27 Feb
PeopleTek Coaching Success

A Barrier to Success

Over the past few years we’ve been working with various leaders and teams and have observed patterns for effective leadership, as well as patterns that trip us up and impede our ability to succeed.

It turns out that while fear can be a motivator, it’s more often than not a de-stabilizer.

The purpose of fear is to raise your awareness, not to stop your progress.
–Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

5 Common Fears Leaders Need to Be Conscious Of

  1. Fear of setting a vision, mission and goals
  2. Fear of delegation and building a team
  3. Fear of accountability and following a process
  4. Fear of failure
  5. Fear of success

Fear #1 – Fear of setting a vision, mission and goals

  • So many of us resist this; why is that? Even when there is a vision and supporting goals, leaders admit to communicating them only once. It takes 7 times for us to process anything new, let alone be part of it; 1 time is insufficient!

Fear #2 – Fear of delegation and building a team

  • If you have no common and agreed upon vision, mission and goals, you have no team. You may ask “why aren’t we a team”? We as leaders sometimes think we can do things on our own. Many leaders feel they are the only ones that have to create and keep everything moving forward. Unless you involve others, positive results are not sustainable (and it’s just plain impractical). Many leaders are afraid to give anything up; they either feel there won’t be anything for them to do, or the other person couldn’t do it as well as they would.

Fear #3 – Fear of accountability and following a process

  • If we ignore it, it may go away. If we don’t create or follow a process, we can’t be measured. A furniture store we’re familiar with never analyzes the reason for their high rate of returns. What are the main causes? What could be done better? Instead, they continue to get a large number of returns. Why not as a team, step back and solve the process issues, and be accountable as owners (or team members) to make the business stronger?

Fear #4 – Fear of failure

  • Most leaders want to lay low and take minimal risk; no one wants to fail or do anything wrong.  With this attitude and set of behaviors, there is little chance that things will go wrong, and there’s also little chance for growth and innovation. We’ve seen the best leaders stretch themselves and take chances, and encourage others to do the same, but it takes a brave soul to think and say “it’s time for change” or “I believe we can improve customer service through training and support, and I’m willing to invest in it.”

Fear #5 – Fear of Success

  • Nelson Mandela said: “We are not afraid of failing, in actuality we are afraid of succeeding beyond our wildest dreams.”
  • Dr. Miles Monroe said “most creativity and un-lived dreams and ideas never get fulfilled because they are buried in the cemetery.”

Why is this? Are you living your passion and your dreams? Is self reflection ongoing and providing you with any “ah-ha” moments? Do you encourage others to become more self aware and live their lives with passion?

Make self reflection a priority, increase your awareness levels, and don’t let fear be a barrier to success!

Here’s a Wealth of Information

Each week we’ll partner with QwikCoach and provide the ability for you to reinforce or expand your knowledge of a prior topic.

Last week’s tip focused on Top 10 Time Wasters.

Go to QwikTips to read more! There are two different versions–one for visitors and one for licensed QwikCoach users.

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!

13 Feb
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Challenges: Accept or Avoid?

Journalist Fareed Zakaria wrote the book, The Post-American World. One area of concern that was addressed was the belief that organizations are not adapting well to emerging challenges.

This is only one of the themes, but one we feel readily applies to leadership styles and skills.

Zakaria’s Guidelines for Success in the Face of Challenges

Choose. Choose priorities rather than trying to have it all.

  • Our comment: Have clear goals, ensure all behaviors and tasks support those goals, and understand you can’t be everything to everyone.

Build broad rules, not narrow interests. Recommit to international institutions and mechanisms.

  • Our comment: Set goals and standards, and then let your people excel – they don’t need (or want) to be told HOW to do something, but they do need clear expectations and the desired outcome.

Be Bismarck, not Britain. Maintain excellent relations with everyone, rather than offset and balance emerging powers.

  • Our comment: Build and maintain relationships, address differences in a healthy way, listen, and take more time to think of what “could” be done differently. Make an effort to relate and communicate to others in their terms and style.

Order à la carte. Address problems through a variety of different structures (e.g. sometimes UN, sometimes NATO, sometimes OAS).

  • Our comment: Understand the needs and goals of others. What are their strengths? How do they best add value? What end result are you looking for?  Do you have the right resources in place?

Think asymmetrically. Respond to problems (e.g. drug cartels, terrorists, etc.) proportionately and do not respond to bait (i.e. small attacks meant to draw attention).

  • Our comment: Expect and plan for conflict, be emotionally intelligent, know your hot buttons, remain controlled.  Think about what could de-rail you, and have a plan in place to address those challenges.

Legitimacy is power. Legitimacy creates the means to set agendas, define crises, and mobilize support.

  • Our comment: Leaders are authentic; they build trust, truly listen, communicate openly and consistently, and don’t have hidden agendas.  A complaint that we frequently hear is that too many leaders lack integrity.

All professions, all industries, and all positions are faced with challenges; it’s up to us as leaders to help anticipate and effectively manage them as they occur, and then produce success in the face of challenges.

QwikTip and QwikCoach

Each week we’ll partner with QwikCoach and provide the ability for you to reinforce or expand your knowledge of a prior topic.

Last week’s tip focused on 5 “Must Haves.”

Go to QwikTips to read more! There are two different versions–one for visitors and one for licensed QwikCoach users.

If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!

06 Feb
PeopleTek Coaching Change, Leadership

5 “Must Haves”

How much change are you observing in the workplace? The need for team work is stronger than ever; leading by intimidation is pretty much a thing of the past, the leader may or may not be the subject matter expert, and the need to collaborate is at an all time high.

So, how is this working? Quite honestly, it depends on the individuals that comprise each team. If you’re part of a team that listens to one another, is open to new ideas, and promotes interactions that are trusting and respectful, it takes success to new heights.  If these behaviors are lacking, desired results are hard to achieve.

Eric Burton’s (BBB-Capitol) 5 things that all successful managers need to know:

5. Trusting Workplaces Breed Creativity

  • The best leaders find a way to encourage creativity in their teams. “Everybody has the ability to be creative in one way or another,” said executive coach Charles Day. “The key is to figure out how to unlock it in your employees.”

4. Trust Your Intuition – Sometimes

  • Within a generation, the concept of instinctive intuition has gone from quack science to a proven strategy for success in business. That’s in large part thanks to studies that show it’s best to rely on a gut feeling when you need to make a quick decision.
  • It’s especially true when you have extensive knowledge of a subject. “Intuition is the result of your subconscious brain picking up on clues and hints and calculating the situation for you, and that’s based solely on experience,” says Massimo Pigliucci.

3. Know When to be Funny

  • Knowing when to use a joke can help disarm uncomfortable situations and help bosses build real relationships with their employees. However, jokes should never belittle a more junior employee or stray in to the realm of off-color humor.
  • But a boss who can crack jokes at his own expense? That’s a good way to lighten the mood.

2. Trust in Delegation

  • It takes faith for managers to delegate important tasks, and it’s something few successfully pull off. The reason is simple: They often think they’re better equipped to do the work than their more junior employees.
  • Instead, the key is to trust them with the difficult parts of the job. Let them succeed, with just a few nudges and checks, workers will be more likely to work hard for you.

1. Top-Down Collaboration

  • Creating workplace collaboration isn’t as simple as just telling employees to work together. Instead, managers must give their teams specific tools, then oversee how they are being used.
  • Managers must show how good ideas come out of working together. They must also demonstrate that real collaboration equals innovation, and be on the watch for communication breakdowns.
  • Meetings may lead to team members disagreeing. Within reason, that’s a good thing. Conflict displayed in a healthy, honoring, and respectful way, lends itself to creativity, stronger relationships, and more successes!

How many of the 5 “Must Have” skills do you exhibit daily? Are there any you could develop?

And, we’re starting something new

Last week’s tip was on Succession Planning.

To read even more, visit PeopleTek’s QwikTips.

We welcome your feedback and ideas for other topics!