NO YELLING: Integrity

Today we continue our new journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", begins with the first secret: INTEGRITY which carries with it Trustworthy, Consistent, and Non-negotiables.

"Integrity is what you do when it doesn't matter, when no one will ever know what you did. Integrity is more than what you do; it is who you are." - John Russell III, Captain USMC

Trustworthy

Universally, people want to work for someone they can trust.

The reciprocal of trust is leadership in its most basic form. A leader says, "Here is what I want you to do, and I trust you to do it." The follower says, "I will do it because I trust you to do the right thing."

When asked, "What is the most important leadership trait?", integrity is the universal response. How, then, do leaders manifest it? How do they measure it in others? Through truth, honesty, consistency, and respect - in public and private.

The leader with integrity assigns deadlines based on the needs and realities of the task at hand, and explains whey the task matters and why it must be accomplished by a given time.

The leader with integrity delivers personal feedback. Rather than always tell the group some generic or hollow comment, he specifically points out what the group or an individual did. Good leaders also deliver candid feedback - what I call "brutal honesty". They are not afraid to tell it like it is.

Those we lead expect to be held accountable. The leader who overlooks problems sends the message that the standards are variable.

"Of course, for me to hold my people accountable, I must hold myself accountable. Ultimately, excellence is a shared commitment. We know the standards and we work together to achieve them." - Jim Chartier, Lieutenant Colonel USMC

Consistent

People with integrity deliver on the commitments they make and accept by knowing not only their own capability and workload, but also those of their team. They don't over-commit. They are able to say no and explain why. When they do say yes, they get the job done. If they later find that they cannot get it done, they quickly get help and notify the appropriate people.

People with integrity aren't defensive. They know when they are right and they defend their position. But they do so with grace and even temper. They also know when they are wrong and will accept correction.

Acting with integrity lets your employees know what to expect because integrity is based on values, and values are constant.

Credibility based on integrity is developed and reinforced one interaction at a time.

Non-negotiables

The reality is that leaders need to be comfortable with a wide gray area that allows individual action and flexibility for the subordinate. Do you want those following you to follow a specified path to achieve the desired result, or do you want the desired result? The answer to both questions is "Yes". Sometimes you will want them to follow a specific path; this is a non-negotiable. More often, you are interested in the result and, as long as your people act with integrity during the process (they didn't break any rules, didn't hurt anyone), then it doesn't matter how they got there. This is the gray area that leaders need to get comfortable with.

Integrity matters here because the non-negotiables need to be communicated to employees. Then they must be maintained and upheld. In the absence of any mitigating circumstances, non-negotiables are just that: not open for debate. They are the things that must always be addressed. Deviation from a non-negotiable should be addressed in an intense and forthright manner.

"Integrity matters because it enables you to have real relationships based on trust. And when we trust each other, we can excel together. An when we excel together we are having fun together." - Mark Rullman, Captain USMC

As you know, INTEGRITY is one of the Core Values of Delta Companies, Inc.

"Honesty and fairness guide our every action."

We can sum up this week's lesson by borrowing from an old credit card commercial - INTEGRITY, don't leave home without it!

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

NO YELLING: A Study of Leadership Development of a Former U.S. Marine

Today we begin a new journey into our practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from a book by Wally Adamchik entitled "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business".

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

To begin, let's first look at the excerpts from the introduction of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", to properly set the tone and expectations for the coming lessons.

Consider the following excerpts:

1. "Bosses lament and surveys show that too many workers are watching the clock, biding their time until they can go home. They show up day after day, uninspired, giving far less than one hundred percent of themselves to the job. Companies following this 'work as drudgery' model are marked for extinction."


2. “The organizations that thrive in the coming decades will be the ones that energize their employees. Machines and technology will only take you so far. The difference between success and failure is in the people in the organization – the very ones you are leading. The knowledge and information economy of the new millennium presents new challenges. Yet, effective leadership remains the key that unlocks the drive and desire in employees so that they, and the organization, win. And when that happens, you win. Effective leadership can be learned."


3. “Leadership is a conscious behavior, developed through application and ongoing assessment. It is both an art, learned and refined over time, and a skill that requires practice and introspection. It’s what makes people want to work for you. And, as you will see, it’s about trust. Successful leaders earn the trust of those they lead, allowing them to advance their agenda in support of the larger effort.”

Take a good look at your organization. Are employees watching the clock? Are they merely "getting through the day"? Or are the employees so engaged in their work and professional atmosphere that they are able to not only take pride in a day's work, but also look forward to the next day?

How does your leadership reflect on the answers to the questions above?

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

"Seven Sabotaging Team Behaviors" via Reach-EAP & Workplace Solutions

Leadership extends beyond the boundaries of the workplace. So do responsibilities, stresses, and just life in general. Delta Companies, Inc. strives to maintain a great rappaport with all our Delta employees (Family). We know life can be overwhelming at times, so in this respect, Delta offers an employee assistance program through Reach-EAP & Workplace Solutions. The program provides confidential, professional assistance to help employees and their families resolve problems that affect their personal lives or job performance. The initial program assessment and counseling services are free to all employees and family members - and are strictly confidential. For more information, visit www.reach-eap.com

Reach-EAP & Workplace Solutions also provides monthly newsletters (available for all Family members via the Employee Portal) and maintain a blog which supply helpful information for professional and personal use. Below is an article from October's Employee newsletter which relates to our ever expanding knowledge regarding TEAMWORK:

Seven Sabotaging Team Behaviors

Common complaints among teams include only a few doing the work and people coming late to meetings, but dozens of other problems also undermine teams. Consider whether any of these saboteurs of teamwork affect your productivity:

1. Not showing commitment when the going gets tough.
2. Not saying what you're thinking and feeling.
3. Not follow the adage, "listen first to understand, and speak to be understood".
4. Not performing as promised.
5. Letting others make decisions.
6. Not starting your meeting with a quick discussion of "What do we want to accomplish in the meeting?".
7. Failure to establish a ritual or convention that encourages any member to immediately point out discussions or digressions that are off task.

These are very common - and sometimes easily fixed - problems when it comes to giving your all to the team.

How do you feel about the "Seven Sabotaging Team Behaviors"? Are they relevant to your workplace - whether it is describing a problem you face with co-workers or if it is a problem your co-workers may use to describe your behavior (be honest!).

Next time you feel you or your co-workers are having possible issues, take a step back from the situation, review the list, and take the necessary steps to correct the problem(s) and watch how communication (and tolerance) grows!