22 Oct
PeopleTek Coaching Decision Making, Success

Decide to Succeed

“People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be.”
–Harvey McKay

Did the quote resonate with you in any way?   Has it inspired you to reflect on your accomplishments or prompted you to evaluate how you’ve coached others to be more successful?

Consider:

How often do you use the term “ success ” in your discussions or evaluations?

Do you link “ success ” with the attainment of goals and objectives?

When was the last time you provided feedback so others could increase their chance for success?

What commitments have you made to be a more successful leader?  (Are they written down?).

Let us know if we can help; now’s the time to take your leadership to a higher level!

18 Oct
PeopleTek Coaching Communication, Leadership

Failure to Communicate? COMPASS Series #3

Our COMPASS series focuses on the critical need for self reflection. We’ve already talked about our open, hidden, blind, and known/unknown spots with the intention to enable you to better understand yourself, strengthen relationships, and increase the successes you have with others. Now we’ll start discussing the COMPASS components (look in the left box for the list). Our COMPASS is a tool which may be used throughout your career– it identifies key components for providing direction and for obtaining desired results.

#3 in COMPASS Series – Failure to Communicate?

When working with leaders, it’s often interesting to obtain answers to the question “Did you share that information”?  We sometimes hear “yes”, and when pressed how, the majority respond “via email”, admitting there was little or no supporting information.

While we are not here to judge, we can tell you that just sending an email is frequently insufficient. There is quite a bit of evidence that says it takes seven attempts for someone to accurately interpret and process your message.

We see advertisements, commercials, promotions etc numerous times, so why do we think our professional (and personal) communication should be any less frequent? The more critical and personal the information is, the greater the need to meet face to face (whenever possible), followed by a phone conversation if a face to face is not viable. We suggest never sending personal feedback via email as this will break down trust and hurt relationships.

Communication occurs in a variety of modes including:

  • Face to face
  • Telephone
  • Email/IM
  • Texting
  • Video conference
  • Electronic blasts
  • “Snail” mail

Which do you use most? Why?

Do you use the ideal mode or the one that’s easiest to use?

Could using another mode benefit you more?

Are you sure your message was accurately interpreted? How do you know?

Communication is Complicated

It includes 4 elements

1. Verbal

  • The usage of words
  • The ability to control what we say
  • A common belief that we all interpret words the same

2. Paraverbal

  • The way something is said
  • How quickly we speak, pause, tone of voice, intensity levels. NOTE: Our words may not match our delivery!

3. Body Language

  • How we physically communicate
  • Do we stand, cross our arms, roll our eyes, shake hands firmly, make eye contact?
    • Facial expressions and eye contact are key to interpretations

4. Personal Space

  • Includes the space between you and others
  • How you arrange your work space (cluttered vs. neat, organized vs. disorganized)
  • Choice of decorations / personal touches
  • Your personal appearance!

Self-Reflection

  • What do you already know about your communication strengths and opportunities for improvement?
  • Who can you ask for feedback to learn more about how you communicate?
  • In what way do you need to be more open and authentic?
  • How can your communication style inspire creativity and innovation?

When a leader communicates their vision, how many modes should they use? As many as possible! Again, sending one email with your vision, mission and goals is not enough.

Please be open, rate yourself objectively on where you are within the COMPASS regarding communication. Now rate your team.  Do you see any opportunities for improvement?

Recommended Reading

  1. Crucial Conversations – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, RonMcMillan, and Al Switzler
  2. The Introvert Advantage – How To Thrive In An Extraverted World-Marti Olsen-Laney
  3. Type Talk – Otto Kroeger and Jane M. Thuesen

Today’s Quote

Communication breakdown, It’s always the same
–Led Zeppelin

Effective communication is when we send a message and it’s received and accurately understood!

08 Oct
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Planning

Ready, Set, Jump

It’s that time of year to take a pulse on successes and unfinished business. It’s also time to create and execute a plan for what’s left to be done in 2012.

  • What have you accomplished this year?
  • What has your team accomplished this year?
  • What goals have been missed or neglected?
  • What’s your priority?

It’s also time to plan for 2013 strategies and goals.

  • Do you have the right team in place?
  • Are you building bench strength?
  • Is “up-skilling” required?
  • Do relationships need to be enhanced?
  • What changes could be made to make 2013 more successful than 2012?

Don’t wait, plan for excellence now!

We can help!

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning,
and focused effort.
–Paul J. Meyer (founder of Success Motivation Institute)

04 Oct
PeopleTek Coaching Blog

PeopleTek’s COMPASS Series #1

As mentioned last week, we developed PeopleTek’s Leadership COMPASS to provide you with a holistic approach to successful leadership.

Our COMPASS is a tool which may be used throughout your career. It identifies key components for providing direction and for obtaining desired results. It’s available in PDF and excel formats.

#1 – Leadership COMPASS Series

Getting started requires self-reflection. It requires getting to know and understand YOU. It means having the ability to answer: Where are you going?

You must have a vision, a mission, goals, and measures, and they must be supported by appropriate behaviors and actions. They must be documented, shared, and understood, with all team members being purposeful about the behaviors they demonstrate. There must also be the willingness to change/eliminate ineffective and counter-productive behaviors, and identify and implement new ones.

Vision, Mission, Goals, Measures = Behaviors

Vision

It’s a dream or aspiration that you as the leader have for yourself and your organization. The vision provides direction and guides us to a place far away.  It may be unattainable but we strive for focus and make strides for getting there.

Mission

Represents what you are going to do and how you’re going to do it to carry out your vision. It makes the vision come closer to us; it brings the vision alive for us and makes it more personal. The mission begins to bring clarity to your vision.

Goals

Bring 100 percent personal clarity to your vision and mission. It requires ACTION. Think in terms of what, when, and how the actions will be carried out, by whom, and by when. The goals must be “SMART”:  Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

Metrics or Tape Measure

Symbolizes measurement and provides guidance and direction.  It also acts as a compass letting us know if we are not on track and if our direction or behavior requires change.

Our Vision, Mission, Goals and Measures dictate all of our leadership, team and organizational behaviors. By creating them with purpose, rather than by chance or mistake, we will be more successful and deliver stronger results for our customers, shareholders and ourselves.

It’s time for self-reflection; are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and take your leadership to the next level?