"Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?"Benjamin Franklin
I drive my sister crazy with all of the questions I ask people that I meet. But, if one of my life's missions to to help people understand what they are good at, then my questions must remain. [Note to sis: Coleen, I love you, but I've got to keep on keeping on with my questions!]
By paying attention and asking the right questions, you will likely discover many hidden talents among your leaders, peer, team members, family members, friends, volunteers, yourself.
Many leaders are in a situation know where they cannot hire more talent. Why not ask the following four questions of the talent you currently have to determine how to maximize your resources?
1.
Turn a compliment into an interview.2. Ask why employees prefer certain tasks or projects.
3. Inquire about dreams.
4. Analyze how people think, not just what they do.
I will also suggest that you consider asking these questions of yourself. I know a number of people in the midst of a job search, and they feel at wit's end with what to do next. I am hopeful that these questions may be a source of freeing your thoughts to find what it is that truly inspires you.
Adapted from Steven DeMaio's How to Identify Your Employees' Hidden Talents. 24 June 2009
"Listen to the whispers and you won't have to hear the screams."
Cherokee proverb
Starting a new role? You may be tempted to jump in and provide solutions immediately to prove your value, but you might be shooting yourself in the foot with this behavior. There is nothing wrong with being active. Just be an active listener.
There are five key elements of active listening, helping you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are hearing what they are saying.
1. Pay attention.2. Show that you are listening.
Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
Wishing Kory and Jill, two of my colleagues and friends, the best of luck and continued success in their newly expanded roles.
Adapted from Mind Tools.
"Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge."
Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal, 1452 - 1519
When a person shouts at you, your gut reaction may be to yell right back. This is one situation when following your gut may not be such a good idea, and may result in a damaged relationship. Instead, try responding to the desired outcome.
NO: Event - Reaction - Outcome
YES: Event - Outcome - Reaction
Action
When an unsettling event occurs:
Enjoy this great article by Peter Bregman.
"Devising and maintaining an atmosphere in which others can put a dent in the universe is the leader's creative act." --Warren Bennis
Can doing good keep employees engaged and grow your business? You bet it can.
Ramping up altruism may well be the killer app in 2009 and early 2010 — a time when companies need their top talent to be firing on all cylinders to spur growth and renewal, but where conventional rewards such as pay raises and bonuses are hard to come by, according to Sylvia Ann Hewitt in her forthcoming book Top Talent: Keeping Performance Up When Business Is Down.
Hewitt is an economist, member of the World Economic Forum Council on the Gender Gap, and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy where she directs the "Hidden Brain Drain"—a task force of 50 global companies committed to fully realizing female and multicultural talent.
Her research shows that high-potential employees are motivated by a desire to give back to their communities. These employees are increasingly seeking out employers that allow them to do so on the job. Real life examples and the associated returns? By integrating "doing good" into their business strategies, GE's healthyimagination and Pfizer's Global Access programs are expanding company revenue and attracting and retaining these key employees.
Weaving the 'feel good' factor into a go-to-market playbook gives high potential employees priceless psychic rewards, and a reason to stay, play and win, says Hewitt. This approach is certainly working for Ponni Subbiah — one of Pfizer's most talented female leaders. "We all want to feel that we can have an impact on the world. That's why I like Global Access. The fact that we're going to increase access to our medicines in a part of the world where people are very needy .... that's very gratifying for me." And it's good business.
ActionWhile donations and volunteering are wonderful avenues for allowing your employees to give back, do not limit your company's socially responsible efforts. Explore ways that your company can combine social responsibility and commercial viability by offering lower cost products to emerging markets or developing a new profitable solution to a social problem.
Adapted from Harvard Business Publishing
"The Cause is Hidden, But the Result is Well Known."
Ovid, Roman Poet (43 BC - 17 AD)
People today are focused on the global economic crisis, but Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter sees also a global crisis of business.
Has the model of American capitalism that worked so well to raise the fortunes of millions of people last century hit a wall? In its place must arise a new model of the company, one that serves society as well as rewarding shareholders and employees, Kanter argues in her new book, SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good.
Kanter, one of my top tier strategy and organizational change visionaries that I follow and learn from, shared key points and great stories at a leadership learning session I attended with my esteemed colleague from the Northern Trust Company, Jill Nabonsal:
1. Start with a Sense of Purpose. Lead with Your Principles and Values. Think about how you can apply your products and services to address the many unmet societal needs.
2. Be Open to Discussions. It is Not Your Words But Your Conversations that Matter. Allow for self-organizing, -governing -policing where possible. Give your employees a voice and you may be amazed what transpires.
3. Value Relationships. A Sense of Purpose Forms a Strong Basis for Your Relationships and Conversations. Start with 'Who I am, what I believe and what is important to me.' Speak of values first. Think of meeting others' needs before your own. (And you may be surprised how your own needs end up being met way beyond your expectations.)
4. Use Values to Reduce Risk. Having Values at the Core of Your Solutions Reduces Risk. Your standards seem too high? Help your clients reach the higher standards that you may set. Who wins? Who benefits? Your clients, your clients' clients, your team, you.
Here is a more detailed summary of the book if you are interested in learning more.
But can doing good keep employees engaged and grow your business? You bet it can. Stay tuned for my next post.
"Erroneous assumptions can be disastrous."
Peter Drucker, (1909 - 2005) one of my all time favorite authors
Many companies are keen to introduce "new and improved" products or services. Yet, all too often these new innovations are useful to the company but not the customers or clients they aim to serve. Example: a self check-out lane may help a company reduce the number of cashiers it needs but may be a hassle for customers who are baffled by the new machines. Action: Evaluate new innovations through the lens of the market — not just the lens of your company. Before you roll out a new service, feature, or product under the "new and improved" umbrella, be sure to understand whether it is something your prospects and client want or need. In organizational change management, this evaluation step is called a Stakeholder Impact Analysis. (There are many names that are used as well, but I will stick with this title for now.) This activity is an important for step to allow you to consider all of the groups and people who could be affected by a change or innovation, and in what ways they will be impacted.
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Career analyst Daniel Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.
Follow this link to learn more about Daniel Pink and why you should listen to him.
Video copyright TED LLC
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
Michael Jordan, (American NBA basketball player, widely considered to be the greatest player in the history of the game, 1963 - )
For companies that care about the client / customer experience (and who doesn't these days?), teamwork and integration is a must.
ACTION
Learn more by reading the article upon which this posting was adapted and based: How Integrated Are Your Customer Experiences?,by Jesse James Garrett of Adaptive Path.