29 Mar
[email protected] Leadership

Are You An Avoider?

The whole business starts with ideas, and we’re convinced that ideas come out of an environment of supportive conflict, which is synonymous with appropriate friction.—Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO

Many leaders struggle with addressing conflict – are you one of them? Would you consider yourself an “avoider”?

As leaders, we need to understand the different styles of conflict and their appropriate usage, and we need to remember that conflict is simply any situation where one’s concerns or desires differ from those of another.

Having teams that engage in healthy conflict can promote growth. Team members that feel they are in a “safe” environment will not only build upon the ideas of others, but will be comfortable presenting opposing views and share thoughts that can inspire and promote new ways of thinking.

Avoiding addressing conflict has its appropriate time and place, but most often, leaders that are “avoiders” are labeled as weak, unassertive and uncooperative.  That’s not always the case!

When avoiding is appropriate:

  • When there’s a need to obtain additional details / facts
  • When emotions are high and those involved need to cool down in order to think rationally
  • When the conflict is being addressed in a healthy manner and an “intervention” is not required by you!
  • When the timing is “not right” (ex. location, attendees, sensitive nature)

Conflict in the workplace is unavoidable; what’s key is to prevent the conflict from escalating into an unhealthy situation. Productivity, communication, collaboration, inspiration, morale, and growth will all suffer if not properly managed.

Your response to managing and addressing conflict is entirely up to you. Understand the styles of conflict and when to effectively use them, and empower yourself and others to manage conflict in a healthy, honoring, respectful way.

And yes, being an “avoider” has a time and place!

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Click to read more about CONFLICT MODES

22 Mar
[email protected] Leadership

Keep Them Happy!

The best way to retain employees is to stay in touch with what they’re thinking.
—Susan M. Heathfield

Even the best leader struggles with retaining top talent.  Quitting could be the result of life events (ex. career change, family needs), but most reasons are related to the organization itself.

In 2015 we shared the following 4 reasons why top performers quit:

1.   Reward System
2.   Management
3.   Hiring/Promotions
4.   Too Much Work

This year (2018), Human Resource expert Susan M. Heathfield has published what she views as the top ten reasons why employees quit:

1.    Relationship with the boss

2.    Bored and unchallenged with the work

3.    Relationships with co-workers

4.    Opportunities to use their skills and abilities

5.    Contribution of their work to the organization’s business goals

6.    Autonomy and independence on the job

7.    Meaningfulness of the employee’s job

8.    Knowledge about your organization’s financial stability

9.    Overall corporate culture

10.  Management’s recognition of employee job performance

Other studies report that a “bad boss” is the number #1 reason for quitting, but having a relationship with the boss is different. The employee wants feedback, direction, and recognition, with a desire for open lines of communication. Having trust in the relationship is also a plus!

Employees want a stable work environment and they want to feel their contributions are valued and meaningful for the success of their organization. They also want their contributions to be acknowledged.

They want a work environment where relationships exist between team members, and where team members collaborate and build on one another’s ideas.

What type of relationships do you have with your direct reports and peers? Do you know what makes them “tick’?  As a leader what more can you do to stay connected and retain top talent?

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Click to obtain tips for STAYING IN TOUCH

15 Mar
[email protected] Leadership

Masterful Leadership

Leadership―at every level―is the most important factor in whether a team succeeds or fails.
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, authors/former Navy SEALS

We’ve talked quite a bit about vision, communication, development, passion, collaboration, being a continual learner, and leveraging the strengths of others in order to achieve success and be an effective and influential leader.

Ten highly successful entrepreneurs (and leaders) shared what they viewed as best practices for successfully leading teams and we’re happy to share that many overlap with our beliefs (their findings were published in Success magazine “The Oracles” April 20, 2017).

Below are excerpts for what they feel is required for masterful leadership:

1. Stay true to your vision – an outstanding leader balances two opposing skills: external sensing and internal conviction. –Irene Chang Britt, former president of Pepperidge Farm and board director of Dunkin’ Brands

2. Communicate clearly and often – leaders communicate the organization’s mission and big ideas to their teams and clear roadblocks so their team can execute.– Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Zillow

3. Make yourself, and those around you, better – I’ve made it my mission to support, encourage and create opportunities for my team to achieve what they want.–Tom Ferry, founder and CEO of Tom Ferry International

4. Practice humility –  Humility has charisma.  Arrogance can be repulsive. Be boldly humble.– Mike Zeller, founder of Elevate United Elevate United

5. Check your ego at the door – A willingness to hire people better than you makes for a great leader.– Joe Kakaty, co-founder and president of Poker Cen Poker Cen

6. Supplement your shortcomings – I attract, recruit, nurture and care for the people I hire to run my companies.–John Hanna, author of Way of the Wealthy and CEO of Fairchild Group

7. Keep your people passionate – Passion is a hallmark quality of a masterful leader. It is to focus on activating the hearts of their people.– Allison Dunn, president and CEO of Deliberate Directions and executive business coach

8. Always learn, and ditch stubbornness – I’ll never finish learning or perfecting. No other qualities emulate the impact of constant growth, learning and facing your fears.– Jay Georgi, founder of Nadvia

9. Harness your team members’ strengths – I observe individual abilities and efficiently coordinate my team through knowing everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. I don’t place people in positions to fail. I put them in positions to succeed and achieve more than they thought possible. –Jim Mathers, CEO of North American Energy Advisory, Inc

10. Get everyone on the same page – Creating awareness up the chain of command overcomes the all-too-common culture of reactive, anti-change management and enables you to focus on executing the mission.–Craig Lack, CEO of ENERGI and creator of Performance-Based Health Plans

Which of these best practices are part of your leadership skill-set? Do you apply them daily? Are there any you need to further develop?

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Click to read about  5 Common Leadership Mistakes

08 Mar
[email protected] Leadership, Success

A New Kind Of Leader

Chief Leadership Officers (CLOs) authentically embrace the business of business and people, not as “human resources” but as human beings – the crucial contributors to organizational success.—Kevin W. McCarthy

Are you familiar with the role of CLO? Kevin W. McCarthy wrote a book entitled CHIEF LEADERSHIP OFFICER. Mr. McCarthy feels that new and challenging times call for new leadership roles that include:

  • Position the organization to be a leader in its chosen field
  • Position each person to be leaders on and off their jobs
  • Meaningfully integrate the two above so everyone profits (financial gain is just one aspect of profit)

Mr. McCarthy explains that the role of CLO is a way of life and also a manner of doing business “where purpose, people, and performance are increasing wealth so everyone profits”.

A Chief Leadership Officer® Integrity Map is provided in the book and is comprised of Articulation, Synthesis, Development, Performance and Re-think. You start with “on purpose” statements that support your purpose, vision, mission and values. (We think this aligns well with PeopleTek’s concept that ALL behaviors must support your Vision, Mission, Goals and Measures).

A CLO checklist is also provided and is divided into 3 categories that help with the transition of the CEO leadership mentality to that of CLO:

Personal Leadership Development – There are 8 components; one is: I have written my personal 2-word Purpose, Vision(s), Missions, and Values (PVMV)

Professional Leadership Development – There are 7 components; one is: I have one or more trusted team member(s) with complementary talents for collaborative efforts

Business Leadership Development – There are 17 components; one is: Our Service Model™ links our PVMV, Plan, People, Processes, and Performance to serve our Customer Chains within our Values

A CLO “has a heart for service, a head for profit, the resilience of the military, and a moral imperative”. Are you ready to be a new kind of leader?

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Click to read why LEADERS ARE CONTINUAL LEARNERS

01 Mar
[email protected] Leadership

Happy Workplace?

Even if you’re not a business leader, you can still take an active part
in a cultural transformation.– FORTUNE March 2018

Would you say that you are part of a “happy workplace?  If yes, what’s your rationale, and if no, what are the dissatisfiers?

This week FORTUNE magazine featured an article by company GREAT PLACE TO WORK where they summarized survey results for identifying the “100 Best Companies To Work For/2018”. Millions of employees in more than 50 countries were surveyed to obtain perspectives about what makes an exemplary workplace.

The six components within the survey included: Values, Innovation, Financial Growth, Leadership Effectiveness, Maximizing Human Potential, and Trust. Bottom line, it’s all about how the workplace culture creates growth and excellence, and the metrics now include ratings for all levels and positions, or in their words “for all”.

We won’t list all the companies, but SalesForce scored first place. The primary reason? Their corporate culture. (Having a favorable work culture was the most common factor in the 100 Best Companies” list.

Some other commonalities across companies included:

  • Create a culture that can withstand conflict and varying views (even encourage it!)
  • Create a culture of transparency
  • Create a culture that is “open, friendly, diverse, and team oriented”
  • Support your employees (at work and in their personal life)
  • Ensure work/life balance is more than just a motto
  • Remain neutral politically (regardless of your feelings)
  • Invest in your people
  • Truly embrace diversityBuild trusting relationships between employees and management
  • “Every voice matters” – engage employees of all levels
  • Thank, appreciate, and reward successes
  • Have clearly defined and unifying goals
  • Offer flexible work hours
  • Possess a desire to see others succeed
  • Ensure your leadership team is caring, approachable, and inspiring

One final point of interest in the article was that “trust fuels business performance but inclusiveness or “for all” accelerates it. Organizations that scored high on measures of inclusivity grew revenue three times as fast as rivals”.

What are you doing to make your teams/staff feel included?

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Click to read more about VALUING YOU STAFF