Focus on the 4C's

A small growing company and a small growing family both need leadership to be successful.

I'm "working" with both and I realize they have a lot in common.  I'm a firm believer in good KISS (Keep it simple, sista!)  and in my attempt to simplify and to build sustainable leadership, I never shy away from a good acronym.

CLEAR Vision-  "Where are we going!?"

COMMUNICATION-  Do not assume that your kids or your employees/co-workers know what you're thinking and don't assume you know what they're thinking!  One of my favorite illustrations of this point is the comparison of these two employee engagement lists.  They are almost completely upside down.
1.)  Top 10 things that are important to employees (employees responses)
2.)  Top 10 things that are important to employees (manager's responses)
Managers think they know what is important to employees, many do not.  Do you think you know what is important to your kids?  Don't assume.

COACHING-  Pay close attention, ask thoughtful questions, be a good listener, provide honest feedback, and build a realistic plan to improve that includes their input.  Give yourself the best chance to make a positive impact with your team and your kids.  Coach 'em up!

CAREER Development-  Showing the people around you that you care about their future is important.  Talking about and planning for the future are proven keys to employee engagement at work.  My kids are still in the, "I want to be an NBA player" phase of career development but it's on my radar.  I am keeping a resume-like log of the highlights of their young "careers" that will help them to understand the details of who they are based on their own past performance.

I have been conducting a lot of interviews for sales and sales management positions recently.  I have been amazed at the inability of so many to provide an honest, compelling narrative of who they are, through past experiences, how those experiences have shaped what they enjoy professionally, what they are good at, and what they are working on to improve.  It is important for a candidate to have a humble and healthy sense of self.  That gives me the confidence to believe that they know what type of position they are likely to be successful in and that they are not just looking for a paycheck.  The good one's have that story locked down, the rest spin a bunch of non-sequitors and leave random bits of information for me to piece together.  Those interviews leave me thinking about how to do it better.

I want to give my kids the tools to do it better.  I'll start with 4C's.

Did I miss the 5th C?