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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building and GOLA GV.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Fello Aledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode three twenty six. And did you know that

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<v Speaker 2>every bottleneck has a name? Let's talk about it. You're stuck,

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<v Speaker 2>a project isn't moving, a team is slowing down, communication

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<v Speaker 2>feels clunky, morale is slipping, and deadlines are being missed

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<v Speaker 2>and you look at the system and wonder why is

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<v Speaker 2>this happening. Chances are there's a name behind the bottleneck.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not always a broken system. It's a person uncomfortable.

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<v Speaker 2>As it sounds, Leadership means identifying who that person is,

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<v Speaker 2>having the courage to deal with it, and taking action.

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<v Speaker 2>It might be your top performer who's become too comfortable.

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<v Speaker 2>It might be your most seasoned veteran who refuses to adapt.

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<v Speaker 2>It might be someone you promoted too soon. It might

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<v Speaker 2>even be you. The term bottleneck sounds mechanical and impersonal,

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<v Speaker 2>like it's a piece of the machine that just isn't

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<v Speaker 2>functioning right. But in organizations, especially small to mid sized teams.

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<v Speaker 2>Bottlenecks are human. Every delay, every breakdown, every miscommunication, it

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<v Speaker 2>traces back to a name, a face, a desk. Let

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<v Speaker 2>me give you a real world example. A friend of

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<v Speaker 2>mine runs a mid sized logistics company and for months

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<v Speaker 2>orders we're backing up in one apartment. Everyone assumed it

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<v Speaker 2>was a system's issue. They poured thousands of dollars into

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<v Speaker 2>new software. Nothing changed. When he finally did a workflow audit,

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<v Speaker 2>the delay trace back to one person, a well like supervisor,

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<v Speaker 2>who had quietly stopped delegating. He was afraid his team

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<v Speaker 2>would mess things up, so he held everything until he

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<v Speaker 2>could personally review it. He didn't mean to be the problem,

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<v Speaker 2>but he was. This is where your leadership has to

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<v Speaker 2>kick in. The point of today's message isn't to throw

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<v Speaker 2>people under the bus. It's to teach you that every

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<v Speaker 2>problem has a source, and the job of a leader

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<v Speaker 2>is to get honest about where that source is coming from.

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<v Speaker 2>So here are your leadership action steps for today. Number one,

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<v Speaker 2>map your workflow. Look at every step of your operation,

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<v Speaker 2>from task assignment to execution to delivery. Find out where

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<v Speaker 2>the slowdown happened. Who owns that part. That's your first

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<v Speaker 2>clue Number two, don't hide behind it's just the system.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a cop out. Systems are made by people, run

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<v Speaker 2>by people, interpreted by people. If the system is breaking down,

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<v Speaker 2>a person is involved. And number three ask the tough questions.

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<v Speaker 2>Who is hoarding decisions, who's not communicating, who's overwhelmed but

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<v Speaker 2>afraid to admit it, who's adding unnecessary steps, and who

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<v Speaker 2>always needs another meeting before they act. Number four check yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>Sometimes you're the name behind the bottleneck. You're holding back approvals,

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<v Speaker 2>you're delaying change, you're micromanaging. Leadership requires self auditing, so

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<v Speaker 2>be honest with yourself. And number five move quickly but thoughtfully.

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<v Speaker 2>Once you identify the bottleneck, don't let it sit. That's

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<v Speaker 2>where leadership happens, in the moments when you either look

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<v Speaker 2>away or lean in. So let's be real. Dealing with

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<v Speaker 2>people bottlenecks is tough, especially when that person is well liked,

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<v Speaker 2>or when they've been there forever, or when they've always

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<v Speaker 2>done it their way. But if you don't address it,

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<v Speaker 2>you're allowing one person to shape the entire pace and

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<v Speaker 2>productivity of your team. That's not leadership. That's avoidance, and

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<v Speaker 2>a leader who avoids problems, isn't leading their babysitting dysfunction.

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<v Speaker 2>So next time you notice the slowdown, don't just say

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<v Speaker 2>this part of the system is broken. Ask whose name

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<v Speaker 2>is behind this bottleneck, and then act, because behind every

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<v Speaker 2>bottleneck is a name, and you're the leader who's strong

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<v Speaker 2>enough to face it. This has been the seven minute

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<v Speaker 2>Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.