Power of Finishing Strong

As I have stated in my “About Me” page I am a senior graduating in May of this year.  As that date is quickly approaching it gave me a reason to stop and reflect on my past four years and what I have learned from all of it.   If there is one thing I have learned in the past four years, it is the power of finishing strong.  I have found that it can be easy or even relieving to coast to the finish line, but the problem with this is you can fall short without even knowing it.  In a track race, the runner does not stop and simply touch the tape; they finish as fast as possible and break the tape.  We should be doing the same thing in our lives, no matter what the goal is or how close we are to the finish line. 

With finals the only thing standing between me and a degree, I have found it necessary to still study to finish the semester out with the best grades that I can.  The reason for this is one finish line in life is simply the start of the next race or project.  Finishing strong helps propel you into the next stage and getting a jump on whatever comes next for you.  Finals are little more than a formality for me now, but I want to break the tape not just coast to the finish. 

Another important note about this is the fact that many times in life the last few days of a project are the most important.  When working to put on an event the last few hours before the event are the most hectic.  That is why you must finish strong, mailing it in right at the finish line does not bode well for the success of the project you are working on.  In a business setting, the last few days usually is when the little details are being finalized and ironed out and as we stated in the power of paying attention, the little details usually make all of the difference in a project.

So the next time you are about to finish a semester or a project, remember to break the tape by remembering the power of finishing strong.

Power of the Pause

Today we will pick back up the power series of posts.  If you are new to the blog or the power series, I would encourage you to take a trip into the archive to start at the beginning.  Even though most posts could stand-alone, I still encourage you to read some of the other posts in this series of posts.

Now is an exciting time for Millenials.  Every single day more and more Millenials are ascending to the ranks of management and most will face a very similar challenge.   The challenge is Millenials like to do things fast and that is not always a manager or leaders best friend.  With social media and an always-connected lifestyle, every decision is made fast, and for a manager that can mean deciding on the first solution that comes to mind.  For programmed decisions or decisions that have been made in the past or have a set path to follow, fast is fine and actually beneficial.  Many programmed decisions are delegated to subordinates and do not require a managers attention.  For that reason, many decisions that managers face are non-programmed decisions, which should require some thought before making a decision. 

The first thing to do when faced with a non-programmed decision is to take a pause and think about your options.  Many Millenials have a fear of looking silly or stupid when taking too long to answer a question.  I can say from experience that it can be uncomfortable to not have an immediate answer for a subordinate, but it is more uncomfortable to give a coworker a less than ideal answer because that decision could have long-term repercussions more than being uncomfortable for a few seconds by pausing.  It is better to take a moment and be uncomfortable then to make a poor decision.  Another thing about taking a pause is it gets easier the more you do it.  By pausing every time you make a decision, it becomes easier to make ideal decisions.  Taking a pause is an idea that is derived from Major League Baseball where umpires are instructed to pause before making every call on the bases.  This is so if they think about a call it looks the same as when they know what the call is.  This keeps the look the same whether the call was close or not.  The same can work for a manager when faced with a decision.

Take a second, take a breath and start making better decisions today with the power of the pause.

Recent Rewind

Recently, I have been a little busy and have been unable to regularly update my blog, so today I will simply give a rewind and update of some recent activity on the site.   

One of the best posts from this past month was a post revisiting one of my first posts, the Power of Encouragement.   This post, like many of my posts, includes a story from my personal life, and in this post, the story is from a different perspective than the first one.  I would encourage you to read both of these posts with the original post being linked here, and the revisited post being linked here. 

In total, I have written three posts that belong in my power series in the last month.  All three of these articles are fairly strong, but perhaps the best post was the Power of “Why”.  The Power of Paying Attention feeds off of this post as well, but the Power of “Why “sets the stage for the next part of my power series.  I would encourage you to follow this link here, and if you like, what you see, please consider reading the next two posts in the series.

While I have not been writing blog posts recently I did publish an e-book.  Compiling many of my posts and articles and synthesizing them into a set of coherent thoughts took some time, but the resulting text was very rewarding.  It is a quick read and I believe it contains some great information for a young leader just getting started in their leadership journey.  If you would like to get a copy of this book, please feel free to contact me via my contact page which is linked here. 

I have a few more posts in the works so stay tuned for more content in the next few days. 

Power of Positivity

The next entry in my series on power is the power of positivity, which can have a huge impact on your life overall not just in your work.  The power of positivity is easily controlled by an individual, in how they choose to display their emotions at work.  While it might take some serious emotional labor at first, like any change in life, it will become easier with time and practice.  Emotional labor is when the emotion you feel is not the emotion you display, because this takes mental ability to repress the felt emotion.  Being positive is important for a few reasons and it is definitely worth the emotional and mental labor.

The first reason positivity is important is because of the phenomenon known as emotional contagion, which is the spreading of one person's emotions to those around them.  If someone you work with is having a bad day, you can help them by being positive.  The same goes for customers, by being positive in your interaction with them you can give them a positive view of the company you work for.  The bottom line is no one wants to deal with someone who is always in a bad mood, so by being positive you can spread that to those around you and improve your team morale.

Emotional contagion aside being a positive person increases your personal power and influence.  This is because earlier we said no one wants to work with a negative person, but the opposite is also true, in that people want to work with a positive person.  This works to increase your influence, which is a key part of leadership.  By being positive in stressful situations you can help to create a sense of calm, which makes difficult situations easier to navigate.  Being positive will not be easy as there are a lot of stressful and negative things that happen to us on a daily basis, but being positive will definitely be worth it, especially when you find yourself as the leader of the team.


To support my endeavor and get some great products you can visit my CafePress shop here where I have products from thermoses to mugs to office supplies

Power of Paying Attention

The Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden once said, "It's the little details that are vital, little things make big things happen."  This is especially true for leaders and anyone in any organization looking to make the jump into leadership.  People reveal the most important facts in the smallest of details and the better you become at understanding and using these details the better you will be as a leader.

The power discussed here is personal power, and if you are new to the discussion on power please browse through the archives and perhaps the best place to start is here, where I explain the various powers at play in an organization.  Paying attention to the details of a conversation gives you insight into the person you are conversing with.  These details can help you evolve a working relationship with that person and connect on a more meaningful level, which is an important step for any leader.  By getting to know the people you work with and how they do things and what things they are especially good at you can benefit the whole team by leveraging each individual's best qualities. Developing meaningful relationships is an important step in gaining personal power and it comes from paying attention and listening intently.

Another way that paying attention adds to your personal power is in sales, whether it be retail, fast food, or any other kind of selling.  Knowing what your customer truly wants is easy to garner through simply paying attention to them during interactions.  From having their order ready to knowing how to greet them makes the customer feel special and adds to customer loyalty.  This also adds to your personal power by being able to connect with customers, which is something anyone around can see.  By paying attention, you can increase your power while really connecting with the people you are around the most.  Do not just go through life, be an active participant and as Coach Wooden might say pay attention to the little things in life.

Power of "Why"

As I was on break at work the other day, I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when a quote from John Maxwell caught my eye.  The quote goes like this, "The person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss."  This got me thinking about how this has worked in my life and in my experience.  The more I thought about it the more the message made sense and I want to share that with you here now.

The truth about this quote is that rarely will a manger freely tell someone why something is being done.  This keeps the power with the manager, both manager and subordinate know how, but the manager holds the power in the why.  There are a few ways to figure out the why, with the first being wait long enough at the job and listen and eventually you might hear or figure out the why.  That option might not be enticing to most people, so here is a better plan, simply ask, "Why."  Questions like, "Why do we do this in this particular way" or "Why do we do that and not this," do many different things for you both as a subordinate looking to advance and even as a manager.

The first things asking why will do for you is show you care about what you are doing.  If you only take orders and produce, like the quote states, you will always have a job, but if you want to be more than a worker, asking questions to find out the why is a good place to start.  Another thing figuring out the why can do is allow you to think of better or more efficient ways to do something.   This is always important for people looking to climb the ladder, because people who bring key ideas to the table are the most valuable.  One more thing the why does for you is it begins to shift some of the power to you by means of increasing your personal power.

Another truth, more in general is that millennials more than any other generation want to know the why.  Many people in previous generations were fine with doing what they were told, but in an increasing phenomenon millennials want to know why they are doing things.  This is something I learned from coaches I have worked and talked with who have coached for many years.  Increasingly as a coach, you must be prepared to tell them why they are doing something to get the intended results.

The next time you find yourself in one of these situations, no matter which side of the conversation you are on, remember the power of "Why"

Millennial Leadership

Recently I stumbled upon a blog post that relates closely to what I like to talk about here on my blog.  This blog post was discussing millennials in leadership positions, and while a millennial can be a person of varying age from 30 to 15, we choose to focus mostly on the 25 and under leaders.  Many Millennials are moving into management positions for the first time and this trend will only continue as more workers from previous generations retire. 

This article takes a hard look at some of the questions facing the current leaders of today’s companies.  This post is unique in that it examines this idea from the side of a business looking at a millennial manager, where as I write from the view of a millennial manager.  Looking at the same things from both sides of the issue makes for a more well rounded view of the topic. 

One interesting point that the author makes is a point about salary.  From the viewpoint of the business he states that millennial leaders know what they are worth better than any other generation and will be adamant about getting that for their services.  This is an interesting point because from the point of view of a millennial, I can relate to this idea, and it makes perfect sense.  I had found a way to communicate effectively with every coworker I worked with before I became a manager and this led to me being able to communicate with each person in a unique way.  This is adaptive communication that the author talks about.

One of the most interesting things is how in-tune most, millennials are with the communication process and using soft skills mixed with emotional intelligence.  This will serve this generation well as workers, but will be of extreme importance when these millennials make the jump to being manager.  You can find this great post here, and follow the writers on twitter for updates when they add exciting new leadership content to their blog.

Power of Encouragement Revisited

Recently I wrote about the power of encouragement including a story from my point of view.  That was a very good post so I have provided a link back to it here.  If you have not read it, please take a quick moment to do so.  Today I will expand on this idea while adding in a new story about a recent hire at the store where I am a manager. 

Recently our store hired a new employee who would be working as a part of my team.  While I was not involved in the interview process I was consulted in the decision making process.  This new hire was my first trainee as a manager, which is a task I thoroughly looked forward to.  Throughout the training process, one thing stuck in the back of my head and it was the recent situation I told you about in my previous post.  With this in mind, I was constantly encouraging my new team member through both mistakes and breakthroughs.  This investment quickly paid off, as my team member quickly became one of the highest performers in terms of basic task performance or daily responsibilities, which represented the bulk of the training.  With more training and more experience on the job, I truly believe a recent hire can turn into a top performer on a team full of top performers. 

One you might be pondering is how much does this encouragement really do for the performance of the team.  Well every person has a point where if their efforts are not noticed they stop working as hard.  By simply noticing employees doing a job well you can work to avoid this loss of production.  Whether you are a manager or not take a moment to recognize the hard work of someone you work with tomorrow and just see what comes from that.  Do that every day and the culture of your workplace may change because of you.  

Superstore

A recent TV show that I saw relates nicely to what I talk about on here.  That show was Superstore, which airs on NBC on Mondays at 7p.m. central time.  In the same vein as The Office and Parks and Rec, this show is often over-the-top, but also shows some of what takes place in a retail setting.  Headlined by America Ferrera and Ben Feldman, Superstore focuses on what it is like to work in a big box store like a Wal-Mart. 

Leadership comes into the picture when the two managers are examined, because they show two different styles of leadership.  Glenn, played by Mark McKinney, is the store manager or general manager.  Glenn is a laisez-faire manager who is very passive and lets things happen.  For people who have seen the office, Glenn would be comparable to Michael Scott in his management style. 

America Ferrera is another manager, more of a shift manager, who leads by example focusing on working hard to set a good example for her subordinates.  She likes to have fun, which leads to people following her lead, because she does not take her job too seriously.  With a good mix of communication and hard work, Amy is a very effective leader. 

Most TV shows are not designed to be informative and educational, but in between the comedic and entertainment values, some insight can be gained into leadership practices.  Superstore is a comedy following a similar pattern to those of NBC shows before them and anyone who liked the previous shows is likely to enjoy this show.  Superstore is definitely not truly representative of a day in the life of a retail worker, but anyone who has worked in the field can relate to many of the events portrayed. 

Overall, I would rate this show a 4 out of 5 stars.  It score high in comedic value and exaggeration of a typical retail job.  Stronger leadership display from the main characters would strengthen the score, but while not perfect, this show is definitely worth a half hour of your time a week.  More information can be found on the shows IMDB page.

Throwback Friday

Today will be a throwback Friday, because with young people that is a popular thing to do.  Since this blog is not very old we will simply be throwing it back a month, but that is when the blog was born.  

If you are new to the blog please take a moment to read my About Me post, which you can find here.  You will learn a little about my background and why I am so passionate about helping young people like myself become more than managers.  More about my reason for this site can be found on the Purpose page, which is linked here. 

Power was a key topic early on and is something that I will revisit shortly, so it seems appropriate to dredge up these posts from the early days of my site.  The first post titled the Power of Encouragement is a good read about an experience I had with my boss who overall has mastered the power of encouragement, and can be found here.  Take a minute and read this short post, because of all the leadership advice I can give, this piece may be the easiest to implement and pay the biggest return on your investment. 

The second post on power and one that I promised to revisit and expand on is the “Power” of Hard Work and can be found here.  Again, this post is a simple to read post with a personal story and powerful message.  This centers on the five powers that are present in a workplace especially from a manager’s standpoint.  In the very near future, I will be putting up a lengthy post about expanding upon this background, thus making this post prerequisite reading for some of my next posts.  

Top Five Leadership Books

Today I will share with you the top five books that have had an effect on my leadership and coaching style.  This is not an exhaustive list and only includes books that I have read, but I believe that these ten books are a good start for anyone looking to become a better leader.

1)    The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

The book on the top of my list is The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following my blog.  I will not expand on my thoughts here, but I have a recommendation for this book here.

2)    What It Takes to Be Number 1 by Vince Lombardi and Vince Lombardi Jr.

This book is the easiest book on my list to read at only 120 small pages.  While small, this book packs quite the punch because it is loaded with quotes and anecdotes from one of the greatest coaches of all time.  For a person with little time to invest this is the best book in my list.

3)    Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell

Another John Maxwell book, mostly because no other individual author has had the effect on my leadership that Mr. Maxwell has.  This book laid the groundwork and foundation for my leadership that The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  Also in this book is the Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership, which is closely related to the five powers in a workplace, and that is a topic I have covered some and will cover more in the near future.

4)    How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This book is regarded by many as the first book on leadership and is still very effective for leaders today.  Mr. Carnegie certainly knew how to run a business and lead thousands of people to make a company successful.  It is easy to read with four sections to break up the material, and overall is still a timeless classic in the realm of leadership books.

          5)    The Bible

I will not promote any religion here and talk about Jesus and his leadership ability, but the focus here is on the book of Proverbs.  Mostly attributed to King Solomon this book contains great teaching on leadership as well as other important topics for a leader.  With 31 chapters, it is easy to read one chapter a day each month for a constant reminder on leadership and other topics relevant for the individual.  

An expanded list can be found at this link, also on the linked page are links to other pages where these resources can be purchased

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Recommendation

I have been on a theme of examining the writings of John Maxwell over the last few days and figure I might as well continue that train of thought today.  My father is the man who has influenced my leadership the most, and he has spent years reading the materials that Mr. Maxwell puts out in print and online.  When I first started coaching back in 2011 he loaned me a book from his personal library.  That book was The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell.  This book had a profound effect on my coaching style and in turn my management and leadership styles now.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  As a teenager I was coaching kids in 5th and 6th grade. I knew I had to find a way to be their leader, and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership gave me all the tools I needed to do just that.  With chapters of 12 pages or less and an overall length of 224 pages, this book is an easy read for anyone.  The short chapters and Mr. Maxwell’s writing style make it easy to understand and comprehend the lesson in each chapter.  He does not use an unnecessarily advanced vocabulary to prove his intelligence or talk down to the reader.  He writes in a way that makes it easy for anyone to connect to the material and feel energized that the results outlined are attainable for them.  Each chapter in this book includes a story from the real world that many people would be familiar with, and these stories and other anecdotes allow most of this book to read like a storybook while including a vast amount of information on leadership.

Whether you are a manager looking to become a leader or a coach looking to become a better leader this book is right for you.  Read it one chapter per day or read it all in one sitting, the choice is yours, but do make time to read this book, and the sooner the better.  This text can accelerate your growth from a manager to a coach and leader at any level in any organization.

If you are interested in this book I have included a link to The John Maxwell Company's store here.

John Maxwell Blog Analysis

The John Maxwell Company's blog is different from most blogs in the leadership field in the fact that his blog content is integrated into his company's website.  This and his weekly updates, with easy to implement leadership tips makes his blog tops in this niche.

One of the things to examine is how relevant the content is to my niche area of young leaders, and Mr. Maxwell encourages people of all ages to practice leadership now, no matter the age.  A great article he posted about leadership styles, which contains a great sports analogy, is something I recently examined.  My post can be found here and includes a link to Mr. Maxwell's original article.  His experience and knowledge gained over 40 plus years gives him a wealth of information to pull from.

In terms of monetization, the integration with his website makes this easy.  His shop is a simple click away where his books can be easily purchased.  No outside content is advertised or linked to as his own shop is a near one-stop shop for leadership materials.

The blog has many loyal followers who comment regularly on Mr. Maxwell’s content.  The blog posts that get the most comments are his posts on leadership and how to improve on this skill.  Most people are looking to increase their ability in this field and they are willing to share their opinion in this space. 

By being a part of his site, the blog enjoys a high volume of traffic, and sits near the top of search results or just below the fold.  The mix of site and blog coupled with the name recognition leads to high traffic and positions his blog well in terms of search engine optimization.  

John Maxwell Leadership Blog Post

John C Maxwell is one of the most well respected leadership writers and speakers of the modern generation.  With easy to understand anecdotes and a writing style that makes for a quick read, his books on leadership and being a more influential person have become bestsellers.  His blog takes this same style and substance and boils it down to an easy to digest sample of what many of his books expand on.  His recent post about four styles of leadership is a great piece about how a coach and leader in the workplace can lead more effectively.  Please take the time to read his post by following this link. 

It is great that his third point is titled bench stacking, because as a coach and leader this sports analogy is easy to understand.  While the analogy is good, the post could use another point of leadership style.  This point might be a prerequisite for the other four, but it is not necessarily a given in every team situation.  This idea is that first, the leader must form the team and get the buy in of the other team members.  As Maxwell explains good clear communication can aid in this formation, but so does taking time to get to know every team member at a more personal level.  Knowing your team members is important for the leader, as this leads to individualized attention in motivation and rewards.  This added benefit of a close team is easily seen in sports, where a coach with a well-bonded team usually says so after the team has won a championship.  The same can happen for you and your team, whatever your championship or ultimate goal might be. 

Give Mr. Maxwell’s blog a read as he posts new content around once a week.  For any leader or coach it is appointment reading.  Also, keep checking back with us for more great posts about coaching and leadership to help you move to the next level.

"Power" of Hard Work

Awhile back at the store where I am now a manager, I picked up a day shift for a coworker who needed the day off.  I was already scheduled to work that night so I worked a split shift that day.  We had an order coming in that day.  The main task was to get this order taken care of, and in my mind the only way to do that was to go as hard as I could it get it done as quickly as possible.  That day we got the order taken care of in an hour less time than normal, and because of that I was sent home an hour before my shift was scheduled to end.  Working hard cost me an hours’ pay that day but it paid me back in dividends many times over shortly thereafter.  It was not long after this that I was promoted to a manager position.   This goes to show that hard work eventually is noticed and if not by the organization you currently work for then the next organization you work for. 

Hard work does not end at this point though, and this is a mistake that many managers make, especially young ones.  By going from being a hard working contributor to a little contributing manager, the new boss loses almost all of his or her power.  A new manager must leverage their personal power more than their legitimate or positional power to truly be effective.  This requires hard work on the part of the manager to both use and increase their personal power.  This is especially true for a young manager, as some employees will have more seniority than you and some will have more expert power than you, but there is no reason for anyone to work harder than you as a manager. 

Stay tuned, I will have more about the power in the workplace and how a coach or leader can use these and which powers are best to use.

Power of Encouragement

Yesterday at work, I encountered a situation that is a perfect topic to discuss here.  I was working a split shift and between my shifts, my boss called me into his office for a quick chat.  He proceeded to inform me that he thought I was doing a great job in my current manager role and to keep up the great work.  While this is simple enough I left his office feeling motivated and grateful to be working for such a great company.  I did not come out of his office with a raise or any bonus, but I came out of his office with even more fire and energy to do the best I can in my position.  Knowing your effort does not go unnoticed goes a long way in motivating employees.

Many articles and blogs have been written about the best ways to motivate employees and many coaches do the same things with their players.  The best part about using encouraging words and noticing the amazing work your employees are doing is that it costs the organization nothing.  Coaches get the most out of their athletes by letting them know they care about them and that they see what good is being done and correct the negative.  This is an important lesson for any manager, but especially a young manager.  A great quote that was given to me when I first began coaching was this one, from President Theodore Roosevelt, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”   While I applied that to my coaching duties, it might be even more applicable when working with adults, especially those older than you as a young manager.  

The key takeaway today is that whether you are a young or experienced manager or even if you are not yet a manager, find something encouraging to say to a coworker.  Let them know that you notice their hard work or how well they handled that difficult customer.  Just knowing their hard work does not go unnoticed is one of the most motivating things for an employee.

About Me

Hi everyone, my name is Kevin Foley and I will be writing this page under the screen name Coach/Manager.  I am a senior, graduating in the spring of 2016, at a state university majoring in business administration.  Preparing for a job in the business world has taught me how important being more than a manager is to the success of an organization.  Growing up my teachers and classmates always called me a leader, but what exactly does that mean.  I was not usually first in line for things, why were they calling me a leader, but as I grew older, it made more sense what they were talking about.  Being a leader is partly innate, but also takes practice and learning just like any other skill, talent, or ability.  Harnessing the leadership potential and learning from my experiences have led me to be a manager of a team of employees at a young age.  I spent time learning leadership techniques and ideas to differentiate myself from other job seekers.  This, along with the curriculum for my degree, encompasses my educational background.

          Leadership is just part of the title of my page, another part is coaching.  My father is a high school coach and has been for over 20 years so I grew up around the profession.  I started coaching when I was a junior in high school working with 5^th and 6^th graders as a basketball coach.  Over the last six years, I have coached athletes from 5^th to 12^th grade in football, basketball, and baseball, coaching at least one season of each sport for the last 3 years.  The more I studied leadership and the more I involved myself with coaching the more evident it became that the two were very closely related.  In most environments, a good coach is a good leader and a good leader is a good coach.  My quest became to get better at both as it seemed the two would be synergistic and not just summative. 

          I became a manager at a grocery store recently mostly based on hard work, which is how most people get promoted.  I wanted to be more than just a manager though; I wanted to be a coach and a leader for my team.  This dynamic is an interesting one, as half of my coworkers are older than me while the other half is obviously younger.  Managing people across different age groups can be hard enough, but I wanted to be their leader. 

          This is my background in education and experience, a little more to this discussion can be found on the About Page.  If you wish to get in touch with me you can visit the Contact Page