Successful Business Leadership

By Larry Cabaldon

Executive Vice President

DHR International

We all want to succeed in our chosen business careers. Why? The truth is we often times seek money, power, status, and popularity. But seeking these things can be damaging to our lives if overly pursued (think Enron). We are, after all, human. There is lots of career planning information available, most of it focused on the steps to get a job or evaluate career options. The purpose of this article, however, is to provide some key ideas and practical steps you can take to not only plan a career, but more importantly to obtain a healthy balance between work and life. This process was originally developed and used for executives, boards of directors, and small groups of managers. Now increasingly, I have transferred its use to business students as well. This process, however, will require you to spend some time working at it making an honest assessment of yourself.

First, if we examine the descriptors of Generation X (1961-1981) and the Millennial Generation (1982-2000), we can see that you have much strength, but also have characteristics, like all of us, that if taken to an extreme can create stress and dissatisfaction in your life. As Michael Dell says, “Strength, when used to excess, can become a weakness.”

• Generation X – values independence, are practical, street smart, focused on success, often excel as leaders, are self-starters and resourceful.

• Millennial Generation – are confident, optimistic, service-oriented, team players, more accepting of diversity, technologically savvy, achievement oriented, and multi-taskers.

Does this sound like you? Given the nature of success-oriented people like yourself and the demands that can occur in the workplace, it is important for all of us to achieve a healthy balance between life and work, as we spend most of our waking hours in our employment situation. Abraham Lincoln, however, reminds us that “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Unfortunately, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 40% of workers report that their job is “very or extremely stressful”. They further define job stress as “the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.” The good news, however, is that an ideal work-life balance can be achieved in two ways: 1) by what an individual creates for themselves in and out of the workplace, and 2) how a leader and a business support employees to achieve a healthy balance while in the workplace.

A business or person only changes, though, if there is something in it for them. Various studies of the “best companies to work for” indicate that when a business provides educational programs, leadership, policies and practices for work/life balance, the business actually produces an improved financial performance. According to the Russell Investment Group, companies listed as a “best place to work” outperformed the S & P 500 by almost three times. So creating a business culture that strikes a work/life balance is financially beneficial to business and you as a leader and an employee. Look at how Overnight Express has accomplished this balance in the article Care for Customers, Care for Employees.

Progressive organizations, such as those listed below from “best places to work”, have a very clear understanding of who they are, a socially desirable purpose, and place a high value on people in and out of the business:

1. Abbott Laboratories purpose is “to advance medical science to help people live healthier lives”.

2. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta says “It’s through teamwork at every level of our organization and with you, the family, that we are able to achieve a high level of excellence in pediatric care.”

3. Hologic indicates they are “a company of individuals from varying backgrounds who share a common goal - the desire to extend women’s lives through the development of technologically superior diagnostic imaging systems that will facilitate the early detection of breast cancer and osteoporosis.”

4. Nugget Markets mission statement says “We are a family of dedicated people with a love of food and a passion for excellent service. We are committed to constant improvement, our people, and most importantly, guest satisfaction. Our associates are our competitive edge—superior quality and great prices are just part of the bargain.”

5. And Southwest Airlines says “we are committed to provide our employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.”

If we briefly examine some Biblical principles and thoughts from some famous people, we see that there is more to life than a career:

• Mark 8: 36 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

• Emily Dickinson – “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.”

• Luke 12: 23 “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”

• Winston Churchill – “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

• Matthew 12: 33 – “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”

Life is a joy with loved ones, family, friends, travel, home, personal growth, giving to others, and career. Work, though, is also important as it provides a living, creates personal satisfaction, and enables the things we enjoy in life. But you have to develop a Life/Work balance for yourself if you are to going to achieve personal satisfaction and if you are going to lead a business that provides the same for its employees. So how can you personally achieve a healthy Life/Work balance?

On an annual on-going basis, complete the processes described below to design and create a balanced future (most people don’t even make the effort to do this).

1. Describe your values and purpose (usually takes about 2-4 hours)

2. Understand your strengths and then build upon them (usually takes about 2-4 hours, or more depending on how much you seek others input)

3. Spend time in reflection (take a few days, though some may take up to 30 days)

4. Develop life and career plans (spend about 1 to 3 days). Then implement them.

Describe Your Values

The dictionary describes values mostly in monetary terms. In Life/Work balance, values mean the ideals and ethics that are significant, positive, rewarding, and that shape us as individuals. Values can be expressed in many terms and ways of thinking. You just have to sit down and think about your ideals and ethics. Try thinking and writing in terms of:

• Relationships (How do you want to be remembered? Who have you admired and why?)

• Moral, ethical and spiritual principles that matter to you. (What are your truths?)

• Motivators and passions (What gets you up in the morning with excitement? Hobbies and interests? What are you willing to stay up all night to work on?)

• Analyze significant events in your life (What were they and how did they make you feel? Why?)

• Long term goals (describe yourself 20 years from now, make a mental picture)

Next, read thru what you’ve written, identify the things that cause you the greatest positive emotion and summarize them into 3-5 critical statements of your key values and purpose in life (your context). Reread all that you wrote at least 2 times, and continue to edit it. When you feel emotionally excited about your summary statements, you are done.

Remember, though, what Ben Stein said, “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” Start now by describing what you really value and want in life.

Understand and Build on Your Strengths

Peter Drucker in Management Challenges for the 21^st Century said: “More and more people in the workforce – and most knowledge workers – will have to manage themselves. They will have to place themselves where they can make the greatest contribution; they will have to learn to develop themselves. They will have to learn to stay young and mentally alive during a fifty-year working life. They will have to learn how and when to change what they do, how they do it, and when they do it. Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong. And yet, one can only perform with one’s strengths.”

Utilize the following process to identify your strengths. First - Feedback Analysis - evaluate key decisions (business and/or personal), major actions and projects, and important short term goals you’ve had in life. Write down what you expected to happen and what actually happened. No excuses, just honest assessment. You can also do this for something you are in-process with today and then monitor yourself over time. In 9 to 12 months, evaluate your results. Then ask yourself what you should learn from what happened. What was accomplished and why? What was not achieved and why? Seek input from others (employer, co-workers, friends, and family). Second - Ask Yourself Key Questions to determine “how I perform” - how do you predominately learn? (by hearing yourself talk, by doing, by writing, by reading, or by listening?), how well do you work well with people? how do you like to work with people? how do you react under stress? do you work best under a highly structured environment or one with more flexibility? do you work best as a small fish in a big pond or as a big fish in a small pond? do you best produce results as a decision-maker or as an advisor? Why?

When you have finished thinking about the answers to the above questions, then go to this link that categorizes people’s tendencies and predominant natural strengths. Which one best describes who you are and what are your natural strengths? Add or subtract from the list as you think is appropriate until you are comfortable with one description of you.

Spend Time in Reflection

This process, called the WHATR5, could take you a few days. Go away somewhere if you can to just think. The purpose is for you to dig deeper and assess where you are in defining and achieving your values. WHATR5 stands for:

• Wisdom

• Harmony

• Attitude

• Truth

• Right things

• 5 objectives

Click here for a Christian version of this process to include exploring your spiritual side.

Click here for a standard version of this process.

Then enjoy yourself.

Develop Life and Career Plans

Okay, here we will do the 5 objectives. Now the purpose is for you to translate the first three processes above into actionable plans to achieve a healthy Life/Work balance by writing down your “future by design”:

1. Personal Vision Statement (how I want to be remembered, what I value most in life)
2. Mission Statement (purpose in life, who I serve)
3. Three year Objectives (long term measures)
4. Strategies (actions I will take over the next 1-3 years)
5. Plans for the next 6 months (what I need to do now)

Click here for a word document of Explanation and Examples

Click here for a word document that is a Blank version for you to use to develop and write down your Life and Career Plan.

Oprah Winfrey said “The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work.”

Some final thoughts suggested for you are:

1. Build on your strengths and do not try to change yourself. Be who you are and seek a career and employment position that matches to your personality and strengths. Remember that stress can be caused by a mismatch between your values and capabilities with the work environment.

2. Beware of “intellectual arrogance”. Being smart is not a substitute for knowledge, information, wisdom, or understanding.

3. Fix your bad habits. How?

4. Learn to communicate with others who are different than you by becoming aware of their predominant strengths and communication styles and adapt to their style on a continual basis.

Larry joined DHR International in 1995 and serves as a member of the Board Services Practices Group. Previously Larry headed his own executive assessment, board consulting and executive recruiting firm. He has served clients such as Bank of America, Security Pacific, Wells Fargo and numerous firms in financial services. He has assessed over 500 executives and board members in banking, trust, real estate, insurance, software, credit card operations, auto finance, asset based lending, mortgage banking, leasing and other functional areas. Larry is a director of the Forum for Corporate Directors, the largest independent director’s group providing director forums, education, and recognition.