What You Say Is What You Get®-What Can Dance Leaders Teach You about Leadership?

What You Say Is What You Get®: Positive Leadership Power from Dr. Linne Bourget, September, 2018

The Dance of Lead and Follow--What Can Dance Leaders Teach You about Leadership?

Advancing the Dance of Lead and Follow as a business metaphor, I interviewed 20 advanced,

all star and champion dance leaders, all competitors, at a recent convention. I asked what 

was the most important thing to do as a leader in social dancing? 

Why These Leaders and This Question?

1. These higher level competitors have training and experience to provide wise insights..

no beginners...like my executive clients.

2. In social dancing, they lead all levels of followers, like business leaders with employees.

3. As competitors, they understand and are proficient in dealing with a competitive 

environment (dance partners, judges, audience, music, floor, fans/supporters/friends, competitors, social media, international conventions), like business leaders 

have to adapt to dealing with employees, customers, strategic partners, competitors, 

media/social media, and global market dynamics.

What Did They Say Was the Most Important Thing to Do as a Leader? 

What Do These Dance Leaders Teach You as Business Leaders?

Here are their top 6 responses/priorities, in this order and the business leadership

implications of each:

1. Keep my partner safe, no injuries. This is crucial for the advanced dance moves I enjoy

and the turbulent global market requiring advanced leadership! This is analogous to a 

business leader protecting the business and employees, via physical, financial, psychological,

and cybersecurity strategies. Advanced leaders do this well!

2. Adjust my level of dancing to hers. This is the Collaborative Leader, skilled enough to 

adjust his/her communication and leadership strategies to different levels of employees

for creating greater relationships in business.

These higher level leaders understood this well. This is crucial for leading in the complexity

of the global market with demands for rapid change and innovation, and for talent retention, 

so employees feel seen and heard.

3. Smile, make her feel good, comfortable, be positive. This reflects the need for leaders 

to create a positive culture by offering positive energy and communication. My current 

Manual for the Strengths Awareness System in my What You Say Is What You Get® 

Positive Leadership Series discusses this in depth. Only a Positive Culture can support 

successful FAST change and innovation and strengthen keeping your best talent.

“Business momentum follows positive energy

and is destroyed by negative energy.”

Dr. Linne’s Power Quote

4. Give her a great connection. This relates to having the leadership skill to know how 

to connect with different personalities and styles in business, a crucial skill, while keeping 

your own leadership strength and skill present to guide interactions. 

5. Be aware of how I impact her, relax, be calm and mindful of my leading, my partner, 

and the music. This means being able to attune to those you lead, seeing your impact 

on them, not just focusing on yourself as leader.  This is essential for success as a 

Collaborative Leader, and crucial for leading rapid innovation, now a major challenge. 

Millenials expect this, so retaining their talent requires this.

  

6. Give the lady a clear signal, leads that convey what I want. This sounds basic for business leaders, but often leaders’ messages leave room for multiple interpretations and confusion. Sorting this out and resolving the difficulties caused by this wastes your company time and money! Clarity is money in the bank and creates higher employee engagement. This is highly valued in dance leadership, and leaders at this level immediately apologize when they (rarely) give an unclear lead.  Unclear leads happen more often 

in business, as leaders may not realize theygive unclear leads.Many executive clients’ 
messages have a different impact than they intend due to lack of clarity. 

A beloved Senior Vice President client in  a Fortune 150 firm joked about leaving. His entire Division was upset! I spent the whole day undoing rumors and re-assuring them he was just joking! No  other work got done! He did not intend to or realize he would upset them!

Economically and psychologically expensive!

“No leader can be the forest to his/her own trees”.

Dr. Linne’s Power Quote

How Do You Rate? If I interviewed your leadership team, what would they say?

1. How safe do they feel?

2. How well do you adjust your communication to their level?

3. How positively do you come across, making them comfortable?

4. How well do you connect the them?

5. How aware are you of your impact on them?

6. How clear are your leadership communications?

In my experience, clients rarely do all these well at first...they need to build their skills in order

to succeed, so always be willing to invest in building your skills! 

I appreciate all of your positive leadership.

Peace and Prosperity,

Dr. Linne

 

"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, &; protect 
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D.
 www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com 
Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System 
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants 
Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? 
Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom 
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results 
Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient PQ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient AQ® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2018. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.

The Silent Grinch CEO's Huge Loss--How High is Your Appreciative Quotient®?

The Silent Grinch CEO's Huge Loss--How High is Your Appreciative Quotient®? 

What You Say Is What You Get® Positive Leadership Power Newsletter 

from Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A, M.B.A, Ph.D.

 "Larry" the CFO had never made a bad decision in his 5 years there, but his CEO never appreciated him, so Larry left for another job. 

 

The CEO was shocked, then telling Larry, "You have never made a bad decision."  Larry said, "You could have told me that." 

 

Worse, the CEO pretended losing him was no big deal, which angered Larry's team, who respected him highly! So 5 of Larry's top finance team left, offended! 

Imagine the chaos in their financial operations and the risk of financial loss! 

Very scary!

This CEO (not my client!) was a silent Grinch...he did not criticize Larry, but his silence and lack of positive feedback were deadly. 

 

That CEO had an Appreciative Quotient®, or AQ, of ZERO plus no behavioral risk management skills!

Giving appreciation is so much better, easier and more cost effective!

This shows the financial power of appreciative leadership and the connection between the leadership heart and the bottom line. 

 

Many think appreciation has no financial impact, but research shows that more positive business cultures are more profitable!

Be sure your Appreciative Quotient®, or AQ, is high! If you are skilled, it bonds your teams together and creates better results. And it strengthens your family relationships!

“What strengthens the human spirit strengthens results.  What weakens the human spirit weakens results.” Dr. Linne’s Power Quote

Wishing you every joy for Valentine's Day and a peaceful prosperous 2018!

I appreciate all your positive leadership in your company and all the good you do in the world!

Peace and Prosperity,

Dr. Linne

"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, & protect 
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System 
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants 
Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom 
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient PQ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient AQ® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage!
"The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2018. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.

From Dr. Linne for Positive Leaders--What Crucial Resource Can You Not See? August 2015

From Dr. Linne for Positive Leaders--What Crucial Business Resource Can You Not See? August 2015

Dear Clients, Colleagues, Friends and Family,

Welcome to Dr. Linne Bourget's What You Say Is What You Get® Positive Leadership Monthly Newsletter! 

Recently I gave some very clear positive feedback to a fellow entrepreneur (not a client) and he deflected it!  He did not see or own his own greatness!
As a result he is not taking advantage of expansion opportunities for his firm.

This sparked reflections on my client executives, most of whom have been brilliant, highly educated at top schools, leaders in their fields and very successful.
What have they taught me about strengths as a leadership focus? When I began my appreciative leadership work, no one else was doing this and there was no research to guide my Ph.D. dissertation, so clients became guideposts.

1.  They usually do not see or under-see their strengths and greatness in depth, compared to what I see in them.
2.  They are uncomfortable discussing strengths and do not know how to until they have learned my business-friendly language system for this.
3.  They have no idea how much money they leave lying on the road from not seeing/applying strengths to their bottom line systematically in all leadership behavior.

I saw this when starting my positive strengths-based leadership work and was, and still am, amazed. 

How can this be? How can these best and brightest not see their best? Excutives have often been surprised that I can see their strengths quickly when they cannot, even though they have worked together for years!

"Without full knowledge of your best, you have only half the truth - the worst half."
Dr. Linne’s Power Quote

I learned that the culture rarely supports discussing strengths and greatness in depth.
As a result, we have massive under-use of strengths because so few are really seen and applied via all leadership behavior systematically.
This means lower profits, more stress and struggle and a lot less fun!
After all, what resource is more crucial for business success than your leadership team's strengths?

Even companies assessing strengths do not have an integrated set of strengths-based leadership systems to apply strengths  to the bottom line, starting with a road-tested Engine and Four Wheels strengths communication system.

There’s a saying: "An opportunity sustains an enterprise for a year; good management sustains an enterprise for a decade;  good corporate culture sustains an enterprise for a century."

How clear is your company's culture about basing success on strengths?
How deeply do you and your team see strengths?
How thoroughly do you have comprehensive systems in place for strengths-based leadership?

Only have you have done both well can you maximize success, profits, and keep the best talent!
One of my first client teams increased revenue by 35-40% in just a few months using this approach!
How about you?  How skilled are you in this?  How high are your Positive Quotient®PQ and your Appreciative Quotient®AQ? If I interviewed your teams, how would they rate you on this?

Peace and Prosperity to You!
Dr. Linne

"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, protect 
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com 
Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System 
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom 
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient PQ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient AQ® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage  
"The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2015. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.

for Positive Leaders--The Profit Power of Patience: What You Say Is What You Get(R)

Hello, Positive Leaders!

 

From Dr. Linne for Positive Leaders:  The Positive Profit Power of Patience

 

Benjamin Franklin said  "S/He that can have patience can have what s/he will." (updated pronouns)

How patient are you?  Is your patience/impatience adding to or subtracting from your bottom line? Are you rushing from meeting to meeting, just skimming the surface?  This is Old Power.  New Power stops and listens for deeper layers and better solutions.

In our fast world it is easy to forget the benefits of patience, and indeed this has been a challenge for me as a future visionary..I can see it done and wonder why it takes so long for others to see it and implement!  

 

Yet I have also learned to slow downand think more deeply, ask deeper questions, take time to understand more deeply...and from that, larger business projects and deals

show up for me...and clients and colleagues who are willing to do the same.

As I say, "Only depth gives you freedom."  Dr Linne's Power Quote

Many believe they don't have the time for depth...but they have time to incur the costs of "hurry up and do it over"!

Sadly I have seen many examples of CEOs trying to rush through a deal without the foundation built, only to see them lose hugely.

One did not feel he could afford the few thousand dollars to hire me to evaluate and help choose his executive team.  Cost: three years of lost revenue, many millions of dollars, a very poor business plan written by an unqualified financial person, legal costs and losses, and huge amounts of stress and upsets....as the British say, penny wise, pound foolish.

Another did not stay in touch during crucial periods in his business and lost most of his business...I could have told him one of his deals was much too risky, but he did not return phone calls or emails....was in a crunch, did not feel like he had time to talk.  Very expensive mistake.

What is hurried impatience costing you?

Taking time to communicate...with patience...can prevent and resolve many issues which would otherwise be deal-breakers.

Working on a large and wonderful project, we have had much back and forth about the documents needed, and delays.

Had I not worked on my impatience for many years and achieved more patience within, I would be frustrated and nervous...but I held to our positive vision and the CEO called and assured me again that he wants very much to work together and documents will meet everyone's needs. 

Having more patience gives me with my patience,  and gives you with your patience, these powerful benefits:

1.  The joy of the project and all the good it can do for so many.

2.  The joy of future projects together...he has more than this one.

3.  The joy of building the relationship, both on the same positive leadership page!

4.  More confidence that this will work out for project and financial good for all of us.

5.  More inner space to experience that this is a great benefit for me as well as for the client.

6.  Much less worry about whether this will come to fruition, and much less stress on my body.

7.  More relaxed mental space to add more layers of value to the client and others involved in every communication.

8.  More relazed mental space to track the details of the documents required and ensure accuracy/protection, so we all have a great foundation.

9.  More creative mental space to reach out to more possible clients with positive energy and programs, and enjoy the process!

Can you list more???

How well do you give your business the benefits of patience?  Do you take time to go deeper or are you rushing from meeting to conference call?

How do you rate on patience?  1=low, 10=High...what is your score?

Can you claim patience as a strength?  If not, work on it every day...this takes focus and practice but is worth it.

Need help?  Contact us..I have powerful patience strategies for clients.

Wishing you peace, patience and prosperity!

Dr. Linne

PS Check out the services and products page of my site below, www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com

"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, protect 
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System Founder
CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders, Consultants 
Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient PQ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient AQ® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage!! Power Course on Intuition for Business Leaders! "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2014. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.

What You Say Is What You Get(R)--July 4 Independent or Interdependent Leader? How Do You Rate?

 Hello Everyone,

From Dr Linne- for Positive Leaders--Happy 4th of July! 

In giving thanks for our nation's freedoms, still great even under current challenges, I am
reflecting on why I celebrate Independence Day and Interdependence Day --both are crucial for leaders.
Why? What do these terms mean?
We all know that independence means we can stand on our own, in our own strength, and this is good, because
a chain is only as strong as the weakest link...isn't it?
How do you rate in thinking for yourself, holding to your own values, bringing your best strength to your most important leadership relationships?
What score would you give yourself, 1= low, 10= high?

Yet we all know that spiritually, psychologically and practically, we all need more than just ourselves in order to thrive and succeed?
We need spiritual guidance, peace and balance.
We need to grow beyond independence to work in healthy collaboration and synergy with others--what I call in my work the 1+1=15!
We need to be mature enough psychologically to build and sustain these high-synergy relationships of strong individuals
coming together to create more than they could ever dream of achieving alone.

Yet many teams do not require enough individual strength to foster great teams...they settle for less.
And many team members do not give their best, waiting for others to go first, not sure what is needed...and not asking to find out!
In training and development situations, teams can do well helping the weaker members along.
But ultimately, each individual must choose to be in their strengths and greatness and bring that to their teams,
week in and week out, sustainably.
And each positive leader must insist on and create the space for this...
This takes active work...and the rewards can be huge....I have seen teams do things beyond their wildest imagination once
they implement this way of working from strengths...e. g. one client team increased revenue 35-40% in a few months.
This positive path takes courage...it is not for the faint of heart...and is thus quintessentially American!!

How do you rate as an interdependent leader?
How well do you create space for other strong independent people to work closely with you?
Do you nourish and "feed" your strongest most positive colleagues,  and friends?
How well do you support them?  As well as they support you?
How well do you sustain your best interdependent working relationships?  Are you in contact at least weekly?
If I asked your team members how well you do this, what would they tell me?

A colleague and friend who went through major losses a few years back tried to handle things on his own....it did not work out well..he reached the limits
of independence, very constraining when multiple skills and views are needed beyond our own.
This time he has learned to be an interdependent leaders and reach out for help...very smart to be a grower and learner...his foundation will
be stronger as a result, if he sustains great 2-way interdependence, giving as well as receiving.

How do you rate yourself as an interdependent leader?  How well do you foster this high-synergy teamwork?  1- low, 10= high.
Think about your ratings....what looks great?  Where do you need strengthening?

So, when I am standing for the color guard to bring in the flag tonight at our dance convention, and singing the Star Spangled Banner (I know all the
words...do you?), I will be appreciating living in a country which makes space for independent and interdependent leader and team members---because
it is up to all of us to take that space and make it work!!
In appreciation of all of you, wishing you a joyful July 4th,
and strengths, peace and prosperity!! 


"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, protect 
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System 
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders; Consultants Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? 
Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom 
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results, Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series, Positive Quotient® PQ Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient® AQ Questionnaire, Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage Coming soon!! Power Course on Intuition for Business Leaders! "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2014. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.