25 Apr
PeopleTek Coaching Decision Making

Multi-tasking: Help or Hindrance?

Multi-tasking is defined by Wikipedia as “the ability of a person to perform more than one task at the same time”. Initially, this sounds like a skill we would all like to excel in but does it really serve us well?

We all know how important listening skills are. We’re reminded to remain attentive, paraphrase what we’ve heard, not to interrupt, and look for underlying messages. How effective a listener are we when we’re doing more than one task at a time?

We also strive to deliver quality; multi-tasking can impact both.

To do two things at once is to do neither.
–Roman philosopher Publilius Syrus, 100 B.C.

Multi-tasking: Help or Hindrance?

Studies show that when we multi-task, instead of saving time, we’re more than likely wasting time. This is due to the need to “switch gears” which is linked to a higher error rate and insufficient attention to detail.

Not only is multi-tasking linked to a higher likelihood of errors, but it also affects how happy we feel. We may think we’re getting more done, but our level of stress actually increases and our satisfaction levels are reduced.

Many of us suffer from information overload and have the need to do “more” at a quicker pace, but the key to being truly productive is to stay focused on the task at hand and remember that our true priorities are those linked with achieving our goals.

What Studies Have Shown and What May Help You Decide

Multi-tasking has been criticized as a hindrance to completing tasks and feeling happy.

We’re stressing people out with multi tasking demands; over time it will cause further decline in our health and performance. If we keep it up, the brain gets confused and looks for default mechanisms. It becomes hard to focus; we take shortcuts.
–Jordan Grafman, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Maryland

You may think you excel at multi-tasking, but here are some questions to consider:

  • Do you feel anxious when doing it?
  • Have you ever forgotten to include a necessary attachment or link in an email?
  • Have you been asked questions when on calls or in meetings and had to be asked a second time?

Some simple tasks can be done simultaneously. The key is to determine when you must remain focused, versus knowing when short-cuts will have favorable results!

18 Apr
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

3 Needs of High Performers

Defining a High Performer

How would you define a high performer? What skills/talents would they possess?

And, from a differing perspective, has your definition of a high performer and the required skill-set changed from a few years ago?

If you answered yes, you’re in good company!

Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.
–Ralph Marston

3 Critical Skills High Performer Need

CEB, a leading member-based advisory company, published their annual Executive Guidance update where they identified critical competencies required by high performing employees. They identified the top 3 critical skills as:

  1. Adapting to change
  2. Willingness to collaborate
  3. Ability to apply sound judgment

Change

We’ve talked a lot about change. In a recent survey we conducted, only 11% of the respondents feel they manage change effectively.

We need to expect that change will continue to occur at a rapid pace, and with it, discomfort and uncertainty. Use clarity and communication to lessen levels of anxiety, and make it a priority to understand and clearly communicate all changes and associated impacts!

Are you part of the 11%?

Collaboration

An effective leader is proficient in managing relationships and building networks.  They must also possess the ability to find common ground and build rapport which significantly improves results, satisfaction levels, and trust.

Keep in mind that the nature and speed of work that is required does not lend itself to developing relationships or for allowing time to develop the necessary skills, but they are essential for achieving success.

Sound Judgement

Understand what’s going on around you; take the time to process what you feel and think before readily agreeing or disagreeing with anything. Be prepared! Is “homework” required? Research ideas and share the knowledge you’ve acquired.

Skills are also required for prioritizing what must be done (by when), for solving problems, and for making timely and sound decisions.

Make the time to plan and set your priorities.  Distinguish the urgent and important tasks from those that can wait, and identify which will help you achieve your goals.

One last need of high performers: Knowing yourself and others

High performers are self-aware; they know and use their strengths and passion (magic dust). They also understand the strengths and passion of others and leverage this knowledge to achieve results through collaboration.

Do you consider yourself to be a high performer? What could change in your organization to increase the number of high performers? How can you help?

QWIKTIP BONUS: 5 COMMON LEADERSHIP MISTAKES

11 Apr
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Iron Lady and Leadership

Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, passed away Monday. Although not appreciated by everyone, she was respected for her leadership style, standards, and determination, which earned her the title of “Iron Lady.” As a leader, Lady Thatcher was also known for her intelligence, her authenticity, her refusal to back down on issues important to her, her intuitive and strategic skills, and having a strong sense of purpose.

Opinions on Margaret Thatcher remain divided after her death, but what is hard to argue with is that she was a great and influential leader. And here are three leadership qualities any manager can learn from Lady Thatcher: Passion, Determination and Confidence.
–Bernard Marr

Leadership Development Lessons from Margaret Thatcher

  • Work hard.
  • Emphasize your strengths to stand out from the crowd.
  • Network with others.
  • Find strong mentors who can give you inside tips on how to improve your career growth and your leadership skills.
  • Find what makes you unique.
  • Capitalize on your talents.
  • Project a clear message that helps you to stand out.
  • Live a life that demonstrates your values and supports your career growth.
  • Don’t get stuck in a rut.
  • Continue to grow and evolve as you rise through the ranks.
  • Stay humble and open to continuing to learn new lessons throughout your career.

Extracted from Employee Development Systems blog.

What leadership development lesson stands out for you? Do you lead with passion, determination, and confidence?

06 Apr
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Bold or Bully?

We frequently hear about bullying among young people; it could be at school, on playgrounds, or wherever groups of youngsters share space.

Sadly, bullying is much more widespread than that, and yes, it also happens in the workplace. It could be a co-worker; it may even be your boss!

The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.
–Jim Rohn

Be Bold, Not a Bully

This week Rutgers basketball coach, Mike Rice, was fired for abusing his players. Videos of the physical and verbal abuse are all over the internet – why did no one speak up and escalate this issue?

As humans, and especially as leaders, we must take responsibility and be cognizant when behaviors such as verbal and physical abuse, harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power occur.

It’s been reported that almost half of the U.S. workforce has observed some kind of bullying on the job. That’s staggering! So what’s to be done?

  • We need to watch for behaviors that just “feel” wrong. These could be behaviors that the bully exhibits, and it also includes behaviors the victim may exhibit. Some to be aware of from a bully include: insults, threats, name calling, yelling, humiliation, inappropriate humor, sarcasm, and perhaps even pushing, slapping, or hitting.
  • Others that are not so obvious are excluding a person from being involved, omitting someone from email rosters, not sharing updates, the lack of recognition for accomplishments, regular interruptions, dominating meetings, and taking credit for the work of others.
  • Also watch out for behaviors from a victim.  They may be afraid to speak up, there may an increase in sick time, their quality of work may suddenly drop, and they may appear tense and nervous.  There may be others reasons for these behaviors, but check it out.

As a leader, we want teams and organizations to be collaborative and empowering. In order for this to occur, we must address inappropriate behaviors as soon as we observe them, or when they are brought to our attention.

Describe the complaint(s) or observed behavior(s) to the bully. Be specific, ask them for their thoughts, and establish a clear action plan for moving forward.  Check to see if your company has policies for addressing bullying. In some cases having a one on one may address and resolve the problem. Other situations may require formal documentation and escalation to HR or higher management.

Bottom line – don’t ignore it! Not addressing inappropriate behaviors reduces company morale, creates higher turnover, and impacts the ability to achieve desired results. Taking action will save you time; time = money!

As Jim Rohn says, take the challenge to be (and accept) bold, but not bully!

21 Mar
PeopleTek Coaching Success, Team

Are You Engaged?

Do you consider yourself to be “engaged” when at work? What about your peers, direct reports, or even your boss? For our purpose, we’ll define being engaged at work as “a commitment to support your brand”, and “a measurable degree of positive or negative emotional attachment to your job, colleagues, and the organization as a whole”.

“Thrilled employees create more customers worldwide. The problem is that only about 30 million, or 30%, in America, Inc.’s workforce are engaged”.

—Jim Clifton – CEO at Gallup  

U.S. Workforce Engagement . . .   Per CEO Clifton:

30% of workers are engaged

50% are just showing up

20% are actively disengaged

We find these numbers staggering! Consider how your results and levels of productivity would grow if you could influence just 20% more of your workforce. (Or if you could move the needle for the 20% that are actively disengaged).

Clifton says it’s the role of managers of all levels to understand what’s happening with the 30% of employees that ARE engaged.

What differentiates them from the remaining 70%?

Salary is one factor, but researchers have found that happiness does not increase once a $75,000 annual salary is reached. BOTTOM LINE:  It’s not about the money!

There are 2 things that DO make a difference:

  1. Having someone at work who encourages development
  2. Having the opportunity to do what the individual does best every day (you’ve heard us speak about “magic dust“; your uniqueness, special skills and strengths)

Engagement levels grow when:

-Individuals lead integrated lives in which their careers and their personal lives fit seamlessly and harmoniously together

-Ambition, talent and capacity serve individuals well, rather than enslave them

-Passion, energy, and focus are leveraged

-Individuals/leaders learn to fulfill their own vision, and assist others to fulfill theirs

-Individuals/leaders are persistent and don’t give up easily

As an individual, what actions are you taking to increase your level of engagement?

As a leader, do you have a goal to increase engagement levels for your team?

14 Mar
PeopleTek Coaching Success

Challenge Your Assumptions

Do you have the tendency to make assumptions about people and things based on prior history? If you have the courage to say “yes”, you have a lot of company!

We’ve all heard that the word “assume” equates to making both “u” and “me” foolish (well, not exactly that word…)

Achieving success requires the courage to “scrub off” our assumptions and be open and receptive in areas where we may have baggage.

“Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won’t come in.
~Alan Alda

Don’t Let Baggage Impede Success . . .  

Admittedly it’s difficult to step out of our comfort zone, to accept and adapt to change, and to have the commitment to expand our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.

We’ve had the opportunity to observe many leaders, styles, skills, traits and actions and have come to the conclusion: Courage is the single most important attribute any leader must have in order to be effective and successful.

Success requires living courageously. Courage is required for choosing our behaviors and strategies, and for taking ownership for making the important decisions that impact our career, our lives, our happiness, and our future.

Owning our career builds our leadership skills and enables us to become stronger leaders for any team or any organization that we lead or are a part of.  It also positions us to transform and strengthen leadership around the world, one person at a time.

It requires having the dream and desire to be a strong leader; it’s wanting to motivate and inspire individuals, teams and entire organizations. It’s a continuum; it never stops, it’s ongoing, and it takes courage.

This also includes relinquishing control.  Empower others and let them “take the wheel and drive”.  As leaders we need to understand the strengths within our teams, take a step back, and let them do what they do best.

Challenge your assumptions, face your fears, increase your level of openness, and position yourself and others for success!

11 Mar
PeopleTek Coaching Success, Team

You MUST Work Onsite

To that we say poppycock!  Whether team members work from home, or in the office, a team can be productive and successful.  We understand this is controversial and open for debate, but we feel strongly “one size does NOT fit all”.

Trust is critical for creating high performing teams,  whether working side by side, or virtually. 

Should Your Team Work Remote or Be Onsite? 

Last month, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made a brave decision and instructed remote employees to return to company offices by July.  Some reasons included: working side by side fostered collaboration, improved communication, and inspired innovation, with the intent to grow the business.  Best Buy appears to be following suit.

Do you really need to work side by side to have a high performing team, or even be considered a team at all?

Merely bringing team members to the same location does not address what it takes to improve results and build camaraderie.

What you do need is the ability to identify what it is that’s preventing your team from providing the results you desire. Is not being in the same locale really having a negative impact? Maybe, maybe not.

We suggest reviewing the processes you have in place for your team. Teams commonly derail when there are unclear goals and purpose, when individual accountability and holding each other accountable are not priorities, when open lines of communication do not exist, when conflict is not managed in a healthy honoring and respectful manner, and the number one issue:  when there’s the inability to build TRUST.

Increasing integrity and creating trust may be developed from remote locations as well as in person. It’s what we say to each other and how we say it, it’s validating our interpretation,  it’s looking for positive intent.  It’s also speaking up and providing feedback to help individuals and teams grow.

Roughly 5 years ago we started running coaching programs for teams via telephone. Initially not everyone on the PeopleTek staff agreed with the concept, but we’re happy to share that it does work when team members and their leaders are committed to it.

Most innovation, creativity and growth can occur by any means if the elements of teams and leadership are aligned.

Even Agile (in person teams) have issues with creativity and implementation when they lack the basics of being a team and moving aggressively towards the same targets.

We’ve also discovered that some individuals are better team members and are stronger performers when they don’t see one another! (Body language and stimulation actually detract from the person’s productivity, their ability to “open up”, and gain trust).

Whether you work in person, over the telephone, or via teleconference, what really impacts performance are the elements of effective teamwork. These include:

  • Sharing and supporting vision, mission and goals
  • Aligned and agreed upon behaviors
  • Building and maintaining trust
  • Diversity and appreciation of participants (work styles, skills, talents, abilities)
  • Not fearing healthy conflict
  • Ability to handle constant change
  • Processes for innovation and reinvention
  • Rewards and recognition which are consistent across the team

Eliminating workplace flexibility may not be your solution for improving results; we do however guarantee that embracing the elements of effective teamwork will improve results!

28 Feb
PeopleTek Coaching Communication, Interpersonal Skills

Diversity and Differences

When you hear the word “diversity”, what comes to mind?  Per the Bing dictionary, it can mean a “variety of something such as opinion, color, or style”, it can be “ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution”, and it can be “a discrepancy, or a difference from what is normal or expected”.

We had the privilege to attend two conferences for Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed business fraternity with brothers from across the country, and in England.  In one of the sessions, the topic of becoming more diverse was identified as a goal.

“Our greatest strength as a human race is our ability to acknowledge our differences, our greatest weakness is our failure to embrace them.”

Judith Henderson

Diversity and Differences . . .

Knowledge, acceptance, and awareness were identified as key factors for becoming more diverse by the fraternity brothers. How accepting are you of differences?  Would you consider yourself and your organization to be diverse?

Before you answer, think about what comes to mind when topics related to diversity and differences surface. Do you think about race, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation and disabilities?

Do you also think about accents, education, physical size, spiritual orientation, and political preferences?

Differences are limitless. What’s key is our awareness and respect for how these differences strengthens our team and our organization.

We all have biases and filters. What we suggest is taking the time to examine our biases and recognize the impacts differences have on attitudes and actions with the ultimate goal to appreciate and utilize what’s different.

Dr. Martin Davidson, Associate Dean and Chief Diversity Officer for the Darden School provides the following:

Diversity has the potential to elevate performance, both individually and collectively. When it is engaged and managed well, difference provides unparalleled benefits in performance, innovation, and satisfaction . . .

Diversity challenges us to examine our values. Real harmony emerges in a diverse community only after the members of that community have challenged one another, listened to one another, felt reactive and frustrated with one another, and experienced empathy and understanding with one another, even when our positions are irreconcilable.

Diversity provides the context for learning inside and outside of our classrooms or offices. The way we effectively enhance our performance and challenge our values is through learning.

We’d like to add to the list of differences.  Have you observed a variety of leadership skills, traits and behaviors within your organization?  Do you relate equally to all styles?  Chances are “no”.

There are many leadership profiles that identify preferred styles. There is no “right or wrong” style, and having a blend makes for a stronger team. Be cognizant of how these differing styles make you feel, and strengthen your team and organization by valuing those differences.

Listen to one another, challenge opposing perspectives, and treat all views respectfully and with an open mind!   Do you appreciate differences?

21 Feb
PeopleTek Coaching Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Success, Team

Delivering WOW!

Have you ever heard of Zappos? For those that have not, it was founded by Nick Swinmurn in 1999 as an online shoe company. By 2000, reported revenue was $1.6 million, and in 2009 they were acquired by Amazon for a reported $1.2 billion.

What makes them stand out? They are known for their amazing corporate culture, with the  goal to “deliver wow”  and “happiness” to both customers and employees. And, they hired a “culture coach” to make it real.

“If we get the culture right, then everything else, including the customer service, will fall into place”.

Tony Hsieh – CEO Zappos and author of Delivering Happiness 

Delivering WOW and Happiness

At Zappos, they live the belief that by building people and a positive corporate culture, financial success is achieved.

Their 10 Core Values are:

  1. Deliver WOW Through Service and happiness
  2. Embrace and Drive Change
  3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
  4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
  5. Pursue Growth and Learning
  6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
  7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
  8. Do More With Less
  9. Be Passionate and Determined
  10. Be Humble

And, they have what they call 5 Structures:

  1. VISION:      What you’re doing
  2. PURPOSE:   Why you do it
  3. BUSINESS MODEL: What will fuel you as you’re doing it
  4. WOW and UNIQUENESS: Factors that set you apart from others
  5. VALUES:     What matters to you

A PeopleTek client sent us the link about Zappos (see below), and we’re proud to share he told us “I thought of you when I saw this article about Zappos. I think it fits perfectly in some of your messages regarding management styles and corporate culture”.   We feel honored!

Are you part of an organization that builds people and promotes a positive culture, and as a result succeeds financially?

Read more about Zappos’s here.
31 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Interpersonal Skills, Leadership

Top Companies – Top Leaders

Fortune magazine and the Great Place To Work Institute just announced the Top 100
Best Companies to work for. (See Fortune, February 4, 2013 for the list).

259 firms and more than 277,000 employees were surveyed and asked to rate management
credibility, job satisfaction, camaraderie, pay and benefits, hiring practices,
communication, recognition, and diversity.

A common theme for the winners? Making their employees their priority.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If this place got any better, I might not go home at night.”

–SAS employee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Employees are the priority . . .

Most of the top 100 companies have a voluntary attrition rate of < 5%, most are
in the top quartile for compensation, and most offer domestic partner benefits.

The other big differentiator was that almost all did a variety of “things” to keep
employees happy. Here are some that were highlighted:

-Onsite massages, fitness centers

-Promoting a work-life balance and tracking hours to ensure there was a balance

-“Catch” and reward others for a job well done; opportunities to appreciate others

-Formal idea sharing forums and regional gatherings

-Paid hours to volunteer or for sabbaticals

-10% of work time allowed for pursuing a work project of their choice

-Training, development, job rotation, job shadowing, mentoring

-Flexible work hours

-Having a sense of purpose; working toward shared goals

And one we thought was especially interesting, was where a CEO posted their personal
development plan for all employees to see, and track results.

Depending on the company you work for, and your individual role, you may be in the
position to influence some, and actually implement others. Which do you already
have in place? Which are you willing to influence or implement?

24 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Decision Making, Leadership, Success

A Call to Action

On Monday, January 21st, the United States held their Presidential Inauguration. During the Inaugural address, many references were made to leadership actions and behaviors required for success.

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving.
They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
–Conrad Hilton 

A Call To Action or to Collective Action?        

Comments were made about “collective action”, not simply a “call to action”.
Think in terms of COLLABORATION! For those familiar with Thomas-Kilmann, collaboration means being both assertive and cooperative. It means working together to find a solution that fully satisfies the concerns of both, and it includes digging in to an issue to identify underlying concerns and finding an alternative that meets both sets of concerns. It’s a win-win solution!

Successful leadership also requires embracing differences.
We say not only embrace the differences, but leverage them! We all have our own unique set of strengths; making use of everyone’s strengths can only make us a stronger “whole”, and increase the chance for obtaining the results we desire.

Leaders must set the tone and direction
We need to set and clearly communicate our goals. We need to identify our priorities, and as change is required, we cannot resist it. Rather we must lead through and manage the obstacles and resistance we encounter. “When times change so must we”.

Leaders work hard; they display ownership, responsibility, and accountability
We need to work smart, not just hard. Too often we respond to urgent issues and make them a priority over important issues. We need to not only display behaviors associated with ownership, responsibility, and accountability, we need to instill them in others.

Leaders must be willing to take risks
Risk has been defined as “undertaking a task involving a challenge for achievement or a desirable goal in which there is a lack of certainty or a fear of failure.”This means we will make mistakes; we will learn from them and we will grow.

We must take pride in what we do, we must harness new ideas and technology, and we must invest the time to assess what’s most important while maintaining our focus.
Which of these leadership actions and behaviors do you consider as your strengths? Which could be further developed? Now’s the time to take action!

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