Author Archive for Lauren Ellis

As a leader, problem-solving is integral to your job. Isn’t that exciting? All the problems get to come to you! Congratulations! You landed this position because you know how to solve problems. However, there’s a negative aspect of this skill. If you’re solving all the problems, you’re not equipping your team to become good problem solvers. If you’re solving all their problems, then why would they need to know how to do it themselves? You’re actually creating a bigger, more pervasive problem in your business. Training Your Team to be Problem Solvers Slow Everything Down Usually, when problems come to you, emotions are high. There’s an urgency and the person with the problem is caught up in the hype. They believe that this problem is critical. If you slow down, talk slower, and stay calm, you can then have the person articulate the problem more clearly without all the added emotions. Ask, “Show me.” Take out a piece of paper and start taking notes on what the problem is. Ask questions. Listen. Henry Bedford, my mentor and chairman of the board at Southwestern, has the magic words to any problem. He says, “Show me.” It’s amazing when people are asked […]

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to working with a team. You need to navigate your natural management style and adapt it to the way that people want you to lead them. There are four different natural communication styles. But how can you be a leader who adapts to these four styles? Let me explain the four types and how to best work with each. Fighter Fighters are straight to the point, they don’t waste time, and they make decisions based on what’s in it for them. When you’re talking with a fighter, the most important thing you can do is give them control. You can do this by asking them about the choice of two positives. When asking them to lunch, give them two options—Shoney’s or Cracker Barrel? Thursday or Friday? Noon or 1:00? The worst thing you can do when communicating with a fighter is to tell them what to do. Eradicate giving orders from your leadership style, and a fighter will thrive. Entertainer Entertainers are extroverted, like to build rapport, love to talk and make decisions based on emotions. With entertainers, you want to make it fun when leading them. Get outside the office […]

When I started my own business within Southwestern, I wanted it to be up and running as quickly as possible. I went into everything with the mindset, “yesterday is soon enough.” I remember being frustrated with Henry Bedford, CEO of Southwestern at the time, because he laughed at my sense of urgency. He calmed me down and so wisely said, “Slow down. Put one foot in front of the other. Time is the X factor.” I was frustrated at the then because I thought we needed everything now. But, time has a way of rounding things out. Recognizing the reality of where we’re at and where we need to be can create a more normalized sense of urgency “Time is the X factor.” —Henry Bedford, Chairman of the Board, Southwestern Creating Time What are we thinking about when we say we don’t have time to do something? Our words matter so much, our perspective matters so much. If we think we don’t have time to accomplish something, to do something, to make something happen, then what are we doing? We are probably wasting time! The more time we focus on how little time we have, then it’s actually playing a […]

There are two major components that go into having the type of confidence that you see in the most successful people around. So many people believe that people are either born with confidence or they are not. However, I believe you can develop confidence. You can learn confidence, and when you’re willing to do the deep work, you are already displaying confidence.