29 Jul
Leadership
[email protected] Leadership, Success

Leaders Developing Leaders

To succeed in life, become a leader and help others become leaders, too.
–Noel M. Tichy

Effective leadership entails many components and one of the most important ones, sometimes overlooked or not viewed as a priority, is committing sufficient time to develop and inspire others to strengthen their leadership skills and abilities.

Think about it – what organization or workplace would not benefit by building bench-strength, with the side benefits of increasing satisfaction levels and employee engagement while increasing results?

If the majority of your workforce feels their position is career related and not just a job, there’s a great likelihood they want to develop and grow. Jobs and careers differ with one of the major differences being that those viewing their position as a career often have professional goals. They want more!

As a leader, hopefully you share yours and your organization’s vision, mission and goals annually and also request them from your team members. What are the gaps that need to be filled? Is development planning jointly determined? Do you provide the time and financial resources to address them?

A Gallup poll reported that “opportunities to learn and grow” was one of the top three factors in retaining millennials and for attracting new applicants. In today’s work culture, the ability to hire the right person for the right job is becoming increasingly difficult. Competition is stiff with an abundance of opportunity. It’s up to us as leaders to:

  • consistently provide growth opportunities
  • address skill gaps so company productivity is not hindered
  • increase employee/team engagement to reduce attrition
  • encourage mentor/mentee relationships
  • invest in our people!

By investing in development, we as leaders create a culture that inspires new ideas, instills a desire to grow professionally, with an increase in results. How are you supporting the concept of “Leaders Developing Leaders“?

Could you do more?

The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on
leadership development.
–John C. Maxwell

 

 

22 Jul
Mistake
[email protected] Decision Making

Not To Be Repeated

Concerning mistakes, follow three simple rules.
Firstly, correct a mistake that you made whenever it is possible. Secondly, don’t repeat the same mistakes. Thirdly, learn from past mistakes.
― Eraldo Banovac

We make mistakes, we experience failure, and hopefully we learn from both. It’s learning from them (and not repeating them) that increases our ability to succeed.

Dr. Henry Cloud, clinical psychologist and author shares what successful people do not do:

1. Return to what hasn’t worked.

2. Do anything that requires you to be someone you are not.

3. Try to change another person.

4. Believe you can please everyone.

5. Choose short-term comfort over long-term benefit.

6. Trust someone or something that appears flawless. (Everyone has imperfections!)

7. Take your eyes off the big picture.

8. Neglect to do due diligence.

9. Fail to ask why we are where we are.

10. Forget that our inner life determines our outer success.

And he sums it up nicely:
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.

How successful are you at not repeating past mistakes?

Analyze and correct your past mistakes before they paralyze your future.
― Israelmore Ayivor

15 Jul
Covid Workplace
[email protected] Change

Is It Time To Return To The Workplace?

During all phases of reopening, employers should implement strategies for basic hygiene (e.g., hand hygiene; cleaning and disinfection), social distancing, identification and isolation of sick employees, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee training that are appropriate for the particular phase.–OSHA

As we all know, COVID-19 created massive changes to the work culture and the global economy. From a work perspective, immediate impacts were realized especially related to the loss of jobs and entire businesses, and we will also experience long term impacts yet to be defined.

Many companies are beginning to make plans for “non essential” employees to return to an in-person work environment; as a leader, how are you managing (and communicating) if/when/how you and your colleagues will be impacted?

There’s much to be considered, and there are arguments to almost every decision that needs to be made. Here are a few starter questions:

Q1. Are you/your organization preparing to bring employees back?

Q2. Do employees want to come back?  What if they don’t?

Q3. Are changes required for floorplans/office space?

Q3. What were the benefits for working remotely? The downside?

Q4. Will vaccinations be required?
If yes, what will happen to those that refuse?
If no, how will positive covid tests be managed? (For
the sick and those exposed).

Q5. Do salaries or benefits need to be revised?

Q6. What key positions function best in person versus via teleconferencing?

Q7. Did any roles experience a loss in productivity?

Q8. What were the financial gains for minimizing office space and usage?

There are many, many more questions that need answering as we return to an in-person work culture. We encourage open and honest lines of communication and frequent status updates; wishing you well as we go through times of change (again!).

Businesses can start with a granular analysis of what work can be done remotely by focusing on the tasks involved rather than whole jobs.
–McKinsey

01 Jul
[email protected] Leadership

Do You Share Your Magic Dust?

The meaning of life is to find your gift.  The purpose of life is to give it away.
—Pablo Picasso

Those of you that are Leadership Journey alumni are very familiar with our term “magic dust”. For those that are not, think in terms of what you’re good at, what comes easy to you, what you enjoy doing, and what some would say is your gift.

Think in terms of how you would define a good work day. Consider:

  • What gives you a sense of accomplishment?
  • What unique skills and abilities do you possess that impact your level of effectiveness and sense of adding value?
  • What qualities do you bring to your team or organization that others may not have?
  • Are you able to integrate your gifts/strengths both in your career and in your personal life?

Our “magic dust” differentiates us from others and often guides us to the type of work or career we find fulfilling. It’s fairly easy and natural to identify what we don’t like doing, and we generally know what we are not good at, but we’re not always aware of why we feel we had a great day at work and in general just feel good.

This may sound funny, but we have worked with leaders that excel at what they do, are acknowledged and rewarded for their accomplishments, but they quite simply don’t LIKE what they’re doing!

Hopefully that does not apply to you! What made you choose the position you currently have? Do you find it motivating and energizing?

Having a career that utilizes our special gifts/magic dust is what we aspire for. Do you make others aware of those gifts? Better yet, do you use your gifts to help achieve results and to develop others?  These skills and abilities are what we call “magic dust”.

Hopefully your leader is aware of your strengths, but they may not be aware of what you’re passionate about and the skills/tasks you enjoy doing most.  Share it!

The ability to do the kind of work you enjoy most will energize you, increase your level of fulfillment, and add to your sense of purpose.

What’s your “magic dust” and how have you shared it? We look forward to hearing your stories

I think the foremost quality–there’s no success without it–is really loving what you do. If you love it, you do it well, and there’s no success if you don’t do well what you’re working at.
— Malcolm Forbes