How do you measure up against these traits of good leadership?

Everyone wins in an organization characterized by good leadership, but people can talk a good game and spout leadership quotes and clichés all day long. And leaders both good and bad will tell you the right things to get you on board, get you to go above and beyond the call of duty, do more than what is expected and even give your own personal time and energy to help them or the business succeed.

Over time, under good leadership, this results in success for both the organization and the individual. Under bad leadership, it usually results in burned out, discouraged and disillusioned followers – which in turn negatively impacts the organization and its customers as well.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of ending up on the burned out, disillusioned side. And I certainly don’t want to be the kind of leader who brings all of that bad ju-ju down on my own company.

To save time and life energy, you need to be sure at the outset of a new work or volunteer endeavor that you’re working for the right type of leader. Here are a few criteria you can use to get to the heart of the matter – the personal character of a leader – before you sign on to work for them or their organization:

• What’s their track record like? It’s not just about wins and losses or whether they have been successful; it’s about how they have achieved what they have achieved. Do they have a history of winning at all costs or would their followers take a bullet for them?
• How do they treat people who can’t help them? A great way to determine the character of a leader is to take note of their behavior toward individuals who have no power or no ability to help them succeed in their current endeavors.
• Do they have any interest in what you want out of the relationship? Good leaders view working relationships as mutually beneficial and with a view to the long term. They take time to discover whether what you want in the long term will be possible or aligned with the values of their own business. Poor leaders tend to want what they perceive you have or can do for their business, whether or not it is aligned with your personal goals and values -- and sometimes even without your permission.
• How do they treat people who leave their organization? Do they discard people who no longer matter to them? Great leaders take a long term view of relationships, don’t burn bridges and leave doors open. Poor leaders don’t waste time on relationships which they see of no benefit to themselves.
• Do they show good judgment when it comes to “fit?” Good leaders understand the importance of interpersonal ‘fit’ amongst the people who work for them. Whereas poor leaders tend to adopt an “if it doesn’t fit, force it” approach, so long as they get what they want. 
• Are they generous and honest when it comes to giving credit to others? Good leaders pay authentic compliments and praise the work of their staff in specific terms. Good leaders don't need to take credit for the work of others, because they are not insecure, envious or threatened. Great leaders understand that what makes them great is the way that they facilitate the success and recognition of others.  Poor leaders find subtle (or even not so subtle) ways to take credit for the work of others. They imply that they had something to do with the successes of others. 
• Do they micromanage? The best leaders surround themselves with good people and turn them loose to do the things they do best and most enjoy. Great leaders know they don't have all the answers and inspire trust by trusting those around them to do what is expected.  Poor leaders demonstrate controlling and maybe even bullying behaviors. Poor leaders feel that they need to control the flow of information and try to place themselves as the funnel of information to and from their team.
• Is there any sign of "bait and switch?"  Good leaders don't paint a picture that doesn't measure up to scrutiny.  Poor leaders will do so, or will say what they think you want to hear to get you on board; however, once they are writing the paycheck, quickly reveal that you've signed on for something else and demonstrate that they feel they hold the whip hand in the relationship.
• Do they invest in employee development, whether or not it’s related to current projects or job responsibilities? Great leaders – leaders worth following – invest in developing others around them, even if it might mean that the individual will leave for another opportunity. Great leaders know that investments made in their team will pay off in real results as well as greater employee job satisfaction and loyalty. By contrast, poor leaders tend to invest only in things which will (only) bring benefits in the here and now, and which primarily benefit themselves as a leader or the business.

If you are considering a new position, take the time to speak with other individuals within an organization about the leadership that exists within it from the top down. Try to get at the heart of what the leaders within the company truly value, and what it is that they value about others. And take time right now to consider what type of leader that you, yourself, will become.

***


Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.
If you want to build a business which provides the maximum when it comes to customer and employee satisfaction and loyalty as well as profitability, change the way that you  understand and use marketing.  365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com or save $5 off the list price when you use the Code USH9VPJG and purchase on my site at 12monthsofmarketing.net.

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Monday Morning Musings

The markets are lower this morning on further delays with the Greek debt talks. Also, don't rule out the fact that the market had a very strong week last week, so some consolidation would be normal.

I called the Greek debt situation a yo-yo recently since we continue to see so much back and forth with the talks. Today it appears that Greece does not really want to implement the austerity measures as they have been laid out. I'm not sure how much wiggle room they have considering how badly they need the loans just to make their current debt payments.

There is little in the way of economic reports this morning. There have been a handful of earnings reports, but more of them are seeing negative reactions today. Stocks down after reporting include: HUM, SYY, LAZ, and SOHU. A couple stocks higher on earnings are HAS and BRO.

Asian stocks were mixed overnight. Japan was higher, but China was flat after the IMF trimmed its economic forecast for the country to 8.25% from 9.00% on weaker demand for exports.

The euro is lower and boosting the dollar. This is weighing on most commodities. Oil prices are lower to $97.25, gold prices are down to $1721, and silver and copper prices are also lower.

The 10-year yield is slightly lower at 1.92% after a nice pop higher on Friday due to the strong jobs report. The VIX is up almost 5% to 17.93 after plunging to a 7-month low on Friday.

Trading comment: With the market lower this morning, it will be interesting to see if dip buyers quickly step up again. The market is still overbought, but pullbacks have been few and far between. Friday's strong jobs report didn't help the bears at all, as it adds another economic indicator flashing improvement for the economy. New highs on the exchanges rose on Friday, and leadership in the stock market continues to broaden. This is another positive sign for the market.

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Economic Data Much Better Than Forecasts

The market is rallying strongly this morning on a double dose of stronger than expected economic data. The first report was the monthly payrolls report, which showed the economy added 243,000 jobs in January. That was far greater than the 155k forecast. Private payrolls were also much greater than expected at +257,ooo vs. 168,000 consensus. Also, the unemployment rate fell to 8.3%.

The better than expected jobs report caused the futures to spike higher before the open. The market was only up slightly before the data was released. After the open, we got another dose of good economic data in the form of the ISM Services Index. The ISM rose to 56.8 in January, which was above expectations and also a nice increase from last month's reading of 52.6.

Earnings season continues to roll along as well. Among the stocks seeing positive reactions to their earnings reports are: TSN, WY, CLX, and APKT. A couple notable standouts on the downside this morning are EL and WYNN.

Asian markets were mixed overnight. The dollar got a boost from the jobs report, which is weighing on most commodities. Oil prices are higher to $97.13, but gold prices are lower near $1740, and silver prices are lower as well. Copper prices are higher on the strong economic data.

The 10-year yield is also getting a nice bounce. It is currently up 11 bps to 1.94%. As for the VIX, it has fallen another 6% and is now down at its lowest levels since last July (16.89). Do I smell a VIX trade coming?

Trading comment: Yesterday I mentioned the issue of performance anxiety, and today's action will likely put an exclamation point on it. Interestingly, the market also ran higher last year right into mid-February before experiencing a sharp 3-day correction. Guess what the high on the SPX was last Feb. before the correction? Answer: 1344. Guess what today's high is: 1343. Pretty similar. But the Nasdaq is doing much better, so I think the SPX can continue to play catch-up.

KAM Advisors was long CLX, GLD, SLV

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Why The Facebook Halo Today?

There is a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming Facebook IPO. Given it's size ($100b mkt cap?) and the number of user Facebook reaches, I can understand all the hoopla. But I find it a bit confusing why today, after Facebook has filed its S1, that all of the other publicly traded social networking stocks would be trading so much higher. Look at ZNGA, LNKD, GRPN, etc. and you see big gains in all of them. I find the action odd.

In earnings news, we continue to see most reports beating expectations. This morning's list of stocks reacting positive vs. negative is fairly balanced, but the stocks showing positive reactions are up a lot more than the small declines on the stocks showing negative reactions.

Among the earnings gainers are: MA, GMCR, QCOM, LVS, and NUS. Stocks declining on earnings include: AZN, CAH, DOW, CI, CMG, and AGN.

The large number of disappointments coming out of healthcare related stocks is weighing on the sector, with the healthcare etf (XLV) lagging this morning by quite a bit. Energy stocks are up the most in early trading.

In economic news, jobless claims were slightly below expectations. Q4 productivity was in-line with expectations at 0.7%, while unit labor costs were higher than expected at 1.2%.

Asian markets were higher overnight, while Europe is mixed this morning. The euro has been bouncing around the flat line this morning. Oil prices are lower to $96.75; gold prices are higher near $1757; silver prices are also higher, while copper prices are flat.

The 10-year yield is flat near 1.84%; and the VIX is down another 2% to 18.18.

Trading comment: More breakouts to new highs today. Check out RAX. See V. MA is also close. View QCOM. Here comes MELI. Obviously AAPL. And I could go on. Those waiting for a dip remain frustrated, causing them to ask, "Dude, where's my pullback?"

KAM Advisors has long positions in AAPL, MELI, GLD, and SLV

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The View from Under the Bus

http://www.cafepress.com/under_the_bus.87530543

Good morning, I’ve been elected to speak to you on behalf of the group – those of us you’ve thrown under the bus, in the course of running your business, managing your team or otherwise trying to control the tiny little bit of commercial territory you’ve been allotted.

You said that you wanted us on board, and at first, we believed you.

We wanted it to be true.
We were excited about the trip and we thought that we understood the route we’d take to reach our destination.

But somehow we didn’t make it on board. We ended up under the bus, and now, covered in tread marks, I’ve been deputed to say: Ouch.

Maybe you didn’t realize we weren’t on board.

Maybe you shut the door before we boarded. You put us in a dead end job. You ignored our ideas. You put us in our place and told us to just “do our jobs.”

And when we did do our jobs, maybe you failed to notice. You failed to show any sign of gratitude or appreciation. You made us feel as though you believe we exist to fulfill your ends, and as though the privilege of doing so should be reward enough.

Maybe you had good intentions but failed to deliver with employee development and training. Maybe you just didn’t train us at all.

Maybe, since you evidently believe that our jobs aren’t as important as yours, you made us feel like interchangeable, expendable tools. Maybe you were threatened by our enthusiasm and so chose to protect your own position by hoarding information and depriving us of opportunities to contribute in more meaningful ways.

Maybe you confined us to particularly unrewarding tasks, leaving us bored and deprived of any spark of creative renewal. You painted a picture of opportunity then failed to engage us, at all.

Or maybe, for your own reasons, you nudged, or shoved us directly under the wheels.

You blamed us when things went wrong. You didn’t stand up for us when co-workers or customers came after us. You took credit for our work. You made sure we knew that we could never, ever truly please you. You couched your compliments in criticisms. You made us feel like enthusiasm is a mockable quality.

For one reason or another, here we are, under the bus.

Well, let me tell you something: It’s quite a view we have from down here. 

If we look down, we face the prospect (pun intended) of being dragged along the pavement, with a closeup view of the road and all its hazards.

But when we look up, we see everything. 

We know exactly how your bus works. We see all of the dirty, grimy, greasy and oily working parts. We know what’s broken and we know what’s about to break. You might be able to talk a good game to people on the outside, or even other people in the bus, but We. Know. Better; you aren’t fooling us, not one little bit.

What’s more, most of us have probably tried to tell you, more than once, about the problems, flaws, broken and about-to-break things that we’ve seen. You didn’t do anything about them, or you didn’t listen or worst of all, you told us to shut up, ignore it and “get back to work.”

Eventually you’re going to lose us completely – and this might be painful for one or even for both of us. 

At some point, you might even realize that you lost a truly vital part of your ‘engine,’ something necessary to customer comfort or care – not to mention the deep pools of untapped skills and devotion that could have been at your disposal, had your promise matched up to the reality of our experience with you.

Or maybe you don’t really care about what your customers, employees and coworkers experience during their ride at all, so long as you collect your fares.

If that’s true, let me share one last word of collective warning from all those of us under here: Eventually someone will come along who’ll offer a better ride to your customers and your employees, and you’ll find yourself broken down on the side of the highway, wondering what went wrong.

***

Do you know what this has to do with marketing? Only everything. Your business is not the products or services you sell or the building or website from which you do so. Your business is made up of people. Real people. With feelings, ambitions, dreams, needs and wants – on the inside and out.

On the outside, these people are your customers, prospects, vendors, investors and other stakeholders. Given their roles and how important you perceive them to be to your business, it’s likely that you listen to them more than you do to those “people” who make up your business from the inside: Your employees and co-workers.

It’s ironic that once you get someone on the inside you stop considering their opinions. Because who has more vested interest in the success of your business than your employees – the people whose livelihood and future depend upon it? I’ll tell you: no one.

Your customers may “love you” but they’ll get along just fine without you. It might hurt your vendors if you went away but they’d find a new relationship too. But your employees are the ones with the most at stake. Your employees are the people closest to the problems. Your employees are the people most capable of coming up with creative solutions.

But it’s really hard for us to help you from under the bus. 

Need more convincing? 

Here’s how important your employees and co-workers are to the success of your business:

• Want more profit? Lost productivity due to actively disengaged employees costs the US economy $370 billion every YEAR; and part of those billions are lost right in your business.
• Think customer service matters? 70% of engaged employees have a good understanding of how to meet customer needs, but ONLY 17% of non-engaged employees say the same.
• Like referrals? A mere 13% of disengaged employees refer others to their company, whereas 78% of engaged employees happily and readily do so.
• Like problem solvers? Only 3% of disengaged employees say their job brings out their creative side, vs. 59% of engaged employees.
• Think hiring is difficult and expensive? 75% of people don’t leave their ‘jobs,’ they quit their bosses.
• Fewer than 1 in 3 employees worldwide are ‘engaged.’
• Companies with more engaged employees experience dramatically lower rates of turnover, absenteeism and even a 50% reduction in reportable incidents (workers comp). Think those things impact your bottom line?

And even though 90% of business leaders say that employee engagement impacts their success, 75% of them have no – nada – zero –none – no engagement plan or strategy, at all. 

(‘Human Capital and Corporate Culture’ http://www.thesocialworkplace.com/2011/08/08/social-knows-employee-engagement-statistics-august-2011-edition/) 

Now that we’ve got your attention, what are you going to do about it? Roll merrily along and wait for the whole thing to come off the wheels? Or will you take time now to make things right – or at least make them better!

You only have today and the time is now to make sure that all the people who could and should be most invested in the success of your business are in a position to feel engaged, satisfied and even happy as a result of the employment relationship with you. Now is the time for you to ask the hard questions and be open to the realization that maybe you don’t have it all figured out, after all.

Now is the time for you to decide just where this bus is going to take all of its passengers, and set out to get there, together!

***


Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

If you want to build a business which provides the maximum when it comes to customer and employee satisfaction and loyalty as well as profitability, change the way that you  understand and use marketing.  365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com or save $5 off the list price when you use the Code USH9VPJG and purchase on my site at 12monthsofmarketing.net.

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Stocks Back In Rally Mode

The markets are nicely higher in early trade on a combination of solid economic data, good news out of Europe, and a bevy of solid earnings reports.

Europe's markets are higher today after a successful short-term debt offering in Portugal. Additionally, Germany, France, and the UK posted solid PMI manufacturing data. Asian markets were mixed overnight after one of China's PMI readings showed the sector still in contraction.

In terms of earnings reports here in the U.S., I like to look at how stocks are reacting to those reports. This morning we are seeing the number of stocks rallying on results significantly outnumbering those that are falling.

Among the positive reactions today are: BRCM, FTNT, STX, WHR, IACI, AET, TMO, and BEAV.

Declining stocks on earnings include: CHRW, AFL, and the big loser today - AMZN.

In economic news, the ISM Manufacturing index rose to 54.1 in January from 53.1 last month. Construction spending data for December showed a 1.5% rise, above expectations. The ADP payrolls report showed payrolls rose by 170,000 in January, but this was below the 200k figure economists were looking for.

The euro is getting a big bounce today at the expense of the dollar. This is helping commodities. Oil prices are up above $99 after falling hard yesterday. Gold prices are back to $1750. And copper and silver prices are higher also.

The 10-year yield is getting a small bounce to 1.83%. And the VIX is down -5% so far down to 18.45.

Trading comment: 'Don't fight the tape' is the mantra traders live by. So far this year, we have seen stocks stair-step higher and sector rotation keep the market moving up with few pullbacks along the way. Overbought conditions be damned. I often talk about performance anxiety among portfolio managers and I think the strong January we just had probably has most PMs caught flat-footed and looking for opportunities. One day we will wake up to a big enough selloff that it will make sense to step aside. But for the time being dips are being bought.

KAM Advisors has long positions in FTNT

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One-on-One with Senator Marco Rubio

Rising Republican star, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, was right on message concerning pro-growth tax reform, spending cuts, deficits and debt. He told me that President Obama never responded to the Rubio letter blaming the prez for creating a deadbeat nation that looks more and more like Western Europe. And Rubio told me he didn’t have all the answers, but he wants the GOP to be the party of legal immigration.

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