• Innovators Don’t Only Dream, They Remember Their Dreams http://bit.ly/bkfVey #innovation #
• Leadership Development: Executive Self-Assessment by @greatleadership http://bit.ly/ckTie4 #leadership #
• RT @GwynT: your thoughts on mentorships? I’ve written a guest post about it at the kind invitation of @tanveernaseer http://bit.ly/9ViePt #
• Business Models Versus Strategy http://bit.ly/cBlVGl #strategy #business-plan #
• Misfit Entrepreneurs http://bit.ly/cZROGF #entrepreneurship #innovation #
• RT @KetelboeterPR: RT @ellenfweber: 25 Signs an Organizational Model is Broken http://bit.ly/dgJBIz #leadership #shrm #
• The Triple Threat to Good Decisions: Data, Time and Emotion by @artpetty http://bit.ly/cJUKmB #leadership #
• RT @tnvora: Great list! RT @wallybock: 10 Engagement-Building Behaviors for the Boss http://tiny.cc/e7plm #
• How to Be an Above-Average Decider http://bit.ly/9opUQW #decisionmaking #
• RT @FrankDickinson: Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-23 – http://bit.ly/abQD1i by @TanveerNaseer *Thanks Frank #
• Are Common Communication Barriers Holding You Back at Work? http://bit.ly/cEQrXw #
• 10 Tips for Re-energizing Your Day, Every Day http://bit.ly/a4DZgJ #productivity #
• Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Changing Careers http://bit.ly/9CeHdM #career #
• RT @LearnSolMary: Are We Ready For The Workplace Gender Shift? – http://bit.ly/dvyIPQ by @TanveerNaseer <Much to ponder here> *Thanks Mary #
• How to Become an Effective Delegator http://bit.ly/dvTNPU #leadership #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-02-05
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-03-26
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-02-26
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-02
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-04
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-05-21

Last month marked the completion of my first year of writing for this blog and my second year of blogging in general. Looking back over the last twelve months, it’s hard not to feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction regarding the opportunities and relationships I’ve attained as a result of writing for my website. As this milestone also coincides with the year’s halfway mark, I also saw this as a good opportunity to review how much progress I’ve made in reaching the goals I set out for myself at the beginning of the year.

In some ways, it felt odd to be performing such an exercise in the middle of summer, especially when one considers the downtime most companies are experiencing right now thanks to vacationing employees and customers. As it turns out though, the summer downtime actually provides an excellent opportunity for businesses and their leaders to review their team’s efforts, in order to assess how much progress has been made in reaching their shared goals. By performing this review during the summer break, leaders will develop a better understanding of where to focus their team’s efforts when they return to full force at the end of summer.

Of course, in assessing the efforts made so far by your team, it’s important that you move beyond your daily work perspective by fostering a sense of inquisitive thinking about your business. This way, you can make a proper evaluation of your organization’s progress that takes into account not only the accomplishments and issues you’re aware of, but also those aspects about your operations which you ordinarily don’t have the time to review.

With this in mind, here are some questions to help you determine how successful your team’s efforts have been in helping your organization move closer to reaching your shared goals:

• What kind of opportunities did we attract through our work? How do they align with our shared goals? Are they helping to build on them or are they steering us in another direction?

• What tasks are proving to be more difficult than we planned? What changes can we make to facilitate the process? What resources will our team need to get past these obstacles?

• What changes should we make in the upcoming months to ensure we stay on target? Are there any issues we can foresee based on the past six months that we’ll need to plan or prepare for?

• What failures have we encountered so far? What did we learn from them and is there a risk the team could repeat these mistakes?

• Which unexpected results from our efforts turned out to be of benefit to our team and how exactly did it improve things? Is there a way we can replicate those conditions as we move ahead?

• Are the efforts we’re making leading to any progress? Should we consider starting over or is it time to change direction altogether?

• Is the team still motivated about our shared goals? What can we do to maintain or build their drive to keep at it once the vacation breaks are over?

While summer provides us with the much-needed time to unplug and recharge ourselves, the downtime that comes with the summer months can also prove to be beneficial if we use this opportunity to evaluate our progress to reach those goals we mapped out at the beginning of the year. Making time for such reflection and review will not only help you understand what measures worked and what didn’t, it will also help you to better plan what tasks or issues will need to be addressed over the remaining months of the year.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Thinking Of Skipping Your Vacation This Summer? Think Again
2. Learning From Your Mistakes – 4 Steps To Turn Failure Into Success
3. 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus
4. How to Make Your Resolutions Have A Bigger Impact
5. How to Help Struggling Employees Find Their Space
6. 4 Questions To Help You Figure Out If It’s Time To Move On

Today’s piece is a guest post by Gwyn Teatro. Gwyn is a Certified Professional Coach with a Master of Science degree in Management and 15 years experience as a Human Resources Consultant to Executive and Senior Management in the Financial Services Industry. While she may have retired from the corporate world,  she maintains an interest in coaching leaders with the drive to help them achieve results, both for their organizations as well as for themselves.  You can read more of Gwyn’s writings on her blog, “You’re Not the Boss of Me”

Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men — the other nine hundred and ninety nine follow women. – Groucho Marx

I bumped into this quote while surfing the Internet and just kept it for a while feeling that there might be something I needed to say about it. In the end, I guess I just found it amusing in a wry sort of way. And it reminded me of Mary.

Mary was my first HR boss. Before working with her, I was a clerk, an efficient yet uninspiring one.

Mary was looking for a Personnel Assistant at the time and having rifled through the roster of internal candidates that might fit her bill, she chose me.

Initially, I was very flattered until I learned Mary’s selection criteria. It was less than scientific. Specifically, Mary gave me the job because I could type; I was presentable; and I hadn’t ticked anyone off…yet.

Nonetheless, it was a step up for me into an area where I felt an affinity, so despite the questionable selection standards, I was happy to be there. And, as it turned out, Mary was to be more than a boss to me. She was a mentor who taught me something about surviving in a male-dominated, traditional organization.

Her mentorship was less about what she said and more about what she did. And, not all she did was good.

Mary had a wicked temper and while she was the sole of restraint when dealing with me, with her colleagues she tended to be less disciplined once being overheard to tell one of her male counterparts “Oh, go pee in your hat and pull it down over your ears!”

Mentorships are not meant to be about perfect relationships. At least I don’t think so. What they are about is having someone to learn with and learn from, even if it is from mistakes one or the other might make. Yes, one person in the relationship generally has more experience but in the long run, it’s more about having a place to go where empathy lives and judgment doesn’t.

Mary was my sounding board. Through her example, I learned that always looking my best was not just a nice to do. I learned to stand up for myself. I learned the importance of controlling my emotions and the negative impact on me, and others, when I don’t.

Whenever I think about Mary now, I also think about some of the ways in which she shaped me, as a professional and as a human being. And that’s a big deal.

What do mentorships mean to you?
How would you encourage mentorships in your organization?
Who do you think of when you hear the word Mentor?
What influence did this person have on your life?

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. 4 Questions To Help You Figure Out If It’s Time To Move On
2. How To Encourage An Inquisitive Staff – Published Article in Floral Management Magazine
3. Believing In The Power Of You
4. How to Make Your Resolutions Have A Bigger Impact
5. Looking Ahead by Looking Back
6. Are We Ready For The Workplace Gender Shift?

• Business Model Innovation – Big Risk, Big Rewards http://bit.ly/bQio50 #innovation #
• RT @SusanMazza: Really great post @gwynt Giving the Gift of Humility http://bit.ly/c7NIYF *Agreed; great post Gwyn. #
• RT @OceanClubHR: How to Transform Passion into Purpose – http://bit.ly/b8NLIf by @TanveerNaseer *Thanks for the blog RT; glad you enjoyed it #
• Combat Gear, Attack Plans and the Unhappy Customer by @KetelboeterPR http://bit.ly/afYn5i #custserv #communication #
• RT @AMAnet: Learning From Your Mistakes – 4 Steps To Turn Failure Into Success. RT @TanveerNaseer #Management | http://ht.ly/2dsl7 *Thanks! #
• inspiring read – Seeing the “And” in Others by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/97bEnN #management #leadership #
• Communicate Expectations The Right Way http://bit.ly/b0dj0D #leadership #communication #
• A Return to Decency http://bit.ly/aKO4Rj #marketing #smallbiz #
• RT @Sally_G: Wise, practical + personable too! > Learning From Your Mistakes: 4 Steps 2 Turn Failure Into Success http://bit.ly/aJnKJz *TY! #
• Reading “Time and Leadership” by @mikemyatt http://bit.ly/b2V6jw #leadership #
• RT @360surveys: @TanveerNaseer Of course. You always provide such thought provoking content. We love it. *Thanks! I’m glad to hear it #
• 5 Lessons to Learn from Web Startups http://bit.ly/bg9diL #smallbiz #entrepreneurship #
• RT @shawmu: Good post from @Geoff_Snyder: Trust and Your Team http://bit.ly/a5RMF6 #
• RT @Earl52: RT @MeghanMBiro RT @scottsimmerman: 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus – http://bit.ly/96JsZ2 *Thx Earl for blog RT #
• Never Duck the Tough Questions http://nyti.ms/d9xVlb #leadership #
• RT @iHRgeek: What Twitter Can Teach Leaders About Effective Communication – http://bit.ly/9T5Fmb by @TanveerNaseer *Thanks Mark #
• RT @monedays: Smart, supportive, joyful,sweet tweets to #FF @KatTansey @JanetVanderhoof @JoyFull_deb @AndyInNaples @TanveerNaseer *Tx Monica #
• RT @scottsimmerman: 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus – http://bit.ly/96JsZ2 by @TanveerNaseer #teambuilding *Tx Scott #
• RT @phyllismufson: Thinking Of Skipping Your Vacation This Summer? Think Again http://bit.ly/aZR6F1 (@tanveernaseer) *Thanks Phyllis #
• RT @tkpleslie: Your writing is so clear @tanveernaseer. I truly enjoy reading each post now that I’ve found you #followfriday *Tx; most kind #
• Obama-McChrystal Moments: Handling Insubordination http://bit.ly/aAhjFS #leadership #communication #
• Managing the Launch: How to Keep Employees Enthusiastic and Engaged http://bit.ly/baWTmo #leadership #entrepreneurship #
• Thought Leaders Now Being Replaced By Feeling Leaders http://bit.ly/9N8RV5 #leadership #presentation #
• RT @AnnLewisCoach: @TanveerNaseer I love the look of your site too. *Thanks Ann; glad to make your acquaintance this week. #
• RT @GwynT: I just read @TanveerNaseer’s post called “Self-Esteem in a Bottle”. He makes some gr8 pts http://bit.ly/aA2uZ6 *Thanks Gwyn! #
• When Opportunity Knocks, Think Twice http://bit.ly/9lHVPe #entrepreneurship #
• RT @andrawatkins: A great blog post from my friend @tanveernaseer on taking a vacation, even when times are tough http://bit.ly/cdEfFJ *Thx! #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-09
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-02
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-01-29
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-09
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-18
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-25

Last week, Dorothy Dalton shared an intriguing guest piece on my blog which questioned whether management training should take into account the inherent differences between men and women. Not surprisingly, her piece resonated greatly among women readers, who both participated in the follow-up discussion, as well as sharing this piece with others on Twitter. Although on the surface this might seem to be a “women’s issue”, the reality is that gender issues should be viewed as an important topic for those involved in managing an organization’s workforce.

While Dorothy’s piece posed the question of whether such gender-specific measures are needed today, the points she put forth got me thinking about what we should expect in the decades to come based on some issues arising from today’s education system.

A dramatic shift in gender strengths in education

There have been numerous reports over the last couple of years that have shown that girls are excelling in the fields of mathematics and science, areas of knowledge which in the past were dominated by boys both in terms of grades and interest. At first glance, these results seem to indicate that girls are finally catching up with boys in their mastery of these subjects. A closer examination of the situation though, reveals something more problematic at play here.

In order to address the obvious difficulty girls were having with math and science, many education boards took on new approaches and strategies to make these disciplines more attractive or easier for girls to learn by changing how the material was taught. For example, math exercises have moved from solving basic equations to reading and deciphering situational problems, taking advantage of the strengths of elementary-school girls for both reading and comprehension.

By shifting how math is taught, elementary school girls have been able to embrace this discipline, building a foundation of comprehension and burgeoning interest, which has no doubt helped to propel them further in this field as they move up through the education system. However, while this is clearly a success in terms of finally getting girls more interested in these fields of study, recent findings are now starting to show that it’s coming with an unexpected, though I’d say not surprising, consequence.

During this same time span that has seen girls’ grades in these typically-male dominated fields rise dramatically, there’s also been an alarming drop in the grades being earned by boys in these same subjects. Obviously, the big reason behind this worrying decline in the boys’ performance is the fact that boys are now expected to read math lessons rather than focus on doing simple number-crunching exercises. Indeed, talking with my daughter’s Grade 1 teacher a few years ago, she pointed out how she has a harder time getting boys to want to read than girls, many of whom relish the opportunity to try and read the latest book she brings into her class.

The fact that boys would prefer numbers over reading is hardly surprising.  One only needs to think of how many men can prattle off various sports statistics, or recite various schematic details about certain transportation vehicles for proof of that. It’s also why Oprah Winfrey was able to start a very successful book club, given how the majority of her viewers are women.

As the drop-out rate in high school for boys continues to grow each year, many school boards are now trying to figure out ways to stop this disturbing trend, with a few school boards now suggesting a rather surprising solution to fix this problem.

School segregation about to make a come-back?

One of the ideas now being floated to address this decline is to create segregated classes along gender lines, the argument being that boys can’t perform well in school if they see girls doing better in areas that are still viewed as being the preferred subjects for boys. But what kind of message would we be sending to our children with such an approach – that the only way boys should be expected to succeed is either by holding girls back or keeping the sexes apart? I also can’t help but wonder how such measures will impact the ability for these boys and girls to effectively collaborate and work together once they join the workforce, given how we’re now teaching them that the only way they can succeed is by working apart.

Of course, as anyone who works in the education field knows, any fundamental changes to the education system will take at least a decade both for complete implementation, as well as for the actual impact to be seen. By that time, most of the boys and girls currently in our education system will be preparing themselves to enter our workforce. If we think there’s difficulties now in how genders interact or are trained in the workplace today, I wonder what the situation will be like 10-20 years from now.

So where do we go from here?

There’s no question that changes are on the horizon for the way we do business, not simply as a result of “the Great Recession”, but also as a response to the shift in demographics in the workplace as a result of more women taking on positions in organizations throughout the world. While some companies are currently working to implement changes to their business approach, I wonder how many are also including in those plans measures to address this eventuality.

Thanks to the efforts made by most education systems, we can now appreciate that any gender-specific changes which fail to take into account the impact on the other gender can lead to adverse consequences that decision-makers may have failed to anticipate. As such, perhaps one place to start is for educators and business leaders to recognize the critical role our gender plays both in how we communicate and how we learn, in order to ensure that we create learning and working environments that are beneficial for both boys and girls, as well as men and women.

Outside of that, the only thing that can be said with any certainty about this situation is that it leaves us with few, if any easy answers.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Our Children’s Education – It’s About Time
2. What Is The Value Of Homework?
3. How to Recapture the Art of Asking Questions
4. 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees
5. Something Wicked To Come This Way . . .
6. A Guide to Understanding the Current Economic Crisis

As with most kids on summer break, my girls have been spending part of their days taking swimming lessons to help advance their skills in this particular sport. While attending one of their lessons, I noticed something that was reminiscent of what many companies go through when managing the growth of their organization.

For one of their lessons, my daughter’s swim teacher asked the students in her class to swim the length of the pool and then toss a ball into the basketball net. One by one, the kids took their turn swimming across the pool and attempting to varying degrees of success in getting the ball into the net.

When it was my daughter’s turn, she swam toward the basketball net and stopped to one side to take her shot. On her first try, she bounced the ball off the rim of the net. In her next shot, she tried to throw the ball with more force, which ended up sending the ball past the net and over to the other side. Although she tried and missed another two times to get that ball into the net, she never once showed any sign of wavering in trying to succeed, even though she was clearly having no luck with this exercise.

After her class, I applauded her for being so determined to get that ball in the net, but I also had a question for her – why didn’t she just swim to the front of the net where she could have had an easier time shooting the ball? As soon as I asked her this, she gave me this sheepish smile, now realizing how she had made the task harder for herself simply because of where she chose to take the shot.

Watching her single-minded focus in performing this task reminded me of how many organizations and their leaders can also get so fixated on taking one particular route to achieve a given objective, to the point that making a simple improvement like shifting their starting position becomes a challenging prospect. Of course, part of the problem is that there is such a great fear in attempting something different, out of concern that it might lead to failure, that many organizations have become rather risk-adverse, a sentiment that has been further exacerbated by today’s economic environment.

The reality, of course, is that failures – both small and significant ones – remain par for the course of doing business in today’s global economy, regardless of whether times are good or not. With that in mind, here are four steps that leaders can take to make sure their team is able to learn from these failures, while still keeping their eyes looking forward on reaching their objective.

1. Keep your team’s focus on the end goal and not on individual outcomes
As most of us know, it’s easy to become frustrated when we keep experiencing failures which prevent us from reaching our goals. Indeed, for most human endeavours, we view being successful as reaching a given target in as few attempts as possible, a big reason why those get-rich-quick schemes remain very popular despite common sense debunking the reality of their claims.

It’s also no doubt why the story of how many failures Thomas Edison endured before creating his light bulb prototype still stirs our collective imagination, as it’s hard to imagine that success could occur after hundreds of failed attempts. Of course, one thing that is clear about Edison’s story is that he was less concerned about individual outcomes as he was about reaching his goal of creating a longer-lasting light bulb.

So while leaders should encourage their team to achieve some quick wins to keep them motivated, it’s also critical that leaders direct their team to worry less about individual outcomes and get them to focus instead on reaching the desired goal behind their shared efforts.

2. Make time to review and assess what issues/obstacles arise from your team’s efforts
I’ve noticed that there’s been several articles written lately that speak of the importance of “failing fast” in the process of innovation and change. While there is some merit to this notion, the problem is that it’s too easy for leaders and organizations to focus on failing quickly than allowing their team to fail effectively. By this, I’m referring to giving your team time to reflect and review on why the desired outcome wasn’t reached, in order to understand why they encountered the roadblocks they did. By making time for such measures, your team can adjust their approach in order to resolve these issues while maintaining their sights on the end goal.

In the case of my daughter’s swimming lesson, she kept throwing the ball without evaluating why she was having such a hard time getting it in the net. While she changed certain variables like throwing the ball harder, this only resulted in the ball going further away from her target. Had she taken the time to examine the situation, she would’ve come to the same conclusion I had that she should shift her position to throw from the front and not from the side in order to succeed in getting the ball into the net.

3. Encourage a sense of determination within your team
It’s also important to remember that just because you’re “failing fast” doesn’t mean you’re going to reach your target faster. As such, a more important message for leaders to relay to their team is to encourage a sense of determination, which will help them to hang in there for the long haul and not give up so soon simply because those early failures are preventing them from reaching the desired outcome.

For some employees, this drive will be naturally present and they will be unwavering in their efforts despite whatever setbacks come their way. For others, these failures can be a source of frustration or discouragement, so be sure to make time to encourage these employees to ignore these setbacks and to keep at it, reminding them of the first point I wrote about, of focusing more on the end goal than on the individual outcomes.

4. Don’t worry about variables you can’t control
Whether it’s in the business arena or personal affairs, whenever we find ourselves facing obstacles that prevent us from reaching our goals, it’s a common response to start worrying mostly about those aspects behind our failure that we have no control over. Ironically, worrying about those variables that we have no control over is a self-protective response, something that basically steers us away from taking any steps to address those aspects behind our failure that we can do something about.

With today’s economic challenges, it’s easy for leaders and their organization to blame outside factors for the failures they are currently enduring. However, the reason why some companies are having an easier time treading water and in some cases thriving, is because they’ve chosen to ignore those variables they have no control over, focusing instead on those issues they can correct in order to resolve to some degree the failures they’ve encountered.

In a society that celebrates winners and winning outcomes, it’s only natural that businesses and their leaders want their teams to pull out more wins by avoiding risky approaches that can lead to failures. However, by recognizing not only the inevitability that mistakes will happen, but embracing how you can turn these failures to your advantage, leaders can help their team to gain insights they might not have otherwise obtained. Insights which can help your organization to not only face the challenges of today, but the opportunities that might be lying in wait in the years to come.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Why Leaders Need to Finish the Race
2. 3 Steps To Help Ensure You’re Consistent With Your Message
3. Using The Summer Downtime To Assess Your Organization’s Direction
4. 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus
5. Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership
6. 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees

• The Six Traits of a Successful Small Business Owner http://bit.ly/afwMfr #entrepreneurship #smallbiz #
• Collaborator vs. Competitor – Can you bridge the gap? by @KateNasser http://bit.ly/d7Jebg #collaboration #teamwork #
• My thanks again to @SmartBrief for including my piece on 3 tactics to improve feedback in Career newsletter http://bit.ly/aHfY2b #
• RT @tkpleslie: RT @TanveerNaseer Leaders, Are You Developing Your Employee’s Super Powers? http://bit.ly/d0SXpN *Thanks for blog RT Leslie! #
• Innovation Begins with Fascination http://bit.ly/bc24ye #innovation #
• World Cup Leadership Lessons by @RosabethKanter http://bit.ly/cXI1nc #leadership #
• Thanks @SBWorkforce for including guest post by @DorothyDalton in today’s SmartBrief Workforce issue http://bit.ly/9Kmsyf #management #
• RE http://bit.ly/bZ5DDx @tkpleslie Thanks Leslie; glad to hear it. Looking forward to getting to know more about you as well. #
• RT @SmartBrief: Tips for offering #feedback that doesn’t make someone angry: http://ow.ly/2aaGf (thx @TanveerNaseer) #management *Thx Emily! #
• RT @KetelboeterPR: Every Job is a Customer Service Job http://bit.ly/b9iVhp #cem #custserv #
• RT @MonsterWW: Employee engagement isn’t just for leaders (via @TanveerNaseer): http://mnstr.me/de1Gbn *Thanks for blog RT; appreciate it. #
• Interesting findings – Executive Compensation: The More Leaders Make, the Meaner They Get http://bit.ly/btULfw #leadership #
• RT @KetelboeterPR: Don’t miss the next #leadchange webinar hosted by @jim_holland on 7/21 http://bit.ly/ci5tkm #
• RT @mjasmus: Congrats to @TanveerNaseer for having his post on 3 Tactics to Improve Feedback in @SmartBrief on Career. *Tx MJ; most kind. #
• RT @DorothyDalton: BIG Thanks to @TanveerNaseer for a guest invitation to his blog. *My pleasure, Dorothy; Delighted to have you on my blog. #
• Why So Few Young People Start Businesses http://bit.ly/bhTXre #entrepreneurship #
• RT @mjasmus: Wisdom from @TanveerNaseer: 3 Tactics to Improve How You Give Feedback: http://bit.ly/9wpvAG *Thanks MJ; appreciate it. #
• How to Generate Innovation in the Public Sector http://bit.ly/bpqwYy #innovation #
• Don’t Invite Customer Feedback If You’re Not Really Listening http://bit.ly/9xME0Z #feedback #custserv #
• RT @AMAnet: What to Do When Your Mentor Goes Bad (Harvard Biz) #Management | http://ht.ly/2a9NY #
• RT @emoticomma: #FF my bestest Twitter friends @HeatherGStubbs @DrSteveBroe @bizshrink @JaniceTomich @TanveerNaseer @MarionChapsal *Tx B! #
• Wield Power Gracefully When Making Decisions by @JohnBaldoni http://bit.ly/9vSReH #leadership #
• RT @DorothyDalton: Good friends from across the pond @TanveerNaseer @DrJackKing @dave_carpenter Twitter wld not B the same w/out U! #FF *Tx! #
• RT @FrankDickinson: Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-09 http://bit.ly/9lkPBo by @TanveerNaseer I always find some great reads here *Tx! #
• 20 Questions Determine a Brain’s Leadership Fate by @ellenfweber http://bit.ly/9jPec8 #leadership #
• RT @FrankDickinson: A Story About Patty the Poodle, Preconceived Notions and Your Business: http://bit.ly/cilrDJ *Good stuff Frank #
• RT @MonsterWW: We agree! RT @LearnSolMary: #FF Leadership pros @TanveerNaseer @DondiScumaci @LeadToday @joe_charles @bizshrink *Thanks! #
• RT @jjameson: Useful advice for difficult task – 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees http://bit.ly/aHfY2b *Thx Jill #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-09
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-18
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-25
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-02-12
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-05-21
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-30

A few days ago, my wife and I decided to take the kids to the beach, to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather that’s been absent in previous years. Admittedly, I did question whether I should bring along my laptop to use some of that lounging-around time to do some writing and such. It only took a moment’s consideration, though, for me to dispel the idea, preferring instead to use this time to watch my kids build sandcastles, or simply floating in the water while my mind drifted off. After all, spending time in such carefree pursuits is what we often associate with taking time off work to enjoy our lives.

Unfortunately, many people are either feeling guilty about taking time off work to go on vacation or worse still, forgoing it altogether in favour of staying ‘on the job’ in order to try and diminish the number of issues currently found on their plates. Many leaders have been very public about their decision to skip taking a vacation this year, rationalizing that it would be unwise to be away from the office given the problems arising from today’s economic climate.

And yet, the reality is that the only unwise thing about these situations is thinking that you’re helping your team by not taking time off from work, a decision that can prove to be more harmful than beneficial for you or your organization. To help prove my point, here are four reasons why you should be going on vacation this summer.

1. Revive your productivity and with it, your team’s
There’s been a lot written lately about the connection between taking regular breaks in your day and your level of productivity. While these daily breaks can keep us going over the short term, it’s vital that we take longer breaks from work to sustain and even build our creativity and productivity. Being away from your work environment for a longer period of time will help you gain a fresh perspective about your work, as well as providing you with the opportunity to pursue your other interests.

It’s also important to remember that people in your team are depending on you to do your job well. So allowing yourself to get worn out at work will not only affect your overall job performance, but also the ability of your team mates to effectively do theirs as well. As such, skipping over your vacation will not only have an impact on your productivity, it can also create frustrations within the team, which can have a deleterious effect on the organization’s morale.

2. Vacation time is part of your remuneration; it’s not a job perk
If you think back to when you interviewed for this job, you’ll probably remember not only reviewing the salary and fringe benefits that came with it, but also how much vacation time you’d get. Naturally, this is one of the most important considerations when taking on a new job as we want to make sure that we’d have time to pursue our other interests outside of work.

This is what makes it all the more ironic that the first thing we willingly forsake at work is taking that time we’re given to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labour. Part of the problem is that we’ve shifted our perception of vacation time to be something that is given to us as a job perk. The reality is that vacation time is a part of our remuneration; a return on the investment of our time and expertise in helping our organization to reach their objectives.

Think of it this way – how many of us would refuse an end-of-year bonus or salary increase out of concern that taking it might reflect poorly on us? Obviously, none of us would do this because we understand that such offers represent a return on the hard work and contributions we’ve offered to the company. It’s time we get back to making that connection with our vacation time as well.

3. Serve as a role model for others in your team
As I mentioned above, many leaders have been very public about their intentions to skip taking any vacation this year, in order to help their organization address the problems they’re currently facing. On the surface, this might seem like a welcome gesture; that a company’s leadership doesn’t want to leave their employees holding the bag while they go off to enjoy themselves. Ironically, such a move is more damaging to the team’s morale and productivity than being of any help, symbolically or otherwise.

As a leader, it’s important to remember that your employees will look to you for guidance of what will be allowed and what will be frowned upon. By not taking any time off work, your employees will feel pressured to also forgo their vacation time as well. Or if they do go on vacation, it will be with much concern over how they will be perceived by the organization’s leadership. Remember that taking care of your employees also means taking care of yourself as their leader.

Of course, this is not only an issue for leaders to take note of, as even employees can serve as a guide for others in their team in showing that – despite the workload that might be building on your desk – it’s still critical for you to take time off work in order to maintain your effectiveness in your role.

4. Show your team they can manage without you
It’s easy for many leaders, as well as employees, to feel like they are indispensable to their team or organization; that being away for any given period of time would introduce the risk of others not knowing how to manage things in your absence. While this might make us feel good about our contributions, this is far from a healthy situation for your organization, both in terms of your company’s growth and overall morale. Taking time off from work will encourage your team members and yourself to develop strategies and abilities that will help them to learn how to effectively hold down the fort while you’re away.

Although this is something that we’d normally associate with those in leadership positions, the reality is we’ve all experienced times where others in our team come asking for our help and support. By providing them with opportunities where they have to manage for themselves, you can help your team mates develop the skills and assurance to know they can manage just fine – even if only for a short time – without your direct support or assistance.

In today’s economic climate, it’s easy for us to fall into the belief that we need to sacrifice our free time for the sake of the greater good or worse, succumb to the fear that taking a vacation will cast us in a negative light among our peers. The reality, though, is that we need our leaders and employees to bring their best efforts to reaching the organization’s objectives. The best way to ensure that is to encourage your team members to take time away from facing these issues so that they might bring a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to attain these shared goals.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Using The Summer Downtime To Assess Your Organization’s Direction
2. 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees
3. 3 Steps To Help Ensure You’re Consistent With Your Message
4. Preparing For Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
5. Do You Know How Your Leadership Is Perceived?
6. Taking Another Look at the Leadership Pyramid

Today’s piece is a guest post by global talent management strategist and international executive search professional, Dorothy Dalton.  Dorothy is based in Brussels, but also works in the UK and Spain and is a Partner at Hansar Transition Services. She’s a certified coach and trainer with a focus on career transition and management, with a special interest in supporting organizations in the creation and development of the best possible talent pipelines.  She has written several interesting pieces about how gender differences impact workplace interactions on her blog, insights that she shares in this guest piece below.

Let’s stop being trapped by political correctness. Do men and women need different types of management training? I think so.

A number of spin off issues came from my recent research on bullying by women in the workplace – but several were particularly interesting.

Workplace Mars and Venus

One of them was that both men and women alike, shared the need for management and organizational training with a specifically gender related thread. A sort of Mars / Venus for work place skills. This wasn’t specifically just about sexual harassment, but basic communication, conflict resolution and managing expectations. This flies in the face of the common corporate gender-neutral, one-size-fits all management training that exists in most organizations today.

Many would view this as a backward step. But is it really?

Jane Gunn, the Corporate Peacemaker and author of the book “How to Beat Bedlam in the Boardroom and Boredom in the Bedroom”, suggests that “difference is the starting point for adding or creating value. What is needed most is to understand the value that each gender brings to the workplace and how each gender can learn from, rather than feel threatened by, the other”.

Differences are not negative. They’re just different.

Shouldn’t we just be acknowledging the existence of gender differences and recognize that we all need training on how to deal with them, rather than assuming as we do now, that we can all slip into business (gender) neutral on our own.

Or worse, assume that the traditional training methods found most successfully in male dominated environments work one hundred percent across the board, when all evidence indicates to the contrary. This is amusingly and somewhat extremely illustrated by a bemused Professor Higgins in the song “Hymn to Him“, when gender differences were clearly incomprehensible and unhappily negative!

Historical perspective

It would seem from the people who contacted me at least, that there are indeed issues in all gender combinations in the work place, except almost predictably, in male dominated environments (men managing and being managed by men). This actually shouldn’t surprise me. Men have had centuries of experience. Outside a domestic situation, all male teams and organizations were historically and culturally the norm: military, sports, male clubs, politics, etc. where clearly defined structured hierarchies were in place and communication lines were usually prescribed and evident.

In a historical perspective, it was only comparatively recently that women have either been included or allowed full access to most business environments. So it’s hardly surprising that no one is used to dealing with women in these situations. And as they join the corporate world in ever increasing numbers, equally women are not used to dealing with each other either! There simply is very little historical precedent to call upon. In brief, men and women lack practice in dealing with each other at work which is intensified as women climb the career ladder and assume positions of responsibility.

Daily experiences

We all see and experience small signs every day on a minor level of gender miscommunication. Happily those times have changed, but miscommunication can be equally baffling today and cumulatively contribute to poor workplace dynamics. Men and women alike berate each other for many mismanagement situations which seem to have an underlying gender issue.

Both men and women enter the workplace with their academic and professional qualifications and experience, but also with engrained behaviour patterns and expectations derived from their separate chromosomes, personality types and relationship role models developed in lives and interaction outside a work situation.

Many women claimed that men needed special training relating to them in a business neutral way, believing that men are used to dealing with women as mothers, sisters, partners, daughters and less often as business peers and even less frequently as superiors. But conversely the same was said by the men about women! Jane Gunn also amplifies: “Almost every instance of conflict or dispute at work is the catalyst for, or is mirrored by, conflict at home. In the same way relationships at home have a dramatic impact on our ability to create a productive and harmonious work life“.

Other differences

Recognizing differences is no longer pejorative and doesn’t mean unequal treatment as it once did. Much is written about dealing with other types of differences in an organizational setting: cross cultural, personality (extrovert vs. introvert) high achievers for example. So why is it now de rigueur, or worse still, politically incorrect, to suggest that gender differences require special attention in an organizational context?

Blurred expectations

So when I think about it, it’s almost to be expected that there should be some blurring of both expectations and behaviour within organizations. Perhaps the real surprise should be that any of it comes right at all, given this real lack of experience in the overall scheme of things.

Real issues

The real issue is perhaps how do we all let go our socialized gender stereotypical behaviour and communicate in a business neutral way when we enter organizational life, when they can be so removed for many from the roles we play in other areas of our daily lives? The answer seems to be with difficulty. Every indication would also suggest that support in coping with this dichotomy would be useful.

Challenges

Ashanti A., Change Manager in the Hi-Tech sector in Los Angeles, shared one basic conundrum facing both men and women:  “As a female manager the biggest challenge in managing men is gaining the same respect and willingness to be a direct report that would be given to a male manager. As basic as it sounds- by nature no man wants to be told what to do by a woman”

Susan J., an Investment Analyst three years into her career in London, threw in this old chestnut: “women very often lack basic effective supervisory skills and go from one extreme to another, either mimicking male behaviour or being too soft”.

Ashanti also suggests that women need to be mindful not to fall into the “subordinate female co- worker role”.  So women instinctively pour coffee, arrange parties, bring cakes and fall into a “career/facilitator/placater” role.  Ashanti elaborates:  “Oftentimes because these statements aren’t aggressive or sexual in nature, they’re not deemed offensive or inappropriate- yet I would argue the latter”.

So how do we get down to these basics? As women enter organizational life in greater numbers than ever before, a review of current training practices seems to be the only solution.

What do you think?

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Are We Ready For The Workplace Gender Shift?
2. Creating A Better Workplace – My Interview on Real Recognition Radio
3. How To Build Your Team For Success
4. Upcoming Interview on VoiceAmerica’s Real Recognition Radio
5. How To Encourage An Inquisitive Staff – Published Article in Floral Management Magazine
6. Living Up To Our Own Expectations

• RT @SmartBrief: RT @SBStartup: Why #optimization might not be the optimal strategy http://ow.ly/27uhr #smallbiz #
• If Your Company Went Out of Business, Would Anybody Notice? http://bit.ly/cHzskK #innovation #leadership #
• Interesting read: Innovation and Optimism http://bit.ly/a3tIgn #innovation #
• RT @shawmu: [#3 is so vital!] RT @TanveerNaseer 3 Steps To Help Ensure You’re Consistent With Your Message http://bit.ly/9S0NZ4 *Tx Shawn! #
• Take Back Your Lunch and Transform Your Day http://bit.ly/aMPB05 #productivity #time-management #
• RT @smaxbrown: A billionaire’s chokehold on the Canadian border: http://bit.ly/d6fC2Z #
• RT @AMAnet: Employee Motivation Made Simple. (RT @JohnBaldoni; @wallybock) #Management | http://ht.ly/27veB #
• RT @OrangeSlacks I love your post: A Lesson in Employee Engagement From A Vending Machine http://bit.ly/dymcGH also love your Blog Theme *Tx #
• RT @frankdickinson: How to customize your writing setting in WordPress http://zmb.me/9SWJ5X (via @johnhaydon) #
• The Most Important Leadership Trait You Shun http://bit.ly/doLviB #leadership #
• Today’s blog post – A Lesson in Employee Engagement… From A Vending Machine http://bit.ly/9GlmXH #leadership #communication #
• RT @mjasmus: New Post: The Asking Dilemma http://bit.ly/btUHLw *Excellent points, MJ #
• RT @FrankDickinson: A Lesson in Employee Engagement… From A Vending Machine: http://bit.ly/aX4XzS (great read via @TanveerNaseer) *Tx Frank #
• RT @DorothyDalton: Cleaning up workplace language! The impact of swearing on the %!@x* job! Read new post! http://wp.me/pAq9b-Pn #
• RT @LearnSolMary: #FF Leadership tweeters: @TanveerNaseer @CherryWoodburn @DondiScumaci @LeadToday @joe_charles @bizshrink *Thanks Mary! #
• Reading thought-provoking post “Leadership Is A Journey” by @drbret http://bit.ly/aLZ54z #leadership #
• RT @davidshiner1: 3 Steps To Help Ensure You’re Consistent With Your Message – http://bit.ly/cCoyHL by @TanveerNaseer *Thanks David #
• RT @steveroesler: How to Banish Bad Habits and Control Temptations http://bit.ly/c4tvzD via @AddToAny #
• Why I Put My Employees Ahead Of My Customers by @vineetnayar http://bit.ly/afcE2a #leadership #
• 12 Leadership Guidelines for Leading through Learning in Turbulent Times http://bit.ly/bz8JLF #leadership #
• RT @tnvora: New post: As a leader, if you insist on doing everything yourself, you are not doing enough http://bit.ly/buZ9wW #leadership #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-16
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-30
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-02-12
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-30
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-25
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-18

As my kids revel in the freedom that comes with summer vacation, reflecting on my daughter’s end-of-year report card got me thinking about how we offer feedback to our employees. As was the case in previous years, she once again earned grades well above the class average. Of course, that’s not to say that there’s no room for improvement as her social studies mark was just barely higher than the class average.

In most cases, this is where a parent is supposed to ask the child why they’re not doing as well in this subject as they are in others. In fact, I recall from my own childhood that such differences in my grades would spur on comments of how I wasn’t ‘applying myself enough’ in this particular class. Indeed, sometimes these lower marks can move the focus from how well our children are doing in other classes to worrying about why they are having difficulties in this one particular subject.

I think this is why we all dread feedback from our leaders or other superiors – since our childhood days, we’ve become accustomed to getting ‘reviews’ telling us about our weak spots and being told what we need to do to ‘apply ourselves to do better’. Compare this to the number of times we were cheered on for those areas we accomplished in, or being asked what exactly allows us to succeed in these fields that we could perhaps use to address those areas that we’re not so good in.

Granted, there has to be an understanding that even if we try our hardest, there will always be skills or abilities that remain outside of our grasp. And yet, here is where the real role of leadership kicks in – where these feedback sessions are used to learn more about your employees. Specifically, the goal should be to understand what are their motivations and passions so that you can better direct the course your employees are taking to match both their aptitude and abilities. Employing such measures will reap benefits not only for the organization, but for the employee as well.

But how can leaders provide such feedback when most employees have developed an aversion to these conversations? Here are three tactics leaders can employ in order to make the process of giving feedback feel less challenging and more beneficial for their employees.

1. Focus more on leveraging your employee’s strengths than trying to fix their weaknesses
When offering feedback to your employee, it’s only natural to want to mention elements of your employee’s performance that is in need of some improvement. Clearly, this has some merit, as the goal is to help them become more proficient in their role within the team. Where problems arise, though, is when we focus solely on their weaknesses and not on their overall contribution to the organization.

As such, a better approach is to look at the areas where they are excelling to find out why they are performing so well in that particular task, and figuring out how that can be applied to the part of their work they are having difficulty with. This will allow you to help your employee to learn to use their strengths across different areas, while gaining a better appreciation for what aspects of their work will require the help of their team mates for them to complete the task.

It’s important to remember that the opportunity for growth for your employee and your organization lies not in addressing your employee’s weaknesses, but on building their ability to contribute their existing strengths to your shared goal.

2. Listen more than you talk when offering feedback
On the surface, this might sound counter-intuitive. After all, in order to give feedback, one needs to tell the individual in question what actions of theirs have caught your attention. However, this tactic becomes more understandable if we remember that the whole point of these exchanges is to provide insight and information to the recipient in order to help them sustain or improve their performance.

In order to make sure this is what we obtain as the outcome of our feedback, it’s important that we take time to listen and observe what their reaction is to our comments in order to see if the message is being properly received. By maintaining a focus on how they are responding to our feedback, leaders can adjust their approach accordingly to ensure that these conversations empower their employees to excel, as opposed to feeling unappreciated or worse, being viewed as incompetent by the organization’s management.

3. Allow employees to respond to feedback after conversation is over
I remember one of the bosses I worked for several years ago used to ask at the end of our biannual reviews if I had any questions about his feedback. If I replied during our meeting that I didn’t have any, he would respond by simply treating the whole feedback process as completed and expecting that I’d just return to work to start implementing whatever points he brought up.

Undoubtedly, this is a fairly common attitude among leaders to view any lack of reaction after giving feedback as being a sign that the situation has been dealt with or resolved. However, it’s important that we remember that while we’ve been considering the issues behind our feedback for some time, this might all come as either a surprise or news to our employee. We should also understand that in these moments of providing feedback – whether good or bad – that the employee will feel a little vulnerable and need some time to reflect and digest the information they were just given before they can offer their response to it.

As such, to make these feedback sessions truly beneficial for the recipient, encourage them to seek you out after the conversation is over to discuss any thoughts or concerns they might have. Again, as with the first tactic, this is an important approach to take as it will not only ensure that your employee has perceived the message you were trying to impart correctly, but it will also foster a sense of open communication between your team members and yourself.

Unquestionably, offering feedback to employees is one of the responsibilities many leaders struggle with, possibly a reason why this vital communication tool is only used on a yearly basis and in a formalized structure in most organizations. Applying the above three tactics to your feedback approach will not only help this process become easier to do on a more frequent basis, it will also help it serve the role it’s meant to perform in your organization – of helping your employees to succeed to the fullest of their abilities.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. 3 Steps To Help Ensure You’re Consistent With Your Message
2. Leaders, Are You Developing Your Employee’s Super Powers?
3. How to Help Struggling Employees Find Their Space
4. What Twitter Can Teach Leaders About Effective Communication
5. Preparing For Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
6. Thinking Of Skipping Your Vacation This Summer? Think Again

Most businesses understand that to survive in today’s global economy, you can’t simply expect employees to do what they’re told.  Instead, it’s important to create an environment where employees can ask questions to understand why certain processes are in place, so that new ideas or approaches to improve how the organization operates can be revealed.

So how can leaders foster an environment where employees feel free to ask questions?  It’s a topic I discuss in my piece “Question Authority: Encourage An Inquisitive Staff” which has been published in the July 2010 issue of the industry trade magazine, “Floral Management“.

You can read my column in this online version of the magazine, which will only be available to non-subscribers for this month, by clicking this link.  (be sure use the “Zoom L” feature on the right of the screen).

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to share my insights with this magazine’s readership and I would like to thank the editorial team at “Floral Management” for inviting me to appear in their monthly column “Personnel Space”.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. How to Recapture the Art of Asking Questions
2. Leaders, Are You Asking the Right Questions?
3. 4 Questions To Help You Figure Out If It’s Time To Move On
4. What Twitter Can Teach Leaders About Effective Communication
5. How to Help Struggling Employees Find Their Space
6. The Power of Reflection in Leadership

With many of us enjoying a festive long weekend, both here in Canada as well as in the United States, I was reminded about the inspiration behind one of my most popular posts from the last several months, that touched on the connection between having a fun time and employee engagement. For recent readers of my blog, I’m sure you’ll find this an enjoyable and inspiring read. And for those of you who have been reading my blog for the last year or so, this will be a pleasant reminder of how to encourage collaboration and engagement within your team.

************

Inspiration can be a curious thing.

I’m always amazed at how seemingly unrelated pieces can stir up new ideas or perspectives about our world and the way we live and conduct ourselves within it.  Take, for example, this commercial released on YouTube last week by Coca-Cola called the “Happiness Machine”.

While the commercial is effective in creating this idea of Coca-Cola being a source of happiness, there’s also a valuable lesson here that can be imparted to business leaders in how they interact with their employees.

It’s not hard to see that this social experiment by Coca-Cola led to a dramatic change in the mood of the students at this university cafeteria. Indeed, the level of enthusiasm and yes, happiness, created by this exercise probably made most of the students head off to class brimming with more energy to take on their assignments (and not just as a result of the expected sugar rush).

Where this gets interesting, though, is if we imagine seeing this kind of response in our employees.

What would it be like to have your team demonstrating the level of excitement and energy displayed by these students in this video? I’m sure it’s obvious to all of us the benefits of creating such a condition in our workplace, both to overall productivity as well as job satisfaction.

So how can we duplicate these results in our business or teams? Aside from the obvious giving stuff away for free, let’s look at what exactly Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Machine” did that created this sense of collaboration and engagement among the students:

1. Offer something unexpected
Obviously, when these students started using this vending machine, they had no idea that they would be receiving more than the bottle of Coke they were purchasing. And while initially, there must have been some personal satisfaction at getting these surprise bonuses, it becomes clear that as the situation moves on, the level of engagement and excitement moved beyond the participant to include everyone in the cafeteria.

Of course, this doesn’t mean businesses need to orchestrate something as elaborate as this “Happiness Machine”. After all, remember from the vantage point of the students, all that made this different was that the machine was giving out all sorts of stuff for free. In other words, it was simply turning what would normally be an unremarkable event into a simple gesture that would leave a much more lasting impression.

So instead of having another typical team meeting, secretly plan to end it early and surprise everyone by bringing out cocktail platters and giving your employees time to just relax and enjoy their work environment. Or announce an impromptu hockey game in the office parking lot – with a request for spectators needed to cheer the game on. The point is it doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate to plan – the only objective is to break up the routine and offer something to motivate your employees and raise team spirit.

2. A little kindness goes a long way
This is something we’ve all been told countless times by our parents and school teachers, but watching this video you can see the evidence behind this statement.

Granted, in this case, we’re talking about students getting free bottles of soda, flowers and even a massive submarine sandwich. But the real lesson to be learned here is that these students were not given these things as rewards for passing a difficult exam or getting an “A” grade on their latest paper. Instead, they were simply given these gifts as a gesture of appreciation with – as the machine’s name implies – the hope of generating happiness.

Bringing this back to what we can do in our businesses, again this has less to do with giving employees a material gift as it does the reason behind the gesture.

While it’s common practice for businesses to offer incentives for employees to take on a new task or assignment, it’s sadly a rare occurrence for leaders to offer praise or appreciation to employees for their own initiatives or efforts. In other words, instead of simply thinking one’s role is to evaluate and judge the performance of others, leaders need to understand the importance of validating what their employees see as their contribution to the company.

As before, this doesn’t require any huge effort or expense for companies. It could be something as simple as taking the time to stop by an employee’s desk after a meeting and thanking them in person for the contributions/insights they provided to the discussion. Or perhaps writing a personal note of thanks to an employee for the initiatives they undertook on a recent project, leaving it in their cubbyhole as an unexpected surprise in their day (a perfect tie-in to the first point made above).

Without question, Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Machine” video does a great job promoting the idea that their product can help spread smiles and good times amongst a group of people. What they probably didn’t expect was that they also demonstrated the value of fostering a sense of engagement and appreciation for those we work with.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. What A Soda Vending Machine Can Teach Us About Employee Engagement
2. Employee Engagement Is Not Just For Leaders
3. Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership
4. Why Employers Need To Engage With A Purpose
5. Connecting Through The Power Of A Hug
6. Migrating Geese – A Lesson in Leadership and Collaboration

• How social media helps dinosaurs to dance http://bit.ly/cj6mN2 #communication #socmed #
• Innovation: Who Else Is Doing It? http://bit.ly/bWjrSq #innovation #creativity #
• RT @BengtWendel: Social Networking Affects Brains Like Falling in Love (Fast Company) http://bit.ly/dmVfCi #
• RT @tnvora: RT @TanveerNaseer: Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership http://bit.ly/aU3Xqf #leadership *Thanks Tanmay #
• 8 Things Every Startup Does and Does Not Need http://bit.ly/9i7Jx7 #entrepreneurship #finance #
• Well said – Entrepreneurship vs. Education Is A Trap http://bit.ly/bttaXX #entrepreuneurship #
• Summer Calls, But Getting Away Is Tricky http://bit.ly/dvfB1T #entrepreneurship #strategy #
• RT @GwynT @TanveerNaseer reminds us of the importance of appreciating the gifts that come with #leadership http://bit.ly/c6oF19 *Thanks Gwyn #
• RT @KetelboeterPR: Are You Speaking Gibberish? http://bit.ly/cggJv8 <Important message for leaders! #leadership #
• Today’s post – Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership http://bit.ly/aU3Xqf #leadership #
• Schedule You on Your To Do List by @thehrgoddess http://bit.ly/9g8×1i via @SusanMazza #
• RT @mikehenrysr: Posted yesterday Generosity Fuels Prosperity http://ht.ly/23VrU #LeadChange blog #
• 7 Ways to Enjoy Others at Work by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/92tT9V #leadership #
• Breakthrough As an Accident Waiting to Happen http://bit.ly/9hqJA1 #innovation #creativity #
• RT @SmartBrief: 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus: http://ow.ly/24ejj (via @TanveerNaseer) *Thanks Emily! #
• RT @EngageStrat: Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With #Leadership http://ow.ly/24dgr Hello, It’s not about U! *Thanks Fran #
• Patience.. Virtue And Discipline by @GwynT http://bit.ly/bd4NQa #leadership #values #
• Student Branding Blog: Blogging? Be Encouraged by @drbret http://bit.ly/9yszIY #blogging #
• 5 Ways to Harness the Power of Pull http://bit.ly/9kNx0k #strategy #collaboration #
• RT @LearnSolMary: @TanveerNaseer You’re very welcome. I love reading your blog–so many great posts! *Thanks Mary! #
• The Innovator’s Paradox http://bit.ly/cIhzCs #innovation #leadership #
• RT @DondiScumaci: 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus – http://bit.ly/96JsZ2 by @TanveerNaseer (Excellent Article!) *Thx Dondi #
• RT @shawmu: For their brilliance and boldness for caring for people to cause results, I follow @smaxbrown & @tanveernaseer. #Follownow *TY #
• RT @LearnSolMary: What Twitter Can Teach Leaders About Effective Communication by @TanveerNaseer http://bit.ly/bmJocE *Thanks Mary #
• RT @DaveLuetscher: The Power of Reflection in Leadership – http://bit.ly/9ErCfJ (via @TanveerNaseer) ^Thanks Dave #leadership #
• RT @DorothyDalton: Stimulating & informative ! A joy to see them around! @LorenaHeletea @LollyDaskal @DrJackKing @TanveerNaseer #FF *TY! #
• RT @LeadKJWalters: 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus (Agree; stop & re-evaluate what matters) http://bit.ly/96JsZ2 *Thanks Kim #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-25
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-04
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-30
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-30
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-02-26
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-03-26

A few nights ago when my wife and I went out for dinner, I decided to order this very appealing appetizer which I soon found out was a lot trickier to eat than one might think. In fact, this particular plate was so messy that a few drops from the dish’s sauce ended up as a stain on the front of my shirt. After mocking my predicament, my wife reached into her purse and handed me a “Tide to Go” pen and, in a moment that seemed scripted from a TV commercial, the fresh stain disappeared with just a few strokes of the pen. While I was clearly impressed at seeing how well this Tide pen worked, it also got me thinking about how this product still allowed the brand to stick to its core message.

Although the Tide brand has made recent changes to its line, such as moving toward a concentrated liquid format to reduce waste and creating this portable, quick-fix stain remover, these changes haven’t taken the focus away from the key message of their brand – that Tide will help to make your whites their whitest. Despite making some obvious changes and additions to their product line, a concerted effort is clearly being made to make sure that they remain consistent about the message associated with their brand.

While it’s easy to understand why a consistent message is important for the management of a product brand, what’s often overlooked is how it’s equally critical to the process of leading a team toward a shared goal. In today’s turbulent economic environment, it’s only natural that leaders are becoming more reactive in attempting to put out the various fires around their company, than being proactive in reflecting and reviewing what messages they are sending out as a result of their actions or conduct.

But it’s in these very moments that leaders need to provide a consistent message and sense of direction to their team to help them feel like they are rising above these challenges that stand before them.

So how can leaders make sure they remain consistent in their message to their employees while in this state of flux and uncertainty? Here are three steps that will help you to find your anchor.

1. Define what you want your leadership values to be
Most companies have a set of corporate values that defines the organization’s culture and how it operates as a whole. These values – when actually put into use and not simply paid lip-service to – help to not only provide a framework for an organization’s efforts, but also defines how they engage and interact with their customer base.

Similarly, it’s important that leaders also establish a set of values that will be used to not only provide a guide for your efforts, but also to help define how others will view your leadership. For example, you might want to be a leader who promotes collaboration among departments in order to fuel your organization’s growth. Or maybe you see encouraging innovation and creativity as being the keystone of your leadership platform. Regardless of the approach you take, defining what values will represent your leadership is an important starting point to ensuring that you provide a consistent message to your team.

2. Put these values into actionable steps
Now that you have a clear sense of what values you want to define your leadership, the next step is to put these values into action. Again, if we look at corporate values, the benefit from formalizing such attributes comes not from relegating them to a page in the employee’s handbook, but to using them to guide the purpose and objectives of your organization. Likewise, leaders cannot simply state that their leadership values are to foster collaboration or promote innovation. Instead, these values should be used to help you assess what measures you should take to actually encourage such thinking and approaches within your team.

For example, if collaboration is one of your leadership values, what are you doing to break down existing silos among the various departments? Are you inviting other departments to participate in project planning or decision-making processes? Are you keeping other divisions informed of your actions and targets, seeking their insights for issues you might not have anticipated? By making the effort to put these values into action within your organization, you will not only have a clearer sense of what direction you want to take, but your team will also be able to anticipate which issues they should focus on resolving in order to help the team reach their shared goal.

3. Monitor and review how your team perceives your leadership
With your leadership values defined and being used to help provide some ideas on what measures you should focus on, it’s easy to think that the message you’re sending to your employees is clear and consistent. However, as I discussed in my piece “Do You Know How Your Leadership Is Perceived?”, how a leader interprets their actions and conduct can often be very different from how it’s perceived by their employees; differences that can have a tangible impact not only on how effective you are in leading your team, but also on your organization’s ability to reach its objectives.

That’s why it’s important that you communicate on a regular basis with your team, seeking feedback from them on how they perceive the actions being taken and how it reflects on your leadership. Taking the time to listen to your employees about how they perceive your approach will offer some much needed insights into whether your actions are in fact reflecting the kind of leader you want to be for your team.

Looking at some of the companies that are skillfully riding the waves found in the choppy waters of today’s global economy, it’s clear that effective communication between an organization’s leadership and their employees plays a critical role to their success. Unquestionably, the ability to effectively communicate your message to your team is largely dependent on how well you can manage the unplanned challenges and issues that will cross your plate, while ensuring you remain consistent about the message you relay to your team.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. What Twitter Can Teach Leaders About Effective Communication
2. 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees
3. Learning From Your Mistakes – 4 Steps To Turn Failure Into Success
4. Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership
5. 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus
6. Mothers – Our First Example of Real Leadership