We deliver Sparked every other week, written for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results.

Not subscribed?�Subscribe for free here.�

Ignite your Team by Delivering Important, Non-Urgent Work

Leaders tend to be excellent firefighters.

And while putting out fires feels productive and necessary in the moment, it pulls leaders away from making real progress on initiatives that would otherwise significantly move the needle toward where they are trying to lead their team.

We crush email. We are reliable in quickly responding to requests. We attend meeting after meeting, regardless of whether it’s important or not. When something goes awry, we’re there to clean up whatever needs to be cleaned up.

Then, our attention shifts quickly to hitting the next time-sensitive need.

Focus usually goes to what’s most urgent in the queue, not most important in the queue.

And for many leaders, the queue of demands deemed “urgent” never ends.

Meanwhile, the non-urgent, important work stalls or never gets started.

Unfortunately, this illustrates the point well: some of the leaders I coach differentiate the urgent and non-urgent work as their “day job” (urgent work) and their “nights and weekends job” (important, non-urgent work).

The “nights and weekends job” rarely gets done as well as the “day job.”

A couple of examples of important, non-urgent work:

• Clarifying roles, responsibilities, expectations, and decision ownership
• Streamlining systems and documenting processes
• Building alignment on what success looks like
• Recognizing and celebrating wins along the way

My observation: Leaders spend far too much time putting out the day-to-day “urgent” fires in their queue.

Dedicating more time to the important, non-urgent work they are responsible for would not only set their team members up for more success, but it would also allow them to elevate out of the day-to-day, which so many leaders voice a desire to do.

But until a real priority is placed on their important, non-urgent work, leaders will continue to spend their time firefighting the urgent.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Deliver important, non-urgent work more consistently.

Why Delivering Important, Non-Urgent Work Builds Engagement

Important, non-urgent initiatives at the leadership level and the room for thinking time present an opportunity to lay foundational pillars to earn and build engagement from your team.

Time spent on strategic planning, process improvement, getting the right people on the bus, developing the people on the bus so they can deliver, and aligning on expectations around what success looks like is what important, non-urgent work looks like.

That thinking and follow-through time leads to deeper directional vision for team members, more efficient processes for them to work in, the removal of “bad fit” team members, attention for skill development and training, and greater clarity across the board.

When leaders create the space and deliver important, non-urgent work, the team around them benefits and leans in.

Another key engagement lever that pulls when leaders elevate away from urgent work: they empower their team members to take ownership and work autonomously, further growing their independence and mastery of their role.

Engagement, motivation, and performance from individual team members and collective teams build when leadership consistently elevates out of the day-to-day, delivering foundational strategy, vision, and alignment to set the team up to succeed in the long term.

Start Taking Action to Deliver Important, Non-Urgent Work

Ready to drive change? Here’s how to take action on delivering non-urgent work:

• Audit Where you Spend your Time:�Look back at your calendar to-do list over the last month: how much time did you spend on important, non-urgent work, and how much time did you spend on urgent work? When next week starts, make a two-column list with “important, non-urgent”, and “urgent” at the top. At the end of each day, record how much of your time went to each bucket. You may find it surprising how little time you spend on the important, non-urgent.�

• Make your Important, Non-Urgent List:�Start building your list of important, non-urgent work that you need to accomplish. What are the projects and initiatives you’ve wanted to get to but just haven’t had the time to? I’m willing to bet that the majority of what is on that list, when completed, will set your team up for greater success. I bet it’s also work that you or only a select few in your organization can really execute.�

• Time Block:�This requires a great deal a self-disipline to follow through. You are the only one who can protect yourself from where you spend your time. Block time on your calendar for important, non-urgent work. Call it “thinking time”. Call it “important, non-urgent working time”. Call it whatever you want, just carve out the space so you don’t book other meetings on top of it. Most leaders are able to schedule the time on their calendars. Fewer can actually honor it.�There’s a professional growth opportunity in that.

• Supportively Encourage your Team to Figure it Out:�When the primary firefighter (you) is unavailable to save the day, someone else will step in and figure it out. This is a growth and development opportunity for you (ability to let go) and your team (ability to figure it out). They won’t learn to not need you (which is a good thing) if you always come to the rescue. A little bit of error and struggle can go a long way in a team member’s development.�

• Find an Accountability Mechanism:�Are you self-disciplined enough to hold yourself accountable to following through on your important, non-urgent work as well as you expect yourself to? If so, great. If you struggle to make time for that work, build in an accountability mechanism. That could be a peer you report plans and progress to. It could be a coach. It could be proactive communication to your team about your plans, deadlines, and expectations with a deadline for you to report back by. Test and try different mechanisms to keep yourself accountable to the work only you are positioned to complete.�

• Constantly Check Yourself:�When something unexpected comes your way, really think and consider if the need is truly urgent or not. We often overestimate how urgent something is. We are used to firefighting and go back to it as a comfort zone.

Congratulations to our 2025 Q4 Culture Achievement Award Recipients!

This recognition shines light on a few select organizations that foster outstanding engagement and workplace culture, as measured by the Fired Up! Annual Culture Index�.

The work to build an exceptional workplace culture is difficult and these organizations should be proud of what they�ve achieved.

Visit the�official awards landing page�to learn more about the Culture Achievement Award and our Q4 award-winning recipients.

We�re grateful to partner in supporting these organizations.�Their commitment and passion make a real difference, and we�re excited to celebrate their success.

Further Exploration on Delivering Important, Non-Urgent Work

• The Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritizing tasks and to-do lists
• The Delegation Dilemma: Why Leaders Struggle to Let Go

The post Sparked Vol. 081 – Ignite your Team by Delivering Important, Non-Urgent Work appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

We deliver Sparked every other week, written for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results.

Not subscribed?�Subscribe for free here.�

Engage your Team by Showing your Care

How do you show your care for your team members?

If I were to ask your team members how you show your care for them, what would they say?

I’ll generalize for a moment: most leaders care about their people. We assume our team knows and feels that care. If you don’t, it might be best for everyone (including yourself) to find an individual contributor role.

I’m also willing to bet that you care more about your collective team and individual team members than they feel. There’s an opportunity in that.

And while most people leaders I come across do genuinely care about their team members, many of them struggle to show it consistently.

Showing your care isn’t just about recognizing people for a job well done.

It’s about the consistent feeling that your team members hold based on how you choose to show up, engage, and care each day.

This edition of Sparked isn’t about endlessly sharing appreciation for your team for every single thing they do. It’s about identifying the importance of and finding your approach to show your care for them, beyond the day-in, day-out work that gets done.

In busy work environments, care can become implicit and can easily get put on the back burner.

We’re laser-focused on results, our newly polished annual goals, deadlines, and the next hurdle in front of us. We care about our people, but we don’t necessarily demonstrate it. It becomes implicit. And when it’s implicit, it’s not felt.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Show your care.

Why Showing your Care Builds Engagement

Team members will engage more deeply when they feel genuinely valued, not just professionally useful.

Engagement grows when people feel like they matter beyond what they produce.

That sense of security frees people to fully invest in their work. Instead of holding back, they lean in.

Genuine care also builds trust.

When leaders show up with curiosity, follow through on concerns, and stay attentive even when things are busy, team members learn that support is not conditional. It does not disappear when pressure rises or priorities shift. That consistency creates an immense amount of trust.

Showing care also reduces emotional friction. In environments where care is visible, people spend less energy protecting themselves and more energy collaborating, problem-solving, and contributing ideas. They are more willing to speak honestly, ask for help, and challenge thinking because they trust how their leader will respond.

Engagement, motivation, and performance from individual team members and collective teams build when team members feel like there is genuine care for them as a human, not just as a professional.

Start Taking Action and Show your Care

Ready to drive change? Here’s how to take action on showing your care:

• Reflect:�How do you show your care? Really think about it. How do others feel the care you have for them? I don’t doubt it’s in there, but leaders often struggle to outwardly show and share it. When we can recognize that gap, we can be intentional to close it.�

• Be Present:�Presence doesn’t just have to come from 1:1 in-person meetings. Finding opportunity to proactively check in via chat, email, or text builds presence. Aim for consistency in your presence, especially if your calendar looks like a game of Tetris.

• Create Space:�Dedicated and recurring 1:1 connection time is likely very important to many of your team members. If they are not getting that with some regularity, start here. Aim for 30 minutes every-other-week at the least. That time may not be as important for you, but I can guarantee it’s important to them. Your proactivity here shows your care.�

• Check In Beyond the Sphere of Work:�Your people have lives that are big and important to them outside of work. Get curious about them! Should all of your 1:1 time be dedicated to that? No. Should some of every 1:1 time venture outside the scope of the job? Yes.�

• Share About Yourself:�Genuine connection requires a two-way street. Share your perspective. Share about your life. Develop a real relationship that transcends work. You don’t need to (and probably shouldn’t) be great friends with all of your team members, but pushing past the transactional builds your care for them as a human.�

Further Exploration on�Showing your Care

• The Importance of Feeling Respected, Appreciated, and Liked at Work
• Why It’s Critical for Organizations To Care for Employees
• Why Caring as a Manager is Key to Building a Strong Workforce

The post Sparked Vol. 080 – Engage your Team by Showing your Care appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

We deliver Sparked every other week, written for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results.

Not subscribed?�Subscribe for free here.�

Spark your Team by Getting Curious About Their Why

Connection to purpose is foundational in building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation from team members.

There is a very real reason why the first edition of Sparked focuses on the power of an inspiring purpose.

And while this newsletter has explored the role that organizational and team purpose play in driving engagement, today’s newsletter is all about getting curious around what really drives each team member you lead at an individual level.

Every individual has a why.

And each individual’s why is unique to them.

Some know their why.

Others don’t.

Their why is the reason they show up every day. It’s the reason they care.

Unfortunately, leaders don’t take the time to understand the whys for their team members at an individual level. It might come up once during onboarding. It might get glossed over during a stale annual performance review.

Ask yourself if you truly know what motivates and drives each and every team member that reports to you.

Understanding the why for each of your team members is important work that isn’t traditionally classified as urgent. And because of that, getting curious about it gets put to the back burner.

But for leaders who can connect their organizational why and team-level why to an individual’s why, the root of intrinsic motivation appears.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Get curious about their why.

Why Getting Curious About Their Why Builds Engagement

Team members make the active choice to engage when they can connect the day-in and day-out work to their why.

And as we turn the page to 2026, many find themselves reflecting on the year past and dreaming of what the new year can bring.

As leaders take the time to get curious, ask the right questions, share their care in helping individual team members set, and ultimately, reach their personal why, engagement grows.

Your curiosity can spark that.

When leaders take time to understand what drives each person, they can create alignment between the work and the individual.

And in doing so, team members feel seen, heard, and valued.

When leaders ask thoughtful questions and genuinely listen, people feel valued beyond their daily output.

Conversations deepen and connection grows.

Engagement, motivation, and performance from individual team members and collective teams build when team members see, feel, and understand the connection between the daily work and their personal goals, aspirations, and motivators.

Start Taking Action and Get Curious About Their Why

Ready to drive change? Here’s how to take action on discovering their why:

• Create the Space: Meaningful conversations typically don’t happen around the office spontaneously. Make time for the conversation. Put it on the calendar proactively. If you don’t, a topic like this usually gets pushed down the priority list during a typical 1:1. Show your team members that this is important to you.

• Ask: Curiosity starts with questions. What motivates you? What is important for you to get out of working here? Why do you do what you do? What’s important to you in this season of your career? Questions to get you started. Then dig deeper to build a full understanding.

• Make it Recurring: Avoid the annual conversation about this. This shouldn’t be a weekly conversation, but find the right cadence to check back in. Start with quarterly. Someone’s why will change along the way. And continuing to show your investment is important as a leader.

• Connect Their Work to Their Why: Identify connection points along the way when your team members are living, breathing, and fulfilling their why. Many folks struggle to notice progress as it’s happening. The more you can do to show them that they are fulfilling (or at least making progress) on their why, the more buy-in grows.

Further Exploration on Getting Curious About Their Why

• Help your employees find purpose�or watch them leave
• The Science of Improving Motivation at Work
• What employees say matters most to motivate performance

The post Sparked Vol. 079 – Spark your Team by Getting Curious About Their Why appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

We deliver Sparked every-other-week, focusing on what drives organizational culture and engagement. This newsletter is for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, and harnessing the power of culture to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results. Sign up here to get every edition of Sparked delivered straight to your inbox.

Ignite your Team by Effectively Scrutinizing To-Do Lists

Scrutinize�(verb) – to examine closely and minutely

When was the last time you sat down 1:1 with a team member to scrutinize their to-do list?

Not in an intrusive way, but in the spirit of effectively adjusting, reprioritizing, adding, or removing work to ensure they were working on the right work at the right time with the right priority level so they could drive the most impact with their time and effort?

My observation in talking with leaders every day is that the effective scrutinizing of to-do lists doesn’t happen enough.

When done well, leaders support their team members by scrutinizing (and properly adjusting!) their to-do lists to help them navigate barriers, stay on track, and prioritize high-impact work.�

The ability to refocus team members on high-impact work positions them to deliver the right work at the right time�and positions team members to feel like their skills, talents, and efforts are directed at their highest and best use.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing culture?

Effectively scrutinize to-do lists.�

Why Effectively Scrutinizing To-Do Lists Builds Engagement

Effectively scrutinizing to-do lists builds engagement because it fosters clarity, prioritization, alignment, and impact, all of which are critical to team and individual success and in turn, engagement.

Leaders who consistently help team members scrutinize their to-do lists help their team members avoid being overwhelmed as task lists mount and individuals struggle to prioritize.

Additionally,�impact driven is becoming more and more of a priority for today’s workforce.�Clarifying with team members on their highest impact to-dos not only sets them up to drive their biggest impact more frequently, but it sets the team up to deliver on its purpose more significantly as well.

Recentering, refocusing, and clarifying what’s important and what’s not drives engagement.

Engagement grows when team members see and feel meaningful impact from their contribution.

Take Action to Effectively Scrutinize To-Do Lists

Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:

• Resurface Outcomes of Success: Hopefully, you helped set organizational, team, and individual goals and outcomes of success. Keep those goals and KPIs present and relevant when scrutinizing what needs to be worked on, when it needs to be completed, and when it can be removed. The desired outcomes driven should always guide how priorities are created.

• Cut High Effort, Low Impact Work: Remove high effort, low impact work on any to-do list. It sounds simple, but I guarantee high-effort, low-impact work is happening on your team. That work is costly in so many ways. Identifying this may be difficult to do but this is where leaders can create the most margin and value for their team members.

• Clarify Priorities:�If everything is urgent, nothing is urgent.�Leaders must help their team members build a hierarchy around what’s on their plate. Get clear on the work at hand, when it has to be delivered, and what’s most important to prioritize effectively.

• Revisit and Refine Constantly:�Effectively scrutinizing a to-do list is not one-and-done work. Build this muscle with your team members by working through their to-do list at least twice per month. Doing so with regularity keeps them on track, teaches and develops their skill set, and builds independence around the ability to scrutinize effectively on their own.

Further Exploration on Effectively Scrutinizing To-Do Lists

• The Eisenhower Matrix: How to prioritize your to-do list
• If everything is urgent, your leadership may need a hard reset
• How to Focus on What’s Important, Not Just What’s Urgent

The post Sparked Vol. 050 – Ignite your Team by Effectively Scrutinizing To-Do Lists appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

Engage your Team by Personalizing Appreciation

Team members who feel appreciated for their contribution are more engaged at work than those who don’t feel appreciated.��

But today’s edition of Sparked is about more than just showing appreciation for your team members�it’s about personalizing the appreciation you show based on the preference of each team member you show appreciation for so that the appreciation you do share makes the biggest positive impact that it can.

Missing the mark on showing your appreciation for a given team member can be more detrimental than sharing no appreciation at all.�Just ask someone who fears public recognition after they’ve been praised publicly for their work.�

How you show your appreciation for your collection team and individual team members should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach.

Your team members likely hold a variety of�workplace appreciation preferences.�

Personalized appreciation requires taking the time to be thoughtful, matching your approach to each team member’s needs and preferences along the way.

Personalized approaches on an individual level take more time, more effort, and more intention. But getting how you appreciate a particular team member right builds trust, engagement, and buy-in.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing culture?

Personalize your appreciation.

Why Personalizing Appreciation Builds Engagement

Personalized appreciation builds engagement in two ways:

1. Team members engage further when their contributions at work are regularly recognized and appreciated
2. Team members engage further when the appreciation they receive is meaningful and prized by them

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. I don’t buy it if someone says that they don’t want to feel appreciated!

Personalized appreciation allows leaders to connect with each of their team members on an individual level, meeting their individual needs. Personalized appreciation requires time investment, thoughtfulness, and connection.

In plainer language, personalized appreciation shows that you care about your team members.

Engagement grows when a team member knows their leader cares about them.

Take Action on�Personalizing�Appreciation

Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:

• Reflect on your Current Approach:�Take a moment individually to consider how you show appreciation for your team members. Do you show your appreciation at all? Do you do it often enough? Is your approach to showing appreciation one-size-fits-all? Do you know how each of your team members wants to be appreciated? Asking yourself these questions and answering them honestly helps show where to start. 
• Ask your Team Members:�In your next 1:1 meeting, add a talking point about appreciation. Learn about what a team member individually finds meaningful to them. Is it public praise? Lunch with you? A handwritten thank you note? More responsibility in their role? An extra day off? Get curious! Discover what they value the most and then align your appreciation to those prizes as best as feasible.
  
• Build a Routine:�For some leaders, sharing appreciation comes naturally. For others, building the muscle of appreciating well requires getting intentional. If sharing appreciation doesn’t come naturally, instill a little structure or routine to help hold yourself accountable. Find what works for you to keep appreciation for your team members top of mind.� �

Further Exploration on Effectively Scrutinizing To-Do Lists

• Video: The Five Languages of Appreciation with Paul White
• Types of Workplace Appreciation
• How to Show More Gratitude at Work: Giving Thanks Makes You a Better Leader

The post Sparked Vol. 046 – Engage your Team by Personalizing Appreciation appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

Engage your Team by Eliminating Implicit Expectations

Implicit expectations are dangerous, culture-eroding, and performance-draining.

Unfortunately, implicit expectations in the workplace exist far more commonly than they should and as leaders, we often miss on setting clear expectations for our team members.

Before diving too far into implicit expectations and why removing them will help you build a higher-performing team, let’s get on the same page about what implicit expectations are.

Implicit expectations are the invisible, often unspoken assumptions that an individual holds for someone else.

Oftentimes, and especially in the workplace, these implicit expectations are assumptions that leaders hold for their team members that are not communicated often enough or even at all.

The gap between what team members believe is expected of them (explicit expectations) and what is actually expected of them (explicit + implicit expectations) is where the danger lies when working to build a high-performing team.

Unspoken expectations often lead to disappointment, misunderstanding, and even resentment. All of that erodes trust and healthy working relationships.

Leaders who close the gap by eliminating their implicit expectations for their team members can take advantage of an opportunity to bring their team closer together, building engagement, and, ultimately, driving higher performance.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Eliminate your implicit expectations of them.

Take Action to Eliminate Implicit Expectations

Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:

• Compile ALL of your Expectations: Easier said than done, but eliminating implicit expectations starts with compiling all of the expectations you hold for your collective team and individual team members. These expectations can be KPI-based, process-based, behavioral-based, or values-based. Create a full list of your expectations and document them so you can come back to them regularly.

• Identify What’s Already Explicit: Hopefully, many of the expectations you hold for your team and team members are explicitly known�meaning that those expectations have been communicated clearly and directly many times, are fully understood by your team, and may be already baked into the culture of your organization. Explicit, spoken expectations build a healthy and thriving organizational culture. Don’t want to stop communicating explicitly-known expectations, but having a good grip on what’s already understood is important.

• Identify What’s Currently Implicit:�I bet you hold a few implicit expectations for those around you. It’s critically important to identify what expectations you hold that are unspoken and implicit to an individual team member or your collective team. These implicitly held expectations create a dangerous gap that often erodes trust, culture, and, ultimately, performance.

• Communicate What’s Unspoken and Implicit:�It might not be easy, but it is crucial to find the right opportunities, mediums, frequencies, and timing to communicate the implicit expectations that you presently hold.�Hold yourself accountable here.�Moving implicit expectations to explicit for your team members will move them forward in a meaningful way. People want to know what’s expected of them and if they are hitting or missing the mark. Implicitly-held expectations give your team members little chance of meeting your full expectations. Communicate and communicate over again until those implicit expectations are well-known, understood, and adopted.�

Further Exploration on Holding Yourself�Accountable

• The Terror of Implicit Expectations
• How to set clear employee expectations for your team
• Barrier to Inclusion: Invisible Expectations in the Workplace

The post Sparked Vol. 042 – Engage your Team by Eliminating Implicit Expectations appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

We deliver Sparked every-other-week, focusing on what drives organizational culture and engagement. This newsletter is for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, and harnessing the power of culture to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results. Sign up here to get every edition of Sparked delivered straight to your inbox.

Engage your Team by Eliminating Implicit Expectations

Implicit expectations are dangerous, culture-eroding, and performance-draining.

Unfortunately, implicit expectations in the workplace exist far more commonly than they should and as leaders, we often miss on setting clear expectations for our team members.

Before diving too far into implicit expectations and why removing them will help you build a higher-performing team, let’s get on the same page about what implicit expectations are.

Implicit expectations are the invisible, often unspoken assumptions that an individual holds for someone else.

Oftentimes, and especially in the workplace, these implicit expectations are assumptions that leaders hold for their team members that are not communicated often enough or even at all.

The gap between what team members believe is expected of them (explicit expectations) and what is actually expected of them (explicit + implicit expectations) is where the danger lies when working to build a high-performing team.

Unspoken expectations often lead to disappointment, misunderstanding, and even resentment. All of that erodes trust and healthy working relationships.

Leaders who close the gap by eliminating their implicit expectations for their team members can take advantage of an opportunity to bring their team closer together, building engagement, and, ultimately, driving higher performance.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Eliminate your implicit expectations of them.

Take Action to Eliminate Implicit Expectations

Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:

• Compile ALL of your Expectations: Easier said than done, but eliminating implicit expectations starts with compiling all of the expectations you hold for your collective team and individual team members. These expectations can be KPI-based, process-based, behavioral-based, or values-based. Create a full list of your expectations and document them so you can come back to them regularly.

• Identify What’s Already Explicit: Hopefully, many of the expectations you hold for your team and team members are explicitly known�meaning that those expectations have been communicated clearly and directly many times, are fully understood by your team, and may be already baked into the culture of your organization. Explicit, spoken expectations build a healthy and thriving organizational culture. Don’t want to stop communicating explicitly-known expectations, but having a good grip on what’s already understood is important.

• Identify What’s Currently Implicit:�I bet you hold a few implicit expectations for those around you. It’s critically important to identify what expectations you hold that are unspoken and implicit to an individual team member or your collective team. These implicitly held expectations create a dangerous gap that often erodes trust, culture, and, ultimately, performance.

• Communicate What’s Unspoken and Implicit:�It might not be easy, but it is crucial to find the right opportunities, mediums, frequencies, and timing to communicate the implicit expectations that you presently hold.�Hold yourself accountable here.�Moving implicit expectations to explicit for your team members will move them forward in a meaningful way. People want to know what’s expected of them and if they are hitting or missing the mark. Implicitly-held expectations give your team members little chance of meeting your full expectations. Communicate and communicate over again until those implicit expectations are well-known, understood, and adopted.�

Further Exploration on Holding Yourself�Accountable

• The Terror of Implicit Expectations
• How to set clear employee expectations for your team
• Barrier to Inclusion: Invisible Expectations in the Workplace

The post Sparked Vol. 043 – Engage your Team by Eliminating Implicit Expectations appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

FiredUp! Culture has once again partnered with SearchWide Global on a detailed report for leadership in the destinations industry.

This report focuses on how the industry can engage with, and retain, emerging talent. Since 2011, Destinations International has honored an annual 30 Under 30 class, recognizing high performers early on in their professional careers who represent the future leaders of this industry. Each year�s class represents the destination industry’s best young talent, providing honorees with the opportunity to expand their reach and impact within the travel and tourism ecosystem.

In this first excerpt from our report, we dive into just why the industry is currently struggling to hold onto highly talented individuals.�

Finding 1

Talented and emerging leaders continue to leave the destination industry, although a resoundingly high number would consider coming back.

What 30 Under 30 Honorees Are Saying:

�The industry needs to learn to adapt and change with the changing landscape of work. The old school culture of many CVBs leads to rapid turnover due to toxic culture. They need to offer better pay and benefits such as working from home, flexible schedules, and appreciation.�

Finding 2

Lack of opportunity for career growth and development was listed as the primary factor forcing people to look elsewhere and, ultimately, depart their destination and the industry as a whole.�

30% of respondents who no longer work in the industry listed �lack of career path opportunities� as the primary reason for their departure.�

What 30 Under 30 Honorees Are Saying:

�There needs to be consistent professional development opportunities, workshops, conferences, or specialized training� There also needs to be a clear career path for all employees. That should be discussed after the first 60-90 days to show that the organization is committed to their growth.�

Finding 3

Ineffective leadership is a substantially growing reason why 30 Under 30 honorees are leaving the industry.�

23% of respondents who no longer work in the industry listed �ineffective leadership� as the primary reason for their departure. One year ago, ineffective leadership was the primary factor in just 5% of industry departures.��

What 30 Under 30 Honorees are Saying:

�I truly loved the work I did but had to leave due to a toxic culture.�

�Senior leaders need to really embrace retaining emerging leaders, not just saying so at conferences or giving it lip service.�

�I’ve heard many CEOs express a desire for our voices to be heard, but I question whether they are truly willing to listen and act upon our insights.�

Finding 4

Poor compensation continues to be a core contributor to talent departing the industry and is listed as a core reason why emerging talent left the industry.�

What 30 Under 30 Honorees Are Saying:

�If the compensation package were competitive and I wanted to move, I’d consider [returning]. Otherwise, I’d need a remote position to make it worthwhile.�

Finding 5

30 Under 30 Honorees who left their destinations tend to stay in the travel and tourism industry, working on the supplier side.�

66% of respondents who�ve left their destination organization now work in the �Tourism Supplier� industry

33% of respondents left the travel and tourism industry altogether.

What 30 Under 30 Honorees Are Saying:

�An internal struggle I have is that I am very passionate about the industry and my particular destination, and I love the work I do, but I haven’t had any upward mobility at my DMO and I see zero opportunity for that in the near future.� </blockquote>

The full report, Destination Leaders of the Future: Engaging and Retaining Emerging Talent, is available here.

The post Our Latest Destinations Industry Report: Engaging and Retaining Emerging Talent appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

Spark your Team by Holding Yourself�Accountable

Accountability�can be a touchy subject in organizations.�

Cynically, everyone wants those around them to be highly�accountable�for their commitments but when it comes to themselves, well, the desire for self-leeway tends to be higher.�

Most agree that�accountability�is crucial in highly engaged cultures, but�many leaders wrestle with how to build�accountability�while still leading with empathy and understanding. In doing so, driving team members’�accountability�can be difficult to do.

For leaders struggling to balance everything that goes into the�accountability�conversation, here’s where to start: lead by example and hold yourself�accountable.

Yes, organizational�accountability�starts with holding yourself�accountable.

The standard a leader sets, for better or worse, is the standard your team will emulate.

Leaders effectively set the example by taking responsibility for their actions, following through on their commitments, and keeping their promises. Leaders set the standard for a highly�accountable�team.

Setting the example accomplishes three critical outcomes:

• It drives positive change and outcomes through the work accomplished
• It models the correct behavior for others to follow and sets the standard
• It empowers leadership to coach and develop those struggling with individual accountably

Holding others�accountable�is another topic for another edition of this newsletter. Today, it’s all about holding yourself�accountable�to�bring your team together, build engagement, and harness the power of culture to build a high-performing team.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Set the example and hold yourself�accountable.

Take Action to Hold Yourself�Accountable

Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:

• Know What you Owe:�Following through well and holding yourself highly�accountable�starts with knowing everything you are responsible for. Hopefully, most of those items are clear. More likely than not, there are some items where ownership is unclear. Ruthlessly work to clarify what is needed, when it’s needed, and who is responsible for taking ownership of it.�

• Organize the Chaos:�’What you Owe’ can likely be characterized as “a lot”. And it can be really difficult to keep it all straight. There is no one best way to organize it all. Find what works best for you. Build a routine to organize the chaos. Doing so makes following through so much easier.�

• Follow Through:�Here’s where we get down to brass tacks. Simply, follow through. Easier said than done. Organizing the chaos will help your ability to get through everything. Defend your calendar. Build the necessary space in your week to get to all of it. Expert-level self-discipline and time management are what give you the ability to follow through well consistently.

• Take Ownership on Oversights:�No one should reasonably expect perfection. Oversights are going to happen. Mistakes will be made. It happens. It’s okay. But how you respond to those oversights is important. Take ownership. Avoid excuses. Resist blaming others. And most importantly, figure out how to right what’s been missed.

Further Exploration on Holding Yourself�Accountable

• Leadership�Accountability: Why It Matters and How to Fuel It
• Managers: Compassion and�Accountability�Aren’t Mutually Exclusive
• Why Leaders Struggle With�Accountability

The post Sparked Vol. 039 – Spark your Team by Holding Yourself Accountable appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.

Ignite your Team by Pushing Total�Compensation

There are many ways to engage your people, bring them together, and harness the power of organizational culture to build high-performing teams without the means of additional�compensation, but compensation is a major piece of the workplace engagement puzzle.

Pushing total�compensation�may sound like an easy way to engage your team, but being able to follow through on the initiative while meeting your organization’s budget and financial constraints makes doing so less than straightforward.

Let’s face it: pressure to�compensate�team members is something nearly all people leaders have to navigate.�

Regardless of the industry you lead in, it can feel like there is constant pressure to keep up with�compensation�demands from team members.�

And while leaders should be working to find more ways to get more money into the pockets of their team members while keeping the financial stability of their team safe, leaders should also be working to get clear on their approach to total�compensation�across their team.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Push total�compensation,�compensate�fairly (at the least), and hold a shared�compensation�philosophy to set expectations for everyone on the team.��

Take Action to Push Total�Compensation

Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:

• Know the Market:�Market factors play a huge role in your team members’ expectations when it comes to�compensation. Find ways to evaluate the market in which you compete for talent. Execute regular�compensation�studies. Get up-to-date data for all the roles on your team. Discover how your competitors are compensating their team. Knowing the numbers gives you the context and backing to start evaluating where your team sits.�

• Develop a Shared�Compensation�Philosophy:�A shared�compensation�philosophy brings clarity to how your organization approaches�compensation. Are you trying to pay salaries that are at the top of the market? Is your goal to pay salaries that are at or above the mid-point? Lower salaries with higher variable cash bonuses my protect your business and provide greater upside for team members. It’s possible that extra margin isn’t on your side at the moment, and�compensation�like generous paid time off makes your team feel whole. Develop your philosophy and share it with your team so they know what to expect.�

• Advocate and Reward:�As the leader of your team, it’s vital that your team members feel that when it’s earned, you have their back, you advocate for them, and you reward them for a job well done. This is where total�compensation�actually gets pushed. Set clear goals and clearly define the outcomes you expect a team member to meet or exceed. When they do, reward them.�

• Educate on Total�Compensation, Not Just Pay:�Leaders need to differentiate the conversation between pay and�compensation. These are two distinct things. Pay is the cash one receives.�Compensation�is all of the rewards one receives. Medical benefits, time off, remote work opportunities, wellness stipends, and training budget are all examples of�compensation�one receives for their work. Many struggle to realize these are forms of�compensation�building their total�compensation�package. Help your team members remember that what they receive for their work typically runs far past their regular paycheck.

Further Exploration on Pushing Total�Compensation

• Compensation�Strategy: A Holistic Approach to Rewarding Your Workforce
• What Good Managers Need to Know Before Talking Salary With Employees
• What Is A�Compensation�Philosophy? Complete Guide With Examples

The post Sparked Vol. 038 – Ignite your Team by Pushing Total Compensation appeared first on FiredUp! Culture.