develop — I THINK — Stephen Burrell

develop

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Building interpersonal skills

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If you really want to learn more, start by listening more. It sounds simple but listening with the intent to understand and not to reply is one of the most overlooked leadership skills. Real learning begins when we create space for others to speak, and when we resist the urge to fill that space with our own voice. Nobody has ever learned anything new by dominating the conversation or hearing themselves talk. I think listening is where insight, trust, and real connections are built.

““The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.””
— Brian Herbert

Planning tools

“Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do - it’s a matter of being different at what you do.”
— Michael Porter

Strategy is not only what you talk about doing, strategy is also something you do. I think that to develop a bold and executable strategy starts with making sure leaders have addressed these two questions:

·      What are we great at?
·      What are we able to achieve?

How will you be different than your competition? Contact me via e-mail for a deeper dive of your strategy.

Let's talk about it

Which one do you think is best?
I do not give you these answers, my technique is all about self-discovery and taking a deeper dive into the decision-making process by asking alternative questions, for example:
a) Why do you think they did that?
b) How could you have prevented that?
c) What do you think is going to happen next?

 

My procedures revolve around the 4 D’s (Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver). I systematically investigate, analyse, and optimise the points of contact between the customer and the organisation throughout the relationship. It’s not just about knowing the skills; it’s about applying them. Do you have a systematic way of getting better every day?

“Without doubt, there are lots of ways to measure the pulse of a business. But if you have employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow right, you can be sure your company is healthy and on the way to winning.”
— Jack Welch

Heroes have a growth mindset

Leadership is not about being the best, leadership is about making everyone else better, and you can’t learn leadership from a textbook or by gaining a certain title or number of years of experience. Leadership and the ability to influence others are a result of understanding people and if we take the time to develop this, it is much easier to influence other people, because you will be able to speak to their purposes and motivations. 


As a leader, you cannot do everything yourself in a fast-changing business world. You need a team that takes ownership, that coaches and helps each other to cross the finish line together, that maintains each other’s energy. If you have this kind of culture, where people are also rewarded for these behaviours, then everyone can have the ability to influence change for good, and they will want to do so. I think the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley made an excellent speech at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, see “When will leaders lead?”.

Where do I position myself in my own story?

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I think that it’s a universal human desire to be heard, to have one’s unique identity recognised and seen as worthy. Therefore, I have always made a point of showing an interest in the history, culture, and people of the the places I have visited. Believe it or not, I really do not like speaking about myself.

Last night I was asked the question, “What do you really do?
I replied, my mission is to inspire organisations by showing them how to simultaneously deliver happiness to their customers, employees and community in a long-term sustainable way. As I think the smartest selling tools add value to existing systems and processes, I do this by using the 4 D’s (discover, define, develop and deliver).