Newsletter 31 - 20 September 2005

"How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You" Launch This is the newsletter for www.mindtools.com. You have received it because you have subscribed to our double opt-in newsletter. This newsletter is published by James Manktelow of Mind Tools Ltd, Hardwick House, Prospect Place, Swindon, SN1 3LJ, United Kingdom. To contact us, please email us from this page.

Contents: In This Issue... "How to Lead" Launch Building Expert Power Mind Tools Store Sleeping Longer... A Final Note

In this issue, we're very proud to launch "How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You!", Mind Tools new course on Leadership Skills. We've put almost a year's work into "How to Lead", a simple but very powerful course which can help anyone become a highly effective leader, just as long as they're prepared to put in a little hard work. More about this launch later!

We gave you a flavour of the contents of "How to Lead" in our last newsletter. In this one we print one of the tools within it, which explains how to build Expert Power.

We also include a short guest article from Kacper Postawski a sleep scientist researcher that you are sure to find interesting - we sure did.

And just another reminder: We encourage you to share the information in these newsletters with anyone in your organization who you think would benefit from it. We also hope you will let us know if there is any topic you would like to see covered, or any applicable service or product you would like to read more about. You may remember that the last newsletter detailed delegation and that the information provided about this topic was requested by a Mind Tools newsletter reader. Now, we want to hear more about what you want!

Best wishes, and enjoy this issue!

James & Kellie

It's Launch Time for "How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You"
Article by James Manktelow

This is an exciting time for all of us at Mind Tools, as our year-long work comes to fruition in this newsletter, with the much-anticipated launch of “How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You.” In several past newsletters, we have given you “inside looks” at this course. Now, we hope you share our excitement as we make the course available to you on the Mind Tools website.

How to Lead was written by myself (James Manktelow), Felix Brodbeck and Namita Anand; and it was edited by Kellie Fowler.

You’ll know me through this newsletter and as author of Mind Tools, Stress Tools and Make Time for Success! (which I co-authored with Namita). I bring practical business and leadership experience to the course, as well as expertise in breaking complex ideas down into simple, easy-to-apply mind tools.

Namita is a business journalist. She specializes in presenting complex information in a straight forward and engaging manner. And you’ll know Kellie, again from this newsletter, as an inspiring personal development writer and a careful editor.

We’ve also introduced Felix in previous newsletters. Felix is Professor of Organizational and Social Psychology, Head of Department, Work & Organizational Psychology, and Director of the Aston Centre for Leadership Excellence (ACLE) at Aston Business School, UK. He is a real world authority on leadership.

Between us we have written a course that combines Felix’s expertise and my experience with the practical, clear, accessible approach you’ve come to expect from Mind Tools.

It’s a course that really will unlock your leadership potential, setting you firmly on the path to becoming a highly effective and deeply respected leader (just as long as you put in a bit of hard work).

And as bonus exclusively for newsletter subscribers, we're offering a $10.00, 7-day launch discount for all orders of "How to Lead" placed before 27 September 2005.

Find out more about “How to Lead” at http://www.mindtools.com/rs/HowtoLead. Qualify for the $10 discount. And really do discover the leader within you!

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Building Expert Power - Lead From the Front!

There are many types of power that leaders can use.

These include problematic ones such as the power of position, the power to give rewards, the power to punish and the power to control information. While these types of power do have some strength, they put the person being lead in an unhealthy position of weakness, and can leave leaders using these power bases looking autocratic and out of touch.

More than this, society has changed hugely over the last 50 years. Citizens are individually more powerful, and employees are more able to shift jobs. Few of us enjoy having power exerted over us, and some will do what they can to undermine people who use these sorts of power.

However there are three types of positive power that truly effective leaders use: Charismatic power, expert power and referent power.

This article teaches the technique of building expert power.

Using the Tool:

Expert power is essential because as a leader, your team looks to you for direction and guidance. Team members need to believe in your ability to set a worthwhile direction, give sound guidance and co-ordinate a good result.

If your team perceives you as a true expert, they will be much more receptive when you try to exercise influence tactics such as rational persuasion and inspirational appeal.

And if your team sees you as an expert you will find it much easier to guide them in such a way as to create high motivation:

• If your team members respect your expertise, they'll know that you can show them how to work effectively;
  
• If your team members trust your judgment, they'll trust you to guide their good efforts and hard work in such a way that you'll make the most of their hard work; and
  
• If they can see your expertise, team members are more likely to believe that you have the wisdom to direct their efforts towards a goal that is genuinely worthwhile.

Taken together, if your team sees you as an expert, you will find it much easier to motivate team members to perform at their best.

So how do you build expert power?

• Gain expertise: The first step is fairly obvious (if time consuming) – gain expertise. And, if you are already using tools like the information gathering tools in "How to Lead", the chances are that you have already progressed well ahead in this direction.

But just being an expert isn’t enough, it is also necessary for your team members to recognize your expertise and see you to be a credible source of information and advice. Gary A. Yukl, in his book “Leadership in Organizations,” details some steps to build expert power. A summary of these steps follows:

• Promote an image of expertise: Since perceived expertise in many occupations is associated with a person’s education and experience, a leader should (subtly) make sure that subordinates, peers, and superiors are aware of his or her formal education, relevant work experience, and significant accomplishments.
  
  One common tactic to make this information known is to display diplomas, licenses, awards, and other evidence of expertise in a prominent location in one’s office – after all, if you’ve worked hard to gain knowledge, it’s fair that you get credit for it. Another tactic is to make subtle references to prior education or experience (e.g., “When I was chief engineer at GE, we had a problem similar to this one”). Beware, however, this tactic can easily be overdone.
  
  
• Maintain credibility: Once established, one’s image of expertise should be carefully protected. The leader should avoid making careless comments about subjects on which he or she is poorly informed, and should avoid being associated with projects with a low likelihood of success.
  
  
• Act confidently and decisively in a crisis: In a crisis or emergency, subordinates prefer a “take charge” leader who appears to know how to direct the group in coping with the problem. In this kind of situation, subordinates tend to associate confident, firm leadership with expert knowledge. Even if the leader is not sure of the best way to deal with a crisis, to express doubts or appear confused risks the loss of influence over subordinates.
  
  
• Keep informed: Expert power is exercised through rational persuasion and demonstration of expertise. Rational persuasion depends on a firm grasp of up-to-date facts. It is therefore essential for a leader to keep well-informed of developments within the team, within the organization, and in the outside world.
  
  
• Recognize subordinate concerns: Use of rational persuasion should not be seen as a form of one-way communication from the leader to subordinates. Effective leaders listen carefully to the concerns and uncertainties of their team members, and make sure that they address these in making a persuasive appeal.
  
  
• Avoid threatening the self-esteem of subordinates: Expert power is based on a knowledge differential between leader and team members. Unfortunately, the very existence of such a differential can cause problems if the leader is not careful about the way he exercises expert power.
  
  Team members can dislike unfavorable status comparisons where the gap is very large and obvious. They are likely to be upset by a leader who acts in a superior way, and arrogantly flaunts his greater expertise.
  
  In the process of presenting rational arguments, some leaders lecture their team members in a condescending manner and convey the impression that the other team members are “ignorant.” Guard against this.

This is one of the articles in “How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You”. Not only does the course explain how to use the other "good" power bases, it teaches you how to use a range of honest influence tactics and powerful motivational techniques.

Click here to find our more about “How to Lead".

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The Mind Tools Store:

• The Mind Tools E-book: All of the articles on the Mind Tools website in one convenient, easily-downloadable, easily-printable PDF file. We have excluded advertising to enhance clarity and have formatted sections to be easy to read, print and use. More >>
  
  
• How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You: With Mind Tools' "How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You", learn the 48 essential skills needed to be a highly effective and respected leader. More >>
  
  
• Make Time for Success!: Make Time for Success teaches the 39 essential time management and personal productivity techniques that help you bring your workload under control and maximize your effectiveness, so that you can make the most of the opportunities open to you. More >>
  
  
• Design Your Life E-Class: This e-class helps you think through what you want to do with your life, and helps you set the powerful, compelling goals you need to achieve your ambitions.
  More >>
  
  
• Mind Tools Relaxation MP3s: Download 15-minutes of intense relaxation in MP3 format with our relaxation MP3s. Put stress behind you, and face the rest of your day with renewed energy and enthusiasm. More >>
  
  
• Personal Coaching from Career Excellence Professionals: Find career and life direction, bring your job under control, build self-confidence and put yourself on the path to long term success with a Mind Tools coach. Our coaches give you the focused personal coaching you need to make the very most of your career and life. More >>
  
  
• The Stress Management Masterclass: This e-book shows you how to tackle the deep structural problems that cause stress in your working life. It introduces you to relaxation techniques, shows you how to win control of your job and career, cope with politics and manage stress effectively. More >>

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Guest Article: The ONE Thing That Keeps Us Sleeping Longer
By Kacper Postawski, Sleep Science Researcher

Probably one of the biggest challenges people have is getting themselves out of the bed! This really has little to do with understanding sleep science or any of the information I teach, It has to do with your will power, and a little bit of strategy.

You've probably had many times in your life where you just couldn't get yourself out of bed. The biggest reason why we tend to stay in bed is because we "rationalize." For instance...

"I'll just sleep for 10 more minutes..." or "It's okay,... The alarm is early by 2.5 minutes anyway..." or "I'll get up when the room warms up a bit..."

Well, whatever you've rationalized not getting out of bed with, I'm sure it was very creative too, because as human beings we're really great at coming up with reasons for not doing things! The reason why rationalizing makes us stay in bed, or prevents us from achieving many other goals in our lives is because it creates negative momentum.

The law of momentum states: Once something gets into motion, it tends to stay in motion. The opposite, is also true: Once something stops, it tends to stay there!

Once you make a decision to remain in bed for "a few more minutes..." It tends to stay there, and it usually stays there for a lot longer than just a few minutes! That's why I teach people to create a momentum strategy to get out of bed as quickly as possible, and start moving - start moving around the house, go for a run, make breakfast with your partner, whatever it is you need to do to start moving and stop sleeping.

When you create positive momentum it will be too late to rationalize about sleep because you'll already be out of your bed! So here are just a couple of strategies you can use to get out of bed quickly and get more out of your day:

1) The "Distant Alarm" Method
Most people place their alarms right next to their bed within reach. This is a BIG no-no if you want to avoid staying in your bed. Why? Because most of the time you don’t even have to roll over to press the alarm. That doesn't create a lot of movement and definitely doesn't stop you from sleeping your life away.

Instead of placing your alarm clock by your bed, place it far away, like at the end of your bedroom by the corner of the wall! By doing this you'll be forced to get up out of your bed to turn it off! By the time you're out of bed it will be too late to rationalize staying longer in bed, you'll be out already.

I even once duck-taped my alarm clock to the ceiling, so every morning I had to get up and get a chair right underneath it to turn it off. Where there's a will, there's a way.

2) Rehearsing
The reason why we "rationalize" morning after morning is because we've done it so long that we do it without even thinking about it. Rationalizing becomes a learned and rehearsed behavior.

A good way to stop rationalize is to rehearse jumping out of your bed in advance. When you're ready to go to bed, simply try this exercise: lie down in your bed as if you were sleeping, close your eyes... Then pretend you've just woken up in the morning, and JUMP RIGHT OUT OF BED saying "YEAAAA!!!"

Repeat this exercise at least 5-10 times, or as much as feels good! I know it sounds stupid but it works! Your mind does what you tell it to do in a given situation. Doing this exercise will teach your mind a new behavior. In order to stop "rationalizing" you must replace the old behavior with a new behavior.

When you think about it, we're taught how to brush our teeth, we're taught how to take proper care of our bodies, and some of us are even taught proper nutrition skills, but no one is hardly ever taught how to take proper care of their inner sleep system, which is responsible for your energy and your health more than you know!

Whatever rationalizations you've come up with, allow me to suggest that you forget them and take some positive momentum in your life RIGHT NOW.

Kacper Postawski is an innovative sleep science researcher and the creator of the “Powerful Sleep - Secrets of the Inner Sleep Clock” system on PowerfulSleep.com.

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A Final Note From James

Thank you to all our newsletter readers for playing such a strong role in the success of Mind Tools. Your comments and suggestions continue to serve as a catalyst for exciting additions to the Mind Tools website and to articles written for the newsletter. For example, when you look at the latest version of the Mind Tools website (uploaded on 15 September), you'll see many changes that readers suggested in our most recent survey.

And as another example, did you know that we wrote "How to Lead" in response to newsletter readers' interest in leadership expressed in our April 2004 development survey?

Please keep letting us know what interests you and (as long as it's career-skills-related) we'll do our very best to give it to you!

Best wishes, and until next time!

James & Kellie

James Manktelow & Kellie Fowler

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