29 Sep
PeopleTek Coaching Change

Managing Change Effectively

Are You Equipped to Accept & Deal With Change?

The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.
–John P. Kotter

How do you feel when you are told that there will be changes in the workplace?  We’ve worked with a lot of individuals and teams and have been told that managing change is one of their biggest issues.

Matter of fact, in a recent survey we conducted, only 11% of the responders felt they managed change effectively.

Given the times, we need to expect that change will continue to occur at a rapid pace, and we should anticipate and prepare for discomfort and uncertainty.

So, how can we prepare and help ourselves and our teams adjust?

8 Thoughts For Managing Change Effectively

  1. We need to understand and clearly communicate all changes and associated impacts.
  2. We need to ensure team members are clear about any changes to their roles and responsibilities.
  3. We need to re-validate or perhaps update our vision, mission, and goals and communicate the changes.
  4. We must identify all challenges our teams are facing. Do you know? Have you asked? During uncertain times, we need to increase our level of awareness and communicate more than ever.
  5. We need to re-build team synergy, and invest in and re-skill our top performers.
  6. We also need to “sell” our teams by publicizing their successes and the value provided.
  7. We need to realize that change impacts us differently. Some may be energized and flourish while others become almost immobilized; try to have one on ones with individuals. They don’t need to be formal; engage team members around the coffee pot or in the break room. For offsite teams and team members, call them.  ASK how they are feeling!
  8. Watch for diminishing productivity levels and changes to morale.

Let us know your tips for effectively managing change!

Change is an Ongoing Process

Change is continual and requires us to be adaptable. We need to understand and identify our productive and nonproductive change behaviors, and commit to minimizing and even eliminating those behaviors that are not serving us well.

Most importantly, communication is key. As leaders we need to communicate more than ever; it’s critical we provide information and impacts, and it’s equally important that we listen and sense how others are feeling.

PeopleTek provides solutions for helping you better understand and embrace change, and will work with you to identify your change opportunities.

Check out our custom programs for more information or contact us.

22 Sep
PeopleTek Coaching Team

Required Roles For An Optimal Team

The strength of the team is each individual member…the strength of each member is the team.
—Coach Phil Jackson, Chicago Bulls

We know successful teams consist of team members that have a common purpose, shared goals and the desire for their team to flourish. They also need to trust one another, hold one another accountable, and maximize individual strengths to make the team even stronger.

Inscape Publishing believes that four critical roles must also be filled for a team to be highly successful. They expanded a study conducted by Fahden and Namakkal, which found that optimal teams are not only comprised of individuals with differing styles and behaviors but that key roles must be filled.

Four Roles Required For a Successful Team

CREATOR

Generates the concepts and ideas. Looks for solutions that may be unusual or unique; goes beyond the obvious. Creators generate fresh, creative and original ideas, recognizes alternatives and sees the “big picture”. Once the idea is generated it gets passed to an Advancer.

ADVANCER

Recognizes ideas and new directions early on and develops ways to promote them. Advancers plan based on past experiences and successful methods, prefer familiar ideas and but are open to new concepts and will not be discouraged by rules and boundaries. Once there is structure toward implementation the idea is passed to a Refiner.

REFINER

Concepts are challenged and a methodical process is used to analyze, apply order, and look for flaws or possible problems with the concept or idea. Refiners are good at reviewing ideas and implementation plans, at modifying and coming up with new ideas, and rationally reviewing them to ensure success. The final pass off is to the Executor. If the concept or idea is not ready for implementation, the Advancer and Creator may get re-engaged, execute their role and then re-pass it to the Refiner.

EXECUTOR

Team objectives are followed up on and ideas and solutions are implemented. The Executor focuses on ensuring the implementation plan is orderly and has been well thought out and strives for high-quality results. They enjoy their tasks and the responsibility of final implementation but prefer that others take the lead.

One other role is critical to the success of a team; the FLEXER. The Flexer objectively monitors the contributions of the team members, keeps them moving in the right direction, and steps in as needed.

The combination of these roles promotes innovation and teamwork and provides teams with a competitive edge.  Do you have the optimal team?

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
–Henry Ford

20 Sep
PeopleTek Coaching Blog

Maximize Your Team

When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.
—Joe Paterno

Maximize Your Team

True teams work together to maximize individual strengths, obtain buy-in, and inspire and motivate one another for the good of the team.

Team = Together Everyone Achieves More

PeopleTek provides comprehensive, interactive, team development programs that bring team members together. The programs focus on building trust, dealing with differences in healthy ways, and learning to hold one another accountable while improving results.

PeopleTek provides leadership solutions for building motivated teams, maximizing team synergy, and growing the bottom line.

15 Sep
PeopleTek Coaching News

Leading With Laughter

“Funny as it may sound, humor is absolutely essential to the success of any organization.”
 Randall Munson (website 2004) 

Think about a team, a project, or an initiative you were part of that was successful and that you have fond memories of.  Do you recall if humor was experienced? Chances are, the answer is yes.

Studies have found that humor promotes teamwork, builds relationships, and improves results.

Humor has also been linked with our emotional intelligence competencies. According to Daniel Goleman,(EQ author/expert) “Research on humor at work reveals that a well-timed joke or playful laughter can stimulate creativity, open lines of communication, enhance a sense of connection and trust, and, of course make work more fun”.

Allan Filipowicz, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior found that humor, used both proactively and reactively in small group situations, could greatly facilitate communication in what could be difficult interpersonal situations.

Bryan Lattimore states that humor can be used:

  • As a way to break the ice in stiff or uncomfortable business situations
  • As an effective bonding technique – a wonderful way to build common ground with other employees
  • As a way to break down resistance
  • As a much-needed way to improve the content, enjoyment, and ultimately the productivity of meetings
  • As a way to assign work when people can’t take any more
  • As a wonderful way to ease and control tension

Herb Kelleher, (former CEO of Southwest Airlines) wanted the company to focus on fun and profit. He encouraged a corporate culture where employees were serious about their jobs, but took themselves lightly and shared laughter with their customers. Coincidentally, Southwest Airlines is consistently ranked high in “Best Company To Work” and “Most Admired” company.

Laughter is an outlet, a stress reducer, is energizing, and builds morale. And, it’s been found that workers and leaders with a good sense of humor do a better job and are more successful than those that don’t.

Are you using humor and laughter to improve results?

12 Sep
PeopleTek Coaching Blog

Coaching For Excellence

“When it comes to providing the tools and coaching to improve one’s leadership skills, no one surpasses Michael Kublin and PeopleTek! Michael and his team will not only help you understand your current situation in a more meaningful way, they will help you develop strategies for taking your business where you want it to go.”
Brooks Hogg

CREATING LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE . . .

Leadership Development

PeopleTek shows individuals and teams how to apply their skills in ways that leverage leadership strengths.  Through group Journey programs as well as one on one coaching, leaders are provided the tools and secrets required for becoming even more successful.

Understanding and appreciating the strengths that one has relied upon for success to date, as well as the competencies that haven’t yet been fully developed, and appreciating the differences and strengths that others provide, are some of the secrets explored.

Personal Excellence

PeopleTek helps individuals build critical competencies and raise their peak performance level. Individuals at any stage of their career learn how to overcome hurdles standing in the way of their progress and overcome new challenges they may be facing in a new role or with a new team or organization.

Team  Synergy

PeopleTek provides comprehensive, hands-on programs for teams that brings team members together and solves critical issues. Teams learn how to work together in a way that maximizes their individual strengths and heightens individual buy-in and motivation.

Let us help you enhance your leadership skills, obtain heightened levels of success, and grow your bottom line!

08 Sep
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Success

Passion Drives Results

Passionate People = a Profitable company.
—Ann Rhoades

Knowing what you’re passionate about and making the time to experience your passion is critical for success both personally and professionally. Even when well-intended, making the time, and having balance, can be difficult.

Doug Gray, coach, speaker, and author of Passionate Action – 5 Steps To Creating Extraordinary Success In Life and Work, created a balance wheel designed to achieve success.

He suggests our “wheel” consist of 8 parts:

  1. Personal Growth
  2. Significant Other
  3. Health
  4. Friends/Family
  5. Recreation
  6. Money
  7. Career
  8. Other (something critical and personal to you)

Using a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being extremely happy and satisfied with each category, how balanced are you? What categories are you satisfied with?  Are there any you’re dissatisfied with?

Your categories may not be balanced and don’t necessarily need to be.  What’s important is that you recognize all imbalances and decide if you’d like to change the balance.

Here are some questions which may help:

What will this cost me if I do not change?  Compared against:
If I make this change how might it improve my life?

What will I regret if I do not make a change?  Compared against:
How might this change make me feel?

How are my familiar habits limiting me physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually?  Compared against:
What else could I accomplish if I made this change?

What are my beliefs preventing me from doing physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually?   Compared against:
How will my family and friends (and co-workers) feel towards me if I make this change?

What is lost if I don’t make this change now?  Compared against:
What is gained if I don’t make this change now?

These questions are worth investing the time to realistically assess where you are now and where you want to be.   Re-visit your areas of dissatisfaction – were you just having a bad day when you rated each category or are there areas in your balance wheel you’d like to change?

You’re in control! What can YOU do to increase your passion, have a better-balanced wheel, and obtain desired results?

24 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Living Your Values

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.
—Aristotle

Not much has changed since Aristotle, Greek Philosopher and scientist, recognized strong values were required to achieve excellence. (And this was back in 384 B.C. – 322 B.C.!).

Since we all want to excel, we need to be clear about what we feel strongly about, and exhibit the behaviors and actions that support our values. We must be true to ourselves and have the ability to live our values.

Coupled with possessing strong values is the need to be perceived as trustworthy and authentic.  To achieve excellence and be successful we need to:

  • Be open about our personal beliefs and feelings
  • Be receptive to the personal beliefs and feelings of others
  • Be approachable and easy to get to know
  • Admit mistakes and short-comings
  • Share, and ask others to share, non-work information to build relationships
  • Be open to feedback
  • LISTEN!

We also recommend practicing PeopleTek’s 5 P’s for success: Passion, Persistence, Process (includes Planning), People, and Profit, and we must want to positively influence others.

Questions to reflect on:

  • Do our actions support the ability to achieve our goals?
  • Do we exhibit appropriate behaviors and address those that we view inappropriate?
  • Are our behaviors consistent?
  • Do we “practice what we preach” and “walk the talk”?
  • Do we believe in and live the golden rule where we treat others as we want to be treated?

Living our values can take courage. Take the time to assess your ability to live your values in both your personal and professional life and let us know your success stories!

18 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Taking Charge

Leaders take charge; remain positive, are encouraging, aggressive and decisive.
–Bret Johnson, Camp Quarterback

Dear Leaders,

Not everyone follows American football, but for those that do, do you equate the quarterback with being the team leader?

The quarterback doesn’t obtain team wins alone, but they certainly take charge, make tough decisions, exude confidence, are skilled, knowledgeable, and inspire the team.

Yes, quarterbacks are leaders.  They are commanding in the huddle, strive to be role models for team members and fans alike; they promote strong work ethics, prepare for each game by studying their opponents plays, continually develop and hone their skills, and learn how to best relate to their teammates as a team, and as individuals.

They earn the respect of the coaches, players, and broadcasters, tend to have an innate ability to lead the team down the field, and generally maintain the “we can do it” attitude regardless of the score.

Think of the some of the most winning quarterbacks – Warren Moon, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre. Every play in every quarter is played with passion and a goal – to score!

They get results by enabling teammates. Granted not all quarterbacks call the plays, but they do sometimes have to resort to “plan b”.  The quarterback must play consistently and be a visionary as well as a strategist.  They must be controlled, play with courage, communicate clearly, provide feedback, and at times take risks.

Successful quarterbacks are strong leaders. Enjoy the football season and decide who you think the strongest leader on the field is!

The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert.
–Vince Lombardi

11 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Communication

Asking Key Questions

Key Components of Leadership

Asking questions to engage others, listening, and acknowledging what you heard, are  key components for leadership success.

Dear Leaders,

Do you truly know what’s happening in the workplace?  You may be on top project plans, deliverables, customer rosters, and status updates, but what about having a sense of how and what employees and staff are feeling and hearing?

As a leader, it’s important to be aware of the pulse on the floor.  We’re not talking about gossip, (although that will impact behaviors and attitudes), but rather how the staff feels about the work environment in general.  Some key areas of impact include:

  • Workload management
  • Team support
  • Matrix management
  • Deadline dependencies
  • Personal issues impacting work
  • Critical skills/knowledge
  • Workplace conflicts

Some leaders have a gift for “being in the know”; they may have an open door policy that invites informal exchanges, they may be viewed as a good listener, or they may just have team members that want to keep them informed.

Not all leaders are as fortunate and could benefit by taking advantage of break-room and hallway chats.  This doesn’t come natural for some, so John McKee, author for IT Leadership, shares his favorite 7 questions to engage others to “get in the know”:

  1. What’s the biggest issue on your plate right now?
  2. If I could do just one thing to make you more successful, what would it be?
  3. What’s the dumbest thing the company (or department) is doing (or working on)?
  4. If you had my job what would you focus on?
  5. What’s waking you up at night?
  6. Do you have the tools and resources you need to do your job in the best possible way?
  7. How can I help you to be more successful?

Another idea is to ask each team member to give a 60 second update during staff meetings; the intent is to share their opinion of the pulse of the business, and provide them with an opportunity to share something about their personal life.

Make sure you’re “in the know” – open lines of communication builds trust, promotes success, and grows the bottom line!

09 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Communication

Dealing With Difficult Situations

Does this sound like a familiar problem?

I’m having difficulty dealing with a person:

  • who just won’t listen
  • they dominate meetings
  • they refuse to give others a chance to talk
  • they reject any recommendation other than those they propose

Simulation:

Q. Have you spoken to them in a healthy, honoring, respectful manner?
A. No. I am not sure how to approach them so they won’t be offended (or ignore me!). I am waiting for their boss to deal with them.

If you can relate to these situations, or know someone that may be experiencing a similar issue, PeopleTek’s Leadership Journey program will help.

Not only will it provide you with a map that can be used throughout your career, it will also change your business and personal life forever.

Guaranteed!

Sincerely,

Michael W. Kublin
[email protected]
888.565.9555 ext 711

“This training guided me through a series of self discoveries that hold the secret of improving my effective leadership behavior, techniques and processes. I learned tools that can connect them to the work I am doing today.”
–Lakshmi N Mahate, Engagement Manager, Syntel Inc

04 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Defining Leadership

Leadership: ability to lead: the ability to guide, direct, or influence people
–Encarta World English Dictionary

Dear Leaders,

The term “Leadership” can be defined in many ways.  At PeopleTek, one of our favorites is “Taking others where they’ve never gone before and wouldn’t go by themselves”.

Chris Millington, IT leader, Writer, and Coach shared a poem with us as to his thoughts about leadership.

Leadership is Love, it’s My Heart and it’s My Soul
Leadership is the wisdom to know
Leadership is passion
Leadership is joy
Leadership is knowing what to say and when
Leadership is planning the work
Leadership is working the plan
Leadership is knowing when to be out front
Leadership is knowing when to be in the rear
Leadership is listening to hear
Leadership is stepping back so others can grow
Leadership is extending a hand
Leadership is sharing a tear
Leadership is having a fear
Leadership is an open mind
Leadership is courage and being brave
Leadership is being quiet
Leadership is all about listening for understanding
Leadership is being open and honest
Leadership is being humble
Leadership is going with the flow
Leadership is knowing when to say No
Leadership is a circle of traits we develop and evolve

Least we ever forget,

Leadership is about Life!!!!!!

What does leadership mean to you? Do any of the statements truly resonate, or are there any you have difficulty relating to?

Please let us know what leadership means to you.  We’d like to compile your thoughts and publish them at a later date.  (If you prefer to remain anonymous your name will be excluded).

21 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Leading With Heart and Skill

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
—John Quincy Adams

Dear Leaders,

For those of you that followed the Women’s World Cup games (soccer to some, football to others), you witnessed, as expected, that the players played with heart and skill.

Heart and skill helped the U.S. team make it to the finals, but they also had another element on their side, Coach and Leader, Pia Sundhage.

Coach Sundhage credits advancing to the finals a result of the teams ability to deal with adversity. The players on the other hand attribute a good portion of their success to their coach’s ultra-positive outlook.

Coach Sundhage is frequently heard saying: “My glass is half full”; “I coach what is healthy”; “if you have positive expectations, it very often happens”, and a favorite motivator “Excellent!”

Player Heather O’Reilly says Sundhage “is the most positive coach I have ever had,” and another player, Julie Foudy says “she’s always positive, her glass is always full and that helps to stabilize the team in moments of crisis and adversity”.

Sundhage has a calming influence, is an extreme optimist, and readily sings a song to help her team combat stress. She even sang “Feelin’ Groovy” during a news conference!

Included in her leadership strategy is reviewing videos of previous goals, and highlights from past games.  She uses these to provide feedback and build confidence by reinforcing successes.

Sundhage says: “That feedback, I hope, will make them stronger, gain some confidence, and I’m also telling them, ‘This is good, do it again’.  She concludes by saying “It’s fun for me to coach like that.”

In addition to playing with heart and skill, the U.S. team played with class. After losing the title to Japan, (many say because of missed opportunities), U.S. Goalie Hope Solo summed it up by saying. “The Japanese showed a lot of passion and a lot of fight. I don’t say that about many teams but I have an awful lot of respect for them. They played for a lot more than sport. They played for so many good and wonderful reasons.”

They all deserve being credited for playing and leading with heart, skill, and class.

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