27 Jun
photo of Thank You medal; reward the positive
[email protected] Leadership

Under-Used Leadership Behavior?

Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.—Sam Walton

Are you under-using any critical leadership behaviors? As leaders a lot is expected of us; we need to keep our skills sharp, our relationships strong, and we need to communicate effectively.

That’s just a starting point. We need to be accountable for all of our behaviors, we need to know what we’re doing well, we need to know which areas to develop, and we must acknowledge the accomplishments and contributions made by our direct reports (and colleagues too).

The old adage that people quit their boss and not their job is pretty accurate. We’ve previously shared that only 33% of employees are engaged at work – so what’s up with the 70%?

Research has found:
• 79% of employees say a major reason for quitting their job was due to lack of appreciation
• 65% of U.S. employees claim they received zero recognition in the past year
• Over half said they are more motivated by recognition/appreciation than money

Do these numbers surprise you and do they make you think about what, why, and how you show your appreciation?

We once worked with a leader that told us he expected everyone to go “above and beyond” and that as a result, there wasn’t anything exemplary to reward or show appreciation for. (No wonder his turnover rates were so high!)

Appreciation can be a simple thank-you or a financial bonus, and there’s a wide variety of things to recognize; here are but a few:
Accuracy/Customer Satisfaction
Financial Saves/Process Improvements
Driving Results/Inspiring Others
Positive Attitude/Collaborative
Top Performer/Goal Attainment

Whatever you do, make sure you’re authentic and provide the exact reason for the recognition. The recipient needs to clearly understand the praise, and they must know you’re sincere. This will help create a culture of engagement and positivity, reduce attrition, and lend itself to obtaining desired results.

Don’t neglect the power of appreciation; it’s definitely one leadership behavior not to under-use!

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. — William Arthur Ward

20 Jun
[email protected] Team

Appreciating Diversity and Differences

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. –Audre Lorde

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”.

And we’d like to add:

Appreciating and Leveraging Workplace Diversity In The Workplace Has Benefits
Knowledge, acceptance, and awareness are factors for becoming more diverse. How accepting are you of differences? Would you consider yourself and your organization to be diverse?  Do you appreciate differences, and do you leverage those differences to increase effectiveness?

Before you answer, think about what comes to mind when topics related to workplace 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, respect, and appreciation for how these differences strengthen our team, our organization, and our world.
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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.

Studies show that diversity enhances learning; we grow our mindset when we listen, process, and understand differences (and maybe learn that our way isn’t the only way!)

Have you observed a variety of leadership skills, traits and behaviors within your organization? Do you relate equally to all styles? Do you find all of them effective? Chances are “no”.

Be cognizant of how these differing styles make you feel, and give thought as to why.  Appreciating and valuing differences lends itself to having a stronger team and organization.

Do you appreciate and learn from diversity and differences?

The person who is truly best suited to us is not the person who shares our tastes, but the person who can negotiate differences in taste intelligently and wisely.– Alain de Botton

13 Jun
[email protected] Decision Making

Your Accountable Self

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get
you where you want to go, no one else.—Les Brown

Do you consider accountability as one of your stronger traits?

Let’s start by defining it:
The quality or state of being accountable; an obligation, willingness and commitment to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions

It’s strictly up to us – no one can make us be accountable.  They may influence us, they may provide us with feedback, they may even put us on an improvement plan, but ultimately the choice is ours.

The first step is to clearly understand expectations

  • What are the desired end results?
  • How do we personally contribute to their achievement?
  • Do we have any role in adding clarity or helping others understand their involvement?

The next step is to be honest with ourselves

  • What are we committing to?
  • Are the tasks and associated time-frames realistic?
  • Do we have the required skill-set?
  • Do we need others to guide or assist us?
  • Are we able to admit mistakes when they occur?
  • Do we openly communicate and engage others when we get off track?
  • Are there other projects/priorities that may impact our commitments? Make them known!
  • Don’t be afraid to say “no”. Give thought to what you’re agreeing to; if you feel your commitment could be at risk, be open about it. Saying “yes” may not always serve you well.On a scale of 1-10, where would you rank yourself on accountability? Is there anything you could change?

I learned in an extremely hard way that the accountability falls with me.—Stephen Baldwin

06 Jun
[email protected] Team

Accountability, Actions, and Results

Successful teams cannot exist without accountability – high performance and accountability go hand-in-hand.—Henry J. Evans

It’s no surprise that levels of accountability impact results.  This includes not only ensuring you’re accountable for your own actions (or lack of), but that we also hold others accountable for what was agreed upon.

A true leader builds a culture where accountability and responsibility are the “norm”. There’s no fear of repercussions (bad reviews, stifled career growth, or a sense of failure). When someone is truly accountable they have no issue owning and learning from their mistakes, as well as celebrating their successes.

In addition to the leader/boss, in healthy teams, colleagues have the trust needed to address tasks, deliverables and deadlines that may be at risk. This is not easy, and to be clear, finger pointing is not how issues are addressed! Rather it’s identifying what desired results could be at risk and assessing if changes need to be made. Let’s face it, not everything goes as planned.

When issues arise, it’s great to ask questions like “how can I help” and “what could be done help us get back on track”.  Avoid the “Who” and “Why” questions as they cause defensiveness and may appear as a want to place blame.

John Miller, author of the QBQ shares that BLAME is to be avoided as it:

  • Indicts people
  • Destroys morale
  • Reduces creativity
  • Lowers productivity
  • Increases fear
  • Drives wedges between colleagues
  • Breaks down teams

So, what can we do to improve accountability?

  • Be specific about each commitment and associated time-frames
  • Seek clarity if a task or assignment is vague
  • Ensure those involved understand their role and obtain their buy-in
  • Communicate any changes that could impact what was agreed upon
  • Promptly address any behavior or action that could negatively impact desired results
  • Conduct regular check-ins; is everything on track? (based on the desired results, you’ll need to determine if “regular” means daily, weekly, monthly, etc)

It’s up to each of us to hold ourselves accountable and fulfill our commitments, and it’s also up to us to help others realize when their actions (or lack of) impact results.

Nothing gets fixed when we are fixated on who’s at fault.—John G. Miller