27 Feb
[email protected] Leadership

A Culture of Accountability

If you are building a culture where honest expectations are communicated and peer accountability is the norm, then the group will address poor performance and attitudes.
― Henry Cloud

Accountability. What does that mean to you? Does it mean doing what you say? Admitting mistakes? Being transparent? Supporting goals? What else?

As leaders there’s a need to create a culture of accountability where individuals, teams and the entire organization create a strategy and commitment to make it come alive (and provide feedback when it’s lacking).

Gordon Tredgold provides the following to help increase accountability levels:

1 – Accountability starts with you, the leader
Leadership must model the behaviors desired within the organization.

2 – You are Accountable
Leaders are accountable for any failures (as well as any successes) within their organization.

3 – Accountability is not a one-time thing
Accountability is not occasional, rather it’s an “all-time thing”.

4 – Accountability applies to one and all
There’s no playing favorites; accountability must be consistently requested of everyone.

5 – Accountability cannot be delegated
It’s something that has to be accepted be each person so they feel accountable and take ownership of their behaviors and actions.

6 – Accountability is the difference between success and failure
When ownership exists and problems arise, individuals step into solution mode.

7 – Holding people Accountable
Actually discuss and assess how/if each person is being accountable. This will strengthen accountability, and provides opportunities for feedback (and praise).

In conclusion, Tredgold shares:  ask teams and colleagues if they have “everything they need to be successful; when they say yes they have taken a big step towards accepting accountability. If they say no then you need to make sure you provide whatever is missing because without it they will never accept accountability”.

As a leader, are you modeling the desired behaviors that improve accountability? Is anything missing that will prevent others from being accountable?

The keys to brand success are self-definition, transparency, authenticity and accountability.–Simon Mainwaring

20 Feb
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Conflict Intelligence

For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.–Margaret Heffernan

Managing workplace conflict continues to be a struggle for many of us. “Conflict. It’s an inevitable—and crucial—part of every business. Handled well, the clash of ideas, claims, interests and preferences can be a positive force, exposing the weaknesses of positions and leading to creativity, innovative problem-solving and growth” –Shelley Levitt

So how do we get started? The first step is possessing “Conflict Intelligence” – that means knowing the varying conflict modes and understanding and applying the appropriate style based on the situation.

Authors Peter Coleman and Robert Ferguson share that “conflict intelligence” requires keen social smarts. Similar to Patrick Lencioni’s concepts from Five Behaviors Of A Cohesive Team, it starts with trust.

• Build trust. Great teams sometimes argue passionately, but doing it respectfully is a must.

• Establish a goodwill bank account. Conflicts take place within the context of relationships. When people feel warmly toward each other, they can weather the tension of disagreement without permanently hurting their relationship.

• Be adaptable. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to conflict. There is also a need to understand the differing modes of conflict and when they are best used. For more information refer to Thomas-Kilmann’s TKI model of styles: Competing (assertive, uncooperative), Avoiding (unassertive, uncooperative), Accommodating (unassertive, cooperative), Collaborating (assertive, cooperative), Compromising (middle ground between competing and accommodating). Each style has a time and place.

• Repair post-conflict bruises. The residual hurt feelings and anger that can set in after a heated dispute need to be addressed. “Let’s talk about what happened” is a good opener for individuals and teams alike.

• Court outside views. Even the people who are savviest about conflict resolution need some new perspective from time to time—from friends, former colleagues, mentors, even one-time competitors. Obtain fresh, unbiased opinions.

Conflict is going to happen.  Plan for it and don’t idly sit back and watch it; rather address it in a timely manner before tensions and ill-will escalate!

The Law of win/win says: Let’s not do it your way or my way; let’s do it the best way.
— Greg Anderson

13 Feb
[email protected] Leadership

Are You Listening?

Listen, involve, synergize at work. Then you will bury the old and create an entirely new winning culture which will unleash people’s talents and create complementary teams where strengths are made productive and weakness are made irrelevant through the strengths of others.— Stephen R. Covey

Would you be surprised to learn that communication continues to be an issue in the workplace? That only 13% of U.S. workers strongly agree that their organization’s leadership communicates effectively?

This may not be news as it’s been an issue for years, but why is that? Are we choosing to NOT address the issue?

The state of our work culture includes many elements, but it’s been determined that there’s a strong link between having a disengaged workforce and ineffective communication. And, a study by Salesforce Research found that:

Employees who feel their voice is heard at work are nearly five-times (4.6X) more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work

No doubt about it, listening takes work! Below are 6 tips gathered BY STEPHANIE VOZZA:

1. LISTEN TO LEARN, NOT TO BE POLITE
Ajit Singh, professor in the School of Medicine at Stanford University, says If we ever finish a conversation and learned nothing surprising, we weren’t really listening.

2. QUIET YOUR AGENDA
Really listen to what someone else is trying to say. We need information that is disconfirming, not confirming.

3. ASK MORE QUESTIONS
When you ask questions, you create a safe space for other people to give you an unvarnished truth.

4. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR TALK/LISTEN RATIO
Strive for a 2:1 ratio of listening to talking.

5. REPEAT BACK WHAT YOU HEARD
If the speaker agrees that what you heard is what he or she intended to say, you can move on. If not, the speaker needs to reword their statement until the listener really does understand.

6. ACTUALLY WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS DONE TALKING BEFORE YOU RESPOND
Leslie Shore, author of Listen to Succeed shares: When we begin working on a reply before the speaker is finished, we lose both the complete information being offered and an understanding of the kind of emotion present in the speaker’s delivery.

How do you think listening would be rated in your workplace? What are you doing to improve that rating?

Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.–Andy Stanley

06 Feb
[email protected] Leadership

The Mentor/Mentee Partnership

Mentors guide, motivate, inspire and support – enabling the mentee to achieve their life’s goals and aspirations.—Mentor City

How do you define the role of mentor? We define it as “someone who imparts wisdom and shares knowledge with a less experienced person” and perhaps someone with “less exposure” than that of the mentor.

Part of the mentor’s role is to provide:
-Meaningful and frequent feedback
-Explore strengths and needs and create and update a development plan
-Networking opportunities are identified and leveraged
-Trusting relationships are built and nurtured
-Ongoing open lines of communication
-Realistic expectations for attaining goals and results

Mentoring may be formal or informal, but the expectations and roles should be defined and agreed to at the inception of the relationship.

1. What’s the purpose of the mentorship?
2. What type of expertise/guidance is the mentee seeking?

Note: In general, mentors/mentees do not have a reporting relationship allowing for candid discussions.

Here are some tips for the mentee:

Be receptive to coaching and suggestions made by your mentor

Focus on expectations; it’s up to you to share your desired goals (short and long term), what you view as your “dream job”, and your vision for your career path.   

Stay current on required work skills. What talent would look good on your resume? Would any certifications or other position you to stand out from the competition?

Discuss your successes and accomplishments as well as your barriers and problem areas

Solicit feedback; what could you do better?  What’s working well and what is not?

Are you willing to share your wisdom and experiences with others to help them grow?  If yes, become a mentor!

A mentor can be a role model, coach, sounding board, voice of reason, emotional support, counselor, and a trusted resource.—Mentor City