Imagine Their Surprise

“The whole department has quietly agreed never to mark anything but good scores on the damn thing!”

I was talking with Joan, an employee of a large medical service provider and this…this was her ultimate response to the last round of employee surveys designed to improve morale and motivation.

What’s worse, her management and executive leaders were clueless that their attempts have done exactly the opposite of what they intended.

I regularly write about how to motivate your employees, but this was a disaster:

This team’s morale was far worse and their effort far less, than if their supervisors had done nothing at all.

What Happened?

If you’ve spent any time in an organization of 30 or more people, you’ve probably encountered an employee or member survey of some kind.

When I’m working with an organization, I can get a good sense of its health by how staff respond to a survey. In far too many places, the response is something cynical like, “Oh great – another chance to be ignored!”

Joan described her organization’s survey:

“They did ask some good questions and we shared how to make things better, but they ignored all those issues, and made us spend extra time on task forces to address cosmetics and desk arrangements.”

“Our reward for taking time to give them good feedback that would improve efficiency and profitability – was to be ignored and given extra work on how we would decorate the department.”

She sighed in frustration. “This is so stupid! We were ignored and punished…and we really tried to help.”

Is Your Employee Survey a Waste of Time?

Imagine having coffee with a friend who asks you for feedback on their website.

You take a moment, look it over, complement the layout, color scheme, and suggest they make their contact information more prominent.

Now imagine that in response to your thoughtful feedback, your friend stares past you, gets up, turns her back and leaves the coffee shop without another word.

How would you… [Read the rest of this guest post at the Lead Change Group!]

Take care,

David

Want to get more done & build teams that care?

Email David today or call 303.898.7018!

The post Why Your Employee Survey Is a Waste of Time appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

What Now?

Julia slammed her laptop shut and slumped over her desk.

“Ugh! What are they thinking? My team’s gonna hate this!”

We had just sat down to discuss her goals when the email arrived from her regional manager.

The email listed sales goals she and her team were expected to meet…goals from headquarters that neither she nor her team had any input into.

What Would You Do?

Julia’s situation is not unique.

Whether you’re a team leader, a mid-manager, or even the President, CEO, or Executive Director there will be times in your career where you are asked to meet goals that you did not speak into or, in some cases, even disagree with.

Naturally, this presents a leadership challenge.

As Julia noted, people often react negatively when they have goals ‘shoved down their throats’ – goals that may have been set by people who may not have all the facts and didn’t ask for input.

The good news is that you and your team can still thrive in these situations – there are ways to motivate employees when you don’t set the goals.

9 Ways to Motivate Employees When You Don’t Set the Goals

1. Remember that you don’t actually motivate anyone

I’ve written about this elsewhere, but the key idea is that your responsibility is to create conditions that allow employees to thrive. The first step in motivating employees is to remember that you can’t actually motivate anyone.

2. Take Responsibility – Don’t Pass the Buck

Let’s begin with what NOT to do.

In these situations, the very worst thing you can possibly do is walk into your team meeting and say, “Those clueless jerks gave us these goals and I guess we’re stuck with them.”

These kind of statements are leadership suicide.

They kill your credibility, disempower you and your team, and make your team wonder who they should be talking to, if not you.

Even if you’re not fond of the goals, as the team leader, you’ve signed up to take responsibility and to do everything you can to help the organization and your team succeed.

Do not shirk this responsibility. Own it.

3. Be Transparent

While you don’t want to act like a victim nor encourage victim-thinking in your team, it is also okay to acknowledge the situation.

Your goal is to limit blame and fault-finding, but be up front about where things are.

If the goals are difficult, say so. Remember, the most important currency you have with your team is their trust.

If the team is clearly feeling that the situation is unfair or challenging, it is okay to voice those feelings for the team.

Eg: “You may be feeling that this is tough or even a little unfair, and I get that.”

4. Believe

Your team needs to hear you voice your belief in what is possible.

This is the “vision” work of leadership – picture your team succeeding and let them know their own potential.

“Yes, these are difficult goals and I know you haven’t done anything like this before, but I also believe we are up to the challenge. In fact, this will be the most significant achievement we do together.” (Use words that are natural for you and resonate with your team.)

5. Help

This is where you really begin to shine as a leader.

Rather than, “These are your goals, go figure it out and stop your complaining…”

Try, “This will be our greatest achievement…AND, you won’t be alone. I will be with you each step of the way. I’m committed to helping all of us succeed together.”

Your message is clear: you are there for your team, you will help them succeed, and you’re in the boat with them (not standing on the side of the river telling them to paddle harder).

Then, once you’ve figured out your strategy (step 6), make sure your team members have the equipment, the skills, and the training they need to succeed (for more, see step 7 – Advocate.)

Ask: what do you need to succeed with this solution? Sometimes it may be as easy as changing the deadline on another project where you have discretion.

Note: you MUST back this offer of help with real action. If you promise to be with them and then fail to deliver, you’re headed for leadership’s land of the lost.

6. Own the Problem

“Top down” goals are difficult because people feel disempowered. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that people disengage and motivation drops when they don’t feel autonomy – a sense that they have control over their own fate.

Your job as a leader is to restore some of that power.

You may not have had input into the goals, but as a team, you can have full ownership over how you will accomplish them.

This is the time for brainstorming, problem solving, for asking the critical empowering question:

“How can we solve this problem?”

List the ideas, have a healthy discussion, and make sure everyone on the team speaks into the options before they make a final decision.

As you settle on specific strategies and tactics, make sure to leverage individual’s strengths. Get people working out of their natural talents and energies wherever possible.

By helping the team to own the solution, you have restored some of their power (and their motivation!)

This is the most powerful of all the ways to motivate your employees when you don’t set the goals.

7. Advocate

Now it’s time to serve.

Part of your responsibility as a leader is to advocate for your team, department, or organization.

There are two key areas where you can work for your team:

1) Actively managing up and getting as much information about why goals were set the way they were. Get the facts you may not be aware of. The more information you can share with your team, the better. Also, take the opportunity to share any facts the decision-makers may not be aware of – be sure to share it in a way that will help them with their needs and goals.

2) Get your team the training and equipment it needs to do its job well.  Be pleasantly persistent. We are all easily distracted and squeaky wheels do get grease.

Note: you will not always succeed in changing the decision-making process or getting your team every last bit of training they need, but:

• Any bit of training or equipment you do get will definitely help.
• Your credibility with your team will grow. When they know you ‘have their back’ and are speaking on their behalf, they are more willing to trust the final decisions.
• Your credibility in the organization will grow. As you help your supervisors or headquarters to be more effective, your own reputation benefits. Over time, you will gain more opportunity to speak into the goal-setting process.

8. Do It

Whatever strategy your team developed – do it!

Become its biggest champion. Remind everyone of their potential, the process, their input into the decision, and then execute.

The decision has been made, hold yourself and the team accountable for implementation.

Nothing succeeds like success. -Alexandre Dumas

9. Celebrate

When your team accomplishes something uncommon – make a big deal!

Thank the individuals for their efforts. Celebrate the team effort together. Fly the flag and let your own supervisors / headquarters know what they did and how they did it.

Just don’t waste all that fabulous effort and problem solving by ignoring it.

Celebrate the things you want more of!

Your Turn

When you have goals thrust upon you, it may not feel good initially, but it is also one of the greatest opportunities you have to increase your influence and grow in your leadership.

What are your ways to motivate employees when you don’t set the goals?

I would love for you to leave a comment or hit reply and let me know!

If you know someone who would benefit from this article, please +1, share, like, pin, stumble, or print it, fold it into a paper airplane, and fly it to them!

Take care,

David

You might like:

• The Minimalist Guide to Motivate Your Employees
• The Most Important Decision You Make to Motivate Your Employees
• 18 Truths You Really Can’t Avoid If You Want to Stay Relevant, Effective, and Connected
• How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes
• How Can I Get My Team to Listen to Me the First Time, Every Time

Want to get more done & build teams that care?

Email David today or call 303.898.7018!

Photo by Eole Wind

The post 9 Ways to Motivate Employees When You Don’t Set the Goals appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Can you imagine being 28 years old and being placed in charge of a business that was losing $3.5 million annually?

This week I had the privilege of spending a few minutes interviewing Richard Bryan – who found himself in exactly that position when his father became ill and he had take over the family business.

In this interview Richard answers critical leadership questions including:

• What is the most critical thing you can do to practice effective leadership?
• What is the most vital attribute to look for when hiring team members?
• How do you move forward when you don’t have all the information you need?

You can learn more about Richard and the Total Leadership concepts he shares with his audiences at: www.richardjbryan.com

If you enjoyed this interview or it sparked an effective leadership idea you can apply with your team, hit reply and let me know, or leave a comment below.

Take care,

David

You might like:

• How to Achieve Results and Stop the Zombie Apocalypse
• The Most Important Decision You Make to Motivate Your Employees
• 18 Truths You Really Can’t Avoid If You Want to Stay Relevant, Effective, and Connected
• How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes
• Practice Effective Leadership By Focusing Less On Results (Video)

The post Effective Leadership Interview – Richard Bryan appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Make It Stop!

I could almost hear his anguish…

A young supervisor had gone to Twitter in desperation: “How can I ever motivate my team? Please help!!!”

His fatigue and frustration were palpable, but they were also causing him immense problems and his credibility and influence with his team had suffered badly.

The Consequence of Failing to Motivate Your Employees

This young man did understand one thing: his disengaged team would cost his company money and time and it would ultimately result in him working harder and harder to pick up the slack…

Or else he would lose his job.

In contrast, when employees are satisfied and motivated, companies can have a 233% higher financial return than the overall market and shareholder return can be up to 700% higher. 

When you motivate your employees, they stay with the team longer, they use less sick days, they are more likely to recommend the organization’s products or services, and provide better customer service.

I sincerely hope you understand how vital it is to motivate your employees.

Just One Problem…

You can’t do it.

You cannot motivate your employees – it’s impossible.

Trying to motivate your employees is like trying to motivate a flower to bloom.

Flowers don’t bloom because you motivate them to. Flowers bloom because that’s what flowers do…in the right environment.

However, just like you can create an environment where flowers are more likely to bloom and to bloom with more color, you can also create conditions that make it more likely for you employees to succeed.

The Minimalist Guide to Motivate Your Employees

1) Get good people…to do what they’re good at.

Your first responsibility as a team leader or supervisor is to find people with character who enjoy something about the role you are trying to fill. One telling factor: Have they already voluntarily done something related to what they would do in this role? If not, they’re unlikely to start now.

2) Treat people like people.

Not numbers, not cogs, not inconveniences, not expenses, not enemies. Like people…with dignity, with value, with worth. Listen to what they say. Say thank you. Apologize. You know – those human things.

3) Provide the training and equipment they need to do well.

Training doesn’t stop with mechanical skills, building layout, or familiarity with the org chart. Real training involves how to think, how to problem solve to accomplish the most important goals, and how to safely learn along the way. If it’s not safe to fail, it’s not safe. If failure is fatal, you haven’t provided the training they need.

4) Make expectations clear.

What outcomes are the most vital? If you’re not clear, how can anyone else have clarity?

5) Give authority along with responsibility.

How do you know? If they have to come to you for approval, you haven’t given them authority along with their responsibility.

5) Reinforce expectations.

Once is never enough. You are not the center of anyone else’s universe (unless you have a dog…maybe then.)

6) Celebrate.

Did something good happen? Did the team achieve its goals? Don’t keep it a secret. Acknowledge what goes well.

7) Practice accountability.

Tolerating poor performance is a quick way to suck the life out of your people. It’s demoralizing. Be firm, but fair. If it’s a skill issue, see #3. If it’s a will issue, see #1. If it’s clear they must go, be kind and help them transition out.

Your Turn

You may not be able to motivate a flower to bloom, but you can certainly provide it a healthy environment with plenty of the sun, water, soil, and air it needs.

Leave a comment or hit reply and let us know:

How do you provide your employees the environment they need to thrive and be productive?

Take care,

David

You might like:

• How to Achieve Results and Stop the Zombie Apocalypse
• The Most Important Decision You Make to Motivate Your Employees
• 18 Truths You Really Can’t Avoid If You Want to Stay Relevant, Effective, and Connected
• How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes
• End Leadership Frustrations – By Focusing Less On Results (Video)

Want to get more done & build teams that care?

Email David today or call 303.898.7018!

Photo by Jim

The post The Minimalist Guide to Motivate Your Employees appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Good Intentions

Janet sipped her coffee, gathered herself, then looked up.

“I wanted to be a good leader…you know – influence based, focused on people, serving my team…”

She took a breath and continued, “But then, we didn’t meet our sales goals and I…I turned into a monster.”

She set down her mug, looked at her feet, and muttered, “What happened?”

After All This Time

Despite the huge amount of information available to aspiring leaders, we continue to see a regularstream of statistics that suggest we have a long way to go.

Why, with all the training and information available, do employee motivation, customer service, and other key metrics continue to indicate serious leadership deficits?

In your own leadership journey, you can find some of the answer in Janet’s story…as well as keys to improve your leadership and your employees’ motivation and productivity.

It’s Not Your Fault (Really)

I believe there are three main reasons people do not lead as effectively as they could…even when they know better:

Read more of this guest post at the Lead Change Group…

Take care,

David

The post Why Don’t We Lead Better? (It’s Not Your Fault!) appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Scary Statistics

Depending on the study you read, anywhere from 66% – 77% of American employees are disengaged…doing far less than their best work.

Unmotivated employees:

• Take twice as many sick days
• They’re five times more likely to leave within the next year
• Are 56% less likely to recommend friends use the product or service they represent
• They don’t innovate, problem solve, or take responsibility
• Their customer service stinks

Disengaged teams cost money, time, stress, and suck the life out of the organization.

Why Does This Happen?

The most important factor affecting employee motivation is not too surprising.

Study after study continue to emphasize the role that immediate supervisors play in employee satisfaction.

You’ve probably heard that:

People join organizations, but they leave managers.

This plays out in many ways, but it’s very telling that 80% of those very dissatisfied with an immediate supervisor are disengaged and…

2/3 of Americans would choose a better supervisor over a raise in pay.

Yes, other factors play a role, but the single most determinate is your employees’ immediate supervisor.

The Most Important Decision

If you’re wondering how to motivate your employees, the single most important decision you will make is who you promote.

If you are the immediate supervisor – guess what?

You have more influence on whether your employees are engaged that anything else.

If you are a mid-manager, department head, or a company executive, think about it for a moment:  all of your values, everything the company stands for, the major day-to-day experience of the organization – all of it…

…is experienced by an employee through their immediate supervisor.

The data suggest that for the vast majority of employees, that experience is not a good one.

How to Promote the Right People

When you’re looking for individuals to place in roles of responsibility and leadership, you’re looking for several characteristics:

• Integrity & Character
• Motivated primarily by combined focus on people and results, not power, prestige, or pennies
• Personal responsibility
• Ability to influence without formal authority
• Ability to judiciously use power
• Ability to have difficult conversation when needed
• Ability and desire to learn new set of skills
• Competence

Most employees don’t come to you with all seven of these already fully developed.

In fact, apart from integrity, character, and personal responsibility, the others will be developed over time.

This means that you will need to invest in building these traits in your employees and give them opportunities to demonstrate these abilities.

If you want to reveal leaders and build leadership capacity, you’ve got to provide opportunities to practice influence with out power as well as chances to exercise power to see if it is abused.

Pay attention to ad hoc projects, interdepartmental teams, committees, interim-assignments when a supervisor is absent, as well as employee-sponsored initiatives.

These all provide ample chances for your team to practice their leadership skills and for you to evaluate potential (and pitfalls).

Final thought:  do not outsource leadership development to HR or another department.

They may provide vital training, but as a leader your success depends on the quality of the leaders you develop.

Take responsibility. Make the most important decision regarding employee motivation a good one!

Your Turn

How do you ensure you develop effective leaders and promote the right people?

I’d love to hear your thoughts:

If you’re reading this in email, hit reply and let me know what you think. If you’re on the web, leave a comment below.

Finally, if you know someone who would benefit from this article, please share, tweet, +1, stumble or like!

Take care,

David

You might like:

• How to Achieve Results and Stop the Zombie Apocalypse
• How Can I Get My Team to Listen to Me the First Time, Every Time?
• 18 Truths You Really Can’t Avoid If You Want to Stay Relevant, Effective, and Connected
• How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes
• End Leadership Frustrations – By Focusing Less On Results (Video)

Want to get more done & build teams that care?

Email David today or call 303.898.7018!

Photo by Lori Greig

Sources: Dale Carnegie Employee Engagement, Corporate Leadership Council, Gallup, PRWeb

The post The Most Important Decision You Make to Motivate Your Employees appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Leaders, Are You:

• Tired?
• Run down?
• Exhausted?
• Don’t have energy for important relationships?
• Can’t hold an idea in your head for more than a moment?

If so, you’re not alone.

Recently, several leaders from different organizations, with different responsibilities, and personalities have asked me variations on this question:

How do you maintain your energy and make sure you have enough for important decisions and relationships?

Does It Matter?

This is a vital question and its one I have had to learn repeatedly (the hard way!) over the years.

Let’s start with the premise:  Is maintaining your energy truly important?

This isn’t a foolish question – in some situations it makes sense to expend your very last drop of effort. These are life and death situations and your core values had better be in play if you’re making this decision.

Apart from life and death “dive-on-the-grenade” moments, however, if you want to sustain your impact and accomplish your leadership goals, its essential that you maintain your energy.

So how do you do it?

Practical Ways to Increase Your Leadership Energy

1. Get rid of work / life balance.

I love Alan Weiss’s sentiment:  there is no such thing as work / life balance. You have a life. Period.

If you’re trying to treat work and life as two separate categories with a strict line between them, you’re fighting reality. Work and life are not two different things.

When you think of work vs life, you often begin taking from one to supplement the other. In short order, you are literally fighting yourself.

You have a life.

Your work is a part of that life.

How does your work integrate with and serve your life?

I start here because having a healthy perspective on what you are doing and why you are doing it is vital to making healthy decisions.

2. Know your “why”

This is related to integrating your work and life and being a “whole” person, but it also provides the greatest source of leadership energy:

What is your big why?

Why are you doing what you’re doing?

This is the answer to many questions – especially when you don’t feel like it and it genuinely takes real effort to lead.

What is your purpose? Why did you sign up?

I frequently refer to the 4 Ps of leadership motivation – power, prestige, pennies, and people.

If the first three are your ‘big why’, you will often lack energy.

There is never enough power, fame, or money for your sacrifice and work – because you quickly become accustomed to it.

When you lack motivation, come back to your ‘big why’…let it ground you and motivate you.

3. Take responsibility for your energy

Even when you’re grounded with a healthy perspective and really tapped into your ‘big why’, you only have so much energy.

You’ve got to manage it…and that’s your responsibility. No one can do it for you.

The next steps are specific steps to take responsibility for your own energy.

4. Know yourself

What gives and depletes your energy?

I’m an introvert. I love being with people (I’m a speaker so I better love people, right?), but I also know that being with people depletes my energy. If I do it long enough, I can actually become physically ill.

When I conduct multi-day workshops, I will often explain that I want to be my best for the workshop and will forgo one night of fun to ensure I get the solitude necessary to recharge my emotional batteries.

If you’re an extrovert, are you spending time with people who energize and motivate you in the direction you want to go? Are you taking enough time to reflect on your relationships?

What are your energy cycles during a normal day? How can you leverage them?

5. Limit decision-making

Making decisions takes energy.

The more decisions you make in a day, the more difficult it becomes to make the next one.

Stop making decisions you don’t need to make.

• Insist that people on your team make decisions they should be making.
• Unsubscribe from unhelpful email that saps your decision-making energy.
• Make decisions when they take less energy. For example, if you have a meeting to attend across town, figure out the route ahead of time, not when you’re fifteen minutes late, stuck in traffic, and trying to remember whether the HOV lane is open.
• Make low-risk decisions quickly. If the consequences are minimal, make decisions quickly and move on.
• Make decisions once. This is an old and essential productivity tool: look at an email once. Then either delete it, act on it, schedule it for future action, put in a file related to its project, or put it in a ‘maybe read later’ file (which you probably never will). Just make that decision once – not every time you open your email.
• Use autopilot. When you know what makes you successful, put those things on “automatic” – where you don’t have to think about them anymore. For instance: you probably don’t expend any energy wondering whether or not you should brush your teeth. When it’s time, you just do it.

6. Sleep

I know, I know – you already know you should sleep more and you don’t need me telling you to.

I get it – I really do. I hate having to go to sleep. The world is so interesting and full of amazing things to learn and do that for many years I operated on 5 or 6 hours of sleep.

But I paid a price. I would get sick, I gained weight, I was irritable, and I had less energy to make decisions.

People vary, but most adults thrive best with 7 – 8 hours of sleep. This is what it takes to renew your mind and physical health.

7. Exercise

I spent many years “too busy to exercise”. I just didn’t know when I would fit it in.

So if that’s you, I understand. I’ve been there.

Here’s what I’ll tell you: it’s a paradox, but when you carve out time to exercise, that energy and time is returned to you many times over. Your thinking is more clear, your physical energy increases, you sleep better, and stress doesn’t bother you as much.

You don’t have to be an olympian. Do walking meetings rather than sit in a conference room. Exercise during your favorite show. Just do something.

8. Eat and drink…well

Again, people vary, but generally, the less processed food and the more water, the better.

I don’t make the rules…I just know these things help.

9. Start small

When an activity is huge and sucks your energy just thinking about it, give yourself permission to do the very smallest sliver of it and nothing more.

For example: when I’m struggling to get my writing done, I’ll give myself permission to just pick a topic or write a headline. More often than not, if I pick the topic or write the headline, it unlocks additional energy to do more.

Sometimes you just need to start small…very small.

10. Avoid negative people

Recently, I attended a seminar and sat next to a woman who spent the entire presentation scoffing at the presenter due to typos in the powerpoint.

The information presented was life-changing, but she missed it because of her negative focus. Had I allowed her to, she would easily have drawn me into her negativity and I too would have missed the value.

Sometimes you simply have to avoid spending time with people who are determined to be miserable and want to take you with them.

11. Get outside your bubble

This is critical – not only for your energy, but also for the value of your leadership decisions.

Get outside your own organization and team. See how what you’re doing relates to your community and the world.

12. Time with positive relationships

Time with my wife, daughter, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, mother, and good friends are essential to keep me healthy.

At the same time, I have to be intentional about scheduling and taking advantage of time together.

It doesn’t just happen…and if I treat it that way, months and years can easily slide by without connecting.

13. Be real

It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to be sad.

Being a leader doesn’t mean you leave your humanity at the door. It’s okay to be real with your team, while still expecting a level of service and professionalism in your self and your team.

If you’ve ever had a leader you knew was tired, but stayed present with you, then you know how inspiring and motivating that can be.

14. Mediation, mindfulness, or prayer

Whatever your tradition, taking time to be present and connect with the world beyond you is an essential source of energy and perspective.

15. Feed your brain

New ideas create energy of their own.

Even if you just read for fifteen minutes each day or listen to meaningful content while you drive or exercise, you’ll recharge your brain, keep it active, and boost your energy.

16. Cut it out

Acknowledge that you can’t possibly do everything…not everything you want to, not everything you think you should.

You just can’t.

There is freedom in saying no and conserving your energy for the most important things.

If you’ve done the first fifteen things on this list and you still lack energy, you’re probably trying to do too much. It’s time to say no or get help.

17. See a doctor

If you’re consistently struggling with low energy and you’ve addressed the other items on this list, please see a healthcare professional.

We need you! Take the time to take care of yourself.

Your Turn

I’ve personally used every item on this list and can vouch for their effectiveness, but I’m sure there are additional ideas you can suggest.

How do you maintain consistent leadership energy?

Take care,

David

You might like:

• 7 Leadership Tools for When Today Stinks and Tomorrow is Forever Away
• How Can I Get My Team to Listen to Me the First Time, Every Time?
• 18 Truths You Really Can’t Avoid If You Want to Stay Relevant, Effective, and Connected
• How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes
• End Leadership Frustrations – By Focusing Less On Results (Video)

Want to get more done & build teams that care?

Contact David today!

Energized by Diane Hammond, Yoga by Andrew Whalley, Read by covs97

The post 17 Practical Ways to Increase Your Leadership Energy appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

What Does It Mean?

You could see it from the road…

The image of a lizard chipped into the stone’s desert varnish.

It’s nearly three feet long, over 1,000 years old, and probably took the artist several months to complete.

Standing on that hot windswept ledge with my wife and daughter in the Utah desert, many miles from the nearest person or car, looking at an ancient masterpiece, it was hard not to think about legacy.

Why is it there? What did the artist mean to communicate? What does it have to say to us?

Many of these answers are lost in antiquity. We simply don’t know whether the images had spiritual significance, were ancient billboards, or were artistic displays meant to celebrate their subjects and the artists’ ability.

What Will Survive You?

Every day you go about your work: you work with your team to make things, or sell things, or learn things, or work with clients and customers.

If you are especially talented or fortunate, you may make something that endures and changes the world…maybe.

But even if you do make, learn, or sell something amazing – how long will it endure? How long will it have significance? (The petroglyph lizard is very cool, but no longer has its original significance.)

Long after you are finished with your reports, spreadsheets, fundraising, meetings…long after theorganization you started or work for has closed, sold, or you have left it…long after your daily work is forgotten…

What will survive you? [Read more of this guest post at the Lead Change Group]

Take care,

David

The post 21 Ways to Leave a Lasting Legacy No Matter What You Make, Sell, Or Do appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Unfit, Unworthy, Unsuited?

At some point in your leadership journey, you will find yourself in a position where those words start to bubble up from inside and you wonder:

• Can I do this?
• What is happening?
• Maybe I’m not cut out for this?
• What went wrong?
• When will “they” realize I’m just a fraud?

If you have gone through this stage or are in it now, there is no better resource I can recommend than the subject of this book review:  Leadership and the Art of Struggle: How great leaders grow through challenge and adversity by Steven Snyder.

Finally!

My reaction to Leadership and the Art of Struggle was the reader’s equivalent of a fist-pump: I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, let out a whispered “yes!” and silently thanked Mr. Snyder for taking the time to write this book.

In Leadership and the Art of Struggle, Snyder spells out a fundamental truth known to every accomplished leader:  skill comes through growth and growth…is often very painful.

Granted, you can read biographies, literature, or watch movies and understand the challenges and adversity that confront leaders.

What Snyder adds is a model for understanding the challenges you’re going through as well as a process for interpreting them, reflecting upon them, and easing your learning process as you grow in effectiveness.

Content

The definition of leadership Snyder chooses will give you a sense of where he wants to take you. He uses a definition from Harvard instructor Joe Badaracco:

Leadership is a struggle by flawed human beings to make some important human values real and effective in the world as it is.

That is a deep and profound definition.

If it makes you uncomfortable – please read this book.

If it makes you sigh with relief and agreement, do yourself a favor and read this book.

Following that definition, Snyder guides you through a process of:

1. Understanding where leadership struggles come from.
2. How to respond to yourself when facing these challenges.
3. How to explore new pathways and add to your core competencies.
4. How to depend what he calls your “adaptive energy”.

The “ART” of Struggle

One aspect of this book I really appreciate is how Snyder begins with literary references, weaves them throughout the book, and closes on the same note.

In a world that is often consumed with spreadsheets, it is refreshing and effective for you to be reminded of your own humanity and the role that art plays “to hold…a mirror up to nature”.

The references are woven throughout a model Snyder presents about how leaders experience challenge, adversity, and struggle, the different forms that adversity can take, and the ability to grow through it.

Snyder illustrates every stage in his model through the stories of contemporary business leaders from around the world.

Who Should Read This?

If you’ve been leading for any length of time (the greater your self-awareness, the shorter the time required), you will find gold in Leadership and the Art of Struggle.

Snyder’s model for understanding and growing through adversity will help you make sense and make good out of your current challenges or else will provide you a guide-book through the next storm you encounter.

If you are an aspiring leader or just setting out on your journey, you might wait to read this one until you are a little further along. If you do read it, stow away what you learn and begin to apply it as you encounter your first challenges.

They hold the keys to your future success!

Happy Reading,

David

The post Leadership and the Art of Struggle – Book Review appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Déjà Vu All Over Again

I sat across from the Executive Vice President and made my case…

I suggested the company change the way it handled a specific process and made my five part case why it was a good idea.

The VP listened, grimaced, and then grinned. “If only it were that easy.”

“But it is that easy,” I challenged, “it’s just a matter of having the will to do it!” (I was young – and eager.)

****

Fast forward thirteen years.

A new staff member stood on the other side of my desk – standing in the same place I had once stood…

Presenting the same case I had made thirteen years earlier.

But this time, she was speaking to me! Now that I was the executive, things would be different, right?

To find out what happened, keep reading…

Managing Up

The ability to successfully ”manage up” or influence the people you report to is as essential to your leadership success as the ability to influence your own team.

That’s why I appreciate this reader’s question:

How to approach a leader or boss whose leadership or management style/approach is counter productive to building a positive work environment for those under his/her supervision. It would be helpful to receive some advice on how best to navigate approaching a leader/boss whose tactics are not producing the desired results without coming across as insubordinate or arrogant (i.e. – as “I think I know better than you”).

This is the most challenging version of the “managing up” question:  What to do when you perceive a supervisor’s behavior to be damaging, self-defeating, or ineffective?

If you’re an eagle-eyed reader, you noticed I said “you perceive the behavior” to be negative…

I can hear the shouts of opposition already:  ”But it IS ineffective! I’m not making this up!”

Okay, I hear you…let’s take a deep breath and get some perspective.

Where to Begin?

1. Reflect

When you’re faced with a supervisor whose behaviors appear to you to be damaging, self-defeating, or ineffective, the first thing to do is ask yourself a few questions:

a) How serious is the issue?

After you hang out with friends, take a walk, and relax, is the issue truly significant or just a minor irritation? If it’s not really serious, don’t waste your time, energy, or relationships on it – even if you are 100% right about it.

b) What is the lesson for you?

Yes, you read that correctly…the lesson for you. If you’re serious about becoming an effective leader, you will find no greater textbook from which to learn than the leaders around you.

The areas they most irritate you are often the areas where you can learn the most and add another tool to your leadership tool belt.

Don’t miss this opportunity – avoid SASRNT syndrome!

(If you need help to figure out how this situation can help you – get a leadership coach or a mentor.)

c) What do you really want?

This question comes from Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson and his team. Before you think about addressing the issue, it is vital that you get crystal clear about what your best self really wants.

Are you serving your team, the organization, and the supervisor?

If not, your motivations will impact your actions and you likely won’t have a chance to get the results you want. Patterson suggests that the twin motivations to enter any serious conversation are to 1) build the relationship and 2) solve the problem.

d) What price are you willing to pay?

You might expect me to have a fairy-dust-and-sprinkles approach to problem-solving-up, but let’s be real: there are some lousy people out there in supervisory roles. In my work as a coach and leadership expert I hear many horror stories.

It’s essential that you are very clear on the people you’re working with and how they might react.

If they lack integrity, are hostile, insecure, and you need this paycheck to buy medicine for your child, you’ll deal with the situation differently than if you have six months of income saved and your supervisor is generally reasonable.

I’ve been there – don’t skip this step and get yourself in a worse situation without a good plan!

2. Homework

Once you’re clear that the issue is significant…

you’re committed to building the relationship AND solving the problem…

and you’ve assessed the situation adequately to understand your risks…

it’s time to do some homework, open yourself, and explore a few possibilities before you have a conversation.

Things to consider:

• Your boss isn’t as dumb as you think he is. (As I shared in the beginning story, I’ve been on both sides of the desk…on the very same issue.) Extend them the benefit of the doubt and they just might surprise you.
• Your boss may have information, constraints, responsibilities, or values of which you’re not aware. Mentally acknowledging that these can exist puts you in a curious and exploratory frame of mind.
• What motivates your supervisor?  What goals does she have to meet? What gets him up in the morning? What gives her deep professional satisfaction?
• How do they prefer to interact? Are they very blunt and like bluntness in return? Are they social and prefer to ease into the conversation? Or perhaps they want data first and discussion second?

3. Discuss

Once you’re clear on severity, motivation, risk, and have done your homework, it’s time to have the conversation. Here are some general suggestions.

• Schedule an appointment. If the issue is serious, make sure you’re honoring the other person by giving them the opportunity to give it their full attention. Even if they have an open door policy, I recommend making an appointment.
• Start with your observation of verifiable facts. These should not be subject to interpretation. You should both be able to quickly agree on the facts.
• Share your interpretation. Depending on how the other person prefers to receive feedback, this is one place you’ll do best to go easy:  ”When I see those things, I’m confused (or curious, or wonder if, or it seems to me) that we’re missing out on 15-20% of the sales we might otherwise pick up.”
• Invite the other person into the discussion. “Anyhow, that’s how things look from over here and I was wondering if I’m missing something…how do you see it?”
• Once they share their perspective, you’ve got a decision to make depending on what you learned. Based on what you’ve heard, did you gain information that might explain the concern you had? Has what you learned verified that things really could be better and you might have a way to help? Have you learned that the negative behavior is a cherished belief or practice?
• If you believe you have an opportunity to add value or make a suggestion, begin by asking permission: “Based on what you’ve said, I have an idea that might work to capture at least part of those sales. Would you be interested in hearing it?” (Incidentally, this is a good practice before giving anyone voluntary feedback.)
• When you give feedback, present it in terms they’ll understand and that are meaningful to them. If you give a numbers person feedback about team engagement, they probably won’t get it. Likewise, if you give a relational supervisor a pure spreadsheet analysis, it’s not likely to resonate. This is why you did your homework and explored their perspective: how can you put your idea or feedback in terms of their values and goals.
• Ask for feedback. You’ve just given some, now let it be returned. “It seems to me that if tried that format for a month, we’d know in thirty days whether productivity increases. What do you think?”
• Be open to the response…whether it’s a “no, let me think about it, why don’t you bring back some more analysis, or yes, let’s do it – you’re in charge of this initiative”. Any one of these has value for you in your leadership journey.
• Regardless of the outcome – whether you learned something new and changed your mind or you shared your suggestion and it was shot down – be gracious and thank them for their time. Don’t grovel – maintain your own dignity and extend that same dignity to your supervisor.

For more on holding difficult conversations well, I cannot strongly enough recommend Crucial Conversations. It is the best resource I’ve ever found to learn this skill. I’m not stretching the truth at all to say that it can change your life.

4. When It’s No Good

If you are a motivated, character-based leader committed to serving your team, your own leaders, and your organization in a healthy way, I have some partially bad news:

Not everyone is like you.

Sorry.

And while I’m on the subject, here’s some more partially bad news:

You cannot change anyone else.

You will encounter all sorts of people in leadership and management roles who are there for other reasons, who lack better tools, or who have vastly different values.

The reality is that people will always do what they feel is good for them…because it’s easy, because it’s all they know, because it works and meets their needs for the time being.

Influencing your own supervisor is possible, but depending on the person, it takes work, time, and relationship.

And sometimes…they simply won’t change at all. The pain of doing so is greater than the benefit they perceive. In these situations, you have to decide if it makes sense to stay or to leave.

Recognize that you will not always succeed in changing environments, but you can still learn from them and do right by your people.

I said this “partially bad news”…why?

Because these realities clarify the power you do have: over yourself and the leader you will be.

Ultimately, you still can be the leader you want your boss to be – and life will have provided you no better classroom.

Your Turn

What do you do when you perceive a supervisor’s behavior to be damaging, self-defeating, or ineffective?

Take care,

David

PS: What happened with the young lady who presented the same case I had made thirteen years earlier?

I shared the additional values and constraints I had not been aware of thirteen years earlier and invited her to help brainstorm solutions.

You might like:

• Crucial Conversations
• How Can I Get My Team to Listen to Me the First Time, Every Time?
• 18 Truths You Really Can’t Avoid If You Want to Stay Relevant, Effective, and Connected
• How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes
• End Leadership Frustrations – By Focusing Less On Results (Video)

Want to get more done & build teams that care?

Contact David today!

Photo Credits: My Desktop by Thomas Stegelmann, Reflection by Kristina Alexanderson, Seedling by Matthew Fang

The post What To Do When a Leader’s Behavior is Damaging, Self-Defeating, or Ineffective appeared first on Trailblaze. Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582