Brett Bartholomew, Managing Director of CBC explains, “CBC is built on a 50 year proven model and INENCO was formed to enable us to build a bigger organisation by cross-fertilising the skills within CBC. Our culture is to promote from within, yet we needed better managers in order to grow.

LMA’s training is a vital key to this. When our middle managers in graduating from the LMA course presented their projects to the Board, we were amazed at what they are capable of. The result is as a company we’re pulling up our management standards nationally.”

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Melbourne, Monday, May 6, 2012. Leadership Management Australasia (LMA) this morning was presented with Leadership Management International’s (LMI) 2011 leading country growth award while LMA founder Grant Sexton was recognised for 40 years service to LMI.

LMI is a 49 year-old network specialising in management and leadership training, operating through independent representative businesses in 60 countries. LMA was established 40 years ago. It now has 140 people delivering programs to improve productivity, performance and leadership through 45 locations across Australia and New Zealand. LMA works with people in small and medium organisations, large corporations and government departments.

LMA’s Executive Chairman, Grant Sexton, who started the company in May 1972, was acknowledged by LMI for his 40 years’ service, pioneering the business in Australasia and for his overall contribution to the greater international network.

LMI CEO, Randy Slechta, in Australia for a series of LMA business forums on how leaders and senior managers can shock-proof their organisations against international, local and internal forces, presented the awards to Mr Sexton before his Melbourne address this morning.

Mr Slechta said the innovation and initiatives of LMA were at the leading edge of LMI practices worldwide.

“Through his vision and leadership skills, Mr Sexton, has made a positive impact on the professional and personal lives of over 120,000 people who have completed programs,” he said.

Mr Sexton said that when he began the business here, there was no such industry as management and leadership training.

“Today, there’s a large industry operating with some excellent professional providers but unfortunately there are also many organisations that have been set up only to capitalise on  government funding allocated to the broad subject of training,” he said.

“The industry needs to be properly regulated to ensure participants receive true quality and value in their courses … the ‘tick and flick’ approach should not be tolerated,” he said.

“It is well-recognised that continuing training and development of managers and leaders is imperative for organisations in both the public and private sectors to adapt to change, to remain competitive, to improve performance of their organisations, to elevate the skills of their people and to work with and manage their people,” he said.

• Spend less time on unimportant activities, no matter how urgent they may seem
• Don’t be a deadline addict – someone who procrastinates until the last moment, but seems to thrive on the adrenaline rush they get when racing to the finish line. In the process they neglect important life roles.
• Work effectively and plan to meet deadlines by doing the work at the proper time.
• Consider what people will say about you on your 86th birthday. Then, decide what you want them to say.
• Find ways to make the favourable description of your life come true.

Together courage and confidence empower you to bounce back when you experience adversity, set backs or low points.

However, your courage and confidence will understandably be tested on a regular basis. When you face difficult tasks, when the pressure on you is intense and when you’re called upon to do something you have never done before, you will turn to these internal forces for strength.

Here are several building blocks for developing your courage and confidence:

• Positive Thinking: To lay the foundation for increasing your courage and confidence, develop the habit of thinking positively. Eliminate negative thinking from your mind. Refuse to think that you might not be able to achieve your goals. Eliminate words like “can’t” and “impossible,” from your thinking.
• Positive Talking: Keep track of your achievements and regularly reinforce your behaviours with self recognition. Accept and reinforce the fact that you possess many strengths and a great potential to succeed.
• Practice: There is no better way to build your courage and confidence than through hours of dedicated practice. Whether in your professional duties, relationships skills or your sporting interests, practising to improve your skills strengthens and empowers you. When you have perfected your skills, you become less and less afraid to take the initiatives that lead to success.
• Work: Never look for short cuts to high performance living – there is no easy way to success. Accomplishment requires genuine hard work and a willingness to pay the price for success.
• Rebound: The ability to rebound after a setback or mistake is essential to success. Everyone makes mistakes and errors. They are a great learning experience. Refuse to let your mistakes get you down or discourage you. Welcome the opportunity to rebound for a second chance.
• Goals: Learn to ignore the everyday frustrations that often confront those who set and strive to achieve worthwhile goals. Instead, when confronted with a setback or obstacle focus your attention on the rewards you will enjoy when you reach your goals and achieve the success you desire.

Learning to focus on success helps you develop the self-motivation and courage to move confidently toward your goals.

Pressures on Employees

Q.         What would you say are the top five biggest sources of pressure for you/your staff at the present time?

It is worth noting that the Top 5 pressures on employees are the same for each group. However managers and leaders don’t believe the pressure that comes from trying to achieve work/life balance is as prominent as other pressures on employees. They believe higher performance expectations (primarily from them as managers and leaders) are the greatest source of pressure for their employees.

Pressures on Leaders and Managers

Q.         What would you say are the top five biggest sources of pressure for you personally / your leaders and senior managers at the present time?

Some very different perspectives on pressures are evident in relation to leaders and senior managers. Leaders too believe the balance between work and personal life is their main source of pressure. However this pressure doesn’t rank anywhere near as highly in the eyes of managers and employees. The continuous demands placed on leaders and senior managers are viewed by managers as the most prominent pressure on their leaders. Employees see increasing competition in the marketplace as the greatest source of pressure on their leaders and senior managers.

Difficult times place added pressure on leaders to show the way and unite others behind a common vision or direction. Recent examples in the political arena (e.g. the ‘beauty pageant-like’ tussle between Gillard and Rudd) and in major organisations dealing with workforce and union issues (such as ANZ Bank, Qantas and others) have spotlighted a national leadership skills vacuum.

Andrew Henderson, CEO of LMA, says these examples have highlighted a distinct absence of true leadership at all levels in Australia and New Zealand – whether it be in politics, in organisations or in our communities.

“There is a gaping hole in the calibre of leadership that threatens to undermine productivity and permanently damage our confidence, individually, as nations, and in the wider Asia-Pacific region.” says Henderson.

For nearly 40 years, LMA has held to the view that leadership goes well beyond management. Genuine leadership involves building trust to gain commitment and fully engage people in the organisation’s purpose and strategy.

Leadership involves the ability to communicate, to persuade and to encourage people to take meaningful and productive actions. Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide others through the process of change, innovation, growth and continuous improvement. In short, leadership is the ability to take others to new heights of performance.

LMA also knows that successful leaders:

• Create a vision which others can believe in.
• Are true to the organisation’s values and ‘walk the talk’.
• Create a culture that attracts, engages and empowers the best people.
• Know that developing leaders at all levels, not just at the top of the organisation is essential for an organisation’s sustainability and growth.

“Clearly we’re not seeing enough of this calibre of leadership in the public or private sector, rather people are disillusioned” said Mr Henderson. “People in all walks of life are looking for quality leaders they can trust.”

LMA’s Leadership Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey places leadership in the top three areas of skills shortages in organisations in Australia and New Zealand highlighting that leadership is missing in the current climate.

Only through quality leadership can we hope to deal with the challenges, and capitalise on the opportunities that surround us.

So how can leaders regain the confidence of those they lead?

Quite simply, they need to exhibit more of the following attitudes and behaviours in order to fulfil expectations:

• Demonstrating honesty, integrity and trustworthiness
• Accepting the responsibility of leadership
• Being highly organised and effective in their performance
• Focusing on goals, solutions, results and innovation
• Engaging and gaining commitment from those they seek to lead
• Being highly effective communicators
• Delivering appropriate doses of inspiration and guidance
• Providing appropriate training and development for their people
• Embracing and successfully managing change
• Leading by example

The L.E.A.D. Survey further reinforces the essential competencies needed in leaders through the identification of the Top 5 Leadership Competencies expected of our leaders:

The importance of these competencies underlines the urgency of the call for improved leadership skills in our organisations. Leaders need to look within, evaluate their own leadership competencies, and develop their skills where necessary to become exceptional leaders.

Several days later, they spot another pirate ship off the port bow. “Cabin boy,” says the captain “get me my red shirt.” They again battle the pirates and are victorious.

Later when things had settled down, the cabin boy asks, “Captain, why do you always want your red shirt just prior to battle?” The captain responds, “Well, in case I am inflicted with a wound, I don’t want the crew to see my injury and lose spirit.” “I see,” says the cabin boy.

A few days later, they sight 20 pirate ships in the distance and the captain yells out, “Cabin boy, get me my brown pants!”

Understanding others depends upon empathy.  Empathy is the ability to view a situation from the viewpoint of others and understand their feelings and beliefs.  Empathy recognises the inherent right of each person to hold personal views about situations.  Understanding other people’s viewpoints doesn’t force you to agree with or accept that point of view.  It only means you approach situations with fairness and objectivity.

Consider these suggestions for being empathetic as you communicate your ideas:

• Organise your ideas.  Present your ideas in an organised way.  Be sure your ideas and your thinking are crystal clear to you.  Write them down.  Organise them in light of what you know about others.  When you’re absolutely certain you’ve organised your ideas, you can be more confident they will be understood and accepted.
• Tap into people’s interests.  Present your ideas to others in a form that highlights their benefits.  Strive to understand people’s needs and expectations and phrase your ideas in those terms to communicate effectively.
• Paint a picture.  Some words appeal to emotions, desires and needs.  Other words appear to reason and fact.  Words of both emotion and logic can contribute to painting pictures of ideas in peoples’ minds.  Recognise the wants and needs of others and express your ideas in words that form a mental picture that promises to supply those needs.
• Vary your communication style.  Use the communication style most comfortable and familiar to your listener.  Adjust your style to enable your listener to understand and accept your message without the need to “translate” it.  Consider how they will receive it and remember they will be listening with a “what’s in it for me” WIIFM self-interest.  When you’re working in a team, be aware of the communication styles of other team members that are different from yours.   See the differences as an opportunity rather than a problem.  Accept the challenge to communicate with everybody and capitalise upon the strengths of those differences.

Using empathy when you communicate is a key to better communication and improving your productivity.

By Grant Sexton, Executive Chairman, Leadership Management Australasia

Winners approach life with the confident expectation that they can solve any problems that arise, turn difficult situations into positive advantages and achieve any goal that is important to their success.  Winners have a positive expectancy and radiate positive attitudes to succeed.

Become a winner with these attitudes:

•  Think positively. Winners start each day looking for what can be done instead of worrying about what can’t be done.  Look for ways you can succeed rather than reasons why you can’t.   Hold positive expectancy and develop plans for overcoming any obstacle or challenge that you may encounter.
• Accept responsibility.  Winners think and act “Above the Line”.  Realise that you are personally responsible for your own success.   Exercise the initiative to do what is needed to achieve your goals.   Acknowledge your mistakes or failures and always learn from them.
• Be willing to pay the price.  Winners don’t expect to get something for nothing.  They are willing to invest the time, effort, creativity and money necessary to achieve their goals.  Be prepared to do what it takes to become successful.
• Make a personal commitment to your goals.  Winners make commitments.  When you decide to achieve a goal, commit to its success immediately.  Stick to your purpose until your goal is realised.  Make a definite choice and then commit to following it.
• Use your creative abilities.  Winners look for innovative new ways to improve their results.  We are all born with the ability to be creative and innovative.  Look for ways to do things better.  Cultivate your creativity, exercise it, and trust it.
• Never give up.  Winners show determination and persistence.  When you choose a goal, your commitment to achieving it must be firm.  Winners don’t always win but they always have a winning attitude.  Pursue your goals with determination and persistence until you succeed.

Successful people give thoughtful attention to the attitudes they choose.  They know that their attitudes determine their behaviour, and that their behaviour determines their results.  Adopt winning attitudes and make success happen for you in 2012.

 By Grant Sexton, Executive Chairman, Leadership Management Australasia

Quote:

“The children now love luxury
They have bad manners, contempt for authority
They show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise
Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households
They no longer rise when elders enter the room
They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

This quote is regularly credited to Plato by Socrates and was reportedly written circa 400 BC (it has, however, also been linked to more recent authors in the 1950s).

Regardless of the author, the familiarity in the quote reinforces a good point – kids have always been kids and they will continue to be kids through generations to come – they are intensely focused around their own needs and interests, and appear to care very little those of their parents. Some would say that the youth in our organisations share the same needs, interests and contempt for their bosses.

However, rather than bemoaning their modus operandi, we should be celebrating their unique ability to get under the skin, challenge the seemingly unchallengeable and drive towards solutions that perhaps only they can see, but which ultimately enable progress to be made.

Baby Boomers have their own ‘youth’ to contend with in the form of Gen-Y. Today’s Gen-Y will have their own youth to deal with in future. But one thing is for certain – the benefits to be gained by engaging and empowering the youth of today in meaningful work and a workplace that attracts rather than repels them far outweigh any downsides that their so called ‘differences’ might bring.

In reflecting on the earlier quote, one is reminded that youth can overcome stagnation and drive creativity and innovation to create a better world for us all.

The moral of the story – make the most of the youth that surrounds you – they just might hold the keys to your success!