The Practice of Business

Episode 12: Culture of Accountability Part 2, Effective Delegation

Early in my management career, I had a simplistic, traditional understanding of delegation. I would assign a task, describe the outcome I expected, and turn my team members loose, This approach often led to inconsistent results, leaving me hesitant to delegate more. Over time, my inability to delegate effectively reduced the trust I had in my team, reduced their trust in me, and ultimately impacted my quality of life as I took on more responsibilities and directly involved myself in more projects.  Then, I heard a story that completely changed my understanding of effective delegation. Using the core lessons of the story I created a process to guide my new approach to delegation. Implementing this process dramatically improved my effectiveness as a leader. Over the years, I’ve trained many other leaders to implement this process transforming their leadership effectiveness.  In this episode, I’ll share the story and my process so you can incorporate it into your own leadership practice and increase the performance of your team. Contact me: brian@thehunterorion.com Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hayes-orion/ Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianthehunterorion/ Podcast Website: https://thepracticeofbusiness.buzzsprout.com

Episode 11: Creating a Culture of Accountability, Part 1

In the last episode, I encouraged leaders to move away from the traditional “I’m the boss”, “top-down” leadership style. I received many responses, all echoing a similar theme: “I’d love to follow that model, but how do I get my team to do the things that need to be done, and do them consistently well, without micromanaging them?” The answer is to create a Culture of Accountability, where team members hold themselves and their teammates accountable. Today’s episode is the first in a three-part series describing the process for creating this culture of accountability in your business. We’ll focus on the creation and implimentation of your core values and explain their role in accountability.  Many organizations have core values, but too often they’re only used for marketing purposes or buried deep in an employee manual no one reads. In contrast, we’ll discuss a process for bringing your core values to life, where they become “the default way of thinking for the organization”; establishing clear guidelines for “how we do things around here”, and creating a powerful driver of accountability.  Contact me: brian@thehunterorion.com Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hayes-orion/ Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianthehunterorion/ Podcast Website: https://thepracticeofbusiness.buzzsprout.com

Episode 10: The Paradox of Alpha Leadership

In 1970, biologist David Mech published a book describing research into the behavior of wolves. In particular, the book described the structure of the wolf pack, where the lead wolf, or Alpha, takes and maintains its leadership through dominance and aggression. Mech’s book would have an impact beyond biology, as his description of Alpha behavior became synonymous with the predominant style of management seen in the corporate world.  I've developed leaders throughout my corporate career and leadership coaching is a significant focus of my consulting business. None of the leaders I’ve worked with want to be a tyrant, however, many feel they need to establish and reinforce their authority to get things done, earn respect, keep the team on task, etc.  In this episode, we’ll discuss the Alpha style of leadership. We’ll review the myths and misconceptions surrounding this approach, we’ll discuss why the Alpha style isn’t leadership at all, and why it’s popular but ineffective. Interestingly, we’ll also talk about updated modern research which explains that everything we thought we knew about Alpha wolves was wrong, and how the new understanding of wolf pack behavior might be a good model for leadership after all. Contact me: brian@thehunterorion.com Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hayes-orion/ Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianthehunterorion/ Podcast Website: https://thepracticeofbusiness.buzzsprout.com

Episode 9: A Man, a Puppy, and a Pair of Sunglasses: Lessons in Customer Loyalty

Repeat business is not the same as loyalty. Think about how many companies you do business with regularly. Where you get your morning coffee, the place you stop to get gas, your go-to grocery store, the vendors you work with in your business… They’re convenient. They may offer you “rewards” points, membership discounts, apps/tools/software, etc. You’re a satisfied customer. But are you loyal? What if a competitor arrived offering more convenience, lower prices, more products, more rewards points, a slicker app?  Now think about the companies that have truly earned your loyalty. Are they common? Do they make you feel like just another customer? If you have companies you’re loyal to, it’s likely you’ve built a connection with the humans who work there, more than their apps or programs. Could a competitor take your business by simply offering a discount or more reward points? In this episode of The Practice of Business, I’ll share one of my favorite stories illustrating a company’s commitment to building true customer loyalty. I’ll break the story down into core lessons and provide ideas for developing lifetime customer loyalty in your own business.  Contact me: brian@thehunterorion.com Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hayes-orion/ Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianthehunterorion/ Podcast Website: https://thepracticeofbusiness.buzzsprout.com

Episode 8: Motivating Teams for High Performance

“How do I get my team to be more accountable, take more initiative, share more feedback, invest in their own growth, etc.?” Increasing motivation isn’t the only answer to these questions, but the answers all build off of and flow from having a highly motivated team. Dwight Eisenhower defined leadership as “the art of getting people to WANT to do what must be done.” Ok. But as a leader, how do you create or develop that “want” among your team members?  In this episode of the Practice of Business podcast, we’ll explore the leader’s role in motivating teams, review behaviors that motivate (and de-motivate), and discuss why motivation is so important to team performance. I’ll also share a strategic approach you can implement with your own team.  Contact me: brian@thehunterorion.com Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hayes-orion/ Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianthehunterorion/ Podcast Website: https://thepracticeofbusiness.buzzsprout.com