When managers want to accomplish goals through their employees, they usually think in terms of accountability. It’s common to hear questions like “Who’s accountable for that project?” “Whose idea was that?” and “Whose fault is it?”
How do the answers to these questions accomplish goals? I don’t think they do. In my experience, questions that focus on accountability lead to discussions about blame, which often divide work groups into gossip camps and passive aggressive reactions. That wastes a lot of time.
A different approach is to focus on self-responsibility. Instead of the above questions, an employee with self-responsibility might say, “How can I help?” “I like / don’t like that idea because ______ and here’s what I suggest _____.” “How did our process (not a person) cause that problem?&r
Communication is easy. All you need to do is say what you mean and mean what you say. Right! How many of us are able to truly do that? And, when we finally do say what we intend to say, why is it that the people we say it to are not always happy to hear our words?
Whether we want to believe it or not, there definitely is an art to communicating effectively. First, of course, we need to really know what we think, feel, believe, and want to communicate to others. Right here, many of us run into problems. We may have some idea about what needs to be said, but we may not be clear about how we feel and we may have no idea how the other person or persons might respond. So, first, we have to gain clarity about our own thoughts, ideas, needs, desires, beliefs and intentions.
Next, it is important for us to know who we are communicating with. How does this person tend to receive and interpret information? Do they often&n
People join a group for many different reasons. Motivation, excitement, appropriate skill level, cooperative attitude, and desire to participate, may be lacking. Some people join a group to "look good," to add it to their resume, because someone coerced them and they just could not say no, or because they're curious but don't intend to contribute much. Others join a group with the intention of being a star, the boss, leading others to their own self-serving goals, or just controlling others to boost their own morale. Some people join a group because they want to receive what that group has to offer - education, advice, money, prestige, or a sense of belonging. Then there are the rare few who join a group to discover what they can contribute, how they can help the group to improve and expand.
Not only do people join groups for diverse and completely different reasons, they also arrive with completely different personalit
If you're like me, you carry on a conversation with yourself all day long. It usually goes something like this, "Wow, that was a great point he just made. I wish I were as sharp as he is," or, "She looks so confident! I wish I were that confident."
Most of our self-talk is a reinforcement of a belief that we are not enough. For you, this may show up as not having enough, not knowing enough, not being acknowledged enough. It's important for us to recognize what we're saying about ourselves because our core beliefs will be reflected back to us.
People and circumstances will either confirm or contradict what we believe about ourselves.
Let's take that last point a little further. I coach a manager who is responsible for two very different departments. The staff in one of her departments frequently complains about her, saying she is not available to them, that she does not follow up on thei
The other day I was asked to help out in a kindergarten class because their teacher had called in sick. While I am used to being at the front of the room leading seminars and trainings, I took immense pleasure in sitting in the back while watching the teacher's aid take the lead and instruct the class. It was such a joy to watch him engage with these children, entertain them, and truly listen and lead. Suddenly, it dawned on me that today's leaders, administrators, and managers could gain some pretty valuable knowledge from this T.A. With all that said, all I know about leadership I learned in a kindergarten class.
Here are the 10 leadership principles that the T. A. embodied and taught me:
1. L-Learn. A leader never stops learning and that includes from his/her own employees and subordinates. While a leader teaches, the best teachers know they are forever students. In today's day and age, something has happened where we are programmed to always
It's common for people in leadership positions -- people like you -- to find every day crowded with priorities. These days, the idea of "manager" or "leader" is bound up with the idea of being furiously busy. People might look at you oddly if your desk were clear and you had time to stare out the window and dream.
But isn't there something wrong with this picture? If you're racing through each day to keep pace with everything that must be done, when are you being a leader?
When are you:
Envisioning where your group or department or company are going?
Helping key people who report to you grow?
Expanding your own insight and understanding of what's important and how things work?
Getting a fix on what's really going on in your area of responsibility?
We have two cats that provide endless hours of entertainment. The oldest, Sundae, is a female calico who is definitely the Alpha over her partner, Max, a male tabby. Sundae's entire mission in life is to be loved, and while she is not the sharpest tool in the shed, she usually reaches her goal.
Recently my husband Larry had rotator cuff surgery and was confined to the couch for a few days - this definitely stirred interest as something "amiss" for the cats. They are not accustomed to see him still for so long. Sundae, in her mission for affection, called dibbs on Larry's lap, and proceeded to make herself comfortable. When Larry did not respond to her royal presence by petting her, Sundae nudged or licked his hand, causing Larry to move it. Undeterred, Sundae repositioned herself and nudged again.
This went on for several minutes until, exasperated, Larry finally bestowed the affection Sundae sought. As I witnessed th
Just imagine working for the imaginary Cooper Sterling Advertising Agency? A Creative Director is hiding a past life that started when he assumed the identity of a commanding officer who was killed next to him in a Korean War battlefield incident. A sex obsessed senior partner has suffered a heart attack while indulging in a tryst on company premises. Publication of an article/book by one of the copywriters is greeted by ridicule and personal put downs by fellow employees. An arrogant junior employee who undermines his boss is retained on staff because of the importance of his family's connections.
Gossip and scandal seem to run the Cooper Sterling Company. The quality of product and financial health of this company seem to be of secondary importance. Is it any wonder that an employee who feels passed over has started to search for ways to bring down his boss (and perhaps the company?)
I received a call from a client the other day asking me what to do about an employee who was sexually harassing a co-worker. As I asked questions about the employee's conduct, it became clear that it was the employee's alleged conduct. Thus, although the next legal step was to initiate an investigation (which the client had not yet done), the manager had skipped that step and was already talking about what needed to be done to this employee.
The Practical Legal Knowledge tip for today is: Be Careful to Do Your Homework to Know the Facts Before Taking Action.
When issues of sexual harassment (and many other types of issues) arise, it is difficult to keep the emotion of the moment out of the way. Lawyers and media make it clear that if you don't keep harassment out of the workplace, you will face drastic financial consequences (and they are right).
One of the great challenges for business leaders is working with disabled employees who need an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The challenge does not center around the business' lack of desire to work with the employee. Rather, the problem arises in how to effectively work with the employee to get the accommodation right.
The disconnect occurs when the business leader focuses on "providing" an accommodation. That means to them that they have to think of the accommodation, present it and then implement it.
The better approach is the "facilitate" an accommodation. When you facilitate, you don't have to create and implement the accommodation. You collaborate with the employee to reach an accommodation that works for everyone.
How does that happen? Follow this three step process: 1) Identify what the company can do to accommodate; 2) L
