Leaders developing leaders.

Skills

Listening While Working Remote

The art of conversation lies in listening.
–Malcom Forbes

Listening takes work, it’s a skill most of us could improve upon, and working remotely adds to the difficulty.

Wiley’s Personal Listening Profile assesses five listening approaches:

  1. Appreciative: This style is more relaxed and seeks enjoyment, entertainment, or inspiration.
  2. Empathic: This style is supportive of the speaker, does not judge, and seeks to learn.
  3. Comprehensive: With this style the listener relates what they hear to what they’re already familiar with by organizing and summarizing the main message.
  4. Discerning: This style listens to get complete information so they understand the important details while also taking in appearance, tone and behavior.
  5. Evaluative: This style tends to look for facts that support the message and may accept or reject the message based on personal beliefs.

Does one style sound more like you than the others? Does your style change dependent on the speaker? And, does your preferred style change if the conversation is in person versus on conference or video calls?

These tips for working remotely have been shared previously but they’re worth sharing again:

  • For video calls encourage that the camera be “on” whenever possible and look for body language and levels of engagement
  • Listen for what’s being said and what isn’t being said
  • Don’t immediately assess what you’ve heard until the conversation has ended (we sometimes are too quick to think we understand and miss key points)
  • Avoid multi-tasking
  • Look attentive and interested in the speaker; nod for understanding and encouragement
  • Paraphrase your interpretation of the topic/message
  • Minimize or tune out distractions
  • Remain focused and attentiveStrong listening skills are required for effective communication and healthy relationships.  Be aware of your preferred style, adapt as necessary, and become an active and purposeful listener!

We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.
–Diogenes

What Do You Think?

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
― Aristotle

What Do You Think about the concept of being a continual learner? That the more you know, the more there is left to learn? You’ve obtained degrees, certifications, licenses, etc, so does that mean you’re done learning? Hopefully not!

Often we need to keep our technical and professional skills up to date, but what about our “people” skills and even understanding our current passion and desires?

Do you devote time for increasing your awareness levels? Is self-development something you enjoy doing? What about being committed to better understanding and communicating with others and helping others do the same?

PeopleTek has created a LEADERSHIP COMPASS which is a combination of leadership skills, traits, behaviors, and talents, along with concepts from the Johari Window to help individuals better understand themselves and relationships with others.

Below is a subset of the components we recommend you assess, explore and develop. For scoring, use a scale of 1 – 10 with 10 being best.

  1.  Awareness:   Do you know which of your behaviors and skills are considered strengths versus growth areas? Do you know which behaviors and skills are considered strengths in your colleagues? What about their development areas?
  2.  Magic Dust: Do you have a clear understanding of the value you provide and your natural strengths and abilities?
  3. Vision/Mission/Goals: Are they written, communicated, tracked monthly, and do all of your behaviors support them?
  4. Communication: Are your messages accurately interpreted? Do you know how to use varied approaches and styles to improve results and enhance relationships?
  5. Clarity: Do you (or your team) clearly understand their roles, responsibilities, and desired organizational results?
  6. Accountability: Do you live up to your commitments? What about encouraging others to do the same?
  7. Conflict: Can you manage differences in a healthy, respectful manner?
  8. Influence: Do you have an effective presence that favorably impacts interactions and inspires others?
  9. Relationships: Are you proficient at building & maintaining lasting relationships?
  10. Feedback: Are you open and receptive to giving and receiving feedback?
  11. Inspiration: Do you empower and stretch others making them feel valued?
  12. Change: Do you embrace change and effectively communicate the “how and why”?

What do you think about the need to continually learn, grow and transform? It’s always a great time to invest in yourself and others!

And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?
― Rumi

Colleagues You Want Around

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success
will be how you treat people – your family, friends, and coworkers,
and even strangers you meet along the way.
–Barbara Bush

What type of co-workers do you like to surround yourself with? Probably those who have the necessary skills to contribute to goal attainment, but what else? Common desired skills include the ability to trust, the desire for results, being accountable, but there’s more.

What about someone that is just fun to be around and has an upbeat personality?

Here are excerpts from Travis Bradberry’s 11 Secrets of Irresistible People:

1.They treat EVERYONE with respect.
Irresistible people treat everyone with respect because they
believe they’re no better than anyone else.

2.They follow the Platinum Rule.
Not the Golden Rule, rather it’s treating others as they want to be treated

3.They ditch the small talk.
Irresistible people create connections and find depth even in short, everyday conversations

4.They focus on people more than anything else.
Irresistible people possess an authentic interest in those around them

5.They don’t try too hard.
Irresistible people don’t make it all about them

6.They recognize the difference between fact and opinion.
Irresistible people recognize that people may see things
differently

7.They are authentic.
They know that no one likes a fake

8.They have integrity.
They avoid talking bad about other people, and they do the right thing

9.They smile.
Smiling during conversations will likely have the other person do the same

10.They make an effort to look their best.
Looking your best is a sign of respect for those you interact with

11.They find reasons to love life.
They approach problems as temporary obstacles, not inescapable fate

Are you the type of colleague you’d want to surround yourself with? Is there anything you’d like to change?

Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts
will inevitably bring about right results.
—James Allen

Known and Unknown Gifts

One of my greatest talents is recognizing talent in others and giving them the forum to shine.—Tory Burch

Last week we asked if the happy factor was part of your magic dust. Was this hard to answer? Did you think about your general disposition and how you view life? Perhaps you considered whether you think more about the negatives in your world than the positives?

How you view the world is likely to be impacted by your magic dust. (For those that missed it, we suggested thinking of magic dust in terms of what you’re good at, what comes easy to you, your unique skills and abilities, and what you enjoy doing.)

Remember the Johari Window? It consists of four window panes:

OPEN: This is our conscious self – our attitudes, behaviors, motivation, values, way of life – not only are we are aware of them, but they are also known to others.

HIDDEN: Our hidden areas are not known to others unless we choose to share them.

BLIND: There are things about ourselves which we do not know, but that others see. (This is when feedback is invaluable).

UNKNOWN: We and others are not aware of what falls in this quadrant. Sometimes something new reveals itself.  Ex. Art, sports, or other new talents and skills are discovered.

Give thought to the 4 window panes:

  • What magic dust is known to both you and others?
  • Do you have a talent/skill that is only known by you? Is there a reason to not share it?
  • Have you ever received feedback or been told you have a special skill or add value in a way that was a surprise to you?
  • For those that have gone through the 363 feedback process, are your “self ratings” aligned with the ratings provided by others? Were there any surprises?

Now think about colleagues and your immediate boss – can you identify their magic dust? What makes them stand out? Take a few minutes to think about what you view as their special skills and talents.

If you’re comfortable doing so, share your thoughts with them. You may have the ability to enlighten them and expand their “open” window!

It’s good to test yourself and develop your talents and ambitions as fully as you can and achieve greater success; but I think success is the feeling you get from a job well done, and the key thing is to do the work.—Peter Thiel

What’s Your Magic Dust?

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

Are you familiar with our term “magic dust”?  Some think of fairy dust or Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell flitting about.  Not exactly!

Think in terms of what you’re good at.  What comes easy to you? What unique skills and abilities do you possess that impact your level of effectiveness? What do you like doing? (Chances are you’re good at it).

How do you use and apply your special gifts? Do you make others aware of them? Better yet, do you use them to help achieve results and to develop others?  These skills and abilities are our gifts, and that’s what we call “magic dust”.

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 just in general feel good.

Are you able to define a good work day? What gives you a sense of accomplishment? Does it include leading others or contributing to their success? Leadership can be formal (ex. direct reports, matrix management, project manager, mentorships, etc), or it could be informal, where your skills lend themselves to you taking “charge”.

This could be related to your ability to build relationships, achieve common goals and objectives, apply your technical savvy, or simply that you are respected, appreciated, and looked up to.

What leadership qualities do you bring to your team or organization?  Are you able to integrate your gifts/strengths both in your career and in your personal life?  It’s great when your ambition and talents serve you rather than enslave you!

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?

Knowing what you enjoy and where you add the most value will energize you. Using those gifts and skills will increase your level of fulfillment, and sharing them with others will add to your sense of purpose.

What’s your “magic dust”?

Over the years, I’ve learned that a confident person doesn’t concentrate or focus on their weaknesses – they maximize their strengths.—Joyce Meyer

Top Leadership Challenges

When leaders are doing their best, they Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.–James M. Kouzes

Many studies have been conducted about leadership challenges, and most have quite a few commonalities:

  • Developing effective leadership skills
  • Managing through change
  • Consistently recognizing and rewarding accomplishments
  • Inspiring others
  • Communicating goals and how they can, and must be, supported
  • Building trust within teams and across organizations
  • Being aware of, and having the skills, to address conflict

That’s a relatively short list.  Which do you find most troublesome? Which challenges would you add?

As leaders, we need to be self aware. How do we see ourselves? How do we show-up? Next is the tough part, how do others see us? Answering these questions may add to our personal list of challenges.

To SELF ASSESS, ask yourself:

1.    What’s the purpose of my leadership?
2.    Would my staff feel that I’m committed to their improvement?
3.    Do I feel I make a real difference and feel valued? Would my staff agree?
4.    Do I create and maintain relationships that help the organization thrive and obtain results?
5.    Do I know what’s expected of me and do I deliver on those expectations?
6.    Do others know what I expect of them?
7.    Are my priorities clearly communicated and supported?
8.    Do I take sufficient action to improve individual and team performance?
9.    Am I committed to self development?
10.  Is going to work enjoyable? (at least most of the time?)
11.  What keeps me up at night?
12.  What are my challenges and what am I doing do address them?

As we’ve said before, being a leader is not easy and requires courage. Did you discover anything new from the assessment?

Name at least one leadership challenge you’ll begin to develop, starting today!

If you want to have a significant impact on people, on organizations, and on communities, you’d be wise to invest in learning the behaviors that enable you to become the very best leader you can.
—James M. Kouzes

Engagement and Workplace Relationships

Sustaining high degrees of employee engagement and developing future organizational leaders is at the forefront of human capital challenges.—SHRM 2017

Would you be surprised to learn that relationships with coworkers was the #1 factor for determining employee engagement levels?

What about that the single highest scoring component for a “want” in the workplace was for the “Respectful treatment of all employees at all levels”? (65%)

The other high scoring components were Compensation and Trust (both scored 61%), Job Security (58%), followed with the Opportunity to Use Skills and Abilities (56%).

SHRM’s survey also discovered that only 38% of U.S. employees were very satisfied with their jobs.  This is daunting as side effects are many.  When satisfaction levels are low, expect high attrition, reduced productivity, lower work quality, sagging morale, and minimal collaboration, inspiration, and accountability.

Other interesting findings included:

  • Only 38% of employees “very satisfied” with the level of respect at work
  • 26% were “very satisfied” with their compensation
  • 33% were “very satisfied” with the trust between employees and senior management
  • 36% were “very satisfied” with their Job Security
  • 44% were “very satisfied” their Opportunity to Use Skills and Abilities

Another study showed that employee turnover is higher than it’s been in ten years, and the cost is equated at $160 billion a year (for U.S. companies alone).  This study also reported that  high performers deliver up to 400% more work than a worker that it is considered “average”.

As leaders, we have the ability to influence, and even increase most of these numbers. It’s up to us to set the standards, to utilize leadership behaviors that we hope others will emulate, and take action against the behaviors that are inappropriate or impact satisfaction levels.

We need to encourage interactions, collaboration, and inclusiveness; we need to set the stage for sharing and building on the inspiration and ideas of others, and to work together to make them even better.  We also need to acknowledge contributions and create a culture that everyone feels they are a part of.  We need to value differences (skill-sets, styles and behaviors), and we need to leverage the talents and “magic dust” (strengths) of others.

Bottom line – don’t waste talent, and take the time to build and sustain strong relationships so engagement levels soar!

Employees want to feel good about their organization and what it offers the world. They want to be able to say, ‘I like what this company stands for.’ If employees do not believe in their company or do not believe the company can successfully uphold its brand or reputation, they are likely to look for a different job – Gallup News

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

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