There is a leadership concept that I call the wake. One of my favorite things to do is to sit on the aft deck of a boat going across the ocean and just watch the wake. It is such a beautiful, ever-changing creation as the ship continues on its path. You can tell a lot about a ship as you look at its wake.

If it is in a straight line, you get a feeling that the boat is steadily on course, and that the captain is not dozing at the wheel, or that an engine or a shaft is not somehow out of whack. But if it is wavering, you begin to wonder. Also, if it is smooth and flat, you know something about the speed of the boat, and if it is steep, you can tell something about its drag. In other words, what the wake looks like can tell you a lot about the boat itself.

With people, the same thing is true. As a person goes through a company, he or she leaves a wake behind as well. And just as with a boat, there are always two sides to the wake that a leader or someone else leaves when moving through our lives or the life of an organization. The two sides of the wake are:

1. The task
2. The relationships

When a person travels through a few years with an organization, or with a partnership, or any other kind of working association, he leaves a “wake” behind in these two areas, task and relationship: What did he accomplish and how did he deal with people? And we can tell a lot about that person from the nature of the wake.

In terms of the task, what does the wake look like? Is it a wake of goals being reached? Profits being made? New ways of doing things being introduced and perfected? A stronger brand? A stronger reputation for the work and company? Better systems and processes?

Or, is it a different kind of wake? Unreached goals and projections? Misfires? Resources and money lost?

From the wake, which is the real performance and results, we can tell a lot about the person. Results matter. They are the stuff from which we are evaluated and for which we strive to bring our dreams and plans into reality. When we look at results, the wake, we are really looking at ourselves and learning something about our character in the same way that the wake of a ship tells us a lot about the ship.

On the other side of the wake are the relationships. Just as we leave the effects of our work behind in results, we leave the effects of our interactions with people behind in their hearts, minds, and souls. We leave a wake of people behind us as we move through their lives and their organizations. So, we must look out over the transom and ask ourselves, “What does that wake look like?”

 On the people side, just as in the task side, there are results. Are they more trusting after working with us? Are they more fulfilled as people? Have they grown as a result of being associated with you? Did they learn from you and feel lifted up and encouraged? Did your relationship cause them to produce more?

Or, are they wounded? Less trusting? Feeling put down, cheated, or manipulated? Disappointed, let down, or lied to? Are they angry and just waiting for a chance to get even? Do they feel inferior? 

Which wake period are you in? Find out, today by listening to Dr. Cloud's podcast

At the end of the day, we must look back at the wake of our work. The wake is the results we leave behind. And the wake doesn’t lie and it doesn’t care about excuses. It is what it is. No matter what we try to do to explain why, or to justify what the wake is, it still remains. It is what we leave behind that is our record.

 What wake period are you in? Find out by listening to Henry's podcast where he discusses how to grow and learn as a leader. Listen Today!

A lack of boundaries creates problems in the workplace. In consulting for major corporations, I have seen a lack of boundaries as the major problem in many management squabbles If people took responsibility for their own work and set clear limits, most of the problems for which I get consulted would not exist.

Here are three ways applying boundaries can solve some common problems in the workplace.

Problem #1: Getting Saddled with Another Person’s Responsibilities.

Problem #2: Working Too Much Overtime

Problem #3: Misplaced Priorities

Effective workers do two things: they strive to do excellent work, and they spend their time on the most important things.

Work will grow to fill the time you have set aside for it. If a meeting does not have an agenda with time limits, discussion could be endless. Allot time for certain things, and then keep your limits. You will work smarter and like your work more.

Listen to Henry talk about boundaries in the workplace and much more on his brand-new podcast, The Leadership University Podcast. Listen now!

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of your life at work. Work is a place with many possibilities for stress, conflict, risk, and loss.

It is a place where you put in the best of who you are. You are serving, and at times sacrificing, trying to please, and also establishing friendships on the teams with whom you work. So it naturally follows that you can experience some emotionally trying times there.

In addition, you have a job to do. Sometimes, in the course of doing your job, conflict arises. They may be between your colleagues or people you manage and supervise or your supervisors and bosses. Much rides on your ability to handle confrontation well. It may make a difference not only in how you feel on the job, but also whether your company or department performs well.

One of the best ways for a leader to manage conflict is to stop it before it turns into something big. Conflict will still happen, but the following three tips will help you lay the groundwork to prevent it.

1. Find Out What the Reality Is

Find out what the reality is regarding talking about things that come up. Once you find that out, you know better where you stand and have more freedom to proceed.

Usually these realities fall into a few categories. The first one is formal structure. Some things fall out of the realm of talking to your co-worker; they require a formal procedure. Your HR department or supervisor will be able to help you there. The second is a less formal structure is to ask your supervisor or co-worker how they would like to address issues together. Simply say, “I want to have the best working relationship that we can. How do you want us to talk about things when issues arise between us?”

Finding out what the rules are and how issues are faced give you more freedom within which to operate.

2. If You Supervise, Do It Along the Way

One of the toughest things a manager or supervisor has to do is bring up issues about someone’s performance. But this can also be one of the best parts about working together. People improve with feedback. Yet, sadly, managers often do not bring things up as they happen and then they have to confront in a big way later.

3. Share Your Feelings

To get a job done, we have to solve problems and “face” things. To get along well, we have to work out relational issues with each other through facing things as well. So the entire arena of work requires good confrontation skills to work well. Confront well, and you will work better also.

This article was adapted from Dr. Henry Cloud's How to Have the Difficult Conversations You’ve Been Avoiding. Find the book that's right for you now.

The issues in leadership are pretty much universal, whether you lead a department or a global enterprise. The contexts are different, their complexities are different, but the issues we’re able to relate to practically.

When you talk to people about leadership, everyone has their own idea, or their own confusion about it. I wanted to do something simple and practical, something you can take to work with you tomorrow. So, by analyzing how the brain works, I've broken down leadership in a process of five steps.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Takeaways from this Episode

Dr. Henry Cloud's 5 Buckets of Leadership

Realize what the desired future is.  It’s the vision, a really clear picture of where it is you want to go, the desired future.

Engage the talent that will get it there. The brain puts a team together. A leader realizes early on that there’s got to be a selection and gathering, and an engagement to pull it off.

Have a strategy or plan and executing that. Execute a plan. How are you going to get there? It gets a plan so it knows how to get from here to there.

Measure how you’re doing. You've got to know where you are in the process and hold yourself accountable to that.

Fix and adapt along the way to what you find. Evaluate where change needs to be made.

Quotes from Dr. Cloud 

Sometimes you’ve got to ask, "Where’s the pain?" And when you being to see that, it gives you a door to walk through. 

Am I result or a cause? Leadership is about a cause. If you're a cause you ask, “What does my vision need today?” If it’s clear, you need to measure it. 

Accountability is about the future. Why are we looking at where we are? So we know if we’re getting there. 

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You’ve probably seen it played out on the screen many times. A runaway train is about to jump the tracks, sending hundreds hurtling to their deaths. A mother and her children are trapped on the top floor of their flame-engulfed apartment building. A bunch of machine gun-toting bad guys are about to rob the city bank. The scenarios change, but have a common theme: People are in deep trouble and need help—fast!

At the last possible moment, bursting out of the nearest phone booth in his blue leotard and red cape come Superman, faster than a speeding bullet. You can substitute your favorite good guy if you want to, but the idea is always the same: When the superhero arrives, and the threat is disarmed, the crisis is averted, and lives are saved.

Here’s what I wonder when I see those old clips: Why doesn’t somebody else step up and do something to save the day? It’s like everybody else is powerless even to try to intervene. The people seem resigned to the fact that if Superman doesn’t show up, they’re all doomed. So nobody even tries.

Real leaders do not reflect the paralysis of the citizens of Metropolis. Rather, they ask: What can I do to make this situation better? And then, they do something. They tend to call on themselves as the first source to correct difficult situations. It doesn’t matter whether they think they are to blame or not. Even if someone else is at fault, they take initiative to address the problem and seek a solution. Whatever the answer may be, leaders make a move.

If you’re not in your ideal position or role at work, dig up your dream and ask: What do I need to do now? What do I need to do to get where I want to be? What skills do I need to develop? What fears do I need to get past? Whom do I need to meet? How can I invest my talents?

Be who you were created to be. Send Superman to the unemployment line. Get moving and do something!

Henry discuss the different qualities that make leaders great in his new podcast, The Leadership University Podcast. Listen now.

We’re days away from the launch of Dr. Henry Cloud’s Leadership University Podcast! We'll be featuring insightful interviews and impactful lessons from Dr. Henry Cloud and incredible guests.

On today’s preview episode, hear clips from some of our upcoming interviews: Chris McChesney, Shelby Skrhak, Josh Ellis, Ken Blanchard and Liz Wiseman.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Leadership University

How to Contact Jennifer, Chris and Henry: podcast@drcloud.com

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