Reset Your Mindset

With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who you are and you cannot change. This creates problems when you’re challenged because anything that appears to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and overwhelmed.–Travis Bradberry

We continue to live and lead in uncertain times, and often hear discussions about what the “new normal” will be. A great question but one with no clear answer.

Given the high levels of uncertainty, a “mindset reset” may be in order. Many of us are suffering from decreased energy levels, and quite honestly are floundering.

So as leaders, what can we do?  Start by increasing your level of communication with your teams by asking and listening.

How are they feeling? Do they seem restless? Have they lost focus? Are they missing deadlines? What about their tone of voice (stressed or irritable?).

Leadership professional Ban Weston provides 10 tips that may help:

1.    Acknowledge and accept changing times.
2.    Face your fears; writing them down can help you move forward.
3.    Confront your feelings and seek support; reach out to close colleagues or loved ones and talk to them about what you are feeling.
4.    Stop the fearful thoughts and replace them with something positive. Turn negative thoughts into something positive. Ex.How have you helped others cope? List the positives for being home. Ex. More family time
5.    Be flexible and embracing of change; approach change with an open attitude of learning.  What are the positives as a result of the change? Ex. Saved commute time and lower gas bills
6.    Be part of the change. See change as an opportunity for growth; use your extra time for self-development.
7.    Communication, communication and more communication. The unknown can be scary. Provide meaningful information and address rumors or incorrect assumptions. Will there be pay cuts? Furloughs? Loss of business? Longer work hours?
8.    Reduce Stress and anxiety. Focus on what makes you feel strong and fit so you can continue to make good and rational decisions. Ex. Exercise, music, movies, etc
9.    Have a sense of meaning. Where and how are you adding value? What goals have you achieved? Have you helped others adjust and grow their skill-set?
10. Continue to do your work and see the big picture. Focus on achieving your designated goals; maintain a positive attitude and know better times are ahead.

We also encourage regular video conferencing. Let colleagues see one another and share their ups and downs.

Don’t be the leader where team members share that they were never asked about their perceptions, opinions, or feelings! Rather, be recognized for helping reset mindsets.

Stay safe!

You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.–Carol Dweck

12 Steps For Courageous Leadership Recap

CourageAbility – The ability to live your dreams and professional life the way you desire, while achieving your goals and exceeding in your ambitions and objectives. It is taking and empowering yourself and others to go where you or they have never gone before!

In 2011 we wrote our first book: 12 Steps For Courageous Leadership – Start Your Journey Now and thought that this is a good time to revisit the steps.

It’s not easy being a leader. It takes courage and commitment, the willingness to step out of our comfort zone, the need to readily adapt to change, and the obligation to develop our skill set and the skills within our organization. Below are 12 essential steps:

Step 1)   Have and live YOUR dream. As leaders we need to have the courage to acknowledge and leverage OUR passion.  If you are living someone else’s dream, have the courage to say it; it’s not a problem to accommodate others, but realize and acknowledge that it’s your choice.

Step 2)   Document your goals. Put your goals in writing, communicate them, and enlist others to help track your progress.

Step 3)   Commit to your goals.  This can be difficult and requires taking action. Schedule the time in your calendar for what you’re committing to do. Saying you’re going to do something is not commitment; DOING it is.

Step 4)   Understand your strengths and the strengths of others. You can’t do everything yourself; allow others to help you.  Bring the experts into your life. Take a risk. Understand the strengths of others, help them grow, and allow them to take ownership.

Step 5) Communicate with Confidence and Clarity. This is our most important task and we’re continually working on it.

Step 6)   Understand and manage conflict with a purpose.  Without conflict there is no leadership. Conflict must occur for there to be growth, and it must be done in a healthy, honoring, respectful manner.

Step 7)   Grow and Develop others. As leaders our job is to help others achieve their goals and objectives. Are you mentoring others to help them grow?  Do you and your team have Individual Development Plans?  Do you track their progress?

Step 8)   Effective Delegation. This, combined with number 4, is critical. If you are doing everything yourself, you’ll get burned out. You may be surprised and find others can do it even better!

Step 9)   Regularly solicit feedback and commit to developing a skill.

Step 10)  Remain Controlled; composure is critical for a leader. Emotional intelligence is a skill that can be measured and developed.

Step 11)  Reward and Recognize. Do you reward others based on goals, or just randomly? Rewards need to be consistent and based on the actions/behaviors/results you would like to see more of.

Step 12) Succeed and Learn from Failure. Risks need to be taken or very little change will occur.

Be courageous and take action on the 12 steps!

Stay safe!

We challenge you to live your life with courage, leverage it to achieve success, and make a difference!

How Are You Doing?

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old,
but on building the new.-Socrates

How are you doing? “Social distancing” is impacting many of us in different ways. While some introverts may enjoy the solitude and isolation, many of us thrive on interactions with others and have a need to be social. For those familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) there are two preferences that define where we get our energy:

E’s (Extraversion) are those who get their energy from people, places and things

I’s (Introversion) are those who get their energy from ideas and concepts

When cut off from people and places, the E’s suffer most. The I’s on the other hand may enjoy the extra time of “quiet” to process new ideas and concepts. There is no right or wrong style, but we are impacted differently. Think about how you feel.

Now think about working from home. It could be a perk but it could also be a hardship. Consider those that are, not by choice, home-schooling their children for the first time and having a need to work from home. There may be struggles with the needed technology to have a productive work day, while at the same time balancing other family needs.

We must also be appreciative of the “essential” workers that continue to go to work. They have the added stress of worrying about their possible exposure to the virus, how they could expose their family, and the additional concern of child-care / home-schooling.

We’re in this together and there will be better times. While recognizing the need for “physical distancing”, don’t ignore your social needs and your feelings. One idea is stay connected with family and friends via teleconferencing. You can see one another, catch up, and laugh.

In closing, here are a few chuckles to brighten your day: (special thanks to Pat Bender for sharing).

– I was so bored I called Jake from State Farm just to talk to someone. He asked me what I was wearing.

– My fridge just groaned and hissed “Not you again”.

– Home school update: My child just said they hope they don’t have the same teacher next year.

– The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house, and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors!

We also hear virtual happy hours are growing in popularity!
Stay safe.

Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.― Steve Maraboli

What NOT To Repeat

We don’t need new ways to fail… the old ones are working just fine! Our task, in business and in life, is to observe what they are, and never go back to doing them again.—Dr. Henry Cloud

We all make mistakes; hopefully we learn from them and take measures to not repeat them.

Dr. Henry Cloud, psychologist, leadership consultant, and author, shares the following about what successful leaders learn from, and commit to not repeating.

Successful people never again . . .
1. Return to what hasn’t worked.
Never go back to the same thing, expecting different results, without something being different.
2. Do anything that requires them to be someone they are not.
Be authentic and ask: Why am I doing this? Am I suited for it? Does it fit me? Is it sustainable?
3. Try to change another person.
You cannot force someone into doing something they choose not to do; allow them to experience possible consequences if necessary.
4. Believe they can please everyone.
It’s impossible to please everyone, live purposefully, and try to please the right people.
5. Choose short-term comfort over long-term benefit.
Accept that painful steps may be required to obtain long-term benefits.
6. Trust someone or something that appears flawless.
Pursue people who are great at what they do: colleagues, employees, friends, etc
7. Take their eyes off the big picture.
Look for the big picture; no one event is ever the whole story.
8. Neglect to do due diligence.
Take a deeper, honest look to understand what is truly needed.
9. Fail to ask why they are where they find themselves.
Ask yourself: What part am I playing in this situation?
10. Forget that their inner life determines their outer success.
We are happy and fulfilled mostly by who we are on the inside.

High achievers recognize the patterns impacting success and take strides to never repeat them. Would you say you do a good job of not repeating behaviors that impede desired results?

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.—Colin Powell

Connecting and Leading Remotely

Leadership has challenges, and it becomes even more challenging when leading from a distance.

Leadership challenges are not new, nor is the need to be adaptable, understand those we lead, and above all else, stay connected.

Especially now, leading remotely is commonplace for many leaders. Team members formerly together in the same workplace are now working from home, in addition to those already working virtually.

Staying connected is more important than ever as readiness levels for working “solo” varies greatly.

So what does this mean to you as a leader?  

Check in regularly with each team member. You’ll find that some are happy to hear from you only if you/they need something, where others may want more frequent contact (perhaps multiple times each day) for a simple “check-in”.

Expect the “unusual” when on calls/video and be flexible; examples include barking dogs, children wanting to be on camera, package deliveries, background noises, unstable connections, etc

Allow flexible work hours. Unless there’s a reason to have carved in stone hours, let each team member set their own schedule.

Regularly communicate. What are the current priorities? Are there any obstacles when supporting them from home? Share individual expectations and ensure all interactions end with closure. This means that everyone involved knows who is going to do what, by when.

Ask how team members are feeling. Have weekly “open forum” team sessions. Invite each person to share their opinion and thoughts about:
– What’s working well and what is not
– What do they like best about being home; what do they like
least?
Also discuss:
– Team needs and dependencies
– Suggestions for best practices
– Workload and bandwidth (too much work? Too little work?)

Your team members may not be onsite, but they must have a sense of being connected and feeling valued!

Take the bull by the horns. You are the bull.