The C's of C-Level Leadership - Christian Business Round Table

Last month we discussed “The C’s of C-Level Leadership” as we prepared for the February 20th Leadership Summit which focused on the topic “The 8 C’s of C-Level Leadership.”

We started all of our Round Table discussions with asking: What are the C’s of C-Level Leadership? As you will read below, there are many words that describe C-Level leadership beyond the 8 that were discussed at the Summit.

We hope you enjoyed the Round Table meetings and look forward to seeing you this month as we discuss “Building Leaders and Engaging Employees: Building your Strategic Leadership Team.”

Detroit Round Table GroupTopic: The C’s of C-Level Leadership

Kalamazoo – Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Challenge

Culture
Community
Competence
Confidence
Compassion
Commitment
Caring
Choice
Conformance
Champion
Composure
Character
Customer
Creativity
Capability
Consistency
Collaborating
Clarity
Conscientiousness
Cleaning
Completeness
Credit
Change

Solutions:

Consistently Engaged -Employees
As leaders we are responsible to develop leaders. It takes a lot of time to be intentional. Give your employees freedom to grow. Jesus chose 12 and he led them. They went into the storm and needed to turn to him for faith. We need to be there to keep them from drowning. Jesus was intentional. He had classroom time with the 12 and they learned from their failures.
Compassion –Connecting
Be intentional – to each person.
Employees will respond when they begin to see value in what they are doing. That is when people start to engage. Spend time with them so they can see the big picture.
Character – Connecting
Don’t forget to build/start with yourself.
Building your character will carry you through.
Choice
- Why am I here? God has a purpose. Make a personal choice every day to be intentional and engaged.
Consequential Choices
- Being responsible for choices. Thinking through and making good choices.
Caring – it is all about them.
Culture – is a noun and a verb
Collaboration
- Bringing everyone together one time each year has great value. Everyone can see where we have been and where we are going.
Champions – carry the flag
Composure
- Under stress is when we see the best and worst decisions.
All C’s are a Muscle
- Strengthen your choice muscle. Then you can make good choices and demonstrate you are a good leader.
- To the degree you work on them will determine the strength of your effectiveness.

Take a Way

Collaboration – Everyone on your team is working together from where they are to where they as a group want to be.
Culture – it is a noun and a verb.
All C’s – lead to engagement which leads to successful results for the organization.
Choice – It is a personal choice everyday how I am going to fill my time.
C’s – Strengthen my muscles.
Choice – make good choices
Character – choose daily to deny oneself and choose Christ. A selfless humility.
Be Caring and Compassionate – it is all about them.

Kalamazoo – Thursday, February 12, 2015

Culture
Commitment
Confidence
Contagious
Competitive
Character
Courage
Conviction
Charity
Compassion
Care
Conscious
Compliance
Charisma
Customer
Consistency
Competence
- Thoroughly understand the product and team
- Long term, strategic thinking, moving target
- Focus on the core of company
Character
Integrity
- Humility – Servant Leadership
- Your word is your bond.
- It only takes one time to lose it.
- Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
Compassion
- How do others see you? How do you treat others?
- Professional and still caring
- Truth is compassionate with integrity
Creativity
- Flexible and alert to change
- Not risking the whole organization.
- Have people on your team that can discern if something is a bad idea.
- Trusting the majority.
Commitment
- If you are not committed, your employees won’t be.
- If you are committed, your employees will be committed and engaged.
- An action – from the top down.
- You set the bar of Commitment.
Communication
- Everyone communicates differently.
- Read people to see how you can communicate with each individual.
- Assumptions can be killer. You need clarity.
Collaborative
- Do you work as a team?
- Humility – you don’t have to be the one with all the answers.
- More people buy in “our idea.”
- Reflective wisdom

Take A Ways

Commitment
Different ways of Communication
The Company succeeds when the team is engaged.
It was a good hour of reflection.
“Get rid of voicemail.”
Ability to gain thought from everyone
Culture

Kalamazoo – Friday, February 13, 2015

What are the C’s of C-Level leadership?

Commitment
Character – can impact all
Competency
Communication – language/tone/physical and verbal
Courage – to have to make tough decisions, making the right decision in the face of fear.
Confidence
Compassion
Chemistry
Charisma
Collaboration
Culture – How do you set a culture? It starts with leadership.
Christian
Christ
Calling
Customer/client
Community – the people we work with.
Competition
Continuity
Continuing Education
Credentials
Core Values
Consistency
Coach
Compliance
Constituents
Capability
Credible

Take what we discuss and apply it in our businesses?

Leadership DNA – blueprint for leaders to follow
Culture=Chemistry, community, character
“Motivation is like a shower – it doesn’t last long but you need a little every day.
Play devil’s advocate/always have one to get different perspectives and look at things from all angles.
Speak the truth in love.
Share truthfully and honestly.
Most important: Mission/purpose of the organization.
Most important C’: You need to work Confidence (from Christ )knowing He’s got your back.
Communication: Ask how you can better communicate with your team/direct report.
Culture: L M C Model
Culture-ization process
Go over core values and talk about how these impacts their jobs and how their job fits into the mission.
Competency: Need a growth mentor to help
Chemistry:
- Some have a natural chemistry and others you have to work with a lot harder.
- How do you foster and build a chemistry/rapport with people so the listen/take direction/guidance from you?
Have others help
Mentoring program
Identify different personality types
Type A vs. B/introvert
Behavioral psychology approach
Interdependence: Christ calls us to do this- we need each other.
DISK profile
Communication styles
Consistency (in our approach to work)
Some days are great and we can go home feeling good, others I feel I spin my wheels.
“The greatest charge agent is the Holy Spirit.”

Grand Rapids – Tuesday, February 10, 2015

“Brainstormed on the C’s of C-Level Leadership

Challenges
Compassion
Christ
Collaboration
Commitment
Confidence
Congrats
Cost
Canned
Commander
Counseling
Consideration
Courtesy
Caring
Creative
Compensation
Crust
The 8 C’s of the C-Level Leadership were shared (from Dick’s presentation):
- Competence
- Character
- Compassion
- Creativity
- Commitment
- Communication
- Collaborative
- Christ

Challenge:

Balance
Knowing when to use each one of them
Experience
Sustainability
Pre-disposition
Yourself
Ego
Time
People / Personality
“Right People on the Bus”
No definition of core values
Consistency

Solution:

Mindset of progress not perfection
Spend time working “on” the business, not “in” the business
Write it down
Look at Business Model called CANVAS
Key Partners
Key Activities
Key Resources
Value Proposition
Customer Relationships
Channels
Customer Segments
Cost Structure
Revenue Stream
Start with overall vision
Plan
Define priorities
Have a destination in mind (a map)
Schedule time

Takeaways:

Need personal goals
Be purposeful
Time blocking
Progress not perfection
Work “on” the business
Processes drive results
Time to think
Corporate trust
CANVAS Model
Consistency

Grand Rapids – Thursday, February 12, 2015

Commitment
Creativity
Character
Conscientiousness
Custodian/Curator
Celebratory
Christ-centered
Consistent
Consultative
Collaborator
Choices/Consequences
Calling
Core Values
Connected
Clear/Clarity
Compassionate
Change Agent
Clairvoyant (in a positive anticipatory way)
Communicative

Challenges

How can we best instill the core values of our family legacy into the organizational culture of our company in the short term and in the long term.
Consistency and Creativity can become obstacles to one another.
How do we know WHEN to institute change?
We can spend so much time preparing for change that the window of opportunity closes, at least partially, while we are planning to capitalize on it being open. (analysis/paralysis, quick decisions vs due diligence)
Staying committed to our core values can be challenging amidst a culture of innovation, empowerment and expansion.
What should our leadership team look like, and do we have the right people on the leadership team?

Key Solutions

Per Jn. 15 – the parable of the vine and the branch – Prune away distractions from the mission by recognizing where fruitfulness is occurring.
Seek 360 degrees of perspective when considering a serious opportunity or challenge. Be willing to explore how much you can’t see or don’t know.
Clarify expectations to new staff and new generations
Measure, track and tend to increasing staff retention rates.

Key Takeaways

A legacy can only become a legacy if we put in the effort and take the time to pass it on effectively. That means engaging every “C” on the list!
WW_D. Fill it in! What Would (our founders, our leaders, our staff, our patriarchs and matriarchs, our values systems, and of course our Lord) Do?
Know who the key influencers are within our organizations, our communities, our key customers, and our other key stakeholder groups. Then cultivate those relationships in an honorable and mutually beneficial way.