SUMMER IS a great time to re;ect on whether
you’re greening yourself with new growth or stagnating. Use the following keys to create a lasting
impact, boost your leadership e;ectiveness and
improve organization results.
Perception is everything. You likely judge
yourself by your intentions. Others judge you
by your actions. Many leaders don’t realize how
their actions are perceived. Too often this blissful ignorance leads to lower engagement, performance and results.
Get systematic and regular feedback. Leading
without feedback is like driving a car in unfamiliar territory in the dark with no reference points.
You may have a map and know exactly where you
want to go, but if you can’t pinpoint where you
are you could crash.
Leverage your strengths. The best leaders
are de;ned by the presence of a few profound
strengths, not the absence of weaknesses. People
often live with weaker leadership behaviours in
exchange for the powerful impact of towering
strengths. Weaknesses do need to be addressed
if a behaviour—disrespect, poor communica-
tions, damaged relationships or creating team
con;ict, for example—is so glaring that people
can’t see past it.
Create a personal development plan that
works. Sadly, only ;; per cent of leaders are
actively progressing with a personal development
plan. To succeed, build your plan around your
own leadership sweet spot of strengths, passion
and organizational need. That sustains personal
development way beyond ;xing weaknesses.
All generations want better leadership. Baby
boomer leaders often buy into the myth that
millennials need to be led di;erently than other
employees. But research shows it’s less about
generational differences and more about better leadership for everyone. Millennials are less
acclimated to, and less tolerant of, poor leadership. And being early in their careers and eager to
learn, millennials want more coaching and feedback—which many leaders do very poorly, if at all.
Making coaching a priority. Coaching skill
development is becoming a more critical leadership skill in today’s workplaces. Giving advice
isn’t coaching. In coaching, the coachee is
engaged in problem solving, owns the action
plan and follows through. C
Leadership growth
JIM CLEMMER
Jim Clemmer (Clemmer
Group.com) is an international leadership author,
workshop/retreat leader
and executive coach.
MORE IN ARCHIVES
At costcoconnection.ca,
search “Jim Clemmer.”
FOR YOUR BUSINESS
BY RACHEL HARTMAN
BY TEAMING up with a local business, you
can help spread the word about each other,
expand your customer base and increase
overall revenue. Follow these win-win
strategies to successfully partner with
another business.
Find the right match. “Before we part-
ner with a business, we look at the kinds of
products or services they o;er,” explains
Dan Roberge, a Costco member and presi-
dent of Maintenance Care, a computer-
ized maintenance management soft-
ware solution based in Cambridge,
Ontario. “We make sure we’re not com-
peting with each other in any way.”
Calgary-based health and fitness studio.
During the next months, Isaman started
chatting with the ;ower shop owner. After
getting to know each other, they decided to
hold a ;owers and yoga class together.
Test a sample run. Use your existing
social media channels. Whether it’s a
workshop, community event or cross-
promotion, plan an activity to do together
and then evaluate the results.
If you run a bakery and partner with a
local artist, you might attach a coupon
o;ering a discount on paintings for the
next month. In return, the artist could
hand out certi;cates for a free cupcake at
your shop during the same time frame.
Think creatively. “We’ve donated our
software to several charities who would
otherwise be unable to a;ord it,” explains
Roberge. The organizations generally
o;er something in exchange, such as a
mention on their blog. “It’s a win-win
partnership,” says Roberge. “We are giving back to the community and earning a
little bit of exposure at the same time.” C
Rachel Hartman is a freelance writer who
frequently covers small-business topics.
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Win-win: Partnering with local businesses
In addition, think complementary: If
you run a home remodelling business, it
might be valuable to partner with a landscaping or cleaning service.
Get to know each other. Once you’ve
identi;ed a potential partner, consider
inviting the owner out for co;ee or lunch to
learn more about the business. You might
suggest swapping services or provide a sample of your product in exchange for information about the company.
“I started buying flowers from a
place called Small Flower,” recalls
Janis Isaman, a Costco member
and owner of My Body Couture, a
