There is a whole range of responses you can get when asking another for a commitment. I am not speaking about what they say, I am speaking about the mood in which the commitment is delivered, but you have to listen for that.

Moods and Attitudes can vary from very low on the scale as in annoyance or obligation, or lower, all the way up to challenge, adventure, and empowerment.

To have powerful commitments that you can count on, you need to listen for what’s driving that promise behind the words you want to hear. The most powerful commitments are when there is no gap between the speaker, the speaker’s promise, and their actions. Their experience is one of “I am that I will…”, and you know they will do everything in their power to fulfill that.

What’s driving that Commitment or Promise? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

When we say “Management”, what exactly are we talking about?
What is Management, if not intervention in some event about to go south?
In that moment, when circumstances argue that the job is not going to get done, how you intervene defines you and your style of management, of which there are many.

The most effective intervention I know is to be very clear on the outcome needed, not the process, not what they need to do, just the outcome. Make the most challenging, but doable, request to the responsible person, and listen for their commitment. It’s all about the quality of their commitment!

“Management,” “Business as Usual” and “Defining Moments” is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

If you’re one of those people in a senior position in your company, you made it to that senior position for a reason. And it’s likely that from time to time, you may wonder why you bother to work so hard. Here are some things people in your position have shared with me:

It doesn’t work to do it for the benefits, nor for power or position over others. The best way to play it is full out, nothing held back — it’s actually more fun that way.

It requires you to be bigger than anything that shows up; bigger than any circumstances; bigger than any of your own personal issues or someone else’s; bigger than any power struggles and ego trips.

It takes a great deal of courage and faith to consistently generate an attitude of “can do” in the face of “no you can’t circumstances.”

And it takes something spectacular to be able to do all this on a daily basis.

Two choices, to be bigger, or not – the choice is yours to make every day.
Why should I you ask? For the very reason that you do have this choice, and you know the choices you make define who you are, and you are willing to wrestle with this every single day.

Leadership and the “What About Me” (WAM) Syndrome is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

We gave a talk at Crawford and it was very well received, so here are some thoughts from our presentation in brief.

Over Promise and Over Deliver
If you have your teams focusing on making commitments and keeping them, you’re way ahead of the pack.

Accountability
It’s a personal choice, you can’t make someone accountable. It’s not about control, it’s about freedom. Freedom Based Management is way less effort on your part, and far more profitable. Benefits to you are:

Clarity of direction – working smart.

Transparency of information – ability to see what’s happening right now.

Restores power to the person who needs it to get their work done.

Coaching
Combining unreasonable requests and performance challenges, with an attitude of “whatever it takes to get the job done” support leads to the highest productivity, and a very successful business.

The real power is when you put all three tools together. Enjoy!

3 Simple Tools – Simple, but not so easy. is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

Here is some evidence:
There is a great deal of trust between your staff and your customers.
Trust shows up when people working together keep their word with each other.
Another indicator is when called, your people rise up to meet the difficult challenges.
They are not afraid of hard work and making the extra effort to get the job done.
They see risk, challenge, and difficult circumstances as a welcome opportunity.

How do you know if your Leadership is working…really working? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

If you’re feeling stuck with certain employee’s behaviors, it’s probably because you don’t see that you have any other options. There are always options…always.

The hardest part of leadership is being responsible for the impact of your own behaviors. It’s tough for the following reasons:

• Most employees are afraid to “confront” an owner with their true thoughts, so you don’t get the feedback.
• Without that feedback, it’s tough to see your own blind spots and bad habits.
• Even if you could see them, exchanging them takes a concerted, supported effort.

To be the kind of leader that people look up to takes a big person, courage, and heart.

Your Leadership is Always Inspiring Something is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

1. People are clear on what needs to be done – they can work smart, not just hard.
2. Accountability produces transparency – certainty of facts for informed decisions.
3. Accountability inspires a powerful and empowering team environment.

The real power is when you put all three together – focused reporting, transparency, and a continuously growing team environment – you get a recipe for unstoppable success.

3 Benefits to a Culture of Accountability is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

Some time ago I came across a slide presentation on the Netflix business.
There are some very good thoughts I recommend you see:
# 27  -  We are a team, not a family – a professional sports team
# 38 and # 55  -  Setting the context and opportunity for people to think for themselves
# 77 and # 84  -  How to set up Context examples

To dowload and view the complete Powerpoint presentation, you can click here and scroll to the bottom right.

Take A Page From Netflix is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

We recently returned from the 2011 Restoration Industry Association Convention and Exhibition where we spoke to a full house. We got some wonderful feedback from our audience and thank you to all that attended. For those of you who would like to read our presentation, it is now on our website. To download it, please click here.

We hope that you will find the information useful.

Trim the Fat: Organizing for Tomorrow’s Business is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

Autonomy
Give individuals the freedom to be self directed.
The desire for freedom is one our most powerful motivations.

Mastery
Offer training and development, the opportunity to improve skills.
Professional self improvement improves productivity and personal satisfaction.

Purpose
Have a vision or purpose that’s bigger than the business making money.
Business that are all about the money don’t inspire your teams or your customers.

How do you do this…
I admit, it’s simple, but not easy – if it was easy everyone would do it. It takes patience, and the smarts to know that a step-by-step planned process to achieve a significant goal is far more powerful than a single event of one day’s or one week’s work.

Exactly what it will look like in your company depends on your particular circumstances. But it’s likely your efforts will be more successful if you get help from an outside source.

3 Things That Will Super Charge Your Business is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates