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
Motivation doesn't last. We wish it would, and I especially, since I'm what is termed a 'Motivational Speaker'. It's a misnomer. The truth is: no one can motivate you, and even if they could, it wouldn't last.
Though we feel good when we go to a seminar or workshop or experience a speaker who does a good 'pump up', the other side of the coin is learning what to do when the 'pump up' wears off. Just as important, it pays to understand the nature of motivation in the first place, which would leave little room for disappointment when the 'pump up' wears off and you're back to the daily grind of doing what must be done.
To me, motivation is like lighter fluid, whereas inspiration is like charcoal. When you get out the grill, you fill it with charcoal. You then pour lighter fluid over the charcoal. When you set the lighter fluid on fire, you get a big 'poof' of a flame, depending on how much lighter fluid you poured
As humans, we are social beings. For most of us, one of the cruelest punishments is total isolation. We need other people to listen to our stories, to share their own, and to mirror and respond to our thoughts and feelings and behaviors. But since we really do need other people, why do so many of us, so much of the time, have the biggest conflicts and the most harrowing difficulties with those people we need the most?
Part of the problem is that we need people, yet we may believe that we should not need anyone. The dream of Marlborough Man, the independent, cool, tough guy, still exists for men and women alike. So, we get into relationships with people we need and then we make every effort to prove to them how much we don't need them. And this happens at work, at home, and in any situation where we spend time and share activities with other people.
Recession anxiety is at the top of the news every day. It's inevitable that your team and staff will be affected.
Symptoms of recession anxiety include: chronic worry about job security and financial issues. Is your business going to survive? Will you have to lay people off? Arguments, gossip, stress-related ailments, and loss of productivity due to managers and employees taking sick days can reduce your company's effectiveness at the time you need it most.
Here are some guidelines for proactive management:
. Keep information flowing. Employees who sense that management is holding out on them by witholding information tend to lose motivation. Even if the future of your business is uncertain, keep your team informed and make sure the flow of information reaches everyone in the company.
What could happen today that would be excellent? What would make you smile? Stop for a moment and invite a client to call unexpectedly. Invite a result to show up that you didn't expect. Be in that space of excited antitipation about your life. What is great about your life right now? Get into that feeling of total confidence. Focus on what is working.
So many of my students spend time each day criticizing themselves for not reaching goals. As we move into the next year -- let's let go of the self doubt. What if everything was perfectly on track? Invite success, today. Invite something AMAZING to happen. Why not?
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?)
This blog is to help share the latest tools in improving communication skills, eliminating confusion in business and personal relationships and empowering people to live their dream with passion
I love the TV show Heroes. I guess you might say I am part of the built-in demographic for the program. I read and collected comic books from an early age until well into my 30's. I am a science fiction reading daughter of a science fiction reader. (In fact, family lore has it that my mother had a subscription to Analog before it was Analog.) I believe in the ability for one or two people to make a difference in the world. I believe that good will win out.
My heroes growing up were the super heroes in my comic books. They had the ability to change the world. They took unstable situations and made them right. They knew what to do, even if what to do wasn't easy. They had as much angst as anyone else I knew, but they still acted and made a difference.
By the time I got to college, my heroes had changed. My professors at Wartburg College become some of my greatest heroes. Here were people standing in front of a group, sharing information and keeping their students enthused and involved. We may not have enjoyed every class, but we learned. We learned not just the facts, but the questions and how to find the answers.
By graduation, I had added another hero: Alan Kay who invented the DynaBook. Imagine, looking at the computer world in the early 1960's and seeing a totally different way to do things. He and his project team looked at the text based ideas and said "Nope - not right". They developed ideas that affect our lives today, even if it did take decades for others to realize what was really being proposed. The language they developed (Smalltalk) was intended to help people split what something did in a program from what it was (or represented). That thought made me itch to go out and try it.
It took along time for me to realize who the real hero of my adult life was: My wonder hubby. He is a balanced, intelligent man. He puts up with all the craziness of being the spouse of a writer, speaker, and consultant. He tells the world's worst jokes and will pun war with the best of them. He is a geek's geek. He can fix just about any broken piece of hardware... sometimes just by looking at it and reminding it that he has "tools in the truck" (inside joke... Sorry). He takes the time to do what I need done when I can't. The man isn't a saint... believe me. But he is definitely hero material.
My heroes have greatly influenced what I do with my life. I think that the early influence of the comic super heroes gave me a start towards being better than I was. They pushed me to try harder, to do more. The professors in college made me realize that I could do things no one else belived I could. They taught me to question, to push the boundaries, and to find what worked for me. Alan Kay and his team showed me a new way to look at computers. Bruce showed me that what everyone else had taught me could be used to make an impact and to live the life I wanted.
We all need heroes. We need to believe in. Someone who can do things we can't. Heroes, like dreams, keep us stretching - growing - thinking - reaching. Who are your heroes? And do they know it?
Looking to save time, disk space, effort, and money when using your computer? Coach Kathy offers the ultimate in short - easy to understand hints for making sure the computer doesn't get in the way of getting work done.
As well as being an MVP Seminars coach, Coach Kathy is a Microsoft MVP in OneNote and PowerPoint. Check out Coach Kathy's bio for more information.
Want to bring Coach Kathy in to your organization to learn more about how to keep your computer from getting in the way of doing work? Contact MVP Seminars!
The ability to bring people together to accomplish a task is a difficult talent to master. It takes a combination of acquired skills and experience to guarantee the success of anyone in a leadership role. An incompetent manager can have a devastating impact on an organization. A leader with the knowledge, experience and insight necessary to ensure a high performing and profitable organization is hard to come by. In a recent Gallup survey, it was found that 25% of U.S. employees would fire their boss if they could. With one out of four managers failing, it is easy to see how ineffective management decreases employee performance and increases customer dissatisfaction resulting in a negative affect on the organization's bottom-line.
The art of effective management rarely presents as an inbred gift. An effective manager must be an innovative leader who exhibits creativity, enthusiasm, confidence and an innate respect and good will toward every individual within the organization. The manager has to be willing to embrace new concepts and reconsider old practices in order to unleash the potential of the team. To be an effective manager, one is required to learn and utilize four basic management tools: coaching, feedback, counseling and discipline.
Coaching is the ongoing, informal training that confirms when an employee is doing well and identifies potential areas of opportunity. There are five essential keys to the coaching process.
Listening with sensitivity and consideration to hear what is really happening should be your primary objective. In the coaching function, learn to use the power of silence. An effective manager seeks first to understand, then to be understood. This allows employees to know that you value their opinions and keep their interests, priorities and goals in mind. Actively listening to your employees builds trust and lets them know that you respect them as a "whole" person. Employees will be more open and will more readily clue you in to valuable information you may not otherwise be privy to.
Language that demonstrates the ability to create new realities with precise types of speech is necessary to clearly disseminate your message with the highest likelihood of retention. Communicating effectively with appropriate language, pitch, tone and volume is the best way to articulate company goals and objectives.
Attitude greatly impacts your ability to produce results. Approaching employees with a caring attitude aids in the employees being receptive and open to communication. An abusive, hostile or even disinterested attitude directly impacts the emotional health and productivity of employees. A manager who displays a positive attitude in every message reinforces the employee's belief in their own value to the organization.
Self-Development is the process by which managers continue to strengthen their own skill set through continued training and value-added experiences. By being a model of excellence, productivity and fulfillment, an effective manager demonstrates the acceptable behaviors that set the tone for a climate of responsibility.
Leadership involves developing a clear vision and strong message which must then be successfully communicated to the team. Your expectation of employees and their expectations of themselves are the primary factors in how well employees perform in the workplace. Set achievable goals and share them with your employees so that they know what is expected of them. Delegate the workload and set realistic deadlines. This will provide invaluable training to employees and save on hours of unnecessary work. Utilize a time management system that is simple, organized and efficient to track completion of tasks. Being able to hold employees accountable is a vital function of the coaching role.
Feedback provides specific information that lets employees know how well they are performing. Feedback can be positive or corrective. It builds employee beliefs in their capabilities and provides them with insight into how they can improve their production. Corrective feedback should only be given in private. Feedback should always start positive and end positive. Never solely identify what the employee is not doing or is doing wrong. Employees need to have their confidence reinforced through praise and appreciation. Feedback is a two-way communication device. Allow employees to respond to your message so they know that they are included in their own development. One of the top complaints employers receive in regards to employee dissatisfaction is poor to non-existent feedback and recognition. Opening the lines of communication allows you to stay tuned in to your employees so you can be proactive in resolving situations before they escalate. Ask SMART questions (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based) to identify fears, problem areas or opportunities.
Counseling is a tool that shows employees what they need to improve their performance. Point out issues in the employee's work in a calm, non-accusatory manner. Ask them what you can do to help. Work with the employee to develop concrete goals and a timeline for resolving the matter. If the problem is personal versus job-related, be empathetic and offer a flexible solution to help create a synergized work/life balance. Remember, you are not a therapist. Refer employees to the proper support groups if necessary. Counseling measures help to reduce turnover, prevent disciplinary action and shows that you are committed to your employee's success.
Discipline is a necessary evil to help employees follow company rules. Disciplinary action should be taken as a last-resort effort when previous coaching, feedback and counseling attempts have failed. The primary goal of discipline is not to punish your employees but rather to help guide them back to satisfactory job performance. Focus solely on performance, remain fair and impartial. Although it is recommended to dole out discipline as soon after the misbehavior as possible, it is equally important to make sure that you have all the facts before you act. Improperly or unfairly holding an employee accountable for an action without adequate investigation can lead to lowered employee morale, loss of respect and possible lawsuits.
Effective management is more than just implementing policies and procedures. It means getting the most out of all of your employees, helping them to perform at their best individually, cooperatively and in groups. Managing your team effectively and efficiently requires the willingness to learn a variety of leadership skills. An effective manager must be able to coach, provide feedback, counsel and be comfortable in disciplining team members. By developing your management skills you will appreciate colossal benefits in increased productivity, decreased stress and increased confidence in both yourself as an effective leader, as well as in the employees on your team.
Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in motivating small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams. Contact MVP Seminars to secure Niquenya for your next big event or training session.
