Leadership on Speed

moving towards "count-on-ability"

The reality is that as human beings, we want to be trustworthy which means we also want to be accountable (or rather "count-onable").  Have you ever met someone who aspired not to be?  The challenge is that somewhere along the line, we learned that it was "ok" to break our word.  That the world is, in fact, so accepting of it that we no longer feel bad when it occurs.  We have confused the "promise" of getting something done with the reality of completing the task.

What we don't realize however is that every single time we fail to keep our word, we chip away at our own integrity.  This applies to our public promises and almost more importantly, the private ones.  After all, who will know when we break a promise to ourselves?  Who will know that I actually wanted to get that report in 2 days early?  As long as I get it in on time, my boss will be happy.

But someone really does know.

That's right. 

YOU.

And try as you might, you cannot hide from yourself.

So how can anyone else trust you when you know that you can't even keep your word to yourself? We're all such frauds!

The good news is that every day is an opportunity to practice new behaviors:

1. Only make commitments that you can deliver.  If your boss pushes you on a "no-can-do" deliverable, have the courage to say no and discuss the challenges.  This gives your boss the opportunity to understand how you are prioritizing and delivering your work so that you can come to a mutual decision on something else that may have to give in order to meet the request.

2. If you commit, deliver.  NO MATTER WHAT.  We have come to accept apathy as the norm.  Set yourself apart from the crowd by actually delivering on your commitments.  Not only will you be a super-star, you will feel better about yourself and your work!

3.  Start slow.  Set yourself up to win. If you have historically had difficulty keeping your word, don't make TEN promises today.  Make ONE and keep it all costs.  If you can't keep it, assess why and move on.  Sometimes there really are valid reasons for missing a deadline.

4.  Don't beat yourself up for missing the mark.  You're practicing new behavior so you will not be perfect.  Notice why you didn't meet your goal and begin in the next moment to do better.

Imagine what a shift we could make in our workplaces if everyone from the top to the bottom made a renewed commitment to their personal level of integrity and accountability!

What could this mean for your organization?  If you want to learn more about our programs, click HERE.

Continue to be great! 

holding a higher standard for personal accountability

I was reading a blogpost recently that spoke to the issue of accountability, specifically on the leaders responsibility to hold people accountable for what they said they would do.

I was disappointed....

While there is truth in the old adage that "people will do what they know gets checked", I'm not sure if that equates to people being accountable.  More often than not it becomes more about fear-based motivation rather than accountability...

While that is a place to start, I contend that where we end is coaching people to greater personal accountability. Period. 

How's THAT for a concept?

For far too long, leaders and managers have given too little credit for employees acting...acting...well, acting grown.

The result? 

Micro-management.

It isn't that leaders WANT to micro-manage.  It is that they have come to believe they MUST in order to ensure their own survival. 

Are you ready to create a culture of personal accountability?  These tips offer a place to start:

1.  Be the model.  In demonstrating a high level of personal accountability, those that come in contact with you better understand the importance of personal accountability.

2.  Deliver your expectations and then stick to them.  In other words, if you set a check-in meeting for a week from Tuesday, don't call every day to see how things are going..

3.  That means, Trust.  A scary word I know but in the beginning as you build trust, set your check-ins appropriately to ensure that the work is getting accomplished.

4.  Coach up.  Always coach-up to the standard you desire.  It can be a long, tough, time consuming route but well worth it in the end, especially when you develop competent, trustworthy, consistent and dependable staff who keep their word or communicate appropriately if there is a problem before something blows up.

5.  Re-assess the people and the process.  Don't sell your people short.  Everyone has it within them to be accountable and responsible.  Associates at all levels feel more valued when they are trusted and respected and they do better work.  If someone can't get with the program, it may be time to re-assess whether they are on the right bus (circa Jim Collins in Good to Great).

In the next post, we'll further discuss why lack of accountability has become so profound and additional tips on developing greater accountability in ourselves and others.

Continue to be great!

why can't everyone just play nice?

Undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges (and the greatest downfalls for many) in the work environment is dealing with conflict...and, unfortunately, it's an area in which most lessons are learned posthumously (in other words, AFTER the damage has been done).

Yep. Been there, done that.

If you wish everyone would just "play nice", think again.  While not all workplace conflict is good, some conflict is actually necessary to push the organization past it's own boundaries.  How boring (and limited) would an organization be if everyone always agreed with one another? 

But unless you come from a large family (like, 5+ siblings kind of big), chances are your conflict management skills could use some work.  Yet, most organizations only reserve conflict management classes for managers or high-potential employees leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.  The challenge with this approach is that most organizations see conflict management as a "leadership skill" instead of a people skill.  "Leaders" learn to manage conflict amongst their teams rather than the team members learning to manage their ability to resolve conflict amongst and within themselves.

Given that, I thought it would be helpful to share some rules for "Management Conflict" published by BNET (although I respectfully submit they apply to everyone, not just managers):

1.  Stay calm.

2.  Attack the problem, not the person.

3.  Be open and honest.

4.  Don't lose perspective.

Click here for the rest of the list.

Continue to be great!

declaring your freedom

For some reason, while celebrating this past holiday weekend, I found myself really thinking about this concept of independence...of freedom....

The year is now half over and if you're like most folks, you probably made some resolutions (or otherwise set goals) at the start of the year.   I wonder - what did you declare to yourself that you would be "free from" in 2010?  What did you declare your independence from?

January 1st is a time of declared promises..of fresh starts.  Does any of this sound familiar?  In 2010, I will..

..find Mr./Ms. Right.

..lose weight.

..gain more vitality.

..find a better job.

..make more money.

..have more confidence.

..start my own company.

..travel more.

..attend church more regularly.

..do better at saving money.

..go back to school.

..etc, etc, etc...

Are you on track?  If so, GREAT!  Applause. Applause.

If not, what happened?  Are you still trying to accomplish your goals or did you get so far off track you just quit?

If so, I've got news for you -----

The calendar may say July 6th but EVERYDAY is January 1st (theoretically of course).  Each day provides a new opportunity to begin again.  To pick yourself up, dust yourself off, recommit and make it happen.  The thing about goals is that in order to move toward something, we must declare ourselves free of something else...

..apathy

..laziness

..being tired

..low self-esteem

..poor health

..limiting belief systems

..and on and on and on...

So----what goals will you set (or re-ignite) for the remainder of the year?  What will you declare yourself free from in 2010?  Take some time this week to think about what you want your life to look like by years end - health, professional, relationship, financial, spiritual etc and get going!

How do you eat an elephant?  That's right - one bite at a time. 

It's never too late!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

when the office bully gets promoted

Let me set the scene:  You are in a business meeting with "Bill".  Bill is very good at his job and always offers great input BUT his social skills are a bit lacking (to put things mildly).  At this particular meeting, Bill was particularly abrasive, seemingly more concerned with demonstrating his display of knowledge rather than resolving the issue at hand.  It goes without saying that this display also came at the expense of one or two meeting participants (i.e. If there was a whole in the floor, they would have jumped in).  As Bill went into action, you could almost feel the energy shift from the tension in the room.  After the meeting concluded (and throughout the day), meeting participants continued to comment on Bill's behavior at the meeting and talk behind his back wasting valuable time in needless banter and gossip.

Have you ever encountered a "Bill" in your work environment?  Every organization has them - great contributors and generally viewed as good at what they do but tends to intimidate and demean anyone who gets in their way.  The challenge with the Bill's of the world has always been the balance between business contribution and their negative impact on those who cross their path.  The other challenge with the Bill's of the world is that when they are in positions of power there is rarely anyone who, for a variety of seemingly acceptable reasons, is willing to give them insight on their behavior.  Sandy Gluckman, author of Who's in the Driver's Seat: Using Spirit to Lead Successfully, explains it this way: "When (bosses) are mean, their teams do not deliver great results, so they become more fearful.  The more fearful they get, the more their ego takes control and the meaner they get.  The meaner they get, the more the team shuts down and the less they are able to perform."

So, here's the rest of the story.  Eventually, without ANY feedback, Bill will either continue to get promoted but whom everyone dislikes, avoids or fears OR he gets passed over without ever really understanding what really got in his way...

No skin off your teeth?

Maybe...but I would encourage you to think again.  If Bill becomes the lead dog, you're in trouble because those same people that wouldn't give Bill feedback on his way up are also not going to give him honest feedback now that he's in a lead position which means he won't have the information he needs to appropriately guide the team or organization.  Now, be honest.... How painful do you think THAT will be in the long run? 

The question leaders often struggle with is, "WHO should give Bill the feedback?"  My answer: Everyone.  Does this mean doing a Bill intervention?  No, but if your goal is to serve the best needs of the organization, finding an objective way to give Bill the feedback he needs now can only serve everyone best in the long-term and he may actually be grateful that you had the courage to speak up. 

Continue to be great!

self-awareness is not just for 'leaders'

Self-awareness is one of the few leadership competencies that can have a tremendous impact on career success or failure and yet, it is the competency that most leaders are uncomfortable with.  The idea of having a mirror held up that invites feedback (ie. criticism in most of our minds) is perhaps one of the most fearful components of growing in self-awareness. 

Remember that feedback is but one way to enhance one's self awareness.  Here are a few others:

• Know when strength might be played out
• Ask good questions
• Listen

Check out Chris Musselwhite's October 2007 Inc. article that provides further insight.  I both refer and provide copies of this article in my self-awareness workshops.

You were born to be great.

Continue to be great!

 

find motivating employees tough? this may help

It's an age old story of productivity - some employees are hard charging git 'er done types while others seemingly need a cattle prod. Yes, these examples are the extremes but finding ways to keep employees motivated even when you are the best type of leader can sometimes be challenging.  Wouldn't it be nice if we all had organizations full of high-achieving, initiative-taking, only-come-to-you-when-they-REALLY-hit-a-brick-wall employees?  Why is that so tough?

Well, the truth is that unless you have a crystal ball when hiring, you may be holding yourself (and worse, your associates) to an impossible standard. 

The fact of the matter is this: No matter how good a leader you are, ninety percent of the time your employees (depending on certain factors) are driven by motives that have NOTHING to do with work and trying to tap into those needs requires an understanding of human behavior beyond basic leadership skills.

If you'll think back to Psych 101, you may recall studying the work of Abraham Maslow who developed the theory that human needs are arranged in a hierarchical order ranging from basic needs such as food, water and shelter to more advanced needs such as justice, unity and goodness. He fit this theory onto a scale called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (see graph).  The idea here is that human beings progress (most often non-linearly) through the scale ultimately working toward the pinnacle of self-actualization. 

I know. I know.  You never thought you would use that stuff again but here's why it should matter to you....

Where your associates fit on the scale affects their motivations and hence, what they best respond to.

For example, a mid-level associate who is working toward self-esteem may be greatly honored by a certificate or some form of public recognition while an entry level associate or minimum wage earner may be working on safety or physiological needs and is better motivated by a monetary bonus. 

To complicate matters, understand that each of us can move back and forth between the levels depending on current life situations.  As an example, dealing with an unexpected death or a pay-cut may temporarily move that mid-level associate back to navigating safety issues.  It is also worth noting that all human beings do not actually aspire to self-actualization!

Despite some of the challenges to Maslow's original theories, his work was the spring board for other studies of human behavior within organizations and reminds us that when developing associates, our goal is to understand what motivates and to support consistent achievement (or passage) through the various levels.

The bottom-line:  Instead of driving yourself crazy trying to turn your associates into something they aren't today, invest your energy in understanding where they are, meeting them there and identifying the needs that will motivate them to be who they want to be tomorrow.  Therein lies the seeds of creating effective and motivated associates.

Continue to be great!

 

 

check out this list to see if your work environment supports your core values

In our work at Leadership on Speed LLC, we often get calls from career professionals when they begin a job transition process.  One of the first exercises we do is to explore our clients core values.  Why?  Clarity surrounding values supports their ability to find work within organizations that afford the best fit both technically and professionally.  Otherwise, individuals are at risk for potentially getting a great offer but being unfulfilled in the long term.  In a society that has often measured success based on one's income, understanding one's values may lead to different choices surrounding income but greatly increase the likelihood of both work and life satisfaction.

Are you clear about your values and drivers?  If not, I highly encourage you to take time to do so.  Not sure where to start?  Try the following list.  Utilize a process of elimination to identify your top 20 and then re-order them from one to twenty.  Your top five become your core career values and any job you take should definitely include them!

My work  must involve:

• compassion and caring – helping others and/or being helped
• a supervisor who is a strong role model and mentor
• consistent guidance and clear expectations from a supervisor
• increasing aesthetics, creating beauty
• creating or building objects or systems from scratch
• mental challenges and problem-solving
• physical challenges
• flexibility in commitments and schedule to allow for balance between work life and personal life
• being considered an expert in your field
• highly structured and defined work
• a high degree of competition
• the consistent practice of integrity and ethics
• an opportunity for spiritual growth
• a reward for loyalty and dependability
• having self-respect and pride in work
• stability and security
• above average financial compensation and financial rewards
• being recognized for quality of work
• contributing to societal good
• using creativity and imagination to be innovative
• variety and change – a dynamic, progressive approach
• professional development and continuous learning and growth
• friendships and social activities
• working in teams or groups
• prestige, notoriety, social status
• routine, predictable work projects
• deadlines and time demand/pressure challenges
• clear advancement paths/opportunities for advancement
• tranquility, comfort, and avoidance of pressure
• day-to-day contact with the public or people
• using cutting edge or pioneering technologies or techniques
• opportunities for supervision, power, leadership, influence
• responsibility and accountability around making decisions
• autonomy, independence, freedom (little or no supervision)
• precision work with little tolerance for error
• adventure, excitement and risk taking

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

this video will wipe out every excuse you ever thought you had

I first came across this video a couple of years ago and I think it is worth sharing again if you didn't watch it the first time (or even if you did!).  We all have days when what we planned to do gets usurped by our emotional state - in other words, we just don't "feel" like doing what we had planned.  This video may give you the motivation to dig deep on those days and JUST DO IT!

Continue to be great!

 

 

 

 

We are now one of the TOP 50 LEADERSHIP BLOGS!

Leadership on Speed, LLC was notified this week that our blog is now ranked as one of the Top 50 Leadership blogs according to Blog Rank.  We wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to our readers and supporters for making this possible!  We appreciate your continued feedback and topic ideas and are committed to continuing to bring content that serves you best.

Continue to be great!