13 Sep
[email protected] Interpersonal Skills, Leadership

Managing “UP”

Managing “UP” requires that you manage to the expectations of your boss:
Know their priorities. Speak their language. Anticipate their needs. Be truthful and don’t BS them.
Contract properly at the end of a meeting.–Achim Nowak

How do you feel about the leadership skills you possess?  Would you rate yourself “average”, “above average”,  or maybe even “below average”?

When you rated yourself, which skills did you consider?  Did you limit it to those that impact the  interactions and relationships with your direct reports and perhaps your peers?  What we often forget to include is the critical relationship required with our boss.

In a prior tip, we shared the need to:

  1. Learn your boss’ communication style. – What level of detail do they prefer?
  2. Be proactive – share strengths and ideas and create an executable plan.
  3. Meet regularly – discuss progress against goals and areas for improvement.
  4. Ask for your boss’ opinion – Ask for their perspective on things.
  5. Go to your boss with solutions – ask for help when needed, but do your “homework”.
  6. Develop a power that makes you attractive – stay apprised of changes in your industry, understand your competitors, have a strong customer/business partner relationship. Be indispensable.
  7. Address problems – talk about your differences; remain fact based; keep your emotions in check.
  8. Play devil’s advocate – share your different perspective; say “Let me play devil’s advocate” and add new perspectives.

Nowak also suggests “appreciating UP“. Let your boss know that you appreciate him/her. Be authentic; provide genuine feedback. “Bosses rarely receive a word of praise or appreciation. From anyone. Yes, it’s lonely at the top, in more ways than one“.

In order to “Manage UP“, it’s up to us to build a strong relationship with our boss. We need to ensure our expectations are aligned, that we have a clear understanding of our organization’s vision, mission, and goals, that all of our behaviors support them, that we are committed to making a difference, and that we communicate the role we play!

Are there are any leadership relationship skills you’d like to enhance?

Managing up is about earning the trust and respect of your boss by working together with that person to create the best possible working relationship.
—Lisa Quast

06 Sep
[email protected] Leadership

Engagement and Workplace Relationships

Sustaining high degrees of employee engagement and developing future organizational leaders is at the forefront of human capital challenges.—SHRM 2017

Would you be surprised to learn that relationships with coworkers was the #1 factor for determining employee engagement levels?

What about that the single highest scoring component for a “want” in the workplace was for the “Respectful treatment of all employees at all levels”? (65%)

The other high scoring components were Compensation and Trust (both scored 61%), Job Security (58%), followed with the Opportunity to Use Skills and Abilities (56%).

SHRM’s survey also discovered that only 38% of U.S. employees were very satisfied with their jobs.  This is daunting as side effects are many.  When satisfaction levels are low, expect high attrition, reduced productivity, lower work quality, sagging morale, and minimal collaboration, inspiration, and accountability.

Other interesting findings included:

  • Only 38% of employees “very satisfied” with the level of respect at work
  • 26% were “very satisfied” with their compensation
  • 33% were “very satisfied” with the trust between employees and senior management
  • 36% were “very satisfied” with their Job Security
  • 44% were “very satisfied” their Opportunity to Use Skills and Abilities

Another study showed that employee turnover is higher than it’s been in ten years, and the cost is equated at $160 billion a year (for U.S. companies alone).  This study also reported that  high performers deliver up to 400% more work than a worker that it is considered “average”.

As leaders, we have the ability to influence, and even increase most of these numbers. It’s up to us to set the standards, to utilize leadership behaviors that we hope others will emulate, and take action against the behaviors that are inappropriate or impact satisfaction levels.

We need to encourage interactions, collaboration, and inclusiveness; we need to set the stage for sharing and building on the inspiration and ideas of others, and to work together to make them even better.  We also need to acknowledge contributions and create a culture that everyone feels they are a part of.  We need to value differences (skill-sets, styles and behaviors), and we need to leverage the talents and “magic dust” (strengths) of others.

Bottom line – don’t waste talent, and take the time to build and sustain strong relationships so engagement levels soar!

Employees want to feel good about their organization and what it offers the world. They want to be able to say, ‘I like what this company stands for.’ If employees do not believe in their company or do not believe the company can successfully uphold its brand or reputation, they are likely to look for a different job – Gallup News

30 Aug
[email protected] Leadership

Why, How, What

Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it;
but very few can clearly articulate why.—Simon Sinek

Speaker and author Simon Sinek frequently provides thoughts about leadership success, and also shares his ideas about collaboration, change, trust, and results. He also created a leadership model called “The Golden Circle”.

At the core of The Circle is WHY.  Think of the WHY as your vision, your purpose, your passion, your beliefs, as well as the direction you want to take your organization.

Sinek believes that the commonality between ALL great and inspiring leaders starts with WHY. He also believes “very few organizations know why they do what they do” or why their organization exists, other than to make money.

Next, the model reflects that the CORE is surrounded by HOW.  The HOW’s are the actions and processes that shape our culture and our values and bring the vision to life. A critical component of HOW is communication.  You want to attract, engage, and retain those that fully believe your WHY.  He feels these are the people that will work for more than a paycheck; they will give it their all.

Next is the outer circle, the WHAT.  This is your business, your product, your service, etc.  Sinek shares that too often when promoting our business, we start with the WHAT.

We’re too anxious to learn pain points, to jump to solutions, to share how we can help. This is contrary to the beliefs of the The Golden Circle.

People care about relationships, and they care about your purpose, your passion, and your work culture.  Do you agree that leadership and success start with “WHY”?

Directions are instructions given to explain how.
Direction is a vision offered to explain why.
—Simon Sinek

23 Aug
[email protected] Interpersonal Skills

Mentally Tough

Mental toughness is a choice and a discipline, not an innate quality bestowed upon the lucky.
–Travis Bradberry

Would you consider yourself mentally tough?  How well do you manage and learn from the errors/failures that occur? What about when dealing with difficult people? From a job that takes all of your energy, and then some?

Let’s face it, we all have those kind of days when everything just seems “off”; it’s how we manage it that counts.

Dr. Travis Bradberry suggests that regardless of the challenges we encounter, we need to remain mentally tough, see new opportunities, and take action.

He also shared that individuals that are truly mentally tough possess the following qualities:

  1. They’re emotionally intelligent
  2. They’re confident
  3. They neutralize toxic people
  4. They embrace change
  5. They say no
  6. They know fear is the No. 1 source of regret
  7. They embrace failure
  8. They don’t dwell on mistakes
  9. They won’t let anyone limit their joy
  10. They don’t limit the joy of others
  11. They exercise
  12. They get enough sleep
  13. They limit their caffeine intake
  14. They don’t wait for an apology to forgive
  15. They’re relentlessly positive

We need to realize we can’t control everything (that’s hard for some of us!), but we can focus our energy on those things that we can influence, and take action on.

Of the 15 items listed, which challenge your ability to be mentally tough?

You have good days, you have bad days. But the main thing is to grow mentally.
– Floyd Mayweather, Jr

16 Aug
[email protected] Leadership

Are You Influential?

The goal of leadership without authority is to get others to willingly cooperate and engage. –Carol Kinsey Goman

Last week we talked about the ability to influence others when there is no reporting structure.  Did you seriously ponder how influential you are, and did the LEAP model (Listen, Empathize, Agree and Plan) resonate at all?

Leadership styles and behaviors have changed in the past couple of decades (thankfully!). Gone are the days of dictatorial styles, and building and maintaining relationships, along with focusing on interpersonal skills seem to be more effective for driving and obtaining desired results.

Development Dimensions International, Inc has been conducting leadership studies for over 40 years and found that “only a slight majority (55 percent) of leaders feel that they and their peers are engaged in mutual influence”.

They also reported that communication skills, especially those related to listening, have ranked as the #1 skill for impacting high performance. And more specifically, listening and responding with empathy, obtain the best results.

There are 5 Listening Styles per Wiley’s Personal Listening profile:

Appreciative: Listens in a relaxed manner, seeking enjoyment, entertainment, or inspiration.
Empathic: Listens without judging, is supportive of the speaker, and learns from the experiences of others.
Comprehensive: Listens to organize and make sense of information by understanding relationships among ideas.
Discerning: Listens to get complete information, understand the main message, and determine important details.
Evaluative: Listens in order to make a decision based on information provided and may accept or reject message based on personal beliefs.

Based on the descriptions above, which sounds most like your listening style? When you read about the Empathic style, how aligned are you with that description?

Empathic listeners:

  • Provide support and reflection
  • Are patient listeners
  • Listen for emotions and feelings
  • Let others know that they care

What can you work on to increase your usage of the Empathic Listening style so your level of influence grows? Never doubt that listening takes work!

Want to become a better leader? Stop talking and start listening.
—Mike Myatt

09 Aug
[email protected] Leadership

Can You Influence Without Authority?

LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE –John C. Maxwell

Influencing those outside of our reporting structure comes easier to some than others.

  • A good starting point is to validate that all involved have a shared goal
  • Next, evaluate required resources ex. Skill sets, time commitments, desired results and timelines
  • Consider everyone as equals
  • Listen to what others are thinking and feeling, as well as their ideas for completing the initiative, and any perceived obstacles
  • Expect conflict (remember, conflict is simply differing opinions)
  • Use the LEAP model – Listen, Empathize, Agree and Plan.
    • Agree on tasks and task ownership, and timelines
    • Jointly complete a plan to track achievements and “misses”
  • If the project has a champion, or if you have a mentor, request they review the plan for enhancements

Collaboration and cooperation are musts. We need to understand and leverage past relationships and experiences, as well as attitudes and beliefs.

All silos need to be torn down, and we need to take the time to understand what everyone brings to the table. What are the individual strengths? Where do people feel they add the most value? What do they enjoy doing?

Communication is also a priority. There are two different styles that are used in influencing others:

  • Openness in communication
  • Consideration for others

Our level of openness dictates how willing we are to share our experiences, our thoughts, and our emotions. (In contrast with volunteering minimal information).

Consideration is displayed by our willingness to accept and respond to others in the way they prefer, which may differ from our own preferences.

Obtaining results is good, but building lasting relationships is better. Take time for team and one on lunches, and maybe an after work social event, and make the time to create a work culture that helps everyone thrive.

Do you effectively “influence without authority”?

02 Aug
[email protected] Success

Activity Does NOT = Achievement

Never Mistake Activity for Achievement—John Wooden

There are mixed opinions about whether effort should be rewarded, or if it should be limited to results only.

We too have varying thoughts. There are goals and initiatives that need to be attained by individuals, teams, and entire organizations. (That’s how we survive and thrive). As a leader, how do you feel when you see colleagues/direct reports committed to doing everything they can to achieve results, but are unsuccessful? Do you acknowledge their contributions even when success is not achieved?

Below are excerpts from Craig Impelman’s perspectives published in SUCCESS magazine, based on John Wooden’s achievement model:

1. Proper Execution of the Plan
A daily practice plan should be prepared and followed. If you fail to follow the program on one thing, it may affect others. If you planned poorly, make the corrections for the following day . . .

2. Attention to Detail
The coach should be on the floor early to make certain that everything is ready for practice. I like to have a checklist for the managers to go by, but the coach must make sure. Anticipate from past experience and be prepared.

3. Maximize use of time.
Even though a particular drill may be emphasizing one specific fundamental, other fundamentals in use should not be overlooked.

4. Post-Practice Analysis
I like to sit down with my assistants immediately after practice and briefly analyze and discuss the practice of that day.

This was written for basketball, but it also applies to business:

  • Create a plan (or goals) and identify all steps required (and possible roadblocks
  • As leaders, we don’t need to execute the plan, but we need to clearly communicate the desired results and timeframes
  • Remain focused and understand and incorporate dependencies and under-lying needs/skills
  • Conduct a debrief after every initiative/deliverable. What worked well, what didn’t, and what could you do differently next time?

Not everything is a success, nor does everything go as planned despite all of our efforts and critical contributions. So, back to the original question “Do you acknowledge contributions even when success is not achieved?”

Let us know!

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence. –Colin Powell

26 Jul
[email protected] Interpersonal Skills

Savvy Relationship Skills

You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved your way into!
—Stephen Covey

It’s relatively easy to be savvy with those you have a relationship with, but how do you go about building a meaningful relationship?

FYI – For Your Improvement  authors, Michael Lombardo &  Robert Eichinger, share the following tips:

  • Look for and appreciate the differences in others and use those differences for everyone’s benefit.
  • Craft how you approach another person by observing them first.
  • Work on being open, approachable, and put others at ease by listening and sharing and valuing their opinion.
  • Ask clarifying questions, restate what they said, and don’t immediately judge an opinion.
  • Manage your non verbal communication.  Make eye contact, stay focused on that person and nod as others speak to stay engaged.
  • Separate the person from a difficult issue.  Ask what is bothersome to that person or ask what they feel you could do or say to help.

A great goal to strive for is that onlookers shouldn’t be able to tell if you’re interacting with a friend, someone you just met, or a person you have an adversarial relationship with.   That’s not easy but it can be done!

And, when you do experience adversarial relationships, look for common interests and don’t disregard differing thoughts and opinions. Keeping your cool, listening, and allowing others to vent will assist with decreasing stress levels and diffuse tense situations.

Do you invest time and skill in building and maintaining savvy relationships?

The key to getting along with all kinds of people is to hold back or neutralize your personal reactions and focus on others first. – Michael Lombardo &  Robert Eichinger

19 Jul
[email protected] Planning

Visualize and Execute

You could be a great visionary, but if you don’t pair vision with action, it’s just your head in the clouds.—Kim Perell

Would you consider yourself a visionary? Many consider having a vision the key for achieving success, but more is required.

You need a plan, you need goals, and then you need to execute.

How often do you envision the end result? Is it clear in your mind? We frequently share the benefits of writing down what it is you wish to achieve, and will highlight that need yet again. Having them in writing helps narrow your focus, increases awareness, and helps identify action steps to keep you on track (and move the plan along).

Kim Perell, Entrepreneur and author provides the following Best Practices:

Visualize

Follow Your Heart

Just Start

Practice Resilience

Build Strong Relationships

Other tips include:

  • Write down not only your goals, but also specific daily tasks that support them
  • Be clear about what it is you want to achieve and visualize executing your action steps
  • Stay focused; anticipate issues and possible distractions
  • Communicate the value of the work effort  ex. Who will benefit and why

As leaders, it’s up to us to make our vision become reality.

We need to continuously communicate our vision, engage and inspire others to help us, and ensure we execute our plan.

Following these steps will greatly improve the likelihood of achieving success.

Vision is key to action: You have to see, literally and metaphorically, what you’re trying to achieve. –Kim Perell

12 Jul
image of a key on top of a keyboard; development opportunities lead to results
[email protected] Leadership

Advancing Coaching

My best investment, as cliched as this sounds, is the money I’ve spent developing myself, via books, workshops and coaching. Leadership begins within, and to have a better career, start by building a better you.– Robin S. Sharma

When you hear the word “coaching”, what comes to mind? Perhaps sports coaching is the most familiar. What about life coaching, business coaching, executive coaching, e-coaching, and group coaching?

All have a purpose and all make a difference.

As leaders, we must commit to continual learning for ourselves (workshops, seminars, reading, mentors, etc), and if we’re lucky, we’ll have the opportunity to have our own coach.

We must also commit to providing meaningful feedback and coaching support for our staff. The simplest way is via consistent and timely feedback, but more may be needed.

Consider team/group coaching (where the focus is on inclusiveness, trust, collaboration, and leveraging strengths), and it may also include individually developing the skills of high performers and/or helping those that are less proficient realize their potential.

Sometimes our skills are sufficient, and sometimes we must recognize that the help of others is needed to support the attainment of business goals and career aspirations.

For those of you that participated in the Leadership Journey program (within the past 12 months), you have many tips and exercises available to you via QwikCoach.

Another option to get started is to use the GROW Model originally developed in the 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore.  GROW standards for:

  • Goal
  • Reality (where you want to be)
  • Options or Obstacles (that must be overcome)
  • Will (What’s the skill-set and desire for growth)

This model is useful in coaching sessions since it provides both the coach and coachee the opportunity to share what they want to take action against, and make plans to overcome possible challenges. It is then used in follow-up coaching sessions to identify ongoing action steps, and to review progress.

What are you doing to advance coaching in your workplace? How are you helping others GROW?

Leaders empower individuals by building trust and coaching competence in their job roles and networking skills. –Kenneth H. Blanchard

05 Jul
[email protected] Leadership

Independence, Leadership, Courage

Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.  –Harry Truman

The U.S.A. celebrates Independence Day on July 4th.  It began in 1776 when 56 courageous individuals decided it was time for a change.

Did you know that 175+ other countries also celebrate Independence Day? As far back as 1143, Portugal officially became an autonomous state, and as recently as 2006, 55.5% of the Montenegro population voted in favor of Independence.

In most cases these are national holidays and a time for celebration and reflection. It’s also a good time to remember all the courageous leaders that value the need for change and growth, and persist despite resistance.

We all know that being a leader is not easy, that it requires courage and commitment, and the ability to motivate and inspire others. It can also require being a risk taker, and not being afraid of failure.

Here are some notable failures that persisted:

Abraham Lincoln – Experienced 12 major failures before being elected the 16th U.S. President

Albert Einstein – His teachers said “he wouldn’t amount to much”.

Ludwig van Beethoven – His music teacher once said “as a composer, he is hopeless”.

Steve Jobs – He felt he was a public failure when he was fired from Apple.

Walt Disney – Was fired from a newspaper for his lack of imagination.

The Beatles – In 1962 they were told they “had no future in show business” and that “groups with guitars are on the way out”.

Bottom line, are you leading with courage and commitment?

And, what are you doing to inspire change in others?

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.–Winston Churchill

28 Jun
[email protected] Leadership

Employee Loyalty?

Employees who have been pushed to the point where they no longer care, will not go the extra mile.—Brigette Hyacinth

Did you know that Gallup research found that 70% of an employee’s motivation is influenced by their boss?

We’ve shared stories before about why boss/employee relationships are critical, but the 70% statistic for motivating staff was higher than we expected. We’ve also shared tips for improving relationships and for creating loyalty in the workplace, but author Brigette Hyacinth provides even more:
1.  Connect with staff – Make your presence felt. Get to know your employees.

2. Show employees that you genuinely care. Show empathy when they have problems. Advocate for your team. Stand up for them when things go wrong.

3. Practice Open and Honest two-way Communication. Keep employees informed. Listen. Have an atmosphere where employees’ ideas and suggestions are valued and acted on.

4. Be fair and neutral. Treat everyone fairly. Lead by example. Be known as a person of integrity.

5. Empower Employees. Provide them with the proper tools, give them room to get the job done. Don’t micromanage!

6. Reward and Recognition – Offer incentives. Show employees how much you value and appreciate them. Reward staff for good work, be generous with “Thank Yous.”

7. Recommend employees for training and new opportunities. Acknowledge and encourage strengths, recognize different skills, and provide training and development opportunities.

How often have you heard “employees are your most valuable asset”? It’s said often because it’s true, however if the employee feels that this is a hollow statement, loyalty and commitment will be lacking.

Hyacinth concludes by saying “you can’t buy loyalty, but you can certainly foster and nurture it”.

No argument from us!

Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if they do the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will support them.–Harvey Mackay

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