11 Mar
[email protected] Success

Inattentional Blindness

Inattentional blindness is the failure to notice a fully-visible, but unexpected object because attention was engaged on another task, event, or object.

You may not be familiar with the term Inattentional Blindness but perhaps you’ve heard the story when observers at a basketball game were asked to count the number of times one of the teams passed the basketball.  They were so intent on counting the passes that roughly 50% of the observers did not see a person in a gorilla suit come on the court.  (And they were in denial until showed proof in the video of the game!)

Can we become so focused on a task or behavior that we “miss” quite a bit of what’s happening around us? The answer seems to be yes.

Arien Mack and Irvin Rock coined the term “inattentional blindness” to describe the results of their studies regarding how perceptive one is for unexpected objects. And, unless we pay close attention, we can miss even the most obvious action or event.

So, are they saying we can be too focused? Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris, cognitive psychologists, support the concept that by focusing so hard on one thing, we can be oblivious to details if we limit what we’re looking for.

Another new term (at least to us!) by Max Bazerman is WYSINATI = What You See Is Not All There Is. He came up with this acronym and shares that we, as leaders, can learn to identify when we aren’t seeing the complete picture and have a need to seek additional  information and look for more.

He also shares that skilled leaders have a “noticing mindset”. They detect changes in behaviors, they get a sense if they are not hearing the whole story, and they have a true feel for what’s happening around them.

We consistently talk about awareness.  We need to be self-aware, we need to be aware of styles, behaviors, and the demeanor of others, and we need to be aware of our environment and make an effort to truly see and sense what’s happening.

Having focus is good, but like any attribute, when over-used can become a weakness and limit our vision.

Strive to perfect that “noticing mindset”!

We are aware of far less of our world than we think.—Daniel Simons

04 Mar
[email protected] Interpersonal Skills

Introvert, Extravert, or Ambivert?

We all move along the continuum of introvert and extrovert
behaviors and preferences all day long.
–Patricia Weber

Do you consider yourself an introvert or extravert?  Maybe neither? Perhaps a bit of both? Here are some common adjectives:

Extravert:                               Introvert:
Sociable                                     Shy
Outgoing                                   Withdrawn
Gregarious                                Reserved
Friendly                                     Quiet
Assertive                                   Timid
Live wire                                   Introspective
Dominant                                  Cautious

Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung first came up with the terms in the early 1900s and believed some of us are energized by the external world and some of us are energized by the internal world. What if we’re a blend?

Have you heard the term Ambivert? It’s defined as “a person whose personality has a balance of extravert and introvert features”.  Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor at Wharton conducted a study and found that two-thirds of us don’t strongly identify as introverts or extraverts. Rather, our style varies based on the situation.

Rena Goldman, a health and wellness author provides five signs that you’re an ambivert.

1. You’re a good listener and communicator
Extraverts prefer to talk more, and introverts like to observe and listen. But ambiverts know when to speak up and when to listen.

2. You have an ability to regulate behavior
Adjusting to fit the person or situation seems to come naturally to ambiverts.

3. You feel comfortable in social settings, but also value your alone time
Ambiverts can feel like they’re in their element in a crowd or when enjoying a quiet evening at home.

4. Empathy comes naturally to you
Ambiverts are able to listen and show they understand where a person is coming from and they might listen and ask thoughtful questions to try and help resolve issues.

5. You’re able to provide balance
In the case of group settings, ambiverts can provide a much-needed balance to the social dynamics and is likely to help break an awkward silence and increase comfort levels.

We all have our preferences, neither is right or wrong, and the ability to adapt our style to the situation is a true sign of effective leadership!

I’m neither extrovert nor introvert. I’m just an imperfect example of an ambivert.
― Irfa Rahat

25 Feb
[email protected] Leadership

FLY – First Lead Yourself

Go out and lead the world; but never forget to begin by leading yourself . . .
–Israelmore Ayivor

In the early 2000’s we started having discussions and giving speeches about “FLY “- First Lead Yourself, Then Lead Others”. It turns out that we were not alone in this concept so we’ll share what it means to us.

Basically:

  • As leaders we must first understand essential  leadership behaviors and apply them in our daily interactions
  • Once we possess those skills we can begin to effectively lead others
  • We need to commit to continually hone and further develop our skills
  • Leadership is a process, not an event!

We also believe the most impactful leaders possess the following behaviors:

  1. They work on self-awareness and learn how to best engage others
  2. They understand and leverage their “Magic Dust” and the passion and skills of others
  3. Their Vision, Mission, Goals and Measures have been communicated and are fully supported by their behaviors (VMGM=B)
  4. They communicate with others in the preferred style of the message receiver
  5. They have clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and desired results     
  6. They not only hold themselves accountable, they encourage others to do the same
  7. They honor & embrace conflict as it can spark innovation and inspiration
  8. They influence others through their interactions and behaviors
  9. They build and nurture authentic, lasting relationships
  10. They provide timely and meaningful feedback, and regularly solicit feedback so they can continue to grow
  11. They make others feel valued and inspire others to learn more and do more 
  12. They support career growth

Do you FLY? If yes, do you feel equipped to lead others and help them lead themselves?

If you can lead yourself when nobody is following,
people will follow when you are not leading.
— Saji Ijiyemi

18 Feb
[email protected] Leadership

What’s a Bad Boss?

People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.

What type of boss do you like? Better yet, what type of boss don’t you like?

We all learn from work experiences which include the culture, colleagues, our roles and the work itself, and at the top of the list is the relationship one has with their boss.

In the past we’ve suggested looking for leadership behaviors and styles you want to emulate. How did others make a difference? Why are they able to build strong relationships? Why are people drawn to them? What do they do to encourage and motivate others for goal attainment?

Now we’ll switch directions – what behaviors and styles do you dislike or find un-motivating or even upsetting?

A Gallup study of 7,272 found that 50% of employees quit their job to get away from their boss. That’s impressive and not in a good way.

The most common items that negatively impact boss relationships include:

Communication
-Is it consistent and meaningful?
-Are meetings regularly scheduled?
-Is the boss reachable when needed?
-Is communication limited to work or does it include a “personal” check in?
-Can difficult discussions be held that are healthy and respectful?

Performance Management
-Are successes recognized?
-Are skill gaps developed?
-Is feedback regularly provided?
-Is everyone treated fairly?
-Does favoritism exist?

Utilizing strengths
-Is the boss aware of each contributor’s strengths and the value they add?
-Are work assignments given based on strengths and “magic dust”? (passion and skills)
-Are team members encouraged to collaborate and learn from one another?
-Are innovation and change encouraged?

These are just a few items that are attributed to “bad bosses”. What should we add to the list? What are you doing to ensure you’re not considered a “bad boss”?

I am thankful for all those difficult people in my life,
they have shown me exactly who I do not want to be.
Author unknown

11 Feb
[email protected] Leadership

Servant Leadership

Servant leaders give more of themselves not because they have to, but because they want to.
—Jeffrey Hayzlett

Are you familiar with the term Servant Leadership?  If yes, what does the term mean to you?

In 1970, Robert K. Greenleaf, coined the phrase and wrote about it in his essay: “Essentials of Servant Leadership”.  Greenleaf’s position is that the servant-first leader ensures that other people’s highest priority needs are being served, and that servant leadership is about helping others grow.

Former president of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, Larry C. Spears, states that the 10 most important characteristics of servant leaders are:

  1. Listening
  2. Empathy
  3. Healing
  4. Awareness
  5. Persuasion
  6. Conceptualization
  7. Foresight
  8. Stewardship
  9. Commitment to the growth of people
  10. Building community

Jeffrey Hayzlett, author, speaker, and TV and radio host shares another Servant Leadership definition: a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. He also shares the following 4 steps for developing into a better servant leader:

  1. Encourage diversity of thought
  2. Create a culture of trust
  3. Have an unselfish mindset
  4. Foster leadership in others

Despite the definition differences, the concepts remain the same – to help others. As a leader, are you helping individuals grow and thrive in their skills and abilities?

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy in which the main goal of the leader is to serve. This is different from traditional leadership where the leader’s main focus is the thriving of their company or organizations. –Wikipedia

04 Feb
[email protected] Decision Making

Your 2021 Expectations

High expectations are the key to everything.
–Sam Walton

Success Magazine – In January they published an article about making 2021 the year you want it to be. If asked, could you respond? Do you have expectations and plans at least drafted to support achieving what you want?

Here are 10 suggestions to help.

In times of uncertainty, show up.
You have to be a visible, in the trenches leader. Not necessarily “in person”, but make yourself available to others to bring them on board and obtain their commitment.

Ask for help to reach your goals.
Utilize the resources and mentors available to help you reach your goals.

Learn what motivates you.
What excites you? When do you accomplish the most? Remember and leverage it!

Don’t let chaos cloud your mindset.
Today’s chaos will be tomorrow’s memory; don’t let ill moments cloud your judgment.

Confront disruption by adapting.
Acknowledge the challenges being experienced without losing focus.

Align your work to your purpose.
Ask yourself if your work is aligned to your purpose. Adjust accordingly.

Set priorities and start at the top.
Setting priorities is vital for success. Rank the items that must get done each day or week.

Take care of yourself to stay healthy.
Taking care of yourself is the first step to taking care of others.

Remember, you can control your attitude.
Self-assessment is a crucial part of success. Know that your attitude and response is all you can control; journaling helps.

Set a tangible goal to get the result you want.
Identify the results you want this year, determine supporting goals and make it real.

We continue to be impacted by covid-19 and adapting to new rules and norms that are out of our control; what we can do is think and plan for what we want from 2021. Don’t wait!

Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations
in advance of the event.
–Brian Tracy

28 Jan
[email protected] Success

Principles and Priorities

Don’t let the priorities of others replace your own top priorities.

How do you decide what’s a priority? We often think of what’s important (items that contribute to supporting our goals and objectives) and also what’s urgent (items requiring immediate attention but may or may not contribute to the success of meeting our goals and objectives). Scheduling time to action both isn’t always easy and can make us conflicted and stressed.

Enter John C. Maxwell. He provides what he views as the three Rs for the Law of Priorities:

  1. Requirement
  2. Return
  3. Reward

To get started he suggests asking yourself:
What is REQUIRED of me? Any realistic assessment of priorities in any area of life must start with a realistic assessment of what you must do. This can pertain to both your personal and work life.  He also says: If you lead others, then what must you personally do that cannot be delegated to anyone else?

Next is:
What gives me the greatest RETURN? As you progress in your career, you begin to discover that some activities yield a much higher return for the effort than others. After determining requirements, focus on choices with a high return on investment (ROI).

And lastly:
What gives me the greatest REWARD? If you do only what you must, along with what is effective, then you will probably be highly productive. But you may not be content. I think it’s also important to consider what gives you personal satisfaction.

He also adds that these questions are meant to be asked IN ORDER. Many of us would love to skip down to #3 and focus on the most rewarding/fun/exciting activities. But no one can be successful who doesn’t possess the discipline to take care of the first two areas before adding the third.

Your biggest challenge may be to identify what’s a true priority and remain focused on tackling those items without letting “gremlins” get in the way, and, it never hurts to start addressing your priorities with a cup of coffee!

Nobody’s life is ever all balanced.
It’s a conscious decision to choose your priorities every day.
–Elisabeth Hasselbeck

21 Jan
[email protected] Leadership

MLK Jr. and Leadership

No person has the right to rain on your dreams.
–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This week we celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was a minister, a civil-rights activist, a Nobel Peace Prize winner (1964), a promoter of equality, an inspiration for harmony and growth, and a great leader. He has been quoted hundreds of times, and we wanted to highlight a few:

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
As leaders it’s up to us to rally team members, ensure shared goals are supported, and to create opportunities for collaboration.

Learn a little about the past, and you may end up with a pretty nice future.
Awareness is key! What worked well? What changes could be made to be more effective?

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
Not everything goes as planned, expect and plan for obstacles and be persistent.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. Courage faces fear and thereby masters it.
Successful leadership requires courage. Leaders empower themselves and others to go farther than they ever dreamed possible.

People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.
Clear and timely communication, inclusion, and building relationships eliminates walls.

And, we’ve shared this before but it’s worth sharing again. Professor Wadhwa provides the following insights from Martin Luther King, jr’s “I HAVE A DREAM” speech:

  • Great leaders do not sugar-coat reality
  • Great leaders engage the heart
  • Great leaders refuse to accept the status quo
  • Great leaders create a sense of urgency
  • Great leaders call people to act in accord with their highest values
  • Great leaders refuse to settle
  • Great leaders acknowledge the sacrifice of their followers
  • Great leaders paint a vivid picture of a better tomorrow

May no one rain on your dreams, may you inspire others to never give up on theirs, and may doing “right” always be a priority!

The best way to solve any problem is to remove its cause.
–Dr. Martin Luther King, jr.

14 Jan
[email protected] Leadership

Are You Still Learning?

Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.
—Jim Rohn, Author, motivational speaker

Hopefully as a leader you are committed to being a continual learner.  You’ve grown over the years and are in a leadership role but what does that mean? There are numerous ways to define Leadership.  Part of what PeopleTek promotes is:

We believe everyone is a leader, regardless of title or reporting structures since we all have the ability to INFLUENCE others.

Strong and effective Leaders take others where they’ve never gone before and wouldn’t go by themselves.

And, we also believe effective leaders are continual learners.

Author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn shares the need to commit to self-development and identifies 7 “must have” leadership traits:

  1. Learn to be strong but not impolite
  2. Learn to be kind but not weak
  3. Learn to be bold but not a bully
  4. Learn to be humble but not timid
  5. Learn to be proud but not arrogant
  6. Learn to develop humor without folly
  7. Learn to deal in realities

What were your thoughts when you read through the list? How many have you mastered?  Which could you further develop?

Did any names come to mind (colleagues/clients/bosses) where you thought these traits were either consistently displayed or severely lacking?

It’s the beginning of a new year and the perfect time to establish goals and commit to self development.  A simple start is to pick two areas:
– A strength you already have (how can it be further
developed?)
– An “opportunity” to strengthen (which from the list
left you feeling uneasy?)

Are you still learning? Be a life-long learner!  Having the desire to continually grow your wisdom, knowledge and skill-set prevents stagnation and increases the likelihood of success.

Learning is not a one-time event or a periodic luxury. Great leaders in great companies recognize that the ability to constantly learn, innovate, and improve is vital to their success. – Amy Edmondson

 

07 Jan
[email protected] Leadership

2021 Needs Versus Desires

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…
these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
–Confucius

We dealt with the challenges that 2020 provided us, now it’s time to assess if/how our needs and desires have changed from last year or if they have pretty much remained the same.

Things to consider:

From an individual perspective:

  • Where do you want to be more impactful? (personally and professionally)
  • What development area(s) would help most with your growth? (financially or intellectually)
  • Are there relationships that need to be developed or strengthened?
  • How are your communication skills? Do you over or under communicate?
  • Do you schedule time for you? (To use however you choose!)
  • How could your life be more meaningful?

From an organizational perspective, do your colleagues/direct reports:

  • Support shared goals?
  • Trust one another?
  • Engage in healthy conflict?
  • Hold one another accountable?
  • Collaborate on achieving collective results?
  • Support an agile mind-set?
  • Embrace differences? (values/culture/gender/behaviors/styles)

What are your “needs” for 2021?  What about your “desires”?  How are you differentiating them?  We suggest that you:

  1. Write them down
  2. Prioritize them (and add target completion dates)
  3. Consider any barrier that could get in the way
  4. Document any dependencies
  5. Track your progress regularly (at a minimum, monthly)

    May all your wants and desires be fulfilled!

The starting point of all achievement is desire.
–Napolean Hill

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