up as in the world.

Who is the person you want to show up as?

It is really important to be very clear. Who are the people are people who inspire you? Who are the leaders you would like to be like? Steve Jobs, Mother Teresa, or Princess Diana? Recently, I watched a video of an interview of Princess Diana on Facebook, where the interviewer asked her if she wanted to be the queen of people’s hearts. She said she wanted to be the queen of people’s hearts – That is quite a mission. She did not just want to be a queen of a country; she wanted to be a queen of people’s hearts. She did capture the world with her style because she led by heart. She really cared about people for who they were and not for what they could do for her. Pay attention – we can only really do great things if we work together. And we collaborate.

Remember to be faithful in the small things! Whether it be the breakdown of your goals that where your strength lies. Go back to recognizing those small things. These are the core values the golden thread throughout your organization and your business. This is why people want to do business with you because they are aligned with what you believe in and they see your vision. They resonate with your why. You can go out and make a difference by living by your values.

Email me at Debra@debrakasowski.com and let us know what you would like to be featured on the show. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating! Sign up for our Newsletter www.debrakasowski.com

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Time 19:35 min

EPISODE 8: Why Credibility Matters

July 13, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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What is credibility? It is the quality of being believable or worthy of trust. The root of credibility is “credo” which means “I believe” in Latin. I was really excited about this because there is a local coffee shop called Credo so I had to go look at their vision and mission statement to see if there was something with the word believe in it. I found out it was Credo – coffee you can believe in so I knew they had done something with the Latin word of “credo”. I will start using this word more often as the word believe is powerful to me.

Trust is built on credibility and credibility comes from acting in others interests before your own. Steve Denny, Killing the Giants

The reason I want to talk about credibility is to make sure everyone has an understanding of what credibility is. It walks hand in hand and side by side with trust. It is essential in any role. When you think of yourself and a customer if you are going to invest your time, money, or resources, would you want to invest in someone or an organization who delivers on their promises?

There are a lot of multi-facets when we think of credibility. There are a lot of things we want to think about. So if we are working with a sales person for instance you want them to be knowledgeable about their product. You start getting suspicious when it feels like they are omitting something or not sharing what they need to. The first thing a person usually thinks about when they think about a police officer is safety. An officer that is rude or condescending or not looking out for your best interest you start to question your safety. I have not come across this. In the movies, everything is glorified. There is often a suspicion of who is an officer and who is not – that is made for Hollywood.

It does not matter your position or role, credibility and trust are earned. It is not one thing; it is a combination of things really looking at a person’s core values. It is their character. When someone abides by their core values, they take 100% responsibility. (Listen is Episode 1 – Taking 100% Responsibility)

The people who act and make decisions based on their core values. If they make a mistake, they own it – it all comes back to taking 100% responsibility. We see those people as credible.

Someone’s expertise or their education, like a published author like myself, there is a sense of credibility. It is not always by title. Education and display of expertise on a subject matter that is also when you will see the credibility.

Emotional intelligence is a topic I am fond of and certified in. When someone is able to convey their messages, focus on solutions when there are issues that arise, control their emotions in situations and able to recognize the emotions of others – that also makes someone more credible.

The fact that someone shows up and behaves and even dresses professionally. When you go to see a surgeon or a physician of any kind, for example, they usually have a white coat and a stethoscope. If they showed up disheveled with their hair out of line or part of their shirt tucked in their pants and part untucked on the outside, and shoes were full of mud. Would you want them to be looking after your health? Thinking – it could be situational but who knows – you might start questioning whether or not you want that person taking care of you.

A good communicator is someone who is consistent with their words and they stand by their promises. They stand by what they are going to deliver.

Where is credibility important? Basically, it is all the time. It impacts integrity as well. It is about doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Some of the ways you can tell that credibility really matters are when you are watching someone live by their values. As a business owner, entrepreneur, or a leader, you can use testimonials in your marketing. If you are thinking of applying for a position, your references are your testimonial. They are your marketing as to whether or not they think you will be successful for the job – describing your skills and abilities. Social proof!

Credibility is leverage. When people see you as a credible source, they are more likely to purchase your products and services when what you deliver is endorsed by others. There is an opportunity to profit by leveraging your credibility and delivering on your promises by helping people get to where they want to get to or the products they need.

How to Establish Credibility

Remember credibility is not an overnight thing. It is something that is established over time. Credible leaders are people who “walk the talk”.

They are people you feel you can trust and respect.
They are honest.
Not only are they educated, but they continue to learn and grow. They are competent.
They hold themselves accountable as well as others.
They are true to themselves.
They watch out for the interests of others.
They have the ability to delegate; not every leader can do this. You hear about micromanagement and people getting frustrated because someone is always looking over their shoulder.
The credible leader has the ability to trust in the ability of their people. They have a positive attitude and they are committed to getting the job done.
They understand. They are flexible. They know that life happens and sometimes we have to adjust our course.

When Credibility Really Matters – Establishing Your Team

Credibility really matters when you are looking at leadership, when you are working on your business, or even in an organization – thinking about the people working for you and yourself as a leader. I believe every single person is a leader. You are the leader of YOU and you have a following of people who look to you to be inspired with confidence.

Think of the leaders in your life. The people around you with you do business with and the people who are a part of your team. You may be thinking, “What team?” You do have team – think about your optometrist, dentist, doctor, personal trainer if you have one, spouse/partner, kids, accountant, and your lawyer just to name a few. These people are all part of your team. The people you decide to bring onto your team to serve you so you can serve others so you can serve others are important. You do not want to take those decisions lightly. You want to have people on your team who may you even more credible, who are establishing you, taking care of you – your health and wellness. These are people who are a part of your team.

What are you doing to establish your credibility?

Once credibility is lost, it takes a long time for people to rebuild their reputation. You do not want to damage it. The best thing to do is to do the right things even no one is watching. If something does not feel aligned, I want you to take a step back and reflect on your core values. If it does not align, you will always face a constant struggle. You may have seen the poster saying “The struggle is real.” It will be real alright. You stomach may be flipping and you may have headaches. These symptoms are all signals for you letting you know you are off track.

Journal Exercise: How you want to show up in the world? Why credibility matter to you?

Email me at Debra@debrakasowski.com and let us know what you would like to be featured on the show. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating!

Time 11:30 min