26 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Recruit and Retain with PRIDE

Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: Interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company.
–Zig Ziglar

Recruit and retain talent. Those are two of the biggest challenges companies are facing today. It impacts performance, budgets, morale, and it certainly impacts results.

So why are people leaving?

A global survey of 10,000 people was conducted. Anne Holub, Money Magazine shares the following reasons:

  1. Because they didn’t have room to grow
  2. Poor leadership (note: other surveys rank this #1)
  3. Wanting better work culture
  4. Wanting more challenging work
  5. Wanted better pay
  6. Wanted better recognition at work

As leaders, we can help improve numbers 2, 3, 4, and 6. We may even be able to take action on #5. (#1 will vary greatly dependent on the industry and organization). So what can we do?

Improve Retention & Productivity With PRIDE

Business consultant Greg Smith has defined a five step PRIDE process to help with retention and productivity:

P    Provide a Positive Working Environment (links with #3 above)

R    Recognize, Reward and Reinforce the Right Behavior (links with #6 and #5 above)

I      Involve and Engage (links with #4 above)

D    Develop Skills and Potential (links with #1 and #4)

E    Evaluate and Measure (links with #2, #3, and #4

How much time do you dedicate to your team members? Do you have consistent monthly one on ones that address progress, obstacles, and accomplishments? Are you aware of desired career paths? Do you review and update development plans? Is feedback a two-way process? Do you leverage mentorships and cross training? Is your reward and recognition process consistent?

QwikTip

How can you use PRIDE to retain your organization’s talent?

QWIKTP BONUS READING – Rewards and Recognition

19 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

MLK – A Courageous Leader

Average leaders focus on results, and that’s it. Good leaders focus also on the behaviors that will get the results. And great leaders focus, in addition, on the emotions that will drive these behaviors.
–Hitendra Wadhwa (professor, Columbia Business School / Founder, Mentora Institute)

This week the United States celebrated the life and memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King means many things to many people. He was:

  • A great preacher
  • A civil-rights activist
  • An advocate of non-violence
  • A great leader

We want to add that he was a “Courageous Leader”. It required courage to control his anger, to not return violence with violence, and to maintain and promote his mission of peace.

Dr. King influenced so many without being arrogant, without being a bully, without looking down and speaking poorly of others, and without being divisive. His focus was on peace and unity, and one of his most famous quotes was: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”

Inspiring Quotes From Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had hundreds of inspiring quotes. We like one below, and replaced the words “education” and “educate” with “leadership” and “lead” to add a different twist:

The function of LEADERSHIP is to LEAD one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true LEADERSHIP.

Here are some more Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes that we’d like you to think about in terms of leadership:

  • A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
  • Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.
  • Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
  • The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.
  • The time is always right to do what is right.
  • Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
  • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Leadership Insights Based on MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech highlighted what great leaders do. Michael Hyatt published an article based on this speech and shares the following insights (with our comments beside them).

  • Great leaders do not sugar-coat reality. They deliver hard messages and share realistic expectations.
  • Great leaders engage the heart. They understand the importance of being passionate about what you do.
  • Great leaders refuse to accept the status quo. The need for growth and innovation is a constant.
  • Great leaders create a sense of urgency. Time is always an important factor.
  • Great leaders call people to act in accord with their highest values. Integrity is the top rated leadership value.
  • Great leaders refuse to settle. Persist and persevere!
  • Great leaders acknowledge the sacrifice of their followers. Recognize and reward efforts and accomplishments.
  • Great leaders paint a vivid picture of a better tomorrow. True leaders are visionaries.

The list of what great leaders do could be endless, but one we’re big on is that leaders must have courage.

Without courage you’ll never step out of your comfort zone, you’ll likely not live your dream, and you probably won’t empower yourself and others to go where they have never gone before.

We challenge you to live your life with courage and to leverage it to be the leader you aspire to be!

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.

QWIKTIP: Read about how to SHARE YOUR STRENGTHS 

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.

LEARN MORE ABOUT QWIKCOACH

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!

12 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Change, Leadership

Assessment Time!

As we set our targets for 2017, it’s a good time for an assessment. Last week we shared a checklist to help you gain momentum, and now we suggest completing an assessment from an individual perspective, as well as for that of your organization.

It’s nothing fancy or new, but it helps with clarity and increases awareness. Take some time and reflect on:

  • What worked well in 2016?
  • What “misses” did you have in 2016? Why?
  • What changes were made in 2016?
  • What changes are required for 2017?
  • What behaviors helped individuals and organizations thrive?
  • What behaviors hindered achieving goals and creating stronger relationships?
  • What do you think your skill-set (from a people perspective) is strongest?
  • What areas require development? We’ve created a COMPASS; we recommend incorporating these key points into your assessment:

C     Clarity and Communication

O     Optimize Differences

M     Manage Change

P     Plan, Persist, Organize

A     Appropriately Handle Conflict

S     Sustain and Enhance Relationships

S     Skillfully Influence Others

QWIKTIP BONUS: Read more about PeopleTek’s COMPASS

05 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Planning

Jan 5 2017 Checklist for 2017

Happy New Year!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are now ready to jump into 2017.  Below is a checklist we recommend you review, modify as needed, and share with your staff to gain momentum for achieving desired results.

First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.”
-Aristotle

Vision and Mission Statements

Make sure your written vision and mission statements are clearly communicated and shared with your organization.  We suggest you post them in public areas.

Goals and Tasks

Ensure ALL goals and tasks support your vision and mission and are meaningful to those that must support them.

Metrics

Institute milestones and target dates so you have the ability to track progress.

Strengths and weaknesses; revisit both from individual and organizational perspectives

Understand and share the strengths of the organization and link them with goal achievement and development planning.

Development plans (individual and organizational)

Document developmental goals; include training needs and target dates.  This could include cross training, on the job training, in-house training or outside coaching and development. Revisit them monthly.

Career Planning

Know and put it writing your career intentions, timelines and growth areas.

Reward and Recognition system

Link your reward system with goal attainment and results.

Communication Model

Understand how to best communicate with your team and organization and ensure others understand what is expected of them.

Succession Planning

Build bench strength within your organization.  Every position should have 1 or 2 individuals identified as possible replacements.  Also, groom your own replacement.  Should an opportunity come your way you don’t want to be held back if you’re viewed as indispensable in your position.

Include in your checklist time for you.  We’ve mentioned if before, but even if it’s only 15 minutes a day, build in time for self-reflection and personal development. All of us possess the traits and characteristics required to be successful leaders.   Use the checklist to help you best apply them.

Let us know if we can help!

03 Jan
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Jan 3 2017 Ready Or Not

Ready or not, 2017 is upon us, and as the quote below says, it’s another chance for us to get it right.

Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. — Oprah Winfrey

LEADERSHIP IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT

What does “get it right” mean to you? We suggest starting with:
Documenting and communicating your goals
A commitment for self reflection and continual learning
Recognizing that what has worked in the past may not be “right” for the present
What else has personal meaning to you? Perhaps being a mentor to a less tenured leader? Maybe providing feedback and helping others be more effective leaders?

We’re here to help! Consider sponsoring a leader or high performer in a Leadership Journey program.

15 Dec
PeopleTek Coaching Decision Making, Success

Dream or Reality?

It’s not new for us to talk about the need to have a vision, mission, and supporting goals in order to achieve our desired successes. We generally discuss them from the perspective of the business world, and we’ve decided to expand that and share the goals of marathoner Scott Jurek.

Some of Jurek’s achievements include winning…

  • the Hardrock Hundred (2007)
  • the Badwater Ultramarathon (2005, 2006)
  • the Spartathlon (2006, 2007, 2008)
  • the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (1999-2005)
  • He also won the silver medal and set a new US record in 2010 at the 24-Hour World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.

Goals help us turn our dream into reality.

Jurek’s suggestions for goal setting include (excerpts from Cecilia Meis; Success January 2017):

  1. MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE
    Your goals should be specific and motivating
  2. DON’T OVERSHOOT
    Create 3 levels: A, B, C   A= Your dream/stretch goal; B and C = Accomplishing something new
  3. TREAT YOURSELF
    Have a reward program that incents you to want to do even more
  4. TAKE A BREAK
    Switch gears for a short time when feeling stuck or unmotivated; rest and re-fuel
  5. STAY CONFIDENT
    Don’t let Gremlins (self-doubt) derail you; recognize them and take action
  6. TAKE BABY STEPS
    Be aware that major goals can be overwhelming; make a subset of “mini” goals to promote and achieve results

What are you doing to make your 2017 dreams a reality?

QWIKTIP BONUS READING

Learn how to more effectively develop yourself.

08 Dec
PeopleTek Coaching Change, Decision Making, Success

Work Hard and Have Fun – Thuan Pham, CTO Uber

Uber’s CTO Thuan Pham is a leader who likes to work hard and have fun doing it.

Born in Vietnam, he, along with some family members left the country and initially went to Indonesia but ended up in the U.S. in 1980.

He attended MIT, graduated in 1991 and held leadership positions at HP Labs, Silicon Graphics, DoubleClick, and VMWare from 1991 to 2013.

It was a whirlwind, and he wanted to take a year off to decide his next career move.

The Power of Appreciating Differences & Healthy Challenges

Pham was clear about his work environment philosophy:
The company must have a big mission.
He must like the team (smart, motivated, passionate).
He must like his boss.

Enter Uber. An Uber board member encouraged Pham to meet with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. After many hours of discussions (which turned into hours of interviews), Pham found that he and Kalanick were very closely aligned. They didn’t always agree, and that was okay.

They were able to reach mutually acceptable decisions, appreciated their different perspectives, could challenge one another, and shared what they were passionate about. So much for taking a year off!

They knew there would be many challenges as well as some mistakes in a company growing as quickly as Uber, but lived the motto “The quicker you fail, the more you learn, and the better you become if you get to survive and grow.” They knew they had to take risks!

Wow. We wonder how many more work environments would thrive if team members could disagree with one another (and their boss), if differences were appreciated, and if healthy challenges occurred (for the good of the company), without repercussions.

Pham shared:

It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had – but that’s why it’s the most fun job I’ve ever had. Every day I get to do new things, and every day I feel like I’m getting better in some way.

He also shared his life lessons.

Thuan Pham Life Lessons

  1. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, there are always people smarter than you.
  2. Push yourself toward new fields and new problems to solve.
  3. Never allow yourself to be comfortable.

What are your life lessons? Do you work hard and are you having fun doing it? We hope so!

Excerpts from:
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/qa-uber-cto/
Bloomberg Business November 14-20, 2016

QWIKTIP BONUS READING – click to read why PASSION IS ENERGY

10 Nov
PeopleTek Coaching Change

Times Are A-Changing

It’s not a news flash that times are a-changing both personally and professionally.

During any change, there will be an adjustment period, and during this period expect there to be anxiety. We could manage what was known (even if we didn’t like it), but we rarely know the best way to manage what we don’t know.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.–Lao Tzu

Change is both a challenge and an opportunity for growth; it’s also a cause of stress and may breed a climate of mistrust due to differing views and opinions.

As leaders, we can’t disregard the feelings of those around us. We need to listen, and we need to give and receive feedback in an honoring way and appreciate the differing opinions.

It’s also essential that we keep on track professionally, and that we provide a sense of calm and guidance to our organization.

  • We need to restate our vision and our goals
  • We need to identify what’s left for us to accomplish before the end of the year
  • We need to begin to strategize and plan for 2017
  • We need to assess if or how the changes could impact us
  • We must address any know obstacles

Last month we shared that “Adapting to Change” and the ability to “Apply Sound Judgment” were 2 critical competencies for high performers. We also said:

We need to expect that change will continue to occur at a rapid pace, and with it, discomfort and uncertainty. Use clarity and communication to lessen levels of anxiety.

This seems to be a great time to excel in these areas!

BONUS – QWIKTIP – Click to read about CHALLENGES

03 Nov
PeopleTek Coaching Career, Leadership

Recent Promotion?

Do you have a plan in place if you’re a newly promoted leader, or if you’re the leader of a newly promoted team member?

Specifically, what do you do? How does the transition occur? Who is actively involved? What’s the process?

Questions and Considerations For New Leaders

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
–John Quincy Adams

If you’re a new newly promoted leader, ask:

  • What are your new roles/responsibilities?
  • What are your individual goals?
  • What are the goals of the department?
  • How are goals measured?
  • What are the team strengths?
  • What are the biggest challenges you’ll face?
  • Do you need to “up” or acquire any new skill-sets?
  • Who could be your mentor?

And, ask your team members for their perspective. This provides you with an opportunity for one on one time and will help you build relationships. It also lets the team know you’re willing to listen, and that you care.

  • What do they view as the team strengths?
  • What area(s) would they recommend be developed or have process changes?
  • What do they appreciate most in a leader?
  • How can you best lead the team?

If you’re the leader of a new newly promoted team leader, provide:

  • Role clarity and expectations
  • Individual and team goals
  • Known challenges ex. Goals, vendors, internal or external customers
  • Reward and measurement processes
  • Conduct weekly update meetings. Keep them brief but be available, ensuring a smooth transition and removing a sense of abandonment
  • Conduct a monthly one on one. Share expectations, obstacles, general perceptions, and jointly create a development plan

Leadership is about “taking others where they’ve never gone before and would not go on their own.” Have a transition plan in place and help make becoming a successful leader a reality.

BONUS – QWIKTIP – Click to read how to SHARE YOUR VISION

20 Oct
PeopleTek Coaching Career

Career Ambition: Obtaining Your Dream Job

Are you passionate about the role you play at work?

Have you set goals and identified tasks to better enable you to reach your 2 year, 5 year, and 10 year goals?  If not, create a plan now, market yourself, and identify the skills and behaviors you will require to obtain your dream job!

Career Ambition  = Passion, Skill, and Will

Champions are made from something they have deep inside.

A desire, a dream, a vision.  They have to have last minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will.  But the will must be stronger than the skill.
– Muhammad Ali

Seven items have been identified that impede individuals from obtaining their dream job (excerpts from For Your Improvement by Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger).

  1. Unsure of what career is truly desired.
  2. Bored, in the wrong organization, or in the wrong career.
  3. Unwilling to make sacrifices to get ahead.
  4. Unclear on how careers really work and how people get ahead.
  5. Inability to market oneself, stand out, get noticed.
  6. Hesitant to express career wants, needs and desires.
  7. Stuck in a comfort zone; unwilling to take a career risk.

How to get started:

-Assess your strengths and identify and take action on your weaknesses

-Obtain a mentor and establish a “board of directors” that will provide you with objective and meaningful feedback

-Identify your “dream job” options

-Step out of your comfort zone and don’t become complacent.

-Share and make your successes known to clients, peers, and bosses.

-Get a coach. They will help you determine what you really want and keep you focused on your dream.

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
–Howard Thurman

BONUS – QWIKTIP – Follow this link to read why Passion Is Energy

10 Oct
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

4th Quarter Check-In

Can you believe we’re in the last quarter of 2016? That means we have less than 3 months to accomplish our goals and take action on leadership development plans.

NOW is the time to review organizational and personal goals, assess unfinished business, and begin planning for 2017.

Aim higher. Stay focused.
–Brandon Adams

4th Quarter Check-In Questions

  • Have achieved goals been acknowledged and recognized?
  • What targets have been missed or neglected?
  • What are your priorities for the next 3 months?
  • Does your organization have a talent retention plan?
  • Does it have leadership bench-strength?
  • Is technical savvy sufficient to keep abreast of changing times?
  • Have relationship enhancements occurred as needed?
  • Has action been taken on becoming more courageous leaders?

As a reminder, Courageous leaders:

  • Have and live a dream.
  • Document goals.
  • Commit to goals.
  • Understand personal and team strengths.
  • Communicate.
  • Address conflict.
  • Develop others.
  • Delegate.
  • Enhance a skill.
  • Remain controlled.
  • Give rewards.
  • Succeed and learn from failure.

Answering the questions listed above and utilizing the courageous leadership skills will position you to take appropriate actions to differentiate between IMPORTANT issues (those which contribute heavily to goals and objectives and have high value) from URGENT issues (those that require immediate attention but may not contribute to the success of meeting goals and objectives).

All of our behaviors are intended to support our goals, mission, and vision. Aim higher and stay focused!

BONUS – QWIKTIP – MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS ONBOARD

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