30 May
[email protected] Leadership

EQ – THE Performance Predictor

Research shows convincingly that EQ is more important than IQ in almost every role and many times more important in leadership roles.
– Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Some consider Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to be THE single biggest predictor of performance excellence in the workplace. By developing our EQ, (and yes, it can be developed), we position ourselves to more successfully cope with organizational demands and pressures.

Psychologist Steven Stein and psychiatrist Howard Book state that strong leaders have both a high IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and a developed EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient). Intelligence will only go so far; leaders must also be aware of how they present themselves, how they respond to others, and how others perceive them.

Our IQ is considered to be non-dynamic and is an indicator of how we perform intellectual tasks. Our EQ on the other hand can increase through self development and consists of 4 areas: Self awareness, self management, social awareness, and relationship management.

Self Awareness is critical when engaging in communication
Self Management is key for managing emotions in difficult situations
Social Awareness leverages awareness of others to perform at your peak
Relationship Management manages relationships to increase job performance and integrates EQ professionally and personally

Self-awareness and self-management are about you – do you know your strengths and weaknesses; are you a continual learner?

Social Awareness and Relationship Management are about how you interact with others. Are you in tune with their styles? Do you bring out the best in others?

Emotional intelligence is the genuine ability to feel emotions, understand what you’re feeling and why, understand how others are feeling, and respond appropriately. Having a high EQ builds relationships and fosters communication even in the most difficult of times.

Do you know your EQ?
More importantly, what are you doing to develop your EQ?

As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.-― Amit Ray

28 May
[email protected] Decision Making

Have You Decided?

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
–Theodore Roosevelt

You’re probably asking “decided what?” in regards to the subject line. Let’s start with decision making in general.

As leaders, we’re expected to make decisions on a regular basis; matter of fact, there’s rarely a day that goes by when we don’t need to make a decision.

Our teams and organizations are dynamic and strategies are refined and we need to provide clarity for approaches/tasks that will support what’s changing. We need to decide how to best engage our direct reports and perhaps peers and other colleagues.

Clarify:

  • What decisions need to be made?
  • What information will help us make the “right” decision? Note: expect to not always be right!
  • Can we decide on our own or should we engage others?
  • Do we have time to postpone the decision or does it need to be made now?
  • What’s our desired outcome?

Tips:

  • Don’t fall into “analysis/paralysis”
  • Accept that we will make mistakes
  • When mistakes occur, assess what could have been done differently
  • Organize your thoughts and be able to concretely share why you decided what you did
  • Don’t expect total buy-in (there will always be opposing views and different approaches)
  • Don’t disregard what your “gut” is telling you. Does it feel right?
  • Utilize knowledge and past experiences
  • Avoid letting emotions impact your thought process
  • Determine if any deadlines must be met (you may not have time for complete due diligence ex. Legal or contract issues) so utilize the knowledge available to youIn closing, we’ll share a quote by Larina Kase:
    Why is it so difficult to make decisions? Perhaps it is because the variables and the outcomes are often uncertain.  

Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.
–Phil McGraw

16 May
[email protected] Leadership

Clarity of VMGM

Keeping people fired up starts with having a really clear vision for what the company is aiming to do. –Nick Woodman

We’ve shared that CLARITY starts with YOU.  Now we’ll add to that – in order for there to be organizational success, a clear vision must exist.

Many of you are familiar with PeopleTek’s VMGM=B equation. For those that are not, it means that our vision, mission, goals and measures are to be 100% supported by our behaviors.

We define Vision as:
A dream or aspiration that provides direction and guides us to a place far away. It may be unattainable, but we are able to focus our attention and make strides for ideally getting there.

The idea is for the vision to be clearly defined, easily understood, with supporting actions made a priority. And, the entire organization (all levels; all positions) must be engaged.

That’s where things sometimes get derailed – how can each person and every role support it? That’s where leadership comes in.

As leaders:

  • We need to simplify the vision and make the connections for our staff/teams
  • We need to regularly restate the vision and associated goals and behaviors that will make the vision come alive
  • We need to explain the “why” and obtain buy-in for the “how”
  • We can also ask our team members their thoughts about making the vision feel real and meaningful to them
  • We need to reward the behaviors that support our vision
  • We need to track and share any team successes and accomplishments that support the vision (and celebrate them!)Clarity is required for us to have a work culture that includes innovation, decision making, collaboration, and ultimately success.How would you rate CLARITY in your work culture? What would you like to see change?

When there’s a clear vision, and you’ve got the creative teams working toward that goal, each on their own, it can then come together quite elegantly at the endpoint.—Greg Rucka

09 May
[email protected] Leadership

Clarity and Engagement

We need to draw out and leverage the unique talents within our organization so we can make a difference and improve levels of engagement (studies report that 73% of staff is not engaged)

Making a difference starts with CLARITY and it starts with YOU.

C  Communication
L   Listening
A  Authenticity
R  Results
I   Integrity
T  Trust
Y  YOU

Since YOU are in control of ensuring CLARITY exists, we’ll go in reverse order:

Y – How would YOU define your leadership skills? Would they be aligned with the perceptions and feedback others provide?

T – Are you able to build (and maintain) TRUSTing relationships with colleagues, direct reports, and partners?

I – Integrity is said to be the most-mentioned corporate value; do you live those values?

R – Are your desired results directly linked to your vision, mission, goals, and behaviors?

A – Is your delivery authentic?  Are your behaviors aligned with your expectations? Would others say you’re the “real deal”?

L – Do you truly listen (not just hear) what others say? Are you open to changing your mind, approach, and strategies if new information or opinions are shared with you?

C – Do you consistently communicate and do you confirm your message is understood?

Thomas Leonard sums it up nicely: Clarity affords focus (and focus increases engagement which brings results!)

If you want to help somebody, make sure you’re coming from a place of clarity and complete non-judgment; that way, you can begin to understand their journey, too.—Mary Lambert

 

Take a step towards clarity today by joining our next Leadership Journey. It is the perfect opportunity to become your best self. Clarity makes a huge difference in your leadership, so taking the time to invest in yourself is an important decision.

Contact us today if you are ready to gain clarity and improve your leadership.

02 May
[email protected] Leadership

Clear As Mud

Without focusing and getting to clarity, you cannot lead. You cannot motivate. You cannot plan. You cannot communicate.– Bobb Biehl

Would you say you have clarity in your life, both personally and professionally, or would you lean more towards the “clear as mud” descriptor?

Where are you in your career and where would you like to be? What about outside of work?  Are you fulfilling your dreams?

Paul Cummings suggests thinking in terms of a camera:

  • Most cameras today automatically know how to focus on an image.
  • Years back that was not the case. You had to take the time (and make an effort) to focus your camera on the image you wanted to capture.
  • You had to slowly twist and adjust the lens until the image looked clear and in focus.

He then goes on to share how our minds work:

  • Minds don’t come with an “auto-focus” button
  • Mental clarity is not simple
  • It takes time and effort to find it
  • As leaders, we must take the time we need to find our own clarity, especially if we want to lead others. (Remember FLY? First Lead Yourself, then Lead Others)
  • Mental clarity means that you have total sharpness and clearness of mind about where you are and where you’re headed
  • You have a clear perception and understanding of who you are and what you want to get out of life
  • If you want to lead others well, you must be clear about the things that you are wanting to accomplish (Goals? Expectations?)
  • Team members are looking to their leader for confidence, total clarity and certainty
  • When it exists, you will be a trusted leader, and your team will want to follow you

Some define CLARITY as knowing exactly what you want to achieve, and FOCUS as knowing which daily actions to take to get there.

Are you “Clear as Mud or Auto-Focused”?

Too often we don’t know what we want and we lack clarity and commitment to stick with our plans long enough to achieve success.