Magnetic Leadership
Info Exchange – Turn the Ship Around
April 10, 2013 | Author dmdurkin
Welcome to the Loyalty Factor Information Exchange, a bi-weekly service providing summaries of major publications and books on various management and customer relationship topics.
Loyalty Factor has been instrumental in helping companies:
- Increase Customer Satisfaction by 20 – 33%
- Increase Revenues by 50% in 18 months
- Increase Manufacturing Production by 200% in 18 months
- Simplifying mergers and acquisitions
Our information exchange this week highlights the book, “Turn the Ship Around “ by L. David Marquet.
How to Create Leadership at Every Level
How would you like to work in a place where everyone around you is totally engaged and contributing their full intellectual capacity; a place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work; a place where everyone is a leader?
A nuclear-powered submarine would seem an unlikely place for a new model of leadership to be forged, especially aboard the USS Santa Fe – dogged by poor morale, poor performance and the worst retention in the fleet. That is, until David Marquet took command.
Turn the Ship Around! Is the story of how Marquet took the ship from worst to first by challenging the U.S. Navy’s traditional leader-follower approach and implementing his own framework of leader-leader.
The results: each member of Marquet’s crew became a leader and assumed responsibility for everything he did, from clerical tasks to crucial combat decisions. It became an empowered organization.
How did Marquet do this?
- Rather than telling everyone what they needed to do, he would ask open-ended questions about how they thought the problem should be approached. This strategy of giving decision-making control to the people works very well provided the people have the technical competence. Marquet learned early on he had to ensure the technical competence existed and if it did not, training was a necessity. As authority is delegated, technical knowledge takes on greater importance.
- Applying a questioning strategy is very impactful provided the leader does so in a curious fashion, asking questions to learn, as opposed to asking questions where people feel they are being interrogated for their knowledge. Marquet used the curious approach.
- He provided the organization with goals and objectives and allowed them to figure out the prescribed approach. This allowed for many ingenious ideas to solve issues and meet the goals. With clear and complete understanding of what the organization is about, then individuals were able to make decisions against a set of criteria that included what the organization was trying to accomplish.
- When people executed successfully, Marquet used immediate recognition to reinforce the desired behavior.
With this leader-leader structure, everyone wins – top performance, ensuring excellence and the development of future leaders.
If it can work on board a nuclear submarine, it can work for you.
For guidance on how to adopt the leader-leader approach in your organization, contact Dianne Durkin of Loyalty Factor at 603.334.3401 and visit www.loyaltyfactor.com.
Posted in Employee Loyalty, Employee Retention, Engagement, Leadership Development, Magnetic Leadership, ~ Loyalty Factor Information Exchange ~ | 
Tags: empowerment, Recognition | 
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Employee Enrichment: The Balanced Wheel of Success
February 20, 2013 | Author dmdurkin
Think about how you handle employee development. Nothing is more engaging than a person striving to achieve a future goal and knowing they have the confidence and support of management.
From mentoring and managing expectations to conducting performance reviews or reaching team objectives, coaching can take many forms. Regardless of the form it takes, the objective is the same — to positively motivate and enrich employees.
Employee enrichment looks at the complete life of employees — not just their work lives.
- It takes a holistic approach that goes beyond work-life balance.
- It is what I call the Balanced Wheel of Success.
Even for the most successful people, life can sometimes feel overwhelming. Loyalty Factor’s Balanced Wheel of Success helps them take a deep breath and look at their lives from every perspective.
The wheel centers around Vision and Values. The personal vision and values encourages employees to think about where they are going and what their own guiding principles are.
Just by having this discussion, employees know you care, and with that caring comes loyalty, creativity, innovation, responsibility, accountability and trust – all elements of engagement, empowerment and enrichment.
When people are happy, feel cared for and have a clear sense of their own vision, purpose and values, it is much easier for them to identify with and support the vision and similar values of the organization.
Good leaders provide corporate guidance and individual guidance.
In doing so, they engage people in the corporations success,
and in their own success.
It’s a Win-Win situation!
Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses. Dianne’s proven expertise lies in helping companies quickly get to the core issues and outlining their impact on the organization’s profits, productivity and people. www.loyaltyfactor.com
Posted in Employee Loyalty, Employee Retention, Engagement, Magnetic Leadership | Tags: Values, vision, Work Life Balance | Comments Closed
Info Exchange – Magnetic Leaders: Take these 10 Critical Steps
February 13, 2013 | Author dmdurkin
Welcome to the Loyalty Factor Information Exchange, a bi-weekly service providing summaries of major publications and books on various management and customer relationship topics.
Loyalty Factor has been instrumental in helping companies:
- Increase Customer Satisfaction by 20 – 33%
- Increase Revenues by 50% in 18 months
- Increase Manufacturing Production by 200% in 18 months
- Simplifying mergers and acquisitions
Our information exchange this week highlights the recent article in Leadership Excellence, “Magnetic Leaders: Take these 10 Critical Steps” by Dianne Durkin.
Durkin’s ‘Ten Critical Steps To Achieving Magnetic Leadership’ featured in February’s issue of Leadership Excellence alongside authors such as Deepak Chopra and Richard Branson.
Magnetic Leaders
What do the Leaders of top companies do to create and nurture an inviting workplace that is filled with fully engaged and enthusiastic employees?
Below are 10 actions to help achieve this goal:
1. Develop your vision. Make sure you have a vision with the purpose and values to make it real. State where you are going clearly.
2. Identify your leader type. Knowing who you and what type of leader you are helps you and others identify where, when and how to best behave and act to focus their time and energy to achieve the goals and objectives you set out for them.
3. Track your leadership development progress. Keep a leadership log to document what you do and what happens. Review what happens regularly. Reflect on what you are learning and how you are changing.
4. Recruit and retain the right people. Identify what makes individuals successful in your culture, and recruit for those skills.
5. Engage, empower and enrich your employees. Invite them to become part of your vision. Empower them to be a force of change. Give them a role and the responsibility for implementing solutions to major business issues.
6. Create a work environment that fosters creativity and innovation. Go beyond simply improving the physical environment. Focus on how people feel. Evaluate the energy when you walk the floors. Make changes to ensure that the work environment fuels your objectives and helps to achieve your goals.
7. Appreciate and reward your employees. Develop and deploy a schedule that regularly and meaningfully rewards employees to create a culture of appreciation.
8. Focus on things that inspire your people. Develop and improve the key programs that your people need to stay engaged and loyal. (Training, wellness, etc.)
9. Improve the most important things first. Identify your major short comings head-on. Identify what boosts your progress and what holds you back.
10. Visualize the future. Define the characteristics of the leader you want to be and what the future looks like for you. Describe how you’ll balance your personal and work life and how you’ll build loyalty and trust.
Great leaders lead magnetically by fully engaging and empowering people, transforming them into innovative thinkers and major contributors. Appreciating effort and rewarding results generate loyalty and impact profitability.
For strategies on how to become a magnetic leader and help your organization reach great success, contact Loyalty Factor at 603.334.3401. Loyalty Factor has helped numerous organizations grow beyond expectations by embracing the above disciplines.
Posted in Employee Loyalty, Employee Retention, Leadership Development, Magnetic Leadership, ~ Loyalty Factor Information Exchange ~ | Tags: Branson, Deepak Chopra, Leadership Excellence | Comments Closed
Is Engagement Enough?
February 6, 2013 | Author dmdurkin
In the last blog we discussed the benefits of engagement, and how to involve people in the organization.
Additional research shows engagement alone is not the answer.
Engagement needs to be combined with enablement. So let’s define enablement.
Enablement is ensuring employees are aligned with their positions – their roles and responsibilities are clear, concise, well articulated and understood.
In addition, enablement means employees need a supportive environment to accomplish their roles and responsibilities. This includes:
- Essential resources to do their job
- Appropriate guidance and direction
- Management that recognizes effort and rewards with results, including positive reinforcement of “Good Job,” and “Thank You”
- Reduced red tape
Below are some results from the Journal of Compensation and Benefits.
With engagement alone, turnover is 40% lower.
With engagement and enablement,
turnover is 54% lower.
With engagement an employee is 10% more likely to outperform performance expectations.
With engagement and enablement
they are 50% more likely to outperform performance expectations.
A statement to remember:
Talent is the engine of the modern organization, and engagement and enablement are the mystery ingredients that can transform the engine’s output.
Take the first step towards engaging your workforce by calling Loyalty Factor at 603-334-3401 to schedule a consult on proven methodologies today!
Posted in Employee Loyalty, Employee Retention, Engagement, Magnetic Leadership | Tags: enablement | Comments Closed
Info Exchange – Dreamforce Conference Durkin’s Strategies for Hiring SUPER Agents
October 31, 2012 | Author dmdurkin
Welcome to the Loyalty Factor Information Exchange, a bi-weekly service providing summaries of major publications and books on various management and customer relationship topics.
Loyalty Factor has been instrumental in helping companies:
- Increase Customer Satisfaction by 20 – 33%
- Increase Revenues by 50% in 18 months
- Increase Manufacturing Production by 200% in 18 months
- Simplifying mergers and acquisitions
Our information exchange this week highlights the presentation by Loyalty Factor President, Dianne Durkin at the recent Dreamforce Conference.
Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Today’s Super Agents
Dianne Durkin, President and Founder of Loyalty Factor, was recently a speaker at Dreamforce. She joined an elite group of individuals including Sir Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Colin Powell and Richard Immelt. The title of Ms Durkin’s presentation was “Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Today’s Superagents“. Ms Durkin highlighted the key to hiring excellent people is magnetic leadership, which is also the title of her newest book.
In Magnetic Leadership she says “It’s time to get R.E.A.L.” The R stands for recruiting the right people in the right place at the right time and to retain them. E is engage, empower and enrich employees in the right environment for increased earnings. A is appreciate and acknowledge people’s efforts with genuine and appropriate recognition and rewards. L is leadership that leads with trust, respect, and builds loyalty.
As Ms Durkin stated, “magnetic leaders energize the inner powers of their organization despite the outer pressures.”
The presentation itself focused on hiring people that have energy, passion and belief and encouraging them to bring their brains to work. As Ms Durkin stated, when you ask individuals what makes people successful in their organization, one would get the following responses:
- Flexibility
- Passion
- Enthusiasm
- Independent Learner
- Multitasker
- Out-of-the-box thinking
To uncover these talents within an individual requires a questioning strategy which will help understand the candidate’s needs, fears, and how they operate under pressure. A questioning strategy also establishes rapport and can help identify the other person’s beliefs and values.
Ms. Durkin outlined the questioning strategy that will get at these core issues. To learn more, contact Dianne Durkin at www.loyaltyfactor.com or 603.334.3401.
In summary, Ms. Durkin stated recruiting the right talent is the engine of the modern organization. Once you have that right talent, engagement is the mystery ingredient that will transform that engine’s performance and profitability.
Posted in Employee Loyalty, Employee Retention, Magnetic Leadership | Tags: dreamforce, Questioning Strategy, Rapport | Comments Closed
Magnetic Leadership: Its Time to Get R.E.A.L.
August 8, 2012 | Author dmdurkin
In today’s fast moving global economy, change is inevitable.
In fact, leaders need to be continually seeking improvements in processes and procedures to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be focusing on the power of magnetic leadership and how you can energize your organization today by taking steps to arm your employees with the knowledge and stamina to regularly carry out the organization’s goals, and how to create an environment that nurtures and supports results.
I like to use the R.E.A.L. acronym as a guide.
“R“
is for recruiting the right people at the right time
in the right place and retaining them.
“E“
stands for engagement, empowerment and enrichment
“A“
means appreciating employees
“L“
stands for leadership and building loyalty.
There are many myths about leadership that often prevent people from developing their leadership skills. They think if they were not born a leader with some magic leadership dust in their DNA, they cannot become one in the future.
While some people may be more natural leaders than others, some of the best leaders I have worked with are men and women who went beyond cultivating their own leadership skills and instead created a culture of leadership in their organizations. The reality is that leadership does not belong to just one person. Leadership inspires others and becomes a contagious force throughout an organization.
I’m excited to share how a leader can be a magnet for attracting and retaining top talent while maximizing their skills and efforts to build profitability and productivity.
Let’s Get R.E.A.L.
Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses. Dianne’s proven expertise lies in helping companies quickly get to the core issues and outlining their impact on the organization’s profits, productivity and people. www.loyaltyfactor.com
Posted in Employee Loyalty, Employee Retention, Leadership Development, Magnetic Leadership | Tags: Appreciation, leadership, Loyalty | Comments Closed
Info Exchange – Learning Charisma
July 18, 2012 | Author dmdurkin
Welcome to the Loyalty Factor Information Exchange, a bi-weekly service providing summaries of major publications and books on various management and customer relationship topics.
Loyalty Factor has been instrumental in helping companies:
- Increase Customer Satisfaction by 20 – 33%
- Increase Revenues by 50% in 18 months
- Increase Manufacturing Production by 200% in 18 months
- Simplifying mergers and acquisitions
Our information exchange this week highlights the June 2012 Harvard Business Review article, “Learning Charisma“ by John Antonakis, Marika Fenley, and Sue Liechti.
Learning Charimsa
Charisma is rooted in values and feelings. According to Aristotle charisma is born in what he called “pathos.” What is meant by this is to persuade others, you must use powerful and reasoned rhetoric, establish personal and moral credibility, and then rouse followers’ emotions and passions.
Several large-scale studies have shown that charisma can be an invaluable asset in any work context. The most effective leaders lay charismatic leadership on top of transactional and instrumental leadership to achieve their goals.
Below are a few charismatic leadership tactics that have helped leaders improve their leadership ratings by about 60%:
1. Connect, Compare and Contrast
Charismatic speakers help listeners understand, relate to, and remember a message. A powerful way to do this is by using metaphors, similes, and analogies.
2. Engage and Distill
Rhetorical questions as used by charismatic leaders to encourage engagement.
3. Three-part lists
Three-part lists are another old trick of effective persuasion because they distill any message into key takeaways. Why three? Because most people can remember three things; three is sufficient to provide proof of a pattern, and three gives an impression of completeness.
4. Setting high goals
Goals demonstrate passion and inspire it in your followers.
5. Convey confidence that the goals can be achieved
Passion cannot emerge unless the leader truly believes the vision and strategic goal can be reached.
The goal isn’t to employ all the tactics in every conversation but to use a balanced combination. If you think you can’t improve because you’re not naturally charismatic, you’re wrong. Charismatic leadership tactics can make you more charismatic in the eyes of your followers, and that will invariably make you a more effective leader.
To learn more about the steps you can take to become a more effective leader, call Loyalty Factor at 603-334-3401.
Posted in Magnetic Leadership, ~ Loyalty Factor Information Exchange ~ | Tags: Charisma, leadership, vision | Comments Closed
Info Exchange – Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life
June 20, 2012 | Author dmdurkin
Welcome to the Loyalty Factor Information Exchange, a bi-weekly service providing summaries of major publications and books on various management and customer relationship topics.
Loyalty Factor has been instrumental in helping companies:
- Increase Customer Satisfaction by 20 – 33%
- Increase Revenues by 50% in 18 months
- Increase Manufacturing Production by 200% in 18 months
- Simplifying mergers and acquisitions
Our information exchange this week highlights the book, “Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life” by Margaret Moore.
Is your head spinning? You’re not alone. According to Margaret Moore – co-author of Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life – work, family, and worries about the world at large keep many of us in a state of constant disorder. Margaret Moore says, “Stop the chaos with these simple steps:”
- Tame the Frenzy: Think about what has enabled you to be productive, creative, energized, calm and organized in the past. Maybe it’s going for a run, building downtime into your day, talking to a friend – incorporate these back into your life.
- Sustain Attention: Imagine there’s a spotlight in the middle of your forehead, kind of like a third eye. That’s your attention, and you shine it on things. Strive to focus on one activity at a time, not only at work but in other areas of your life as well.
- Mold Information: Your brain has the ability to hold a bunch of thoughts in its short-term, or ‘working,’ memory. You can improve your ability to harness your working memory by exercising, getting a good night’s sleep, writing things down, and listening to divergent points of view. These things go hand in hand.
- Apply the Brakes: You need to be able to focus wholly and maintain that focus. But you also need to know when to stop. Doing so creates space for ideas to emerge. Make time for this to happen in your life.
- Shift Sets: Distractions aren’t inherently evil. The problem with them is that they tend to grab hold of you without you even knowing it. Rather than mindlessly following distractions, think about the pros and cons of changing your focus and make a decision to do it or not. If you switch gears, let go entirely of what you were doing and move your full attention to a different task.
- Connect the Dots: Set aside some time to think. Ask yourself, ‘What is the state of mind I need to create in order to move through this frenzy?’ It’s different for everyone. Picture what you need to be resilient, productive, and creative in turbulent times. You can apply this mindset of productivity and focus to anything. When you really use all of your brain it does beautiful things.
As you organize your life and focus on your organization, contact Loyalty Factor for a strategic assessment, feedback on how to drive employees to new levels of profitability, and coaching programs for others that may need guidance and direction!
Posted in Magnetic Leadership, ~ Loyalty Factor Information Exchange ~ | Tags: Organization, Values | Comments Closed
Authentic Leadership: Knowing Your Authentic Self
April 4, 2012 | Author dmdurkin
Continuing with our topic from our last blog about authentic leadership, we will explore more about the center item on the True North compass, how to know your Authentic Self.
The journey to Authentic Leadership consists of Self Awareness, Values and Principles, Motivation, Integrated Life – and now, knowing your Authentic Self.
Authentic Leadership is:
- Being aligned with who you are (being the real you)
- Finding coherence between your life story and your leadership
- Bringing people together around a shared purpose
- Empowering people to step up and create value
Knowing Yourself:
- Finds passion that motivates you
- Finds the purpose of your leadership
- Feel comfortable in your own skin
- Know your strengths and weaknesses and fill the skill gaps with colleagues that complement you
- See yourself as others see you
Protecting & Practicing Your Values & Principles:
- Understand the values and principles that guide your leadership
- Decide what is most important to your life
- Set clear limits as to what you will do under pressure
In summary, Authentic Leaders are grounded in who they are and what they stand for, and operate with honest, integrity and congruency.
Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses. Dianne’s proven expertise lies in helping companies quickly get to the core issues and outlining their impact on the organization’s profits, productivity and people. www.loyaltyfactor.com
Posted in Leadership Management, Magnetic Leadership | Tags: Communication, Engagement, Integrity, Values | Comments Closed
Authentic Leadership
March 21, 2012 | Author dmdurkin
According to Bill George who wrote the book True North, authentic leaders not only inspire those around them, they empower people to step up and lead. The authentic leader brings people together around a shared purpose and empowers them to step up and lead authentically in order to create value for all stakeholders.
The journey to Authentic Leadership is:
- Self Awareness
- Values and Principles
- Motivation
- Integrated Life
- Knowing your Authentic Self
Self Awareness: When you know yourself, you can find the passion that motivates you, and the purpose of your leadership. Leaders who know themselves well become comfortable in their own skin, act consistently in different situations and gain the trust of others.
Values and Principles: Being centered on your values is not easy, but it is essential to true leadership. When you have a clear understanding of your values and their relative importance, you can establish the principles by which you intend to lead.
Motivation: There are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations are measured by the outside world, and include winning athletic competitions or making money.
Intrinsic on the other hand stem from a personal sense of meaning of ones life. This can include personal growth, helping other people develop, and making a difference in this world. As individuals grow in their leadership capabilities, they tend to pursue roles that are in tune with helping others and making a difference.
Integrated Life: Authentic leaders are constantly aware of the importance of staying grounded: spending time with family, close friends, getting physical exercise, practicing spirituality, and doing community service.
In our next installment we’ll explore more of the center item – Knowing Your Authentic Self.
Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses. Dianne’s proven expertise lies in helping companies quickly get to the core issues and outlining their impact on the organization’s profits, productivity and people. www.loyaltyfactor.com
Posted in Leadership Development, Leadership Management, Leadership Secret Weapons, Magnetic Leadership | Tags: Authenticity, Magnecitc Leadership, Self Awareness, Trust | Comments Closed