1. Say what you will do.  (Make a Commitment.)

2. Do it.  (Meet the Commitment.)

3. When you fail, own up to it. (Be Honest.)

4. Fail Infrequently.  (Have a High Standard.)

This isn't a political blog, and I don't much care who you vote for.  I know great leadership comes with all sorts of political viewpoints.  But I did want to take an opportunity to point out a real life lesson in accountability that highlights some of the dynamics of trust.

During the last presidential election, I remember watching then-candidate Obama give a speech.  During this speech he was talking about the lack of transparency and accountability in American government, and he made the pledge that if president, he would televise healthcare negotiations on public access (C-SPAN).  I remember that moment because it was the first time I seriously considered voting for Barack Obama as a presidential candidate.  That commitment (step one) was one that resonated with me.

Fast forward, and that promise wasn't kept.  Then it took several weeks for a grudging admission to come out.  (Read it here.)

It's not difficult to see why many people are beginning to doubt if they can trust the words of our current president.  He made a commitment, but didn't meet it, and it seemed like owning up to it came slowly.  As for the fourth item, failing infrequently, we haven't had enough time to see how many commitments will be kept.

As organizational leaders, I think this example can give us some things to think about.

1. Can I really keep these promises I am making?
2. If I fail, how should I communicate?
3. Am I meeting a majority of my commitments and demonstrating that I can be believed?

Just a few things to think about. 

1. Offer Specific, Positive Reinforcement.  - Point out what people are doing right.  Help them recognize what they should be repeating.

2. Kill Long Boring Meetings - Keep your meetings productive.  Ten minutes with a useful agenda ("Here is what I need from you today.  What do you need from me?") is far better than sixty minutes spent in useless updates and chit chat.

3. Be of Service to your Employees -  Your job as a leader is to support your team in doing the work that needs to be done.  Spend your time removing obstacles and ensuring your team is set up for success. 

4. Let it Go.  Why spend energy harboring resentments, hard feelings, or playing games?  These emotional cesspools just drain your energy and make you lose focus.  If you are stuck, clench your fists very hard and think about the thing that is irking you.  With a long breath out, relax your hands and "let it all go."  Move on.

5. Coach, don't instruct.  When someone comes to you with a problem, particularly an employee, resist the urge to give them the right answer.  Say "let's look at your options...."  and engage them in thinking about the pros and cons of the different choices.  Help them become better decision makers, not order-followers.

Friday Five.  How well are you doing these?

On Sunday, I had a fantastic time at roller derby practice. We practiced trying to knock each other out of the rink, doing some rather spectacular falls, and I had my first experience as a jammer - the player who has to fight her way up through a mass of women on skates - all of whom are trying to keep you back or shove you outside the line. 

(Click here to see a short video describing how roller derby is played - if you are curious.)

I came home, exhausted, happy, and with a giant bruise blooming on one leg and a strained muscle behind one knee.

What was my first thought?  I can't wait to go back to practice next week.

Here is the thing.  I don't particularly like being injured.  I also am not the world's biggest fan of super intense exercise.  And yet, I find so much enjoyment in roller derby that I gladly sign up for punishing workouts and an ongoing string of minor injuries.

And when I thought about it, it made me realize that some of my best jobs have been the same way.  A whole lot of enjoyment in some parts to make up for the things I disliked.  As long as that balance was in place, I remained "in the game" while at work, and happy to be there.

So let me ask you this, do you experience enough joy at work to make the pain worthwhile?  And how about the people you manage?  How can you keep them "in the game" despite those inevitable painful moments?

Just something to think about.

Something interesting happened yesterday.  When my husband came home from work he handed me an envelope and said "this is for you."  The card wasn't from him, it was from Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft.

It said "Thank you for the sacrifices you have made" as a partner of a Microsoft employee.

Yesterday was my husband's 10 year anniversary of working at Microsoft.  Quite honestly I haven't considered it any sacrifice, he sometimes works long hours but so do I, and they treat him very well, so I am content.  But I wanted to bring it up here, because I think the simple idea of sending a card to a spouse is pretty classy.

Our employees are not islands - but part of families that also have an influence on their successes, motivations, and work ethic.  Welcoming their families into that circle of recognition is a nice touch.

Have you seen any other companies do something like this?  I'd be curious to hear about it.

I think that is what my month is shaping up to be.  Coaching managers and business owners, designing and delivering a new motivational talk, facilitating team development sessions, acting as an emcee/facilitator at three different events, working with a personal trainer, skating at roller derby, teaching three university courses, oh - and did I mention I'm taking an improv class?

Even when everything you have on your list is excellent - it's still possible to feel a bit overwhelmed.  So here are some tips for staying organized when you have too much going on in that noggin of yours.

1. Get it All in Front of You - That means writing down what you need to do, and when you need to do it by.  When your brain is on overflow, let it overflow onto a piece of paper, an excel spreadsheet, or a sticky note.  Get it ALL down.

2. Look at Your Resources - Resources are things like time, energy, staff, money, etc.  Do you have the resources to do what needs to be done?  If not, how can you fill the gaps?

3. Think about your Energy Balance- By "Energy Balance" I mean that there are activities that add energy to your life, and those that drain your energy.  Do you have a mixture of both?  For example, I know that teaching 80 students this term will use up a lot of energy, but that my coaching, roller derby, and improv are likely to return much of that energy to me.

4. Build a Plausible Schedule- By "plausible" I mean your schedule should include not only due dates, but blocks of time in which you can do the actual work.  This can even be a short-term strategy.  For example, I tend not to use detailed schedules in my work, but when things get busy, I use my schedule as a tool to get me over the hump.

5. Keep the Engine Humming - The engine is your body and brain.  Sleep adequately, get some exercise, and take in fresh food and water. Your body is not simply a vehicle that transports your brain and mouth to various meetings - it's the engine for your productivity.

What tips do you have for staying focused when things get overwhelming?  The first two commenters to post a good tip here on the blog will get a free copy of my Advice for New Managers eBook.

I've created a link for you where you can get a free 5 week trial of the Leadership Workout.  As always, it's opt-in only, and you can unsubscribe at any time.    

Click Here to get 5 Free Weeks.  For you - because I appreciate you coming here to the blog and I want you to be successful.

A new survey by the Conference Board has found that only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work, the lowest level recorded in more than two decades of polling by the New York-based research group. Unhappiness is growing among Americans of all ages and income brackets.

The rate of worker satisfaction has fallen steadily from the high of 61 percent recorded when the survey began in 1987. It fell to 51 percent in 2000 but ticked up to 52 percent in 2005 before falling to 45 percent in the latest poll.

You can also see the Conference Board Press Release and charts here.

Normally I like to read a bit more about how the report was tabulated before posting here (because statistics are often manipulated), but I wasn't able to find too much detail without paying for the full report.  The Conference Board seems like a reputable research organization.

Regardless - this seems like a big opportunity to engage our employees more and see increases in commitment and productivity in response.

It's a shiny New Year, and to all of you returning to work today after the holidays, I say, welcome back! 

It's difficult to look into the future with any sort of accuracy, but I would like to point out some things for you to keep an eye for as the 2010 gets under way.

1) Focus on Retention - Some people have been staying in jobs they don't like, because of the economy.  As conditions improve, you may see a sharp increase in turnover associated with people who have been quietly dissatisfied for some time.  To mitigate this, consider surveying your workforce to identify dissatifiers as well as having meaningful career discussions with your team members.

2) Identify Weakened Soft Skills - Many companies have cut back on employee development, mentoring, and coaching during the last few years.  Take stock of your team's skills in critical areas like communications, accountability, customer service, and consider offering a refresher course to sharpen these skills again.

3) Consider Staffing Levels - Many companies are experiencing a gradual increase in customer demand, but are still hesitant to bring additional employees onto the payroll.  Prepare for this, both in terms of communicating it well to your team, and also in terms of putting in place contingency plans (such as temporary staffing) to provide relief until hiring can resume.

4) Plan For Growth - The economy is waking up all around us, albeit at a modest pace.  This is good, but only if you are prepared to scale with that growth.  How will your team respond if your workload increases by 20 or 50 percent?  Think about these things now, before the good news of growth becomes a crisis due to lack of planning.

5) Plant the Seeds of Leadership - This is less of a trend than it is a constant, but remember that leaders are easier to grow in-house than they are to find from the outside.  Do you have a program in place that nurtures those high potential employees and prepares them to be the next managers, directors, and VPs at your organization?

What trends do you see for the New Year?

I've put together a special set of "refresher" workshops for teams looking to restore motivation and sharpen soft skills.  Email me if you'd like the details.

I'll be resuming my writing for the Enlightened Manager after the New Year.  Whatever holiday traditions you celebrate - I hope you enjoy them!

Cheri Baker
Emergence Consulting

1) Create Mini-Work Stations

Save time by creating small areas where you can complete a task in it's entirety.  For example, I have an area near my printer where I manage paper.  My 3 hole punch, scissors, paper clips, and stapler are all neatly lined up. 

My work station for paper.

I also have a "cubby" near my desk that contains all of my mailing supplies (labels, stamps, envelopes) for mailing projects.

2) Speed up Archiving

Paper takes time.  It must be shuffled, organized, filed, stored, and retrieved.  To save time, I've gone electronic for almost all my documents.

When I bring home papers of any kind, most of them get recycled as soon as I sit down.  Items I want to keep get put through my desktop scanner, which instantly converts them to PDF.  I picked up the Fujitsu S300 for this purpose - it is fast, scans both sides of the page, and can handle stacks of paper.  It runs about $300, which is pricey, but far less than comparable models.

A desktop scanner for one-button archiving. 

3)  Keep it Easy!

The biggest time savers for me have simply been moving the things I need most often within easy reach.  For example, my desk always has a variety of pens and a stack of sticky notes at the ready, because I use these tools all the time.  Think about "What do I use?"  "What items do I use together?" and put frequently used items nearby, and lesser used items neatly organized but further away.

Three tips to organize your LEAN office.  What suggestions do you have to add?