Learn more about Leading Ireland’s Future Together and our vision to create a better Ireland by developing the leader in each of us. Our founder Joanne Hession and other members of the LIFT Advisory Board including Sonya Lennon, John Lonergan, Greg Clarke, Catherine Moroney and David Hession all share their views on why they got involved in LIFT and how it can improve leadership across the country.
My 16-year-old son came home from a soccer match yesterday evening with a knee swollen to the size of a football. This is at least injury number 15 for him, between rugby, GAA and soccer. At one stage I brought him for an X-Ray in the local hospital and the radiographer knew him by name and said ‘welcome back’! That probably wasn’t a good sign.
He’s usually the youngest on any team he plays for, given that his birthday is very late in the year. He’s also for a long time been the smallest or one of the smallest on his various teams. I have to admire him though – he’s never let his lack of physical size put him off. In fact, if anything, he has taken this weakness and turned it into a strength. He has worked on his agility and his acceleration. He has tried to be the hardest worker on the team and make up for lack of physicality through industry and effort.
The thing that I admire most about him though (and this is a trait that I wish I had more of myself) is that he has also refused to be scared of failure – for him it seems that life is full of tests; and success or failure is not judged by winning, but by the extent to which he has tried his best. There is an integrity in this.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why others always want him on their team.
David
Leadership is not limited to a select few. Everyone can become a leader in their own way. LIFT Ireland wants to create a nation of leaders by first teaching positive leadership values and then encouraging participants to adopt those values in their daily lives. LIFT Ireland believes that the more people ‘living LIFT’, the better it is for our country’s future.
Learn more about LIFT’s leadership learning process below.
Can Everyone be a Leader?
Some people may be born as natural leaders, but everyone can be a leader and everyone can improve their leadership abilities.
Leadership is not about being the boss. In fact, there are lots of bosses who are terrible leaders, just as there are lots of people who have no title or position but who inspire trust, respect and confidence in others and therefore are excellent leaders. These people are real leaders because their character means that others want to follow them and are willing to put their trust in them.
You can be a leader at any level of an organisation or in any group setting. In a family, in a school classroom, on a sports team and in a small business, if your actions or words can influence others then, whether you realise it or not, you are a leader. Learning to be a good leader is about focusing on your attitudes and how well you relate to others.
Many bosses do not understand that having a title does not give entitlement. Real and effective leadership is earned through demonstrating such qualities as honesty & integrity; respect; empathy; determination; accountability & personal responsibility; and positivity. When a leader has these qualities others follow him or her voluntarily and real progress is made possible.
The first step to developing your leadership abilities is to self-reflect on core leadership values. How aware are you of your personal strengths and weaknesses, especially in relation to how you relate to others? How deeply do you listen?; Do you take time to understand other perspectives (even if you disagree with them)? Could you work on developing a more positive attitude, especially in difficult situations? It’s only through honest self-reflection that any of us can make the changes required to improve as leaders.
The realisation that we are all potential leaders and we all are in situations daily where we are called upon to act as leaders (even if it is as seemingly trivial as getting our children to do their homework before they start on the PlayStation!), means that it is worthwhile for us all to work on our leadership abilities – the starting point is to reflect on how we relate to others. That’s where LIFT will make a difference.
A strategy where staff matter as much as customers is key for firms and building a better Ireland, writes Greg Clark, Founder & Chief Executive of Digicom.
When I first started out in business over 30 years ago or even when I founded Digicom 21 years ago, I couldn’t have envisaged that I would consider our business values to be just as, if not more important, than margins or profit measurement.
But, today, I credit the success of Digicom in recent years – overall growth, increased staff retention, improved client satisfaction and increased revenues and margins – to the fact that we have built our business strategy around shared core values where employees matter as much as customers. We strive to live and breathe them every day in how we treat each other, how we approach our work and how we treat our clients. I fundamentally believe that by putting staff first, Digicom as a business will ultimately look after our clients first.
Many of us, including myself, attend leadership training or study leadership courses. The real benefit of these is in their practical day-to-day application, not the participation. At Digicom, over the last three to four years, we have rebuilt how we lead, identifying what is important to our culture and all employees. Our values include teamwork, respect, integrity, customer service excellence, innovation and continuous learning. These drive all our key decisions such as recruitment, employee feedback and appraisal sessions, as well as how we measure and celebrate successes. As a result, our latest employee satisfaction survey shows that 74% of employees are satisfied or very satisfied with their work at Digicom, a big improvement from the 47% recorded the previous year.
I firmly believe that when you appreciate and focus on your values as a company, you will not only increase your chances of success but you will accelerate it too.
This has been demonstrated by Dr. Fred Kiel who, in a research published in 2015 in the Harvard Business Review, found that leaders with high character scores, as ranked by their employees, delivered stronger business performances. In fact, a company with a “high-ranking” leader would deliver up to five times greater return on investment than other leaders. This was regardless of age, length of tenure or political belief of the individual. Employees were also happier and more loyal to businesses led by higher ranked leaders. Leaders who received the lowest rankings in terms of character had lower business performances and employees who were not as happy or productive.
But leadership is not just about business. As I’ve gotten older and become more aware of the values that are central to my life, I’ve been able to harness their strength and impact not only at work but also in the community. For example, for the last ten years I’ve coached juvenile girls and boys at GAA and soccer. It is in sport that we often first come across values such as teamwork and respect. We coach our players that leadership is not just measured on success, it’s also about the path taken.
It is for this reason that I became involved with a new initiative, LIFT Ireland, which aims to improve the country we live in by raising our standards of leadership. I believe that leadership – whether in work, the classroom, at home, or in the community such as on the GAA pitch – is one of the most powerful skills we can learn and that if enough of us are working together in the same direction, we have the potential to turn Ireland from good to great.
That’s why Digicom, along with 23 other organisations from across the country, is delighted to support LIFT by being a founding partner.
By engaging with businesses across the country, community, sports, arts and other organisations, LIFT aims to get Ireland talking about values and leadership, to build greater self awareness in all of us that informs our decision-making.
The power of the initiative lies in how we all work together as each participating organisation and individual lift themselves and those around them. I see this work in my own business as we endeavour to hold each other to account with our six values. I saw it when I was President of Dublin Chamber, how businesses with a shared vision can work together to achieve their goal. Imagine how powerful this can be then, if all across society, as LIFT proposes, we spend time to consider what’s important to us and how to best achieve it.
Well, you might say. Lots of people have good ideas and want to see changes.
There are two reasons why I believe LIFT will succeed in making a difference.
The first is the evidence from my own business that values-based leadership has improved all of our measurements from growth and margins to employee retention and client satisfaction. As with our approach at Digicom, I believe that if LIFT, invests the time and expertise in looking after our people’s values in Ireland, we will get ‘Ireland Inc’ right.
The second reason I believe in LIFT is because of the leadership in the organisation and its non-profit set up. LIFT is led by Joanne Hession who has brought on board a range of Ireland’s leading businesses and organisations to support the process. Alongside my team at Digicom is the ESB, AIB, Enterprise Ireland, CPL, Musgrave Group, Paypal and many others. Then we also have organisations such as the GAA, the Irish Girl Guides Association, the Peter McVerry Trust, The Teaching Council, all of whom already play such important roles in teaching values to our children in our communities. Their involvement means that LIFT can support the work they already do, rather than seeking to build a separate network.
In life, as in business everything comes down to people. If as a country, we can drive a great awareness of our values, we can improve the engagement of people in decisions that affect all of us. We might see greater numbers voting in our elections. It could be that as a society we will support our politicians to make bold decisions that are future-based rather than proposing short term ‘band aids’ on immediate problems. Most of us desire to do something positive, to improve our future as a nation. By working together across the country, LIFT offers a real chance to achieve this.
This article first appeared in the Sunday Independent on 20th May 2018
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Major New National Initiative – LIFT – Launched in Ireland to audience of over 300 leaders from business, sports, arts, and voluntary sectors
Tuesday, May 8, 2018: A major new national initiative that addresses leadership in Ireland was launched today. LIFT – Leading Ireland’s Future Together – aims to raise the quality of life for the people of Ireland, through a focus on values and their role in leadership.
Founded by Joanne Hession, CEO of the Entrepreneurs Academy, Sonya Lennon, fashion designer, broadcaster and businesswoman and David Hession, solicitor and international accreditation expert, with several like-minded people across society, LIFT recognises good leadership as vital, at home, school, work and in Government and politics and has set strategic goals to create better leaders in Ireland over the next ten years.
To mark the launch of LIFT, over 300 leaders of all ages from businesses, education, community, media, the arts and sports organisations across Irish society and their teams are attending a conference today to discuss leadership. Speakers at the event include Dr John Maxwell, internationally renowned expert in Leadership and leadership author. Organisations attending range from businesses such as AIB; Digicom; the ESB; Musgrave Group and RTÉ, to voluntary and social organisations such as The Peter McVerry Trust; The GAA; The Irish Girl Guides Association and The Teaching Council.
In creating the initiative, LIFT surveyed a nationally representative sample of the people of Ireland to ask what values they believe are most important in good leaders. The survey found that over half
of respondents (52%) chose Honesty and Integrity as one of the top three attributes of good leadership, with Respect (26%) and Empathy & Understanding (25%) after that. The survey also showed that Home and Family are the most positive influences in our lives in terms of leadership.*
Identifying eight key leadership values from this research – Honesty & Integrity; Respect; Empathy & Understanding; Accountability; Competence; Positive Attitude; Listening; Dedication & Determination; LIFT plans to equip the country with better leadership skills by bringing people from across the country together to talk about these values that the people of Ireland have chosen as being most important and to develop their self-awareness to help ensure their values inform decision making in leadership.
Speaking at the launch of LIFT to an audience of over 300 people at the Clayton Hotel, Dublin, Founder, Joanne Hession, said: “LIFT is calling on the people of Ireland to join with this initiative and to individually focus on how we lead in our own lives. We have 24 Founding Partners* and a network of Friends already on board representing over 1.2million people. They are the engine that will make LIFT a success, by starting volunteer peer learning roundtable discussions – in their businesses, at home, in schools, sports clubs and community groups.”
Commenting on the launch, Anne Heraty of CPL said. “CPL is proud to be a Founding Partner of LIFT. At the core of LIFT is the aim to build Ireland’s next generation of leaders, based on a commitment to meaningful shared values. I believe that through supporting LIFT we can make a real difference both in business and in our wider communities.”
Ms Hession added: “LIFT is about raising awareness and giving people the tools to enhance their own leadership and abilities. By involving as many people as possible, our goal is to strengthen the culture of leadership for the benefit of all on our island. That’s why we are delighted to be starting this journey with the support and commitment from so many businesses, voluntary and community organisations, educational bodies and recognised leaders.”
Already, LIFT has a network of over 200 volunteers who will meet with colleagues and peers: across companies, community organisations or with family and friends about how to bring those values to the fore in everyday life and decision-making. Implementation and rollout of the LIFT process will start first with the 24 inaugural founding partners, many of whom will next month begin the process of running roundtables among their colleagues or communities. Each roundtable has between four to six participants, one of whom is a trained LIFT roundtable facilitator and participants will be provided with LIFT materials designed to encourage personal reflection on the eight key leadership values.
LIFT has set a goal to double this network of volunteers by the end of 2018 and to continue to grow, so that over the ten year period between 2018 and 2028, almost half a million people will have taken part in this initiative.
Joanne Hession – Founder of LIFT and of the Entrepreneurs Academy
What business person do you most admire?
Over the past two years I have come to know John C. Maxwell, a US-based philanthropist and speaker on values-based leadership. I admire his vision and integrity and his commitment to the importance of developing individuals to effect wider societal change.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Stationery! I tried using an iPad for notetaking at one stage, but give me a nice hard-back notebook any time!
How do you unwind?
I love playing tennis. Great exercise and an even better social outlet!
How much money is in your wallet?
I never carry much money. Probably less than €10.
The last book you read?
I am forever reading books on what it means to lead. The last book I read was ‘The Heart of Leadership’ by Mark Miller.
What is the best business advice you’ve ever been given?
The most simple yet incredibly important lesson that I have learned is that leadership is not a title. You don’t become a leader because you sit in the corner office; anyone is a leader if their character is such that others are inspired to follow them.
Who is the most famous person in your contacts list?
My friend, media star, fashion guru, tech entrepreneur and collaborator on LIFT, Sonya Lennon.
How do you manage your work/life balance?
I have to diarise time away. I can find it difficult sometimes to switch my brain off, especially when we are in the throes of a new project. I try to schedule time off each week, whether that be to go cycling, meet my parents for lunch or play tennis for an hour.
The last film you watched?
I’m not much of a cinema or TV person. My brother David, who is involved in LIFT with me, is trying to turn me on to Danish arthouse cinema (a film called ‘After the Wedding’ particularly – I’ve never heard of it), but I’m more of a Disney girl!
What is your favourite possession?
I try not to get too caught up with material things. All my best possessions are either memories of growing up and my family; or my incredible group of friends (and I think it’s really important that you never be too old to make new friends).
What’s your most memorable holiday ever?
A few years ago I shattered my leg in a skiing accident in France. It may not have been memorable for the right reasons, but I’ll certainly never forget it!
What social media do you use?
I’m a Facebook and WhatsApp user socially, but I also use Twitter and LinkedIn for work
If money were not object, what would your fantasy purchase be?
My husband is an avid ski lover, so maybe a chalet in the Alps
What is the first website you look at every morning?
Always the news sites, to see what Mr Trump has been up to while I’ve been asleep
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Very definitely an early bird! I need my sleep and am in bed at 10pm most nights, if I can manage it. I’m usually up by 6am though.
If you were Taoiseach for a day what would you do?
I would commit my full support to LIFT (Leading Ireland’s Future Together), a programme aimed at transforming Ireland into a global beacon of character-based leadership.
What person do you most admire?
I’m not going to differentiate between them; my parents are the people I most admire. They have a quiet depth and an integrity that I hope I have inherited to at least some degree.
What’s your favourite place in Dublin and why?
I love Smithfield. My business, the Entrepreneurs Academy, is located here and the area has an amazing sense of energy and reinvention.
Anything you would like to plug?
May 9th next in Dublin Castle will see the official launch of the national LIFT movement, involving the first visit to Ireland by Dr John C Maxwell, one of the World’s pre-eminent speakers on values-based leadership. If any companies would like to get involved, just email joanne@entrepreneursacademy.ie
In the OECD’s Better Life Index (2015), Ireland ranks above the global average in housing, personal security, health status, education and skills, social connections, work-life balance, and environmental quality. Ireland has an average life expectancy slightly higher than the OECD average; is now reported as having the top ‘food security’ of all countries globally; has almost half the pollution level of the OECD average; has relatively low rates of crime; ranks significantly higher than the global average in all areas of the PISA education tests (and 5th in the world for reading literacy); and has an international brand recognition that is significantly beyond what might be expected for a country of its size.
All of this is great: So why is it that in Ireland, 59% of people believe that our systems are failing and that Ireland as a society is still ranked in the bottom 10% of countries in terms of its people’s trust in its core institutions? (Edelman Trust Barometer survey 2017)
Globally, two-thirds of surveyed countries are now “distrusters,” with under 50% trust, according to Edelman’s 2017 figures. Ireland is one of these countries. Of the 28 countries surveyed, among the ‘informed’ group of respondents, Ireland had the 2nd lowest level of trust, lower than countries including Russia and Colombia, and with only Poland lower.
Interestingly, other research has shown that trust in Ireland between individual people tends to be much higher than in most countries. Ireland has high levels of inter-personal trust, being rated 5th globally in a 2010 study. The conclusion is clearly that we are a generally trusting nation that has a real issue when it comes to trusting organisations and institutions.
Why might this be the case? Since 1990 Ireland has had public tribunals (and a small number of resulting criminal prosecutions) designed to investigate institutional or individual behaviours in relation to numerous sectors of life. We have also had multiple scandals in other sectors that reach the front pages of the newspapers but might not give rise to official tribunals.
Simultaneous with the above degrading of trust at an institutional level, our young people (who are the next generation of potential leaders in our society) face new pressures and issues of isolation from reality as a result of technology and social media.
WE NEED TO START A CONVERSATION ABOUT PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
Ireland should not be featuring towards the bottom of any international survey on the link between our institutions and our people. Similarly, our young people should not be growing up uncertain of how and when they ought to react to unethical or bullying behaviour, whether witnessed in person or online.
LIFT wants to start a conversation about personal leadership. When we talk about what leadership qualities we need, character is the piece that is largely missing: we hear constantly about the managerial skills required of leaders; and of the work ethic and commitment required and of course these are important. But these are not what leadership is: one is a function of leadership and the other is about personal energy levels – but neither are about leading.
Personal Leadership is about developing one’s character so that we act consistently and with integrity, so that others want to follow.
The quality of our society depends on the quality of our leaders. LIFT is a force to improve the quality of leadership in Ireland – from the kitchen table to the classroom; and from the clubhouse to the boardroom.
I’ve lived in my current house in Wexford for the last 16 years. We decided to move for many reasons, after spending most of my life in Dublin. Not least of these was that if our family ever grew, we would be squashed like tinned mackerel into our previous house, while we would be able to afford something a bit bigger outside of Dublin and its crazy house prices.
The house we moved to was built in the early 1960s and while there have been changes made to bits of it over the years, much of it is as it was when first built 55 years ago. As you might imagine, some of it looks a little ‘tired’ at this stage. We felt that it needed something to freshen it up a bit. The problem however as is always the case, was cost… so, in the interests of doing things as cheaply as possible, we decided to see what small thing we could do that would perhaps have the biggest impact.
In the end, we decided to do something in our sitting room, seeing as that is where we spend much of any time we have to relax. The room is painted a cream colour all round – pretty safe, nothing whacky. Our great re-decoration decision, made after years of watching Grand Designs, was to put wallpaper up on one wall in the sitting room. Not in the whole room, just on what I now call, ‘our feature wall’.
I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I’m not much of a gardener. The same holds true, unfortunately, in relation to DIY – I can change a plug but you’re looking for trouble if you ask me to put up a shelf. What this meant was that if we wanted anything done in the house, we’d need to get someone to do it for us. A decorator came yesterday morning for a quick day’s work to do the job for us. He looked at the dark blue, tiger-patterned wallpaper we had picked, described it as ‘a bit different’ (which to be honest did make me doubt our choice somewhat) and got to work. By the afternoon, the job was finished.
Last night a few of us in the family were in the sitting room. The curtains were closed and a couple of lamps were on, as usual. But there was something different. The room was not the same. I don’t mean that it now had new wallpaper on one wall, which of course it did; but in an almost imperceptible way, it was changed. Whereas it had been uniform and ‘safe’, there was now a depth and almost mystery to it. My eye kept returning to the strange pattern and the rich darkness, to the texture and the tone, that for the first time seemed to pull the room together into something more than just a place to watch TV.
All of this from a decision after 16 years, to make one simple change. I wonder is there a wider life lesson here perhaps – many of us want to improve our lives, to get better in one way or another. Often however, where we want to get to seems to require too great a change. But maybe we don’t need to jump too high in one go: maybe one small and simple but careful and deliberate change could be all that is needed to make the most profound of differences.
David.
LIFT’s leadership learning process is based on making small changes and reflecting on leadership values, one at a time. This simple process can have a huge impact on employee morale, your organisation’s growth, your family life, or even your own personal outlook. Learn more about the LIFT leadership learning process below.
