Posted on Mon, Jun 27, 2011 @ 03:08 PM
90% of leaders who participated in our in-depth leadership development program said that it made them a better leader.
Posted on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 @ 03:00 AM
I like the way I am. I don’t want to change. I am good enough. Leave me alone.
Have you ever tried to work with a person or a group like that? Apathy, what do you do when you are faced with it? It is really hard to get through.
Why do individuals and groups become apathetic?
Here are some thoughts:
It might cover something. What might that be? What is the person (or group) afraid to look at or reveal to others?
Fear of criticism. Raising the bar implies criticism. Maybe the group views acceptance of mediocrity as being kind to each other.
Conflict aversion. This is related to fear of criticism…I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so I won’t mention that I see a possible improvement or an error.
No burning platform. Maybe they are unaware of any reason to change. Good enough is good enough. Change is hard and the status quo is comfortable.
Lack of awareness that things can be different. We have never seen it done any other way.
No competition. If we are the only providers of this service, we might not be very good, but we are the best there is.
Here are some possible antidotes:
Challenge with specifics. Apathy thrives on generalities. Require specific improvements.
Measure outcomes. You know the acronym…Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bounded (SMART).
Educate. Increase awareness of competition and the accomplishments of others.
Make challenge acceptable. Normalize challenging the process and each other.
Ban personal attacks. Create an atmosphere that allows objective dialogue only, no personal attacking.
Posted on Mon, Dec 06, 2010 @ 03:00 AM
When I was 26, I volunteered to be the “Assistant to the Director” of a two week summer day camp program. I was to function as her “go-fer” and runner. Four days before the camp started, she broke her ankle. Suddenly I was on point. It was before the days of cell phones and instant messaging, so I was able to confer with her only once or twice a day, tethered to a phone on the wall. She was there (at home) to guide me, but the job was really on my shoulders.
Looking back on it, I bet she was more stressed and frustrated than I was. I bet she did not want to be directing me; she probably wanted to be doing the job herself. But we did it. We worked together and successfully directed a program for 300 kids with a crippled director and a green assistant.
It was risky. It was scary. It was a stretch. It was stressful. I have never learned more in two weeks time. Not even in an MBA course.
So what is the point? We all know that sometimes it feels like it is easier to do it yourself than to teach someone else, then follow-up, and correct and review.
Maybe that is a big stretch for you, to let go, to trust and support instead of being the doer. And besides, you feel bad because the extra work stresses your staff. They have enough to do. So you just keep doing it yourself. No one stretches, no one is stressed, and no one grows.
Can you remember a time that someone gave you a stretch assignment? It was hard, but you did it. How did you feel when you were successful?
Are you willing to be a teacher to someone else? Let them stretch their wings? Can you let go long enough to do that for a staff member? They might complain in the moment, but they will always be grateful.
Thanks Ruth, you really taught me a lot.
Posted on Mon, Nov 22, 2010 @ 05:46 PM
One way to reduce turnover and increase employee engagement in your team is to foster an environment where people can grow their interests and talents as well as their technical skills. Finding opportunities to do that is sometimes hard. How do you identify a person’s talents within the scope of job descriptions and the business realities of getting things done?
Pay attention. What special projects do they volunteer for? Is there a pattern? Steve always volunteers to interface with the customers; he loves to solve the customer service issues. Mike is always happiest when he has a complex problem to solve; it is like a puzzle to him, working quietly at his desk, he always comes up with the answer.
Offer challenges. Give employees a chance to try out new roles. Rotate representation at external meetings or leadership in team meetings to give everyone experience and see who likes which role. See who stands out and thrives.
Ask. There is a revolutionary thought! Ask employees what they are interested in and what they would like to work toward. Then arrange opportunities for interim assignments. I know a leader who invited employees to switch roles and locations for 3 month periods. It gave them an opportunity to work with new people. Most of them went on to be promoted.
Train yourself to watch for clues and offer employees a chance to try new duties if you want to improve your retention of talent. It will pay off; your most talented employees will appreciate the opportunities and begin to search for opportunities for others who are talented to come along with them.
What do you feel most successful doing?
What are you doing as a volunteer outside of work?
Posted on Mon, Sep 20, 2010 @ 03:06 AM
CEO Disease is a phenomenon that is not limited to the top echelons of a company. It can, and does, occur at every level. CEO disease has to do with telling the truth to individuals who have power and who control access, information, and jobs.
Telling the truth to power is an invaluable service, enabling the boss to hear information that is crucial to the effective operations of the organization. So what makes this so difficult?
Risk vs Reward. When the risk of saying something difficult is higher than the reward, any normal person will stop talking. But without complete information, how can a manager, a director, a CEO make good decisions?
Truth Telling. Telling the truth in any organization is often uncomfortable for both the teller and the receiver. But it is the responsibility of the individual in the power position to set a tone that opens up the road to truth. It is their responsibility to manage their own fears and to create an atmosphere of trust within the organization that makes it possible for everyone to tell the truth.
Hearing the truth requires strength of character and courage to hear what they might not want to hear. But it also gives them the opportunity to solve problems that will inevitably surface later, costing time, energy, and money.
Telling the truth to power is essential. Setting the stage and making it possible are what separate the world-class leaders from the also-rans.
Posted on Mon, Sep 06, 2010 @ 03:58 AM
A few years ago, I worked with a very successful individual who had reached a crossroads in her career. She had been promoted several times and had risen to a very high level in her organization. But she was worried.
As I began working with her, she opened up and revealed that she was scared of being found out. She felt like a phony because she had a couple of weaknesses that she had successfully worked around for years.
The more we talked, the clearer it became that this very successful woman had never taken the time to look honestly at these perceived weaknesses, and so she never understood them or addressed them. Instead, she developed a series of effective work-arounds that helped her get by at each level. Finally, she reached a level where she knew she could not hide them any longer.
So what to do? I encouraged her to be absolutely honest about what she had been hiding from herself, and it turned out that several of her issues were easily addressed with some focused effort.
However, some of the other “weaknesses” were more likely related to physical issues that she had never understood before. For these we worked out a plan to go to a specialist to see if there were underlying physiological issues that had gone undiagnosed. Once she learned about these she was able to work out a treatment plan with her doctor and discovered a completely new way to function.
The message here is that having someone ask us the right questions can point us in new directions with a renewed opportunity to stop working around problems and finally resolve them.
Posted on Mon, May 31, 2010 @ 03:00 AM
Growing businesses often face issues that are left un-addressed for long periods of time. Issues like succession planning, developing bench strength, and encouraging internal leadership development are often difficult to put in the priority list for time and valuable resources.
Family-owned businesses have exactly the same issues, but with the complicating twist of employing family members throughout the organization. It is not unusual for these family members to have some confusion around some very important issues related to their progress in the company.
Here are 3 Key issues that family-owned businesses must address if they are to remain vibrant and alive into the 3rd and 4th generations:
Provide a Path. Spell out with all family members who enter the business how they can utilize their skills to create a growth path within the company. The path must be clear enough to provide them with a roadmap to the future, but flexible enough to enable them to change directions as they mature.
Develop Them. Without opportunities for professional development, even the most talented family member employees falter. Providing a clear, effectively designed set of developmental tools is essential to help them grow into the next generation of family executives.
Be Honest. This is often the hardest to do, because it means addressing head-on, the hidden (or not-so-hidden) desires of a host of other employee family members. Leveling with them about their long-term potential is crucial in avoiding family disagreements down the road.
The time spent actively addressing these three issues can help prevent a host of more complicated problems and add significantly to family harmony.
Posted on Mon, May 03, 2010 @ 03:00 AM
The steamroller. The one who never seems to consider what anyone else on the team wants or feels is right. The one who is convinced of the rightness of his opinion or proposal and then rolls right over anyone who gets in the way.
When faced with a steamrolling employee, many co-workers simply lie down and let the steamrolling begin. It is so much easier and less time-consuming, but it is also so much less risky than standing up to them.
The problem with this approach is two-fold.
The behavior continues unabated, leaving everyone feeling vulnerable.
Team morale steadily erodes to the point where the team can become non-functional.
Approaches. There are a couple of ways to deal with a steamrolling co-worker.
Label the behavior in a non-accusatory way. For example: “John, when you disregard what the rest of us on the team have said, it really shuts me down. And I know that isn’t what you want, is it? What you are proposing has a lot of merit, but we really need to take into consideration what the rest of us believe.”
If the team has tried to address the steamrolling behavior without success, then it is time to move up the ladder and address it with a supervisor who has more authority.
Early and Often. The key is to not let the behavior continue to the point where it is seriously detracting from the team’s effectiveness. Addressing it early and often will usually help bring it to an end.
Posted on Mon, Apr 05, 2010 @ 01:30 AM
Have you had a conversation like this with yourself? “I am a very smart person, I have gotten along quite well with expertise in my field, common sense and drive. Coaches charge a lot of money. Expensive cheerleaders. What can they do for me that I can’t do for myself?”
Here is what a coach can do for you
A good coach listens. Fully. Really hearing. And while they are listening, they are connecting the dots – looking for nuances and fine points that will help to move you toward your goal.
A good coach questions. “What does that really mean?” “How did your boss react to that?” “What is the logical conclusion of your theory?” Probing and challenging your viewpoint and perspective.
A good coach provides new information. “Have you thought about….?” “What if you tried…?”
“Sometimes it helps to…”
A good coach holds you accountable. “Were you able to…?” Did you have that difficult conversation?” “What is your progress on…?”
A good coach gives you the gift of the truth – 100% of the time. Whether it feels positive or not.
A good coach is interested in your development and success and is focused 100% on you.?