While I don’t consider him a leader to emulate, Napoleon Bonaparte nailed it when he said, “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” That may sound cynical, but it points to a simple fact about human beings: We need to be recognized for our good work. We need sincere praise when it’s deserved. This is a basic truth that effective leaders embrace. When giving praise at Intertech, we try to be immediate and specific. Ideal praise speaks to a specific action and the overall benefit it created for the organization, while the experience is still fresh. We also try to give employees the chance to “relive the experience” by asking them—in person—“how did you do it?” It’s also great to give praise in writing (a memo or handwritten note versus an e-mail) or in public so the recipient can bask in the recognition in front of peers. As an organization grows, everyone needs to be involved with giving appropriate praise. At Intertech, we have created the ACE award to instill this value into our culture.   ACEs are nominated by their peers for living our values of attitude, commitment, and excellence. 

Tom’s Takeaway: Always err on the side of giving too much praise versus not enough. Give specific praise and put it in writing. Build a culture of recognition at your company. Life is short. People cannot hear they’re doing a good job often enough! 

Some leaders think they need to do it all. This is simply not true. In fact, trying to do everything yourself is counterproductive to being an effective leader. As leaders or managers, we oversee people. Delegation, like Key Result Areas, should be clear. People who are being asked to do something should understand what is being asked of them, and they should have the necessary tools and training to get the job done. One great thing about delegating is that is allows your employees to grow and prove their abilities, particularly if the leader defines the necessary result but not how it gets done. It also frees the leader from daily tasks, which allows him or her to think about the big picture and whether or not progress is being made toward the goals. After delegating, though, a leader must follow-up to ensure that what was delegated is actually being done. Leaders also reward those who deliver, in dollars and through personal recognition.

Tom’s Takeaway: Good leaders delegate, ensuring employees understand what they need to do and have the tools to do it. They also follow up to ensure that delegated tasks get done and find tangible ways to reward those who deliver. 

Voltaire is credited with the saying, "No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking." Yet despite its importance, you'd be hard pressed to find a college course dedicated to the topic of problem solving. Solving problems is a daily task no matter what role you play within your organization. To be effective at problem solving: 

• Clearly define the problem or goal. If the problem is big, break it down. In the case of goals, make them measurable. 
• List all the potential solutions or ideas to reach your objective. Every idea should be considered during the brainstorming session. 
• Prioritize the list from "first to worst," identifying the top few steps or strategies required to be successful. 
• Schedule a follow-up meeting to create accountability. If you're a leader at the top of your organization consider setting up an outside board of advisors to help hold you accountable and on task in your role of leading the business.

Tom's Takeaway:  Define your problems and identify all potential solutions before narrowing down the list. Prioritize, execute and communicate updates.   

Thanks to the exceptional work of the Intertech team working on one of our state-related projects, an article I wrote about Government 2.0 was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  Click here to read the article.

While leaders insist on results, they also should provide tools and incentives to help employees achieve the desired outcomes. At Intertech, we use the Dale Carnegie concept of Key Result Areas (KRAs) to create alignment between an individual employee's goals and the company's goals. Like company goals, each individual should have three to five KRAs for the year and they should be ranked in order of importance. We link key goals to clearly defined bonus amounts. We also ask:

• What is the performance standard for this area? This allows us to know if a person is on track for meeting the objective.
• What do they need to accomplish the goal? From training to tools, at the start of the year when KRAs are set, we identify the activities or resources that will be required to help employees meet their goals.
• What are the necessary steps to meet this goal? Here, as a leader, we're helping break down a larger goal into smaller tasks. As the saying goes, "By the yard it's hard; by the inch it's a cinch." 

After defining the KRAs, the next step involves follow-up meetings to create accountability for each employee. The frequency depends on the role. The beauty of this approach is that there are no surprises at performance review time. If someone has been missing the mark, KRAs allow for coaching and correction in real time. 

Tom's Takeaway:  Everyone should have a clear understanding of their top three to five goals for the year, which should be aligned with the company's goals. Goals should be measurable and reinforced with tools and training. They also should be broken down into manageable steps and reviewed on a frequent basis throughout the year.

Setting goals is an annual process at Intertech. If the leaves are changing colors and kids are heading back to school, you can count on the principals at my company gathering together to plot the coming year's corporate goals. Here are the guidelines we follow:

• Limit goals to no more than three, with one identified as the top goal. 
• Make goals measurable so you know when your goal has been met.  
• Assign someone with the proper authority ultimate responsibility for each goal
• Have frequent updates to "shine light" on progress (or lack thereof) toward each goal. 
• Create a theme that ties everyone in the company to the top goal for the year.  
• Hold quarterly offsite meetings to review what's been done and what's next. 

Tom's Takeaway:  Set goals annually; with no more than three per year. Define who is responsible for each goal and make goals measurable. Clearly identify the top company-wide goal, with a corresponding reward if the goal is met. Finally, communicate...communicate...communicate about the goal throughout the year.    

Leadership is a word that gets overused.  When asked what leaders do, it can be unclear.  I believe the top seven responsibilities include:

• Planning the organizational goals
• Aligning individuals with the goals of the firm and holding them accountable
• Solving problems
• Delegating
• Giving praise
• Giving corrective feedback
• Treating people with care

Tom's Takeaway:  There are many aspects to leadership, but mastering this list of seven main leadership responsibilities will go a long toward ensuring a successful venture with happy, productive employees and satisfied customers.  

As a leader, lining up what we say and what we do is imperative.  Character and integrity are measures of how closely what someone says lines up with what they do.  Retired Medtronic CEO Bill George makes this point in his book Authentic Leadership: “If you want to see employees become cynical, just watch what happens when the top executives behave in ways inconsistent with the company values.”  He’s right because leadership is all about setting a positive example for others.  There’s an Italian saying that “a fish rots from the head down.” I believe this is true in business—if things aren’t well in a company and you’re the leader, the first place to look is in a mirror—not out a window.  How does a leader exhibit true character? To me, it comes down to a lot of simple but extraordinarily important actions, such as:

• Taking the blame when you’ve made a mistake. It’s the right thing to do and it increases your credibility with your team. Jim Collins has said that “Great leaders look in a mirror when there is a mistake and look out a window when there is a success.” 
• Giving away credit. In my experience, doing so rewards you at a rate of at least ten times what you gave away. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.
• Being willing to make mistakes. As my father, Ted Salonek, taught me, “if you do nothing, you’ll make no mistakes.” So don’t be afraid to try and don’t be afraid to fail.
  

The mirror and window concept of a leader is discussed in depth by Jim Collins in his definition of a “Level 5” leader, which he calls the highest level of leadership and defines as "fierce will combined with humility." This combination makes the leader put the interest of the company ahead of his personal interest.  

Tom’s Takeaway:  True leaders take the blame when they've made a mistake but are quick to give away credit to others.

The word “leadership” has many definitions.  For me, leadership has two primary parts—how we think and what we do.  First and foremost, as a leader, it’s our responsibility to exercise thought leadership.  Earl Nightingale made the statement, “We become what we think about.” For leaders, this means having a positive attitude, believing in what’s possible, and anticipating the future before it happens.  

When problems occur, it’s only natural for your employees to look at you and wonder how you’ll react.  If you are fearful and believe the proverbial sky is falling, don’t be surprised when your people follow suit.  On the other hand, if there are problems and you define a goal that solves the problem, have a game plan, and move quickly into executing, your people will approach problems the same way.  In times of trials, “Adversity doesn’t build character.  It reveals it.”  

Tom's Takeaway: Leadership begins in the mind.  Think positively and your actions will follow.

The end game, the time right before a project finishes, can be difficult. Keep things manageable by focusing the team: turn off  e-mail and voice-mail. Beyond huddles, cancel all non-essential meetings. It also helps to keep the work in a known state. With multiple people making changes to a project, ensure that the details are pulling together.  In software development, this means building the entire application daily. 

It's tempting to strive for total perfection as the project is nearing completion, but stop and ask, "does this problem need to be fixed?" In software, sometimes with small problems the mere act of fixing the bug introduces more bugs! Avoid this by distinguishing the small problems that can be fixed at a later time from those that are truly critical.  

It goes without saying (but here I go), that the end of the project is not the time to solicit and add more to the project. This is the time to nail the requirements and "get 'er done!" If a project deliverable date must be changed, however, don't exchange one bad date for another. Instead, get the team involved in setting a new date that is realistic and then hit it. . . no matter what. 

Tom's Takeaway: Project end games can be smooth if the team focuses, makes strategic decisions about critical fixes and focuses on meeting the deadline. Be sure to celebrate when the project is delivered too...whether a formal dinner or a beer out with the team, it makes a difference and will be remembered the next time you're in "crunch mode."