3. Locate the hard facts

Remember the words of the writer Peter Drucker: "When all the facts become clear, the solutions appear as if by themselves." For example, someone says to you, 'N. - A good worker. " Do not take these words at face value, and find concrete evidence to support the ability to work productively N.. Be able to hear what is said, and to gather the necessary data.

 

4. Take part in the process

The essence of most of the problems just is not as it seems at first glance. Ask the right questions and gather the con-

* Tom Wujec, Pumping Ions: Games and Exercises to Flex Your Mind (New York, Doubleday, 1988).

concrete facts - good, but not enough. You should take part in the work which is causing problems, and see what problems arise. In this case, the problem should be resolved at the lowest possible level of leadership - that is, the people who best know the area of ​​activity where there is a problem, and can give her the most specific and precise definition.

 

Find people who can help you in the process of solving the problem

"2,400 years ago Socrates found a way to solve problems. Formulating the problem, he gathered people around him and asked everyone to express their opinion and justify it logically. Throughout his life, Socrates, how annoying gadfly, tried to stir up the smug, conservative Athenian society. He asked endless questions and provoke debate, forcing citizens to think and to question conventional wisdom.

In the end, the Athenians did not survive, and Socrates was accused of disrespect for the gods and corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates was put in prison, interrogated and sentenced to death. Philosopher refused the help of friends who offered to organize an escape and was executed - drank the cup of hemlock poison potions.

Of course, no one does not require you the same endurance. But you will become a better leader than you were before, if mastered the Socratic method. "

Before you invite people to a meeting to address a particular problem, ask yourself the following questions:

■ Is this a problem?

■ Does it require urgent solutions?

■ Are the true nature of the problem?

■ Specifically, we call the problem? (When people try to talk about everything, in the end it turns out that they are talking about nothing.)

■ Selected to the people most competent in solving this problem?

■ Are all prospective panelists are interested in solving this problem?

* John K. Clemens, Hartwick Humanities in Management Report (Oneonta, Hartwick Institute, 1989).

 

Find out the possible causes of the problem

Write down as much as possible causes of the problem. To do this, ask the panelists gathered to express their views on the causes of the problem and how you can avoid such problems in the future.

 

Find out how to solve the problem

Write down as many ways to solve this problem - the more, the better. As a rule, for each specific problem, there is not one but several solutions. Various solutions to the problem all the more necessary because the problem itself is not static. It is always necessary to have several stock solutions, otherwise leading risk to fail.

 

Weigh found the best solutions and Collect

Before making a final decision, evaluate all the options available. Always ask yourself the following questions:

■ Which of the proposed solution seems the most accurate?

■ Which of the solutions to the maximum extent takes into account the interests of the organization?

■ What is the solution enjoys the most support and the most appropriate at the present time?

■ Which of the solutions has the greatest chance of success?

 

Follow the best solution

The founder of the company «Atari» Norman Bushnell said: "Ideas come from every person who has visited the rain. But the situation is changing only one who comes out of the rain, dried, and then take something that does not get wet again. "

 

Evaluate the decision

Allow people to evaluate the decision and test it for strength. Ignore the general intellectual arguments like: "I do not think anything will come of it, because ...". If you point to a specific "weak points", make improvements. To evaluate the effectiveness ask yourself the following questions:

■ Do we have determined the true cause of the problem?

■ Did we have the right solution?

■ Are the most influential members of the organization with the decision?

■ Do I help members of the organization to learn how to solve problems, to deal with conflict in the future?

The importance of correct choice of key people in the organization will be discussed in a separate chapter. As for the solutions of problems, you should understand: if you ever decide to all problems without trying to teach the people around you think and find solutions, then you will be surrounded by a group of dependent, dependent on you people.

Many years ago, I realized that I should be helping people solve their problems, but does not solve the problem for someone. It may be useful following proposals:

■ Do not give people the opportunity to come to the conclusion that you always know the best solution to the problem. It will make people dependent and non-self.

■ Ask questions that help people think through the whole process of solving problems.

■ Be a coach, not a king. Coach finds the best in people and helps them to take a deeper look inside yourself and realize their potential. The king just gives orders.

■ Write down the ideas expressed by others, and add to the list of other people's ideas on your own. People need to feel that your ideas - that their ideas.

■ Ask people to decide which solution to their problem, they think best.

■ Develop a plan of action together.

■ Ask people to consider the plan as his own and be responsible for its implementation. Let the people will establish the time frame of the points of the plan and reporting procedures.

Your goal: by the end of the meeting, participants should thoroughly discuss the problem, choose a solution, develop a plan for its implementation, and to take responsibility for its implementation. Your relationships should then become deeper, but do not turn into a relationship of dependence.

 

 

Chapter Six

ALLY in the lead:

POSITION

At conferences and seminars on leadership, I often ask participants to do the following exercise:

1. Write the name of his friend, whom you voskhischaetes.______________

2. Write down exactly what this person do you most voskhischeny._____

Before you continue reading, do this exercise.

I believe that during the exercise to your mind will come interesting and useful ideas. It is likely that the excitement that makes you a particular quality of the person your friend is connected with his position, his psychological attitudes. At the workshop where all participants completed the task, I ask them to report their answers the audience. The first twenty-five responses I write on the board for all to see. Answers related to your person, I mark the letter P, with the ability - the letter Y, with the exterior - the letter B. And each time the answers are marked with the letter P, account for about 95 percent of all the answers!

Writer Chuck Suindoll said: "The longer I live, the more I realize how huge impact on our lives, our position has. For me, the position is even more important than the facts. The position of a person is more important than his past is more important than education, money, circumstances, successes and failures. The position of a person is more important than what they say, think or do others. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. Position - that is what defines the flourishing or declining businesses, church community and family. The most important thing - every day we have the opportunity to choose one's attitude to the present day.We can not change the past, we can not avoid the inevitable. The only thing that is in our hands - the string called "position". The only thing we can do - to fill the string. I am convinced that my life is only 10 per cent consists of events that occur to me, and by 90 per cent - of my relationship to these events. The same goes for your life. Each of us is responsible for his position in life. "* Our position is our ally and in life in general, and particularly in the lead.

 

Your position - your capital

True to position itself can not make you a great leader, but without her man never realizes its potential to the full. This is the very "and in addition", which gives us a head start over with people thinking negatively. Philosopher Emerson said, "What lies before us and what lies behind - just minor compared to what lies within us."

* Chuck Swindoll, Improving Your Serve (Waco, Word, 1981).

According to the data of 1993, 94 per cent of directors of the 500 most profitable companies in the USA, marked by the magazine «Fortune», called the position the main reason for their success.

Consulting firm "Robert Half International ", located in San Francisco, recently conducted a survey of vice-presidents and directors of personnel in the hundred largest U.S. companies. Among other things, these people were asked to indicate the most important reason for the dismissal of an employee. The results show how important the right position in the business world.

■ Incompetence: 30 percent.

■ Inability to get along with other workers: 17 per cent.

■ Fraud, deceit: 12 percent.

■ The negative position: 10 percent.

■ Lack of motivation: 7 percent.

■ The inability or unwillingness to follow the instructions of 7 percent.

■ Other causes of 8 percent.

Note that although the main reason specified employee incompetence, following her five problems are directly related to his position.

Not long ago, researchers from the Carnegie Institute analyzed data on 10 thousand people and came to the conclusion that the success of 15 percent is provided by training, and by 85 per cent - the personal qualities of the person in the first place - its position.

From our position in each case depends on what we see and how to proceed with their feelings. And then, and another to a large extent determines our: success.

What we see. Psychologists have long known: the person sees exactly what he was willing to see. One villager, finding his best saw, suspected of stealing a neighbor's guy, a great lover of tinkering. The next week is all the actions of a neighbor's son seemed suspicious of the man: and he walks in a strange way, and his voice was strange, and gestures he had some wrong. Finally, the saw was found: the owner himself dropped her workbench, yes and forgot. After that, the behavior of a neighbor's son was no longer seem suspicious.

Nell Mone, author of "Beliefs affect the position" gives the following example. In San Francisco, researchers conducted a psychological experiment (for maximum reliability - double-blind studies). The director of a large school was summoned to the office of three teachers, and said, "You found the most qualified teachers. So next year you entrusted to lead classes in which ninety learn the most able pupils. You are given complete freedom to choose teaching methods. At the end of the year we will check the progress of pupils. "

The school year was the best way possible. Pupils were delighted with the teachers, and teachers - from students: in fact the most talented teachers teach children, and the children listened attentively to highly qualified teachers. By the end of the year (by the end of the experiment, which is not aware of any students or teachers - and therein lies the double-blind method) GPA of students was 20-30 per cent higher than the average for the area.

After summarizing the principal again summoned the teacher and said,

- I have to admit, your students were not the most talented. This is the most common student. We randomly chose ninety children in local schools.

- So, their successes have been made possible thanks to our highly qualified - said the teacher.

- Again, I have to admit: this is not the case. We drew lots and pulled your names.

- What's the deal? - Surprised the teacher. - Due to what, then, our students learn the whole year so remarkable? *

And it was, of course, in the expectations of teachers. Our expectations are significantly associated with our position. Even if expectations turn out to be completely false, they form our position.

 

What do we do with your feelings.

Please note: I am not saying that depend on the position of our senses. We are not talking about feelings as such, but about how we deal with them. After all, each of us, without exception, it is sometimes very bad. Position can not "turn off" our sen-

* Nell Mohney, «Beliefs Can Influence Attitudes», Kingsport Times News, July 25, 1986, 4b.

Twa, but it can not give the feeling of "disconnect" us. What a pity that so many of us can. their emotions to take over a top.

Every day I have to see these people. They live with the feeling they do not possess themselves. A recent study showed that among the victims of car accidents people with emotional problems by 144 percent more than emotionally stable people. The same study revealed another disturbing factor: one in five people who died in traffic accidents, six hours before the accident suffered a quarrel.

 

For a person with a negative attitude permanent success is possible

In one of his books, writer Norman Vincent Peale, one of the fathers of the practice of positive thinking, told the following story. "One day, walking through the narrow winding streets of Hong Kong, I came across a tattoo parlor. In the window were displayed samples of a variety of patterns and images that anyone could decorate their bodies. Looking in the window, I stopped, thunderstruck: among the anchors, mermaids and flags I saw the inscription in three words: "Born to defeat."

Going to the salon, I asked a Chinese master:

- Do you need someone to write on your body such terrible words - "Born to defeat"?

- It happens sometimes - he replied.

- I do not believe - I said - that anyone in their right mind would want to do such a tattoo.

A Chinese man shook his head and replied, struggling for words: "In the beginning tattooed on the mind, and only then - on the body." *

If our mind there is a "tattoo" of negative thinking, our chances for continued success plummet. We are not able to play for a long time. If we do not believe that we have the same or different quality, you will not be able to constantly perform actions that require manifestation of this quality. How often I have seen people suffering from self-sabotage because of their negative thinking.

American golfer Arnold Palmer was one of the heroes of the sporting world. Among his many fans, so-called "Arnie's Army", there are people of all ages, from teens to seniors. Great golfer was a humble human

* Norman Vincent Peale, Power of the Plus Factor (New York, Fawcett, 1988).

century and never flaunted his success. He has won hundreds of medals and cups, but in his office there was only one small, worn from time to time Cup - his first award in professional sports, conquered in 1955 at the Open Championship of Canada. Besides the cup on the wall in the office of Palmer hung next sentence, placed in a frame:

If you think that the defeated - it is.

If you think that nothing will come out - so be it.

If you want to win, but you do not believe in the victory -

This means that almost certainly will not see the victory.

In the battle of life does not always win

The strongest or the fastest,

But always and everywhere the winner is

Who are certain that he can win.

What do you think is the difference between a rabble-Feist, who won one tournament, and Arnold Palmer? In the sports talent? In the smile of fortune? Nothing of the sort! According to the "technical" indicators of the top 25 golfers of the world is not far ahead of average players. So it is not only in ability, but in something bigger.

Point position. This is of particular relevance to the game and brings to life the Champions forward. People with negative thinking can successfully start and win the match or tournament, but sooner or later (usually sooner) the negative position will pull them down.

We are responsible for our position

Life is full of surprises, and we have all the time "adjust" its position as sailors adjust the position of the sails.

The pessimist complains about the wind.

The optimist expects the wind changes.

Leader turns the sails to the wind.

My father, Melvin Maxwell life was my hero, role model. He - a true leader of leaders. Particularly worthy of admiration for his consistently positive thinking.

Recently, my father and mother came to visit me. When dad was unpacking a suitcase, I noticed he had a few books about positive thinking.

- Dad - I said - you seventy. How do I know you, these optimists like you will not find. Why do you have with your positive thinking these books?

- John - his father said, looking me in the eye - a man needs to work on his thinking life. I have to maintain a positive mindset and strengthen it. The position is not held by itself.

Wow! Is not it, what a great lesson for all of us? Each of us always makes the choice of its position with respect to the current moment. It is surprising that many adults do not want to understand it.

When asked what it is he's such a grouchy and irritable man replies, "I got up on the wrong foot." When people begin to pursue such a failure, he says, "I was born a loser." If his brothers and sisters are going to succeed, and he paused at the bottom, it says: "I was not lucky, I was born on the first (or second, or third)." When his colleague gets promoted, which he long dreamed of such a person will say, "I just was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

When the family breaks down, he says he is guilty spouse.

Have you noticed? These people blame their problems just about anything or anyone else, but not themselves.

Greatest day of our lives - the day when we fully accept responsibility for his attitude towards life, for his position. On this day, we become truly adult.

One adviser to President Lincoln invited him to enter into the government of one man, but Lincoln said: "I do not like his face."

- But, sir, a person can not be held liable for your face! - Counselor said.

- Every man over forty is responsible for his face - cut Lincoln and changed the subject.

You can think of your position that you want, but it will inevitably be written on your face!

Once I saw a car with a bumper sticker: "Poverty - it is a choice." I have no doubt that the way it is!

One day, the mother and daughter went shopping together to buy gifts for Christmas. The shops were crowded and the mother had to go without lunch because she had to catch a lot of different places. Tired, hungry woman rubbed her feet. With each new store it was becoming irritable.

Coming, finally, the last store, she turned to her daughter and said:

- Did you see what a disgusting sight was this seller, when he looked at me?

- No, Mom, is that you looked up with a look at the seller when went to the store - the daughter replied.

We can not determine how many years will take our lives, but it depends on us, how many lives will be in these years.

We are not dependent on the beauty of our face, but the expression on our face is up to us.

We can not control the negative sentiment around us, but it depends on us the atmosphere inside our mind.

Too often we try to take control of what we are not subjected to.

Too rarely do we decide to manage what power over us - his position *.