Leadership | Mark Denham Blog

The Art of War… and Leadership

January 30, 2013 By Mark Leave a Comment

The Art of War has been regarded as THE book on strategy of the last century. The U.S. Marine Corps actually recommends the small book as part of its Professional ReadingProgram for the rank of Captain and above. This book is also a must read for any decision maker in the business world. Forbes recently published an article with some of the top leadership lessons to take away from the book, here are some of my favorites.

Lesson #1 Don’t Underestimate Your Importance As A Leader

commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness. (Chapter I, 9)

You should feel the weight of the responsibility that comes with leadership. Every leader is responsible for setting the highest standards of which anyone on your team can aspire to live/work by.

The principle on which to manage an army is to set up a standard of courage which all must reach. (XI, 32)

Lesson #2 Know The Difference Between Authority and Power

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. (I, 5-6)

The need for power suggests that you’ve already lost your authority. Your team should follow you without needing fear as a motivator. That doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t respect the authority you do have.

Lesson #3 Pause, Think, Act Decisively

Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been associated with long delays. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. (II)

The basic lesson is to not act without putting thought into your decision, but to not wait so long that you miss the opportunity. Your team is relying on you to make those decisions when they need to be made. Missed opportunities lead to a loss of faith in your ability to lead.

Lesson #4 Adapt

by attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier’s minds. (III, 14)

Don’t use the “Scratch it Till It Bleeds” technique. Adapt to your circumstances. This includes the environment, the people you’re working with and the final goal you hope to achieve. The methods to use to manage your sales team might not work for your marketing department.

Have you read The Art Of War? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Business Leaders, Leadership, Leadership and Trust, Leadership Lessons, The Art of War Tagged With: how to be a better leader, leadership, leadership lessons, Leadership tips, sun tzu, the art of war

Great Expectations… And Reality

July 17, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

Even though most of us don’t think about it, we have expectations for everything. We constantly make predictions, consciously and subconsciously, for the result of every decision and action we make. This fact weighs heavier on those of us in a leadership role. Many times we fight with developing the right level of expectations. If you’re expectations are too high you set yourself up for failure. If you set them too low you never reach your full potential. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when reflecting on your own expectations.

Are your expectations realistic?

As a leader you walk a fine line between your expectations and reality. This is what Colin Powell refers to as the “ground truth” of measuring your current situation against the unvarnished truth as it exists. Your expectations should be based on both your current circumstances and your future goals.

Do your expectations match up with your goals?

Don’t be overly pessimistic and realistic. Set your goals and expectations just within the boundaries of reality so that you are always moving forward towards your goals. If your expectations don’t connect with your goals then you are already off track and need to do a little redirecting.

Can your expectations be adopted?

Has your team accepted and embraced your expectations? It’s important to for you and your team to be on the same page when it comes to your vision but it’s also important that you all have the same expectations as you travel the road to your vision. John Maxwell was right when he said, “The people’s capacity to achieve is determined by their leader’s ability to empower.” If your team can’t get on board with your expectations then you will be stopped dead in your tracks.

The Most Clever Insults Ever Written And Your Success

June 21, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

Shakespeare is know as one of, if not the, best wordsmiths to have walked this planet. This video from TED Ed focuses on his clever way with insults but I chose it because if it’s ability to showcase the power of words.

Communication is one of the most important things that factor into someone’s success. Strong and clear communicators gain the ears of the world while people who have a hard time getting their message across are ignored. Better communicators make more sales, keep more clients and develop better ideas.

Sometimes even the biggest problems in business can be solved by improving the communication surrounding them. Be sure to share this post with your friends and colleagues and feel free to share any thoughts you may have in the comment box below.

Filed Under: Business, Communication, Leadership Tagged With: clever insults by shakespeare, ergo office seating, mark denham, shakespeare insults, ted ed videos, ted talks

7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People [Infographic]

June 13, 2012 By Mark 1 Comment

This infographic is made especially for all the bosses out there. Nobody expects you to be perfect, but they do expect you to do your best. To honestly do that, you need to identify your weaknesses and do whatever you can to improve upon them. This infographic does a great job of pointing out some of the easiest errors to make as a leader, and it tells you how to stop making them.

Have you ever had a boss who had one or some of these habits? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Business Leaders, Business Tips, Infographics, Leadership, Leadership and Trust, Leadership Lessons Tagged With: bad leadership habits, how to be a better leader, how to be a better leader in business, how to break bad leadership habits, leadership infographics, Leadership tips

The Leadership Test

May 23, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

I just found this test on Forbes and worked my way through it. It was enlightening to say the least. There are several responsibilities that fall on a leader and it has to be near impossible to be great at all of them. That’s one of the reasons I found this test helpful. It helps to identify your strengths and also your weaknesses. That way you have a better idea of where to focus your time. The test is broken down into the categories below.

Section I: Character

Section II: Vision

Section III: Strategy

Section IV: Tactics

Section V: Focus

Section VI: Persuasiveness

Section VII: Likeability

Section VIII: Decisioning Ability

Section IX: Team Building

Section X: Results

Click Here to take the test

Click here to read my recent post on how the book “The Art of War” can positively influence your leadership.

Filed Under: Advice For Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Leadership and Trust, Leadership Lessons, Leadership Tests, Management Tagged With: am i a good leader, ergo office seating, how to be a better leader, leadership quiz, leadership tests, mark denham

The Essential Rules For Handling Customer Complaints

May 1, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

Your customer’s complaints used to be between you and the customer…and anyone they could tell in person. Now social media has enabled them to let the entire world know when they’re not happy with you. Here are a few quick tips on how to defend your honor during the crisis of a customer complaint.

Rule #1 Always Respond

Ignoring a customer, especially an angry one, is the number one way to fuel the fire. Without the internet one angry customer couldn’t make much of a dent on your bottom line, now they can tear down any positive results you may have achieved from your marketing efforts for the last year.

Rule #2 Acknowledge The Issue

Whether you’re right or wrong, you need to address this issue. If you made a mistake, admit it. If you’re doing something that people don’t agree with, explain why you’re doing it. Surveys show that customers admire company executives able to accept fault and willing to take steps to eliminate future situations.

Rule #3 Apologize

When you make a mistake you need to issue an official and mature apology. Don’t use it as a way to carry on the argument, use it as a way to let your customers know that you sincerely care. At its very essence your apology should promise that you will fix the problem and that it will never happen again.

The Secrets Of The Successful

April 24, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

Business is always changing. This means that there is no guaranteed path to success. Entrepreneurs everywhere spend time looking for an easy answer, while the truly successful business leaders know that it takes effort in several different areas to ensure true success. Here are a few ways to make sure you’re on the right path.

Write it down

Writing down your goals gives you a solid reminder of what you’re working for. It also allows you to check and make sure that your efforts and your time are being put to good use. Write down every process and every step you’ve done to work your way towards your goals and write down what you need to do to finally get there.

Be Flexible

Though it’s important to have a plan, you can’t rely on it. Nothing ever works out exactly the way you planned it so it’s important to be flexible when the changes come your way. Being able to adapt and quickly make decisions will prevent any change from slowing down your success.

Listen More Than You Talk

Don’t let your ego prevent you from using any advice you may receive. In fact, you should be seeking out advice and insight from people who have experiences that you can learn from. Don’t ever assume you know everything you need to know and don’t ever think that you can do it all by yourself.

Be Social

The internet is a powerful tool that ends up being relatively cheap. Before you jump into it, take some time to understand what your goals are and how you’re going to use the internet to achieve those goals. Build a community through social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

10 Things Terrible Leaders Do

April 16, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

“The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won’t get much sleep.”
- Woody Allen

Every relationship is built on trust but that is especially true when you’re in a leadership position. People can’t follow you if they don’t trust you so it’s your job to make sure you’re doing everything you can to build and maintain trust with everyone in your organization. Chances are you know what you should do, but you might not know what you shouldn’t do. Here’s a list of those trust-busting leadership taboos.

1. You don’t do what you said you would do.

2. You’re unpredictable when it comes to just about everything.

3. You seem to be working on your own agenda.

4. You agree with people just to avoid conflict.

5. You never really listen.

6. You change your plans and your mind and you never let anyone know why.

7. You never admit when you’re wrong.

8. You always come across as indifferent on any subject.

9. You see other people’s success as a threat to yourself.

10. You never share anything personal about yourself.

Whether you’re guilty or not, the goal is to be more vigilant about these behaviors in the future. No one is perfect so don’t be too hard on yourself if you catch yourself breaking some of the rules. Read more.

What leadership rules do you have? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Breaking Trust, Building Trust, Leadership, Leadership and Trust, Leadership Lessons, Management Tagged With: building trust, leadership rules, Leadership tips, rules of leadership, trust and leadership

How To Be An Incredible Boss

March 28, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

You’re a leader. You lead your employees and you lead your company. That being said, you probably want to make sure you’re leading them in the right direction and in the best way possible. You want to inspire the people who work for you to create their best work and you want to make the decisions that keep your company growing. Here are a few things to do to make sure you are an incredible boss.

1. Develop Each And Every Employee

Without great employees you’re essentially running a one-person show. Take the time to really train and develop your team so that they are all confident in what they’re doing and so they know how to bring their own talents to the table. Instead of focusing on results, focus on development and the results will follow.

2. Deal With Problems ASAP

Putting off problems is a great way to tell your employees that you don’t have time for them. It’s also a great way to kill morale. Put the time in immediately to prevent any negative feelings and results from backing up. Never hope a problem will just magically go away or that someone else will deal with it. Face it head on and take care of business.

3. Don’t Be Selfish

The best leaders are also servants. Don’t ever make it all about you. When you are congratulating your employees, leave the part you played out of it. Never do or say anything that puts you in the spotlight. When you go above and beyond, you’re doing your job. Don’t look for extra attention. When your employees go above and beyond they deserve some recognition, especially from you.

The Strongest Habits of A True Strategist

March 21, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” Sun Tzu

Having a strategy to achieve any goal is one of the smartest things you can do. As the leader of your organization, you are responsible to see how all of the different pieces work and how you can use them to achieve your goals and continue to grow. Your company and your people need you to be the strategic one, they can handle everything else.

Here are a few habits to start developing if you want to become a master strategist:

1. Anticipate Everything

Everyone is looking forward. It’s your job to see what’s coming at you from all angles. Opportunities may be standing right next to you so it’s your job to turn your head and see them. You should:

Look for game-changing information in the periphery of your industry

Search beyond any boundaries you currently have

Build a bigger network to help you scan for those opportunities

2. Start thinking Critically

Don’t settle for the obvious conclusion and don’t ever do what everyone else is doing. Question every new method that presents itself before you make the decision to put any of your resources into trying it. Force yourself to:

Reframe your current problems

Challenge your current mindset and beliefs

Uncover hypocrisy, manipulation, and bias in any and all decision making

3. Make Decisions

There comes a point when you have enough information to make a decision. Don’t wait too long and don’t fall victim to “analysis paralysis”. Not making a decision leads to missed opportunities, and that’s something most companies can’t afford. Start:

Carefully frame the decision to get to the crux of the matter

Balance speed, rigor, quality and agility. Let your superiors worry about perfection.

Take a stand even when there’s more data to collect and especially when people don’t all agree.

Find more habits to help you become a better strategist here.

What habits help you think more strategically? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Leadership, Leadership Lessons Tagged With: business strategy, ergo office seating, how to be a strategist, leadership strategy, mark denham, strategist