Leaders developing leaders.

Goals

Feedback Increases Effectiveness

We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.–Bill Gates

Can you believe it’s the 4th QTR of 2018? How are you doing?  How are you feeling? Have you accomplished all that you planned for, or will the next few months be action packed?

Hopefully your annual plan included soliciting feedback. Bill Gates’ quote above shares that we need feedback to improve.

As leaders, we may be more comfortable giving feedback than receiving it.  We view giving feedback as part of our job and have scheduled meetings (one on ones, performance appraisals) that lend themselves to discussing the positive behaviors and accomplishments, as well as the missed goals and opportunities.

We all have perceptions as to how our peers, subordinates, and business partners would evaluate us, but we rarely solicit feedback on a regular basis.   So what can we do?

You can start simple.  Ask 3 questions:

  • What do I do that makes a difference that you want me to continue doing?
  • What am I doing that you want me to stop?
  • What could I do better?

You may also want to consider using a formal 360’ feedback program – we use Wiley’s 363 For Leaders tool that evaluates 8 approaches for effective leadership (pioneering, energizing, affirming, inclusive, humble, deliberate, resolute and commanding). (Contact us if you want to learn more).

As leaders it’s pretty much a given that we provide regular and honoring feedback to our staff or team members, but there’s added value to the organization when we extend this to include peers and our boss.

How do you feel about both giving and receiving feedback? Do you find the process constructive and a learning experience?

Make sure any feedback you provide is timely, well intended, and delivered in an honoring way.  Also, when you receive feedback, you don’t necessarily have to take action – listen to what you’re being told, process it, and evaluate if acting on it would serve you well.

Remember, the whole idea of feedback is to grow and improve!

Author Alexander Lucia says:
Truly great leaders spend as much time collecting and acting upon feedback as they do providing it.

Activity Does NOT = Achievement

Never Mistake Activity for Achievement—John Wooden

There are mixed opinions about whether effort should be rewarded, or if it should be limited to results only.

We too have varying thoughts. There are goals and initiatives that need to be attained by individuals, teams, and entire organizations. (That’s how we survive and thrive). As a leader, how do you feel when you see colleagues/direct reports committed to doing everything they can to achieve results, but are unsuccessful? Do you acknowledge their contributions even when success is not achieved?

Below are excerpts from Craig Impelman’s perspectives published in SUCCESS magazine, based on John Wooden’s achievement model:

1. Proper Execution of the Plan
A daily practice plan should be prepared and followed. If you fail to follow the program on one thing, it may affect others. If you planned poorly, make the corrections for the following day . . .

2. Attention to Detail
The coach should be on the floor early to make certain that everything is ready for practice. I like to have a checklist for the managers to go by, but the coach must make sure. Anticipate from past experience and be prepared.

3. Maximize use of time.
Even though a particular drill may be emphasizing one specific fundamental, other fundamentals in use should not be overlooked.

4. Post-Practice Analysis
I like to sit down with my assistants immediately after practice and briefly analyze and discuss the practice of that day.

This was written for basketball, but it also applies to business:

  • Create a plan (or goals) and identify all steps required (and possible roadblocks
  • As leaders, we don’t need to execute the plan, but we need to clearly communicate the desired results and timeframes
  • Remain focused and understand and incorporate dependencies and under-lying needs/skills
  • Conduct a debrief after every initiative/deliverable. What worked well, what didn’t, and what could you do differently next time?

Not everything is a success, nor does everything go as planned despite all of our efforts and critical contributions. So, back to the original question “Do you acknowledge contributions even when success is not achieved?”

Let us know!

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence. –Colin Powell

Visualize and Execute

You could be a great visionary, but if you don’t pair vision with action, it’s just your head in the clouds.—Kim Perell

Would you consider yourself a visionary? Many consider having a vision the key for achieving success, but more is required.

You need a plan, you need goals, and then you need to execute.

How often do you envision the end result? Is it clear in your mind? We frequently share the benefits of writing down what it is you wish to achieve, and will highlight that need yet again. Having them in writing helps narrow your focus, increases awareness, and helps identify action steps to keep you on track (and move the plan along).

Kim Perell, Entrepreneur and author provides the following Best Practices:

Visualize

Follow Your Heart

Just Start

Practice Resilience

Build Strong Relationships

Other tips include:

  • Write down not only your goals, but also specific daily tasks that support them
  • Be clear about what it is you want to achieve and visualize executing your action steps
  • Stay focused; anticipate issues and possible distractions
  • Communicate the value of the work effort  ex. Who will benefit and why

As leaders, it’s up to us to make our vision become reality.

We need to continuously communicate our vision, engage and inspire others to help us, and ensure we execute our plan.

Following these steps will greatly improve the likelihood of achieving success.

Vision is key to action: You have to see, literally and metaphorically, what you’re trying to achieve. –Kim Perell

Advancing Coaching

My best investment, as cliched as this sounds, is the money I’ve spent developing myself, via books, workshops and coaching. Leadership begins within, and to have a better career, start by building a better you.– Robin S. Sharma

When you hear the word “coaching”, what comes to mind? Perhaps sports coaching is the most familiar. What about life coaching, business coaching, executive coaching, e-coaching, and group coaching?

All have a purpose and all make a difference.

As leaders, we must commit to continual learning for ourselves (workshops, seminars, reading, mentors, etc), and if we’re lucky, we’ll have the opportunity to have our own coach.

We must also commit to providing meaningful feedback and coaching support for our staff. The simplest way is via consistent and timely feedback, but more may be needed.

Consider team/group coaching (where the focus is on inclusiveness, trust, collaboration, and leveraging strengths), and it may also include individually developing the skills of high performers and/or helping those that are less proficient realize their potential.

Sometimes our skills are sufficient, and sometimes we must recognize that the help of others is needed to support the attainment of business goals and career aspirations.

For those of you that participated in the Leadership Journey program (within the past 12 months), you have many tips and exercises available to you via QwikCoach.

Another option to get started is to use the GROW Model originally developed in the 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore.  GROW standards for:

  • Goal
  • Reality (where you want to be)
  • Options or Obstacles (that must be overcome)
  • Will (What’s the skill-set and desire for growth)

This model is useful in coaching sessions since it provides both the coach and coachee the opportunity to share what they want to take action against, and make plans to overcome possible challenges. It is then used in follow-up coaching sessions to identify ongoing action steps, and to review progress.

What are you doing to advance coaching in your workplace? How are you helping others GROW?

Leaders empower individuals by building trust and coaching competence in their job roles and networking skills. –Kenneth H. Blanchard

Divisive or Inclusive?

The effect of leadership failure on any organization of people is the same: Polarization, instability, and if left unchecked, destruction.
–Steve Tobak

We continually provide tips and share stories about becoming a more effective leader, and we also discuss optimal behaviors and skill-sets that the strongest leaders possess.  Why?  Because if we don’t continually work at being our best, we may find that we have unintentionally created instability or uncertainty, and find that our team is floundering.

Effective leaders set the tone for their entire team/organization. They share their vision, mission, goals, and strategies, and they create and communicate a roadmap for reaching the desired point of destination.

They focus on inclusiveness. They communicate. They clarify how each colleague can contribute to achieving shared goals. They help everyone understand how and why they each have a role, helping minimize obstacles within the roadmap.

In Deloitte Insights, Juliet Bourke and Bernadette Dillon published The Six Signature Traits Of Inclusive Leadership:

SIX SIGNATURE TRAITS

  • COGNIZANCE – Bias is a leaders Achilles heel
  • CURIOSITY – Different ideas and experiences enable growth
  • CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE – Not everyone sees the world through the same cultural frame
  • COLLABORATION –  A diverse thinking team is greater than the sum of its parts
  • COMMITMENT – Staying the course is hard
  • COURAGE – Talking about imperfections involves personal risk taking

These concepts should sound very familiar.  We equate them to:

Awareness  – of self and others and the value provided
Continual learning – never get complacent or lose the desire to improve and listen to differing perspectives
Emotional Intelligence – understand the difference between IQ and EQ and leverage the strengths
Collaboration – working together to find a solution is a win-win
Accountability, persistence and commitment – don’t give up despite barriers or failures
Courage – We coined the term CourageAbility™ (and wrote a book!)

Is inclusive leadership part of your work culture?

QWIKTIPS – click to read why FEAR IS A BARRIER TO SUCCESS

Keep Them Happy!

The best way to retain employees is to stay in touch with what they’re thinking.
—Susan M. Heathfield

Even the best leader struggles with retaining top talent.  Quitting could be the result of life events (ex. career change, family needs), but most reasons are related to the organization itself.

In 2015 we shared the following 4 reasons why top performers quit:

1.   Reward System
2.   Management
3.   Hiring/Promotions
4.   Too Much Work

This year (2018), Human Resource expert Susan M. Heathfield has published what she views as the top ten reasons why employees quit:

1.    Relationship with the boss

2.    Bored and unchallenged with the work

3.    Relationships with co-workers

4.    Opportunities to use their skills and abilities

5.    Contribution of their work to the organization’s business goals

6.    Autonomy and independence on the job

7.    Meaningfulness of the employee’s job

8.    Knowledge about your organization’s financial stability

9.    Overall corporate culture

10.  Management’s recognition of employee job performance

Other studies report that a “bad boss” is the number #1 reason for quitting, but having a relationship with the boss is different. The employee wants feedback, direction, and recognition, with a desire for open lines of communication. Having trust in the relationship is also a plus!

Employees want a stable work environment and they want to feel their contributions are valued and meaningful for the success of their organization. They also want their contributions to be acknowledged.

They want a work environment where relationships exist between team members, and where team members collaborate and build on one another’s ideas.

What type of relationships do you have with your direct reports and peers? Do you know what makes them “tick’?  As a leader what more can you do to stay connected and retain top talent?

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Click to obtain tips for STAYING IN TOUCH

Challenge Yourself!

As 2017 comes to an end, what development commitments have you made?

Challenge yourself!  Below are our 12 “Courageability” factors that impact leadership success:

  1. Live and work with passion
  2. Document and share your goals
  3. Commit to addressing and tracking your goals
  4. Understand and leverage your strengths and the strengths of others
  5. Communicate with confidence and clarity
  6. Manage conflict and understand how it can be inspirational
  7. Develop others
  8. Effectively delegate
  9. Enrich your skill-set
  10. Remain controlled
  11. Reward and recognize others with regularity
  12. Learn to succeed from your failures

Which 3 do you find most challenging? Begin the New Year by committing to take the necessary actions for becoming a more effective leader.

Wishing you success and prosperity! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mindset Re-Swizzle

Rule your mind or it will rule you.–Horace

How’s your personal and professional mindset? As 2017 is coming to a close, are you still energized and motivated? Would a “re-swizzled” mindset help? SUCCESS magazine (January 2018) provides content on the following:

STAY STRONG
Mentally and physically; incorporate exercise in both.

SELF-CARE
Every day build in time for self-reflection or meditation.

CHANGE LANGUAGE
Replace your negative thoughts and words with “I can/I will” verbiage.

GET INTENTIONAL
What’s your purpose and intent? Do your behaviors support them?

FUEL CREATIVITY
Pause and reflect on new perspectives and alternative views.

DEAL WITH IT
We all have to manage the unexpected; don’t let them derail you.

LEARN MORE
Commit to continual self-development; add reading to your goals.

BE COURAGEOUS
Being a leader requires courage!

OWN UP TO IT
Be accountable; hold others accountable; document improvement possibilities.

AIM HIGH
Set stretch goals and establish steps to help stay on track on reflect progress.

How can you re-swizzle your mindset to benefit your life and career?

THIS WEEK’S QWIKTIP!

Read about
BEING ADAPTIVE AND AGILE

Leading From Afar

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

Leadership has taken on new challenges with the need to lead not only those that are in the same location, but to also be effective across time zones, understand cultural differences, and keep telecommuters engaged and productive. 

Per GlobalWorkplaceAnalystics/2017:

  • Regular telecommuting grew 115% in the past decade
  • 70% of employers offer flexible workplace options
  • 50% of the US workforce holds a job with at least partial telework

What does this mean to you as a leader?     

As a leader, regardless of where your staff is located, make certain that common goals are clearly understood, encourage your team to value one another’s strengths, and provide one another other with healthy, timely feedback.

Leading remotely also means you need to be an even more skilled communicator.

  • Don’t communicate just the bare minimum.
  • Share what is expected of each individual and each location.
  • Ensure all interactions end with closure.
  • Check in regularly with each employee.
  • Revisit the team goals and objectives; use “here’s where we are” statements, ask questions, and invite everyone to share their opinion and thoughts about the progress that is being made.
  • Ask your direct reports what they’d like to hear about and ask for their feedback as to whether you are keeping them adequately informed.
  • Support and “sell” your team! Keep your boss and other leaders informed of your teams’ accomplishments and successes!
  • Look for opportunities for the team to meet face-to-face

It takes effort for remote team members to feel as much a part of your team as those that work onsite but the tips above will help.  Do you have other tips that you can share?

QWIKTIPS –  read about GETTING EVERYONE ON BOARD 

We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they at their desk or in their kitchen. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will — Richard Branson

Are You Aligned?

Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.—Brian Tracy.

As leaders, we sometimes think we have a strong awareness of how our team thinks, that we have shared priorities, that we build the necessary relationships needed to succeed, and that we have the work culture we desire.

In working with a number of organizations, we found that teams weren’t as aligned with their leader as the leader had hoped, and some team members shared that they were never asked about their perceptions, opinions, and feelings.

Are you aligned with your team?  Have you validated that?

Below are 4 questions we recommend you ask your team:

  • WHAT IS THE NUMBER 1 PRIORITY OF OUR TEAM?
  • WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGE?
  • PICK ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES OUR TEAM CULTURE.
  • PICK ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES THE CULTURE OF OUR ENTIRE COMPANY.

    Note: We can also administer a more formal assessment that provides comprehensive results and action items.

You may want it to keep it confidential or you may want it to be a team event and have fun with it.  Either way, we suggest you capture and share the answers (without pointing out who said what). Look for commonalities, but don’t disregard “one off” comments.

Now it’s debrief time:

  • Were there any surprises?
  • How varied were the responses?
  • Was there a great disparity between the words that described the culture of your team versus the culture of the company?
  • And most importantly, what were the results for your teams #1 priority?
  • Let your team know that what they think and feel are important to you, and that leveraging individual and collective strengths is essential for achieving desired outcomes.

And you’ve heard this before, but Patrick Lencioni shares that teams are most successful when they focus on collective results, hold one another accountable, commit and persist, engage in healthy conflict, and trust one another.

Are you and your team in alignment?

QWIKTIPS  read more about TEAM MUST HAVES

One thing we’ve talked a lot about, even in the first leadership meeting, was, what’s the purpose of our leadership team?  The framework we came up with is the notion that our purpose is to bring clarity, alignment and intensity.– Satya Nadella