Leaders developing leaders.

Motivation

Transformational Leaders

All good businesses are personal. The best businesses are very personal.
–Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks

Lately we’ve had a theme around relationships. That’s because without relationship building, we as leaders would not obtain desired results, we wouldn’t have effective and productive teams, and the morale, commitment, and dedication of the team members would be diminished.

Dr. Greg Halpern says: Transformational leadership is about implementing new ideas, continual change to maintain relevance, staying flexible and adaptable, and continually improving relationships with those around them.

He also feels that transformational leaders build relationships by applying or possessing the following behaviors and traits:

  • Charisma
  • Inspirational motivation
  • Intellectual stimulation
  • Individual consideration
  • High morals
  • Trustworthiness
  • Creates an actionable vision
  • Treats everyone as individuals
  • Coaches, mentors, and provides growth opportunities
  • Creates a culture of self-fulfillment and self-worth
  • Provides constant and candid communication

Dr. Terry Jackson adds to this list in his 7 Principles For Developing Quality Relationships where he defines what in his opinion constitutes quality relationships:

  1. Acceptance
  2. Respect
  3. Understanding
  4. Transparency
  5. Non-judgment
  6. Empowerment
  7. Trust

This is quite a list and one that even a seasoned leader will need to review in depth to assess up-skill needs.

We suggest you rate each one on a scale of 1 – 5 to help narrow down areas for development.  You can even ask your peers and direct reports to rate you and compare how aligned you are.

The results may prove interesting!

Manipulative Leaders-Create Distrust and selfishness
Transactional Leaders-Create Mediocrity and complacency
Motivational Leaders-Create Positivity and Action
Influential Leaders-Create Growth and Empowerment
Servant-Leaders-Create Authenticity and Explosive Growth
Transformational Leaders-Create Change and Leave Legacies
― Farshad Asl

 

Employee Loyalty?

Employees who have been pushed to the point where they no longer care, will not go the extra mile.—Brigette Hyacinth

Did you know that Gallup research found that 70% of an employee’s motivation is influenced by their boss?

We’ve shared stories before about why boss/employee relationships are critical, but the 70% statistic for motivating staff was higher than we expected. We’ve also shared tips for improving relationships and for creating loyalty in the workplace, but author Brigette Hyacinth provides even more:
1.  Connect with staff – Make your presence felt. Get to know your employees.

2. Show employees that you genuinely care. Show empathy when they have problems. Advocate for your team. Stand up for them when things go wrong.

3. Practice Open and Honest two-way Communication. Keep employees informed. Listen. Have an atmosphere where employees’ ideas and suggestions are valued and acted on.

4. Be fair and neutral. Treat everyone fairly. Lead by example. Be known as a person of integrity.

5. Empower Employees. Provide them with the proper tools, give them room to get the job done. Don’t micromanage!

6. Reward and Recognition – Offer incentives. Show employees how much you value and appreciate them. Reward staff for good work, be generous with “Thank Yous.”

7. Recommend employees for training and new opportunities. Acknowledge and encourage strengths, recognize different skills, and provide training and development opportunities.

How often have you heard “employees are your most valuable asset”? It’s said often because it’s true, however if the employee feels that this is a hollow statement, loyalty and commitment will be lacking.

Hyacinth concludes by saying “you can’t buy loyalty, but you can certainly foster and nurture it”.

No argument from us!

Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if they do the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will support them.–Harvey Mackay

Team Magic

If you had to pick one word to describe the culture of your team what would it be?

  • Collaborative?
  • Energized?
  • Motivated?
  • Committed?

Last week we talked about the “Magic Dust” of individuals; what about the “Magic Dust” of teams?

Team members have a need to truly know one another.  What do they like?  What do they find annoying?  What assignments come easy to each person? What assignments are dreaded?

Successful teams are familiar with Patrick Lencioni’s required behaviors (TRUST, COMMITMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, attention to RESULTS, and healthy CONFLICT), but the culture of truly knowing and caring about one another is also essential.

Take the time to discover “Team Magic“. You’ll find that when personal and professional connections are made, more is accomplished and the work culture is more enjoyable.

When’s the last time you:

  • Conducted a team assessment?
  • Held a team building event?
  • Solicited team feedback?

Maybe it’s time to take your team on a Custom Team Journey so you can discover and leverage Team Magic!

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

Master Motivator

Leadership is lonely. No matter how big your team, sometimes it’s just you–which means you sometimes need to look inside yourself for motivation and inspiration.-Jeff Haden

Having the ability to share your passion, aspire for more, instill the desire to achieve organizational and personal goals, to act conscientiously and ethically, and enjoy what you’re doing are all components of being a “master motivator”.

Mark Hansen and Joe Batten, authors of The Master Motivator – Secrets Of Inspiring Leadership’, provide tips for self-motivation as well as tips for motivating staff and colleagues.

It starts with us as individuals and as leaders. How can we motivate others if we are not authentic and believe in what we’re trying to accomplish?

Motives That Lead and Values That Feed

  • Motivators enjoy life
  • Motivators reach out – they do not retreat inward
  • Motivators cultivate a “lust for learning”
  • Motivators expect the best – always
  • Motivators are goal oriented
  • Motivators help others feel significant
  • Motivators lead by example
  • Motivators provide purpose and direction
  • Motivators are go-givers, not go-getters
  • Motivators respect themselves and others
  • Motivators ask, listen and hear
  • Motivators pursue total fitness
  • Motivators radiate warmth and caring

Rate yourself from 1 – 5 for each component. (5 being best). What are your strengths? Which can you further develop?  You can even take it to the next level and ask your staff or colleagues to rate you.

QWIKTIP – read about ACTIONS and BELIEFS

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.  John C. Maxwell

Do You Delegate?

The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.–Anthea Turner

Is delegating work part of your role as a leader?  We hope so. Effective leaders are effective delegators. Why?

**Delegation frees time and provides an opportunity to  develop others**

As leaders, we frequently spend too much time doing tasks; we are working in the business instead of on the business.   As leaders we need to step back from the tactical work and spend more time on strategic thinking and innovation, and more time coaching and developing others.

There are numerous reasons for not effectively delegating.

The most common are not trusting that the job will get done to our satisfaction, discomfort with assigning a boring task, or feeling guilty that the workload will be too great.

Here are some tips to help:

Plan your delegations – Assess the strengths of your delegate, match the assignment accordingly.

Provide clear, documented instructions and due dates.This prevents misunderstandings and if the task is new to your delegate, they can refer back to your instructions.

The best delegators provide the “what and when”, and leave the “how” to the individual which is more empowering and motivating.

Assess how long the task would take you and build in extra time for your delegate; obtain buy-in that the deliverable date is realistic.

Ensure your delegate has the appropriate resources they need to be successful. Inform staff, co-workers, business partners, etc of your delegated role.

Follow-up and monitor the progress; you may be needed to add clarity to the task or be nothing more than a sounding board.

Acknowledge the contributions of your delegate and provide constructive feedback for areas of growth.

Effective delegation increases morale, builds your talent pool, and strengthens trust within your organization.

Are you an effective delegator?

QWIKTIPS –

Click to read about CONFIDENCE AND COMPETENCE

If you delegate authority, you will build leaders.–Craig Groeschel

Inspire and Empower

A sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.  – Pat Summit

How do you inspire and empower your team or organization? What are you doing to get them on-board to grow results and make them feel they are valued contributors?

The late Pat Summit was a highly successful female basketball coach and a motivational speaker. She shared that successful coaches and leaders require 2 major skills:

  • The ability to convey practical information in a clear and concise way that enables others to learn quickly
  • The knack of motivating your team to put in the necessary effort to achieve successShe also shared the following tips:

For successful motivation, you need to transmit your passion, enthusiasm, and attitude.  “It’s the ability to see in other people more than they see in themselves, and to bring it out of them.”

Learn about the backgrounds and families of your team members. Discover what precisely makes them tick.  This will help you understand what motivates them, and fosters an openness that may pinpoint reasons for under performance.

Be approachable and demonstrate empathy.  This is needed in order for your team to better listen, learn and develop. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.

Transfer responsibility.  Personal responsibility and accountability increase enthusiasm, drive, and lead to more effective performance.  Act as a guide and mentor your team but remember you can’t do the job for them.

Surround yourself with bright, talented people with creative minds that will challenge you.   Listen closely to their ideas and methods; they’re likely to provide options you have not explored yourself.

Evaluate yourself before you evaluate others.  It’s possible you as a leader failed; be honest about what you could have done better.

Which of the tips do you practice consistently?  Do any of your behaviors need to change so you can better inspire and empower others?

QWIKTIPS –

VALUING YOUR STAFF – click to read more!

To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. –Tony Dorsett

Worst Behaviors

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.–Marian Anderson

Gallop reports that 70% of motivation levels are attributed directly to leadership.

Last week we shared the results of a global study for the reasons people quit their jobs and the 5 step PRIDE process to help with retention.

This week we’re sharing yet another perspective. The University of California found that motivated employees were 31% more productive than those less engaged, and were 87% less likely to quit their job. And, Gallop reports that 70% of motivation levels are attributed directly to leadership.

We frequently share effective leadership skills and behaviors, and now want to share “Worst Behaviors” as listed by Dr. Travis Bradberry.

  1. Making a lot of stupid rules
  2. Letting accomplishments go unrecognized
  3. Hiring and promoting the wrong people
  4. Treating everyone equally
  5. Tolerating poor performance
  6. Going back on their commitments
  7. Being apathetic
  8. All companies have rules and processes, and as leaders we may not have the ability/authority to change them.  What we CAN do is explain the rationale and listen to and acknowledge how people are feeling.

We regularly share the need for consistently recognizing and rewarding accomplishments – enough said!

Our mottos are “Hire Hard or Manage Hard” and “It’s essential to hire the right person for the right job”. If you don’t, everyone suffers.

Number 4 sounds fair, but is it? Should a star performer be treated the same as someone who merely “shows up”?

When leaders don’t address poor performance, the morale and attitude of the entire team is impacted.

Authenticity and trust can not be compromised – EVER.

People wanted to be treated as people, not as productivity statistics. Invest the time to get to know your team, their likes/dislikes, what they do off hours, etc. Relationships improve motivation and grow results!

What are you doing to improve motivation levels?

QWIKTIP BONUS READING – VALUING YOUR STAFF

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

Motivate!

Some say that motivation is only “self-inflicted,” but as leaders we can certainly lend assistance to motivate others and improve results.

Tony Jeary, strategist, adviser, and author, provides the following 6 tips:

  1. Invest your time in your team.
    • Understanding personal goals, values and aspirations will help foster loyal and motivated team members.
  2. Communicate to others as they wish to be communicated to. 
    • We’ve stated before that communicating in a style understood by the recipient is a win-win situation.
  3. Define how each person fits within the group.
    • Understanding, appreciating, and leveraging individual strengths builds relationships, makes the team stronger, with results more readily attained.
  4. Measure progress.
    • Make sure your team knows what’s expected of them; reward success, discuss obstacles, and provide regular feedback (minimally monthly).
  5. Teach your people how to win. 
    • Align expectations, show that you care about individual developmental needs/wants, and how achieving goals impacts the team and the person.
  6. Do favors in advance.
    • This is really about building trust and relationships, and knowing that you can be counted on, and have the ability to count others.

As a leader, what you do on a daily basis impacts your team? Providing a clear vision, connecting emotionally with each team member, and sharing your passion for success will also help motivate others.

What motivating behavior is most effective for you?

PeopleTek’s Leadership Journey – The Gift That Keeps On Giving!
(a quote shared by a recent journey graduate)

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