The premise behind my new book, Ordinary Greatness, is that every organization has everything it needs to be extraordinarily successful already residing within its workforce – they just don’t know it. Busyness is one of the main culprits that prevent leaders from recognizing, celebrating and promoting greatness in organizations. Among the five blinders mentioned in the book, busyness is the one most people relate to automatically. We are just too darn busy to see what is right before us. We miss opportunities to recognize individuals for their contributions and we miss opportunities to discover the hidden talents of those we lead.

If you think you may be one of those leaders who is so blinded by a perpetual state of being busy that you have no time for visibility in the work environment or for making connections, it’s time to reassess your ability to organize and prioritize. These are the skills that enable you to drill down into your schedule and find the time for an everyday presence with your staff. What is your schedule like today, tomorrow and next week? Have you allowed room on it to do the things critical to your ability to flourish as a leader?

Here are a few more questions to help you gain a greater understanding of how the busyness blinder may be impeding your ability to see and act upon ordinary greatness:

Do you visit work areas on a consistent basis to establish relationships with your colleagues and open lines of communication?
Do your colleagues consider you approachable?
Is your daily work a check-the-box kind of existence, consumed with doing tasks rather than being available for others?
Are you addicted to schedules and calendars that leave limited room for personal connections?

Removing the busyness blinder may seem nearly impossible in today’s business environment where “do more with less” has become the norm. Take heart! There is a lot of unproductive busyness out there – find it and eliminate it.

Fast forward to June, 2009. How are you doing? A survey among HBR readers found a tremendous loss of faith in top leadership. When asked the question, “Since last year, do you have more or less trust in senior management?” seventy six percent of the respondents indicated they have less trust in their senior leadership. This is not a good position for leaders to be in. Without an underlying sense of trust, leadership is not possible.
It seems to me that the results of the HBR survey is a wake-up call for leaders everywhere. These are extraordinary times that call for, as President Obama said in his inaugural speech, “a new era of responsibility”. Building and sustaining trust is the greatest responsibility for any leader.

Here are a few reminders of trust building behaviors:

• Role model the values and expected behaviors of the organization.
People are watching your every move so make sure that you demonstrate the values of the organization through your behaviors and actions. If you are constantly late for meetings then you are giving others permission to be late for meetings. If you park in customer designated parking spaces then others expect to be able to park there also. Remember, if leadership at the top doesn’t role model expected behaviors, it can’t be expected to trickle down.

• Ensure transparency in communications.
Create a “no-secrets” environment where the good, bad and ugly are shared. Be direct and honest in your communications and remember to connect the message back to the workforce in ways that are understandable and meaningful. Communicate often and repeat key messages so there is no doubt about what’s important for the organization. In times of turmoil, increase communications. When there is nothing new to report communicate there is nothing new because people will fill in the blanks when they aren’t kept up to date.

• Listen and learn. Everyone wants to be respected. Listening is a measure of respect that is appreciated by all. People know that their ideas and opinions will not always rule, but having the opportunity to be heard will build bridges to collaboration. Learn what you can do better by asking the question.

• Show others you care. Leaders must visibly show others they care. Relationships are key. Relationship building starts with being available for those you lead, not just in formal ways but informally by stopping by the worksite to learn about their job and to inquire as to how you can support their success. It’s getting to know each individual. Recognizing others for the contributions they make and investing in the development of additional skills and talents are other important keys to demonstrate you care.

Every day you have opportunities to ask, “How’m I doing?” Are you asking? Are you listening?

Exceptional leaders let others know they make a difference, over and over again. Remember the wife, who after 30 years of marriage was ready to throw in the towel. “I’ve had it, living with you” she moaned to her husband. “You never tell me you love me. It has been years since I have heard those three words come out of your mouth.” In a stoic and cool manner the husband replied, “Look, I told you I loved you when we got married – if I change my mind I’ll let you know.” We know that affirmation motivates people much more than financial incentives. People thrive on praise and on knowing they are making a difference in the work they do – a great leader must always keep this in mind. But praise and recognition can be a tricky thing. First and foremost, it must be honest and sincere. People can always tell when it’s not. Praise and recognition must also fit the person receiving it. Early in my career I learned that not everyone wants public recognition for their good deeds and success. It just makes some people uncomfortable. They prefer that the leader deliver it in a personal and confidential way. Yet, there are others that like it shouted from the rooftops when their time comes around. Do you know the preferences of your staff? Are you making sure that each person knows that their contributions are making a difference?

The leader who ensures ongoing communication understands its importance in generating commitment and energy throughout the workforce. Jan Carlson said, “An individual without information cannot take responsibility; an individual who is given information cannot help but take responsibility.” Feeling “in the loop” sends the message that you are valued and trusted. Without adequate and effective communication, people are confused, frustrated and unwilling to give their full energy and effort. Stephen Covey believes that the crucial challenge of leadership today is communicating in a way that connects, inspires and supports employees. Think about all the pieces of communication received each day. Between meetings, conversations, newsletters, e-mails, and television, each of us receives an overwhelming amount of information. To deal with this we selectively screen or filter what does not speak to our current interests and needs. To break through this veritable fortress, leaders must communicate in a way that is timely, understandable, meaningful and inspirational. And that’s a tall order.

Three timeless leadership basics and that’s just a start. Leadership is hard, hard work with no easy answers. But it is rewarding work that can lift your spirits to the highest level.

2) Understanding Strengths and Opportunities for Development. Successful leaders are obsessive about discovering the strengths and opportunities for development of those they lead. They know that personal mastery and greatness come from a deep understanding of self. They focus on maximizing the strengths of individuals and developing them in areas not quiet up to par. A true assessment of strengths and opportunities requires in-depth conversations that are open and honest and the based on a mutual commitment of personal development. Use the following questions to gain new insights:

-What do you consider your greatest strengths?
-What are the areas you feel aren’t your strengths?
-When your peers give you feedback about what they have observed about you, what do they say you do best and what do they say you could do better?

3) Aspirational conversations. Everyone has dreams for the future. The ability to see ourselves and others in a different or improved state at some point in the future is a human characteristic that separates us from the animal world. Yet, we find very few leaders that attend to the aspirational needs of those they serve and lead. Everyday those you work with need to you to see them not only as they are, but as they believe they can and will be. You might see the intern or student, but he sees himself as a future accountant. You might see a mail room worker, but she sees herself as a vice president one day. You see the employee who struggles with follow through, yet he sees himself as someone who one day will be able to meet your high expectations. It is only through knowledge of a person’s aspirations that the leader can support and cultivate the personal greatness that lies within each of us. Try these questions:

- What are two of your skill areas you would like to further develop?
- What is a new skill or talent you would like to pursue this year?
- If I had a magic wand and could grant you success in any career of your choosing, what would you choose?

Taking the time to have these conversations with your employees speak volumes about your leadership to those you lead. It tells them that not only are you interested in what they’re doing for you, but that you are committed to helping them move forward personally and professionally. By learning what motivates employees, where their strengths and opportunities are as well as their aspirations, you have established a solid foundation to maximize each individual’s contributions to the organization.

It got me thinking: If there were but one piece of advice to offer those who are beginning their journey in the real world, what would it be? Mine would be the often heard advice, “find your passion”. Finding one’s true passion isn’t as simple as it may seem. True, for some it may come naturally but for others it is a journey of discovery. A journey that most never undertake given a recent survey that indicated 75% of the population do not know what their true passion is. This depressing statistic is substantiated by a Harris Interactive study which found that only 20% of Americans are passionate about what they do. The field of psychology offers many studies that indicate happiness and success come from the habit of making choices based on one’s passions.

I recently saw seven questions posted on the internet by Frederic Premji that could be used as a guide for finding your ultimate passion. They are:

What puts a smile on your face?
Is there a special event or topic that makes your face light up? Whatever makes you smile and makes you happy when you encounter it provides a sign that your passion is showing.

What do you find easy?
Usually what we find easy for us to do is related to what we are passionate about. It’s hard to hate something that is very easy for us.

What sparks your creativity?
Think about something in your life where you seem to always expand its horizon, always coming up with new, fun and exciting ideas related to that subject.

What would you do for free?
Think about something that you would just love to do, even if you were not getting paid. Think about something you look forward to, something that you wish you could do all the time.

What do you like to talk about?
What do you like to talk about the most? What topic makes your eyes brighten and your entire behavior change? Our topics of conversation tell what we are interested in.

What makes you unafraid of failure?
When we do what we are passionate about, we have total confidence in our abilities. Think about something you must do, where failure is not even a concern.

What would you regret not having tried?
If you were at the end of your life, what would you regret not having pursued? What would you have liked to do that you didn’t get the chance?

Yes, finding your passion is a critical key to lasting happiness and success. But still it is not enough. The most important aspect of passion and what I would want graduates to remember is this: carry your passions with you. Live it every day. Remember your passions when there are life’s moments of truth. Be the person that inspires others. Find fulfillment in all do. Carry your passions in your pocket no matter where you travel.

http:www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/7-questions-to-finding-your-true-passion/

By now surely you have heard about the British singing sensation, Susan Boyle.  She has quickly risen to fame as a result of her audition on the UK television show, Britain’s Got Talent.  Yes, over 20 million people have viewed Susan on YouTube.  That’s millions more than viewed President Obama’s inaugural speech.  Susan, a 47-year-old unemployed spinster ( as several British newspapers have labeled her) lives with her cat in a small village in Scotland and leads a quiet life.    It has not been Susan’s reaction to the fame, although interesting, that has captured my attention but the awakening to our own pre-conceived notions and personal biases caused by Susan’s performance.

Her appearance was painfully ordinary as she walked out onto the stage, her mannerisms awkward and her responses to the pre-performance interview a bit odd.  It was apparent from the body language of the judges as well as the audience that the expectations for Susan’s performance were not very high.  In fact, it might be said that the audience was waiting for a disastrous performance – what some would call “good television”. 

But Susan taught us a lesson about ourselves.  She taught us that we are quick to judge others based on our own notions of what happiness, success and yes, even talent, look like.  The stunned look on the faces of the judges said it all – utter disbelief that someone like Susan Boyle could possess such immense talent.  But if you watched closely you saw those looks of astonishment turn to guilt as they realized they had unfairly pre-judged the contestant based on their first impression and the ideal of what they held to be a potential contestant.

Within hours of her performance, the press launched the story across the globe and this ordinary woman became an international celebrity.  The story has touched many people calling attention to the way we all go through life making assumptions that limit our ability to see the greatness that is right before us.  I hope the lessons Susan taught us will prove to make us less judgmental and more accepting of others thoughts, ideas and outward appearance.    Susan is anything but ordinary.   She possesses, by all accounts, ordinary greatness.   It’s the same kind of greatness that surrounds each of us if we are willing to open our eyes to it.  Are you willing?  I guarantee your life will become richer for it.