Ask for what you want.

My favorite lessons are always the ones I learn from my wife. And this one is one of the most important lessons I have learned in relation to my marriage and Writers of the Round Table (yes — the parallels are many ).

When it comes to communication, he who opens his mouth about his needs gets them fulfilled. Similarly in business, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

For some reason, as a leader, I have always felt that I needed to earn things the hard way. That I needed to do things in such a large way that the world would take notice and then rain its riches upon me. I tend to be stubborn in this regard often. But that approach is not working for my company, nor is it working for my clients (and it certainly doesn’t work in my marriage!).

When we have a need, the greatest thing we can do is to put it out there. Asking for help is often not something a leader likes to do, but who can come to your aid if you’re unwilling to let them know of your desires?

So today, I want to put it out there that I am looking for assistance in getting our books into bookstores. In the past it has not been a priority, because we were focusing so heavily on development, but we have a couple of books, Edge and China Girl, and From the Barrio to the Board Room, that I believe would sell incredibly well off the shelf. So if anyone out there reading this has relationships with bookstore managers, owners, or corporate offices, we are looking for champions to introduce our books to the public. That being said, if anyone out there lives near a bookstore and is willing to walk our books into the store and convince them to carry them, we could launch a grass roots campaign that way as well. Outside the box thinking is welcome, and I thank you in advance for considering this request.

My own needs aside, if you are a leader of your own business or other organization, I challenge you to ask yourself if there might be an area in your world that could be made a bit brighter with the posing of a simple request for help. A little asking can go a long way.

Great post on Harvard Business Review by Bronwyn Fryer.  Why do we so often dismiss or underutilize our younger employees?   Is it because we think we know it all, or do we think these young men and women are our kids, so of course, they can’t possibly bring value to the table?

Over the past two years, I have learned more by spending time with hundreds of Gen Ys than I have learned in a long time.  These young men and women are bright, tech savvy, worldly, civic minded and quite resourceful.  They have hutzpah!  Before you decide to dismiss a twenty-something point of view or their talent, think twice.  Get to know them, and you may just find that you will learn something quite valuable…that age means nothing when it comes to wisdom.

My husband Mike was the Mayor of Southern Pines at the early age of 32. He served for two terms, and he has been politically active since that time. He is now somewhat of a sage. People from all political parties and all sides of issues walk in and out of his office throughout the week to get his advice on a variety of topics. Why him? Because he knows where the land mines are.

In leadership, developing political savvy is a must. Otherwise, you run the risk of being governed by your followers. While I am a huge fan of self directed leadership, at the end of the day, someone high at the top has to have the credibility, trust and integrity to make tough decisions, and this comes from being able to navigate complex political situations with finesse.

It is not uncommon for leaders to shy away from corporate or community politics, and in my opinion, this is just being naive or just plain stupid. Politically savvy leaders know to operate well behind the scenes, who the key players are and how to engage those key players with integrity so that they get on board. A politically savvy leader also knows where the land mines are, and they walk gingerly around them. A politically savvy leader never plays favorites, but he or she knows exactly what to say and when to say it and understands that working the political system is like walking through a maze…you eventually get to the result, but it is confusing and strategic at each and every turn.

If you are someone who is politically savvy, congratulations. If not, I highly recommend the book Political Savvy by Joel DeLuca. The book offers a political mapping technique that is simple but so effective. Just remember…knowing where the land mines are and knowing how to navigate the political system in your organization are half the battle!

My husband Mike was the Mayor of Southern Pines at the early age of 32.  He served for two terms, and he has been politically active since that time.  He is now somewhat of a sage.  People from all political parties and all sides of issues walk in and out of his office throughout the week to get his advice on a variety of topics.  Why him?  Because he knows where the land mines are.

In leadership, developing political savvy is a must.  Otherwise, you run the risk of being governed by your followers.  While I am a huge fan of self directed leadership, at the end of the day, someone high at the top has to have the credibility, trust and integrity to make tough decisions, and this comes from being able to navigate complex political situations with finesse.

It is not uncommon for leaders to shy away from corporate or community politics, and in my opinion, this is just being naive or just plain stupid.   Politically savvy leaders know to operate well behind the scenes, who the key players are and how to engage those key players with integrity so that they get on board.  A politically savvy leader also knows where the land mines are, and they walk gingerly around them.    A politically savvy leader never plays favorites, but he or she knows exactly what to say and when to say it and understands that working the political system is like walking through a maze…you eventually get to the result, but it is confusing and strategic at each and every turn.

If you are someone who is politically savvy, congratulations.  If not, I highly recommend the book Political Savvy by Joel  DeLuca.  The book offers a political mapping technique that is simple but so effective.  Just remember…knowing where the land mines are and knowing how to navigate the political system in your organization are half the battle!