28 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Hot Spots and Challenges – Part 1

Are you aware of the “hot spots” in your organization? Do you know what actions, practices, and behaviors impact effectiveness and results? Development Dimensions International (DDI) and The Conference Board conducted a survey for the 7th consecutive year and simply asked leaders what would help increase their effectiveness.

13,124 leaders from 2,031 organizations and 48 countries were queried and there were 49 items that leaders said they need to start doing. Below are the top 20 results.

My organization needs to start…

  1. Continuously developing leadership skills for all levels of management
  2. Sponsoring recognized management courses so I can keep up to date on changing dynamics
  3. Building programs where mid-level leaders can intern in another area to gain exposure and advance skills
  4. Offering an external mentorship program; an external coach may be more helpful for insights into a person’s development
  5. Enhancing mentoring of new leaders by current colleagues and next-level leaders
  6. Identifying individual strengths and weaknesses to help create a focused plan
  7. Mentoring and guiding new leaders rather than removing them from leadership positions
  8. Mentoring leaders for the first six months after they get promoted
  9. Pushing leaders out of their department to see how other departments function; interns get to do this but managers do not
  10. Valuing leaders for spending time and effort in growing their people
  11. Promoting a culture of active mentorship outside of one’s supervisor
  12. Allowing time for development by reducing secondary responsibilities
  13. Giving safe chances to sharpen leadership skills
  14. Providing more venues for learning, such as special projects and rotational placements
  15. Providing forums for managers to share ideas and discuss effective ways to handle issues
  16. Organizing informal meetings to facilitate team bonding, identify talent, and increase job satisfaction
  17. Allowing leaders to participate in outside organizations to network and better understand industry issues
  18. Making sure all leaders have the opportunity to hear the stories of our VPs and AVPs just as the high-potential group does
  19. Showing support from upper management for leaders in the same manner that leaders are taught to support the line staff
  20. Giving more opportunity to learn how senior managers handle different situations/issues

Which do you feel make your organization most effective?How many do you have in place?

Select the top 5 you want to ensure are “in place” to help leaders drive results, build bench strength, and increase effectiveness.

There’s a lot to consider, but investing your time will pay off. Watch for more next week.

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.

QwikTip on how to Develop People For Optimal Performance

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

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

Learn More About QwikCoach

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!

21 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Success

I QUIT!

Let’s face it; having qualified and satisfied employees contributes to your success. You invest time and energy hiring the right person for the right job. Now that they are on board, what is your role as a leader? What type of interactions do you have, and with what frequency? Are you an engaged leader?

Joseph Cueto provides the following top four reasons why people quit their jobs:

  1. Poor reward system
    • Rewarding employees for a fantastic job can be done in a multitude of ways and by communicating with employees, bosses receive insight about what motivates their staff or what they value the most.
    • Are you consistent about acknowledging employee contributions and the value they provide?
  2. Management
    • The saying, “People don’t leave companies, they leave their managers” shows that recognition and reward coming from upper management is crucial for employees to stay continually committed.
    • Does your boss or your bosses’ boss understand how your staff contributes to the bottom line?
  3. Hiring/promotions
    • A surefire means to alienate workers is for the good ones to see undeserving employees get all the accolades and the juicy promotions.
    • Avoid playing “favorites”; link all rewards with the actions and behaviors required to meet your organizational goals.
  4. Too much work
    • When your go-to workers start to feel overwhelmed due to a heavier workload, this can cause them to burn out. Striking an effective work/life balance is important for them as well.
    • In the end, the choice of whether your employees leave or not may boil down to the kind of culture an organization has. However, it’s also about being proactive about retaining the talent that you already have.

Stay on top of workload imbalances. Some “crazy” times are to be expected, but they should not be the norm. Ask your staff how they are feeling; in most cases they will honestly let you know if they are on overload.

As leaders, we want to inspire and motivate our teams. In order to do that, you have to listen to and be responsive to their needs. You need to understand individual and team contributions, and consistently reward and celebrate successes.

Don’t be considered a “dis-engaged” leader or you may hear “I Quit” more often than you’d like!

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools

QwikTip for Using a Cooperative Approach

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

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

Learn More About QwikCoach

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!

14 May
PeopleTek Coaching Change, Leadership

Change – Embrace or Resist?

It’s not a news flash that we’re living in a time of change and individuals, teams, and entire organizations are being impacted.

We need to assume a role of leadership regardless of our actual title to ensure team members are clear about their roles and responsibilities, share a common purpose, have specific goals and trust one another so we can better accept and lead through change.

The first step is to assess our challenges and resistance. Do you know or do you only think you know the reasons for the challenges and resistance? Have you asked others for their thoughts? During uncertain times, we need to increase our level of awareness and communicate more than ever. We need to give and receive feedback in an honoring way and appreciate differing opinions.

We need to re-build team synergy, retain, develop and re-skill top performers. We also need to “sell” our teams by publicizing successes and the value provided.

Change is both a challenge and an opportunity for growth.

It’s also a cause of stress and may breed a climate of mistrust as jobs/positions are redefined or eliminated, with stiff competition for filling open slots.

During any change there will be a period of adjustment in which anxiety and uncertainty grow, which is then accompanied by a corresponding decrease in productivity and job satisfaction levels.

You will be more effective by familiarizing yourself with the principles of change and aligning with what effective performers do, and you will benefit by:

  • Investing in yourself (this may be a personal expense)
  • Making sure your resume is up to date
  • Validating your strengths and gaps
  • Increasing and being active in your networking groups
  • Exploring new opportunities based on your “magic dust” (strengths and wants)

It’s natural to resist change, but ask yourself “if I don’t embrace the change, how might I be impacted?” It’s certainly our choice; sometimes resistance may lead to positive changes in our life, but they may also lead to undesired consequences

Do you embrace or resist change? Remember, change is a journey and can provide new and exciting opportunities and a great sense of accomplishment!

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.

QwikTip for Change Initiatives

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

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

Learn More About QwikCoach

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!