31 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Success, Team

5 Behaviors of Successful Teams

As we shared last week, to be a successful leader, there can be no lapses when it comes to trust and integrity. This also holds true for highly effective teams.

Without trust as the foundation, team members will struggle to efficiently work together, with an inability to thrive and become the productive, high-functioning team they desire to be.

Differences need to be understood, valued, and leveraged; and, using the “magic dust” (personalities, preferences, and behaviors) of each team member will result in huge pay offs (for both the individual and the organization).

Remember, teamwork begins by building trust…
–Patrick Lencioni

Lencioni, author of Five Dysfunctions Of A Team, has partnered with Wiley publishing (the creator of DiSC leadership tools/assessments), to create a program that strengthens intact teams and work groups.

Many of you are familiar with the DiSC tools (dominance, influence, steadiness, conscientiousness), where preferences are explored and the value and limitations of each style shared.

5 Behaviors Team’s Need to Gain a Competitive Advantage

  1. Trust one another. When team members are genuinely transparent and honest with one another, they are able to build vulnerability-based trust.
  2. Engage in conflict. When there is trust, team members are able to engage in unfiltered, constructive debate of ideas.
  3. Commit to decisions. When team members are able to offer opinions and debate ideas, they will be more likely to commit to decisions.
  4. Hold one another accountable. When everyone is committed to a clear plan of action, they will be more willing to hold one another accountable.
  5. Focus on achieving collective results. The ultimate goal of building greater trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability is one thing: the achievement of results.

Let PeopleTek help your team grow!

Would you benefit from:

  • A summary of your team’s strengths and challenges
  • Tips and suggestions unique for your team
  • An action plan based on the results of your team

Now’s the time to take your team to a higher level!

Here’s a Wealth of Information

Each week we 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 Trust and Integrity

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!

22 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Trust and Integrity – Lapses Are Not an Option

The glue that holds all relationships together — including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.
–Brian Tracy

Why Trust and Integrity Are Key Leadership Qualities

Trust and integrity. It’s no wonder that these 2 qualities appear on almost every successful leader’s profile. You won’t succeed as a leader unless you have the confidence and trust of your team, your peers, and your customers, and your team will not succeed if the members are perceived as not trustworthy.

Why?

  • To be a leader (successful or otherwise), you must have followers.
  • You can’t succeed without the trust and confidence of your team.
  • Your peers, subordinates, and co-workers will work around you if you are perceived as untrustworthy or not living the values you require from them.
  • To be successful, integrity must be a constant.

Tom Peters says: There is no such thing as a minor lapse in integrity (or trust).

(Excerpt from For Your Improvement by Lombardo and Eichinger)

A skilled leader:

  • Is widely trusted
  • Is seen as a direct, truthful individual
  • Can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful manner
  • Keeps confidences
  • Admits mistakes
  • Doesn’t misrepresent him/herself for personal gain

Leadership Mistakes That Cause Loss of Trust

These common leadership mistakes can cause trust to be lost or to never obtained in the first place. As your reading, be honest with yourself about whether or not you could be committing any of these mistakes.

  • Being too direct. People can be caught off guard and become uncomfortable. As a result, the message is lost.
  • Pointing fingers or being too quick to assess blame.
  • Playing favorites or only give a “chosen few” opportunities.
  • Jumping to conclusions.
  • Failure to solicit opinions or alternative ideas.
  • Doesn’t “walk the talk.”
  • Inability to say no and over committing.
  • Not treating others respectfully.
  • Won’t take a stand. (Or making one and continually changing it.)
  • Personal disorganization.
  • Inconsistent behaviors, habits, and expectations.
  • Lack of responsiveness.
  • Inability to admit mistakes.

Suggestions for Leadership Growth

If you think you are exhibiting any of the above trust eroding behaviors, here are some tips to help you become a better, more trustworthy leader.

  • Take time to assess all the reasons others may have for not trusting you. Write them down!
  • Determine what skills you overuse or under-use.
  • Select a highly trusted leader; identify the behaviors that make them successful, and add them to your daily routine.
  • Set boundaries! This will help with time management and priorities.

When people honor each other, there is a trust established that leads to synergy, interdependence, and deep respect. Both parties make decisions and choices based on what is right, what is best, what is valued most highly.
–Blaine Lee

Trust produces positive and productive relationships and improves results. Communication lines are open, conflicts are addressed in a healthy manner, collaboration is enhanced, and creativity and new ideas flow.

No wonder trust and integrity are keys to individual and team success!

What other suggestions do you have for building trust and maintaining integrity levels with your co-workers and other business relationships?

QwikCoach

Each week we 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 what leaders are willing to sacrifice (pay cuts) to help their staff feel valued.

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!

14 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Voluntary 25% Paycut

We frequently talk about inspiration, rewards and recognition, and valuing your staff, and Kentucky State University’s interim President Raymond Burse takes it very seriously. He learned and deemed it unacceptable that KSU had some employees making less than $10.25 per hour, and some as little as $7.25.

Burse asked his chief financial officer the cost for increasing salaries and was informed the cost would be $90,125. Instead of increasing the school’s payroll, he volunteered to reduce his own salary by 25%, and use that to bring the lower salaried employees to the hourly minimum wage of $10.25.

Burse shared:

You don’t give up $90,000 for publicity. I did this for the people. This is something I’ve been thinking about from the very beginning.

His original salary was $349,869 and has been reduced to $259,745

Burse admittedly has high expectations and demands for his staff. He says “I thought that if I’m going to ask them to really be committed and give this institution their all, I should be doing something in return,” Burse says. “I thought it was important.”

President Burse also plans to conduct a culture survey to learn what his staff, faculty, and students are thinking. He believes this is important in order to know what’s working and what is not, and those results will be used as input for his overall strategic plan.

An extract from a blogger stated: “Now THAT is leadership – and character.” No arguments here!

There aren’t too many of us that are in the position to take a pay cut, especially a very significant one, but we are in the position to inspire, solicit input, and consistently recognize accomplishments.

Do you make valuing your staff a priority? What do you do to reward and recognize them?

QwikTips and QwikCoach

Each week we 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 Growth, Change, and Stress.

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!

07 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Change, Communication, Leadership

Growth, Change, Stress

Growth and change are continuous, and if we don’t manage it wisely, stress gets thrown into the equation.

What got you to where you are today will more than likely not take you to your desired next level of achievement. Why? Things change.

Strategies, technology, budgets, skill-sets, customers, partnerships, and shareholders are not constant and it’s not always easy to keep up; sometimes it even feels next to impossible.

Stress is the physical and psychological effects we experience as a result of the way we react to changes in the surrounding environment.
–Pavel Stoyanov

As our environment (and the world) continues to change swiftly, we are all challenged to continuously “evolve” and grow.

As leaders we need to take time and pay attention to what’s happening to us, and we also need to pay attention to those we work with. What’s the pulse in your workplace? How’s productivity? Absenteeism? Collaboration levels? Attitudes? Communication?

Physical and emotional health suffer when change is not managed. Stress also becomes unhealthy instead of energizing and motivating.

A Few Top Stress Contributers

  • Fear of being laid off
  • Unrealistic deadlines
  • Excessive work hours due to reduced staff
  • Emphasis to “do more with less”
  • Reduced recognition for a job well done (what is “above and beyond”?)
  • Work just isn’t fun anymore
  • Constant pressure to always deliver “at your peak” (the result is burn out)

Reports say that the workforce is experiencing increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and that employers are spending 15% more than last year per employee for wellness programs.  And, many wellness programs are now including gym memberships, massages, nutrition counseling, meditation courses, and even bonuses for exercising.

People wear out; we all have thresholds. The idea is to recognize and address needs before health and productivity suffer.

Take care of your own needs and be cognizant of and address the needs of those around you. This will position your workplace to better manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed.  You may even experience increased levels of energy, and bring back an element of “fun”!

When’s the last time you made work fun?