Like money and power, technology can be used for good -- or for evil. In the case of your employees, it can be a wonderful tool for engagement or an effective source of distraction. The first thing you should consider before introducing any form of technology into your office, whether it be inter-office websites, PowerPoint presentations, or Twitter accounts, is what purpose it will serve. Ask yourself this question and have employees do the same. "This question keeps awareness levels high and encourages employees to use technology wisely. When we consider what the technology is to accomplish, we keep it in check so that it doesn't rule us," says executive coach Stephanie Somanchi. Once you decide to incorporate a piece of digital media into your team’s operations, here’s how to make it work for -- not against -- you.
Form a unified front
Whether or not you draw up a formal online "code of conduct", employees need to have clear direction as to how to best represent the company online. "Establish clear social media policies based around exercising good judgment not through [a threat of] withdrawal of access. First and foremost, the priority should be to support the company and to follow through and complete projects and assignments on a timely basis. Second, to maintain absolute and undivided discretion regarding company policy and initiatives," notes Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide. Time limits are a particularly important topic to address. For instance, how long is too long before responding to an email? How much time should an employee spend on Twitter a day?
Use tech for a purpose
Help focus your employees by not only laying out ground rules for usage, but encouraging them to participate in professional groups on Twitter and its counterparts. "Many professional associations host daily industry discussions on their Facebook pages, and Twitter chats on a number of topics from leadership, career management, and specific business sectors. Technology and social media can be used to engage with new contacts that could benefit the organization, as well as new ideas and trends that might not be apparent internally," says consultant Tracy Brisson, founder of The Opportunities Project. The key is guiding employees in a way that increases engagement in their work, instead of offering them up a nice distraction from their day.
Urge people to keep things short and simple
Whether emailing, instant messaging or Tweeting, digital communications are meant to be succinct. Encourage your employees to keep their online communications to the point, for maximum effectiveness and to prevent them from becoming a time suck. "When you communicate too much, what you say simply loses its meaning. It’s smart policy to be selective when deciding to correspond via email or text, as it gives your words more weight," says Gary Malin, president of the Citi Habitats real estate firm in New York City.
Encourage people to interact face-to-face
Technology shouldn’t replace in-person or over-the-phone interactions. Emailing hides subtleties in tone and message that can only be revealed using your voice and facial expressions. "All of these nuances are lost when using email and many other technologies to communicate. If you read the written word, there is always room for misunderstanding the message. At Citi Habitats, we try to use a mix of old and new when it comes to communicating with our employees and clients," says Malin.
Heed these tips and soon technology will be helping -- not hurting -- employee engagement at your office.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Reinforcing Progress: How to Build Sustainable Success
One of the biggest fallacies managers hold on to is the assumption that if people know the best way to do something, they will do it. As a leader, it is important to always remember that people don't do what they know is best; they do what they have always done. For successful leaders, initial success is only the beginning. It is a leader's job to reinforce success so that it can become a sustainable norm.
Reinforcement is one the most crucial elements of the coaching process. As a leader, when you reach success, you must use your own success as a model for reinforcement with your team.
You have to first experience success before you can reinforce it. This means when you teach a new skill, you must provide the employee the empowerment to go get results and succeed. By providing an environment that tolerates risk and failure, you will empower your team to continually push for greater success.
Creating an environment that accepts intelligent risk-taking and some failure is only part of the process to building sustainable success. You must also provide the right feedback and make sure that you are constantly following up. The follow-up and feedback will allow you monitor progress and maintain accountability, while also identifying additional coaching opportunities.
Maintaining accountability is key when building sustainable success. Remember that employees often want to go back to their old practices, so making employees accountable for their work is critical. When you do see an accountability issue, handle it immediately. Whether it is due to nonperformance or a mistake, continue to coach through this process.
Building sustainable success requires a leader to be trusting, ready to provide feedback, and prepared to engage in coaching at all times. It is a time-consuming process that requires round-the-clock care. There is a very large time commitment upfront to ensure acceptance and accountability, but after you've put in the time, you will have employees who understand not only how to succeed, but how to do it over and over again.
Reinforcement is one the most crucial elements of the coaching process. As a leader, when you reach success, you must use your own success as a model for reinforcement with your team.
You have to first experience success before you can reinforce it. This means when you teach a new skill, you must provide the employee the empowerment to go get results and succeed. By providing an environment that tolerates risk and failure, you will empower your team to continually push for greater success.
Creating an environment that accepts intelligent risk-taking and some failure is only part of the process to building sustainable success. You must also provide the right feedback and make sure that you are constantly following up. The follow-up and feedback will allow you monitor progress and maintain accountability, while also identifying additional coaching opportunities.
Maintaining accountability is key when building sustainable success. Remember that employees often want to go back to their old practices, so making employees accountable for their work is critical. When you do see an accountability issue, handle it immediately. Whether it is due to nonperformance or a mistake, continue to coach through this process.
Building sustainable success requires a leader to be trusting, ready to provide feedback, and prepared to engage in coaching at all times. It is a time-consuming process that requires round-the-clock care. There is a very large time commitment upfront to ensure acceptance and accountability, but after you've put in the time, you will have employees who understand not only how to succeed, but how to do it over and over again.
Performance Reviews: A Leader's Guide to Performance Reviews
Performance reviews are an event to dread for some managers. For others, they are an important tool to boost performance, evaluate employee engagement, and determine yearly progress. To conduct a proper performance review, you should dedicate time and effort to ensure that your review is accurate, fair, and productive. There are numerous other considerations to take into account when conducting reviews. This article will focus on some techniques you can use to make a performance review an opportunity for growth and understanding rather than an obligation to human resources.
Prepare
Spend time preparing the assessment. Make sure you collect the proper data to support your points, and send over the assessment to the appraise before the meeting.
Positive
Focus on positives first. As a manager, it is important to spotlight successes and celebrate them. Your focus on success sets the stage for the rest of the review and helps build a reservoir of goodwill.
Coach
The performance review should be an opportunity to coach rather than to judge. A leader coaches first and foremost. Provide constructive feedback, and coach employees through growth opportunities. Make sure when you provide coaching on mistakes or improvement areas that you try to depersonalize the mistakes and let the other person save face. Only when you focus on the mistake itself can you coach through the issue.
Moving Forward
There is always room for improvement and growth, even with the best employees. Provide a clear expectation and develop a mutual plan for improvement. Revise the current standards, and update for the planned improvements.
The Close
End on a positive note. Make sure there is mutual agreement on a development plan, and give the individual a big image to live up to.
Prepare
Spend time preparing the assessment. Make sure you collect the proper data to support your points, and send over the assessment to the appraise before the meeting.
Positive
Focus on positives first. As a manager, it is important to spotlight successes and celebrate them. Your focus on success sets the stage for the rest of the review and helps build a reservoir of goodwill.
Coach
The performance review should be an opportunity to coach rather than to judge. A leader coaches first and foremost. Provide constructive feedback, and coach employees through growth opportunities. Make sure when you provide coaching on mistakes or improvement areas that you try to depersonalize the mistakes and let the other person save face. Only when you focus on the mistake itself can you coach through the issue.
Moving Forward
There is always room for improvement and growth, even with the best employees. Provide a clear expectation and develop a mutual plan for improvement. Revise the current standards, and update for the planned improvements.
The Close
End on a positive note. Make sure there is mutual agreement on a development plan, and give the individual a big image to live up to.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Energizing Yourself for Change
One of the challenging results of organizational change is that it can leave you feeling fatigued. All of your efforts are focused on new tasks, responsibilities, and relationships. Because of this, you need to look for strategies to maintain and even increase your personal energy during times of change.
Create a Vision
Nothing is more personally motivating than creating a compelling vision. Visualize yourself succeeding as a result of the change. Imagine the benefits of growing as a result of the change -- creating new opportunities, building a more exciting and dynamic future, and opening up new opportunities for success.
List Opportunities
What are the opportunities presented by the change? Make a list of all the ways that you can grow, add new skills, meet influential people, and add valuable experience to your resumes.
Create Networks
It's difficult to create energy in a vacuum. Most people need the stimulation of other individuals and their ideas, input, feedback, and support. Times of change offer an opportunity to add to the network of people who understand you, believe in you, and are willing to help you move forward.
Build Bridges
Organizational change normally involves the establishment of new relationships. Sometimes you resist these new relationships, especially if it involves a new supervisor or a perceived loss of your authority. Instead of retreating from the new relationship, draw energy from it by embracing it and building bridges between yourself and people you encounter. Meeting new people is usually highly energizing because it gives you the opportunity to find commonalities in your values and goals and in the creativity of collaboration
Create a Vision
Nothing is more personally motivating than creating a compelling vision. Visualize yourself succeeding as a result of the change. Imagine the benefits of growing as a result of the change -- creating new opportunities, building a more exciting and dynamic future, and opening up new opportunities for success.
List Opportunities
What are the opportunities presented by the change? Make a list of all the ways that you can grow, add new skills, meet influential people, and add valuable experience to your resumes.
Create Networks
It's difficult to create energy in a vacuum. Most people need the stimulation of other individuals and their ideas, input, feedback, and support. Times of change offer an opportunity to add to the network of people who understand you, believe in you, and are willing to help you move forward.
Build Bridges
Organizational change normally involves the establishment of new relationships. Sometimes you resist these new relationships, especially if it involves a new supervisor or a perceived loss of your authority. Instead of retreating from the new relationship, draw energy from it by embracing it and building bridges between yourself and people you encounter. Meeting new people is usually highly energizing because it gives you the opportunity to find commonalities in your values and goals and in the creativity of collaboration
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Leadership Styles & Tendencies
When we interact with someone whose leadership style is similar to our own, communication is relatively easy. However, when we work with people whose leadership style is different from our own, communication and cooperation can be challenging. Dale Carnegie said the most important element of working with different leadership styles is flexibility -- our willingness and ability to see things from another person's point of view. So how do we determine our own leadership style, and more important, how do we work effectively with others who have a different style?
No single leadership style is superior to the others. Effective leaders must find ways to work with all styles and accentuate the positive traits in others, while minimizing the challenges associated with the different styles.
The four main leadership styles are:
Visionary. Individuals with Visionary leadership style are comfortable with creative thinking, brainstorming, and asking open-ended questions. They are intuitive in their decision-making, preferring to base action plans on people, creative ideas, and opinions rather than on facts and analysis. They enjoy fast-paced environments, emotional discussions, and energetic people. They do not respond well to being bogged down with details, statistics, and minutiae.
Achiever. Individuals with the Achiever leadership style are results-driven and most comfortable taking a direct, no-nonsense approach to decision-making and interpersonal relationships. They view situations as challenges to be resolved and want to get things done as quickly and directly as possible. They are demanding of themselves and have high expectations of others. They do not respond well to speculation, wasting time, or getting "too personal."
Facilitator. Individuals with the Facilitator leadership style value relationships, dedication, and loyalty. They are motivated by a cooperative and supportive work environment that values teamwork. They thrive on encouragement and assistance, preferring a person-centered style over a strictly fact-based, "get down to business" approach. They do not respond well to being rushed or threatened.
Analyzer. Individuals with the Analyzer leadership style value systematic, formal approaches to problem solving and decision-making. They are more at ease with facts and figures than with opinions and emotions, and they are likely to be reserved and businesslike rather than warm and expressive. They do not respond well to aggressiveness or carelessness.
Rather than imposing our leadership style on others, we must think through our actions beforehand so that we can approach others in a manner that helps them feel comfortable.
Some key guidelines include:
Focus on outcomes- Focusing on outcomes rather than on personalities frees us up to appreciate the differences in others and the strengths they possess as team members.
Adjust our expectations- Others may do things differently than we do, and our way is not automatically better. We must let go of any selfish motives and adjust our expectations of the other person accordingly.
Go the extra mile- We cannot simply wait and hope other people will change their style. Chances are that they won't. To help bridge the gap between leadership styles, we must be willing to go further than the other person.
No single leadership style is superior to the others. Effective leaders must find ways to work with all styles and accentuate the positive traits in others, while minimizing the challenges associated with the different styles.
The four main leadership styles are:
Visionary. Individuals with Visionary leadership style are comfortable with creative thinking, brainstorming, and asking open-ended questions. They are intuitive in their decision-making, preferring to base action plans on people, creative ideas, and opinions rather than on facts and analysis. They enjoy fast-paced environments, emotional discussions, and energetic people. They do not respond well to being bogged down with details, statistics, and minutiae.
Achiever. Individuals with the Achiever leadership style are results-driven and most comfortable taking a direct, no-nonsense approach to decision-making and interpersonal relationships. They view situations as challenges to be resolved and want to get things done as quickly and directly as possible. They are demanding of themselves and have high expectations of others. They do not respond well to speculation, wasting time, or getting "too personal."
Facilitator. Individuals with the Facilitator leadership style value relationships, dedication, and loyalty. They are motivated by a cooperative and supportive work environment that values teamwork. They thrive on encouragement and assistance, preferring a person-centered style over a strictly fact-based, "get down to business" approach. They do not respond well to being rushed or threatened.
Analyzer. Individuals with the Analyzer leadership style value systematic, formal approaches to problem solving and decision-making. They are more at ease with facts and figures than with opinions and emotions, and they are likely to be reserved and businesslike rather than warm and expressive. They do not respond well to aggressiveness or carelessness.
Rather than imposing our leadership style on others, we must think through our actions beforehand so that we can approach others in a manner that helps them feel comfortable.
Some key guidelines include:
Focus on outcomes- Focusing on outcomes rather than on personalities frees us up to appreciate the differences in others and the strengths they possess as team members.
Adjust our expectations- Others may do things differently than we do, and our way is not automatically better. We must let go of any selfish motives and adjust our expectations of the other person accordingly.
Go the extra mile- We cannot simply wait and hope other people will change their style. Chances are that they won't. To help bridge the gap between leadership styles, we must be willing to go further than the other person.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Presenting to Inform
The most
common type of business presentation is the presentation to inform. Every week
in our careers, perhaps even every day, we listen to presenters give us
information ranging from status reports, to procedural guidelines, to policy
changes. For many of us, the majority of the presentations that we give fall
into this category, in one way or another.
Some
individuals are very competent in giving clear presentations to inform. We
leave the presentation with a clear understanding of the message, the desired
end result, and key points that we need to remember. On the other hand, many
presentations to inform are disorganized and hard to follow. We leave with only
a vague idea of the point of the presentation.
Successful
presentations should have a clear message, an engaged audience, and all
relevant points should be covered.
The
structure in presenting to inform should adhere to the following steps:
Opening: Statement
of Topic
This
statement should be brief and clear. It leaves no question in the listeners'
minds as to the topic of the presentation. This is especially true when the
presentation is part of a longer series of presentations, such as a staff
meeting or full-day training.
State Key
Message: Desired End Result
This
statement should give the audience a clear picture of the main message of your
presentation. It is simple, direct, and tells the audience where you are going
with this information. It should answer this question in your audience's mind:
"Why should I listen to this presentation?"
Key
Points and Results:
These
points should be stated in straightforward language. They clearly express the
result of taking the recommended action. In general, the fewer words, the
better when stating our key points and results.
Closing: Restate
Key Message and Desired End Result
To
emphasize the key message of your presentation to inform, summarize by
restating the key message or the desired end result of your presentation. This
leaves your listeners with a message that they will remember long after the
presentation.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
5 Secrets To Be Successful In Business
Successful business professionals share common work principles - principles that help place them in the top 5% of their industry. Understanding these common work principles can and will boost your success no matter what field you are in.
5 Secrets Every Business Professional Needs To Know:
Tip #1: Focus On Service - Customer service is critically important to successful business professionals. They respond to clients, whether they are external or internal, in a timely manner and exceed their expectations. In addition, they perform follow-up customer satisfaction surveys to make sure that their customer service is exceptional.
Tip #2: Build Strong Relationships (Internal And External) - Building strong business relationships in and out of your organization is the strength of any successful professional. Developing meaningful and long-lasting relationships will help retain existing clients - clients that become valuable referral sources.
Tip #3: Always Look Ahead - The business landscape has changed dramatically in the past 5 years. Recognizing how an industry is changing and growing keeps the successful business professional ahead of the game. Although you want to embrace technology to streamline your processes, do not forget the personal touch when doing things. Remember, people do business with people.
Tip #4: Take Advantage Of Today's Technology - The successful business professional knows how to apply the latest technology in order to increase efficiency and productivity. This can include smart phone for instant e-mail responses, call forwarding features on your phone, having the newest laptop computer and the use of the latest software programs - technology to help people stay connected, so professionals can work faster and smarter.
Tip #5: Make More "Oh, By The Way" Calls - Sending out a letter or a one-off e-mail to a client, past client or prospect just does not cut it anymore, for people are doing more work with fewer resources. If you want to become more successful in sales, it is important to follow-up with an "Oh, by the way" call. What is an "Oh, by the way" call? It is a follow-up call that opens up with saying, "Oh, by the way, did you get my letter on x, y and z?" This is a great way to get the person talking about things from their end and to possibly generate a sales opportunity.
Executive Summary: Follow these 5 tips and you will also be at the top of your field. Remember, good customer service, whether it is exceeding expectations, promptly responding to clients or a personal touch to communications, can take you straight to the top of your industry. Also, be aware of the changes in your industry and make use of the latest technologies in order to increase efficiency and productive. Lastly, do not forget to make the "Oh, by the way" calls after a marketing campaign has been sent out.
5 Secrets Every Business Professional Needs To Know:
Tip #1: Focus On Service - Customer service is critically important to successful business professionals. They respond to clients, whether they are external or internal, in a timely manner and exceed their expectations. In addition, they perform follow-up customer satisfaction surveys to make sure that their customer service is exceptional.
Tip #2: Build Strong Relationships (Internal And External) - Building strong business relationships in and out of your organization is the strength of any successful professional. Developing meaningful and long-lasting relationships will help retain existing clients - clients that become valuable referral sources.
Tip #3: Always Look Ahead - The business landscape has changed dramatically in the past 5 years. Recognizing how an industry is changing and growing keeps the successful business professional ahead of the game. Although you want to embrace technology to streamline your processes, do not forget the personal touch when doing things. Remember, people do business with people.
Tip #4: Take Advantage Of Today's Technology - The successful business professional knows how to apply the latest technology in order to increase efficiency and productivity. This can include smart phone for instant e-mail responses, call forwarding features on your phone, having the newest laptop computer and the use of the latest software programs - technology to help people stay connected, so professionals can work faster and smarter.
Tip #5: Make More "Oh, By The Way" Calls - Sending out a letter or a one-off e-mail to a client, past client or prospect just does not cut it anymore, for people are doing more work with fewer resources. If you want to become more successful in sales, it is important to follow-up with an "Oh, by the way" call. What is an "Oh, by the way" call? It is a follow-up call that opens up with saying, "Oh, by the way, did you get my letter on x, y and z?" This is a great way to get the person talking about things from their end and to possibly generate a sales opportunity.
Executive Summary: Follow these 5 tips and you will also be at the top of your field. Remember, good customer service, whether it is exceeding expectations, promptly responding to clients or a personal touch to communications, can take you straight to the top of your industry. Also, be aware of the changes in your industry and make use of the latest technologies in order to increase efficiency and productive. Lastly, do not forget to make the "Oh, by the way" calls after a marketing campaign has been sent out.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Staying on Top of the Change Process
Engaging workplace change can be an unpredictable experience because processes and people evolve in diverse ways as they undergo change. No two individuals will respond in exactly the same way to workplace changes. In the same way, identical changes implemented in multiple areas of an organization can produce distinctly different outcomes. These tips show you how to stay on top of the change engagement process by thoroughly preparing for it, while allowing for various outcomes. These tips allow you to take a structured approach to organizational change and still maintain flexibility.
Motivation for Change
Change begins at the point where the organization finds a motivation for change. Sometimes external issues drive the change, like reorganizations, management changes, relocations, or acquisitions/mergers. Other times, internal forces such as upgraded technology, expansions and growth, or continuous improvement drive the change.
Analyze the Situation
As the organization becomes progressively more motivated to change, leadership undertakes a thorough analysis of the risks and opportunities associated with the proposed change:
Plan the Direction
Once an organization determines that opportunities outweigh the risks of making the change, it develops a plan for change implementation. Many organizational change initiatives fail because of lack of careful, thorough planning. In this step, the stage is set for the ultimate success or failure of the change. Key elements of the plan must include:
Implement the Change
Depending on the type and scope of the change, implementation within the organization may be gradual or abrupt. Changes such as layoffs or acquisitions often are implemented with little prior warning; while staffing, reorganization, or technology changes may be phased in over a period of time. The team's most critical role in this step of the change process is to maintain open, honest lines of communication with each other.
Review the Direction
Once the change has been implemented in the organization, you should monitor the outcomes of the new structure and system. As team members in a changing work environment, you can't assume that the change will evolve exactly as planned or that every individual affected by the change will react as anticipated. Your role is to observe review checkpoints that will reveal whether the change is working as anticipated and is producing the desired results.
Adopt
When you have reviewed the change implementation and found it to be succeeding as planned, the organization adopts the change and it becomes part of the new organizational norm. The review process is not terminated, but it transitions to the ongoing monitoring of the changed systems and relationships within the organization.
Adjust
If the review process concluded that the change is not working as planned, you should adjust the change implementation. Assuming that the organization executed the change analysis and plan accurately, you should be able to adjust the implementation of the organizational change to achieve your desired results.
Motivation for Change
Change begins at the point where the organization finds a motivation for change. Sometimes external issues drive the change, like reorganizations, management changes, relocations, or acquisitions/mergers. Other times, internal forces such as upgraded technology, expansions and growth, or continuous improvement drive the change.
Analyze the Situation
As the organization becomes progressively more motivated to change, leadership undertakes a thorough analysis of the risks and opportunities associated with the proposed change:
- What are the potential gains in undertaking the change?
- What are the costs?
- What are the risks of making the change?
- What are the risks of not making the change?
Plan the Direction
Once an organization determines that opportunities outweigh the risks of making the change, it develops a plan for change implementation. Many organizational change initiatives fail because of lack of careful, thorough planning. In this step, the stage is set for the ultimate success or failure of the change. Key elements of the plan must include:
- Planning for the impact of the change on individuals who will be most affected.
- Planning for the impact of the change on the systems within the organization that will be most affected.
- A step-by-step plan for integrating the change into the organization.
- A review plan to measure the success of the proposed change.
Implement the Change
Depending on the type and scope of the change, implementation within the organization may be gradual or abrupt. Changes such as layoffs or acquisitions often are implemented with little prior warning; while staffing, reorganization, or technology changes may be phased in over a period of time. The team's most critical role in this step of the change process is to maintain open, honest lines of communication with each other.
- Define individual responsibilities.
- Announce and launch the change.
- Adhere to timetables.
- Promote the anticipated benefits of the change.
Review the Direction
Once the change has been implemented in the organization, you should monitor the outcomes of the new structure and system. As team members in a changing work environment, you can't assume that the change will evolve exactly as planned or that every individual affected by the change will react as anticipated. Your role is to observe review checkpoints that will reveal whether the change is working as anticipated and is producing the desired results.
- Establish ways of measuring results.
- Communicate criteria for successful change outcomes.
- Coordinate the gathering and measuring of change effects.
- Inform key team members consistently during the review process.
Adopt
When you have reviewed the change implementation and found it to be succeeding as planned, the organization adopts the change and it becomes part of the new organizational norm. The review process is not terminated, but it transitions to the ongoing monitoring of the changed systems and relationships within the organization.
- How well is the change meeting planned outcomes?
- How well have I adjusted to the new status quo?
- What aspects of the change have not met expectations?
- What is my role in making those aspects more successful?
Adjust
If the review process concluded that the change is not working as planned, you should adjust the change implementation. Assuming that the organization executed the change analysis and plan accurately, you should be able to adjust the implementation of the organizational change to achieve your desired results.
- Determine where the outcomes are falling short of your plan.
- Engage key individuals in determining adjustments that need to be made.
- Keep the lines of communication open with everyone involved.
- Make adjustments to the review process and to the change implementation.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Improving Workflow and Processes in the Workplace
Fact Finding
Often a major challenge in determining if and how to make improvements is to conduct effective fact-finding. In some cases, this could take weeks or even months of painstaking research. Especially under today's market pressure, organizations often take less time than they should to get accurate, reliable information. People often cloud facts with opinions or feelings, which makes it more likely they focus on people issues instead of process issues. There are some steps, however, you can take to ensure successful fact finding.
Often a major challenge in determining if and how to make improvements is to conduct effective fact-finding. In some cases, this could take weeks or even months of painstaking research. Especially under today's market pressure, organizations often take less time than they should to get accurate, reliable information. People often cloud facts with opinions or feelings, which makes it more likely they focus on people issues instead of process issues. There are some steps, however, you can take to ensure successful fact finding.
Get all the facts: "All" is a short word, but it carries a lot of weight. To get all the facts, you need to directly observe. You need to go to an actual place, meet with the actual people, and watch the actual processes. Differentiate facts from opinions. Acknowledge people's opinions, frustrations, and feelings, and then ask how they can substantiate their positions. Review other sources of information like reports, test results, productivity data, etc.
Analyze the facts: Check for accuracy. Does information from different sources seem to be contradictory? Determine if there is information you still need. It's easier to see mistakes in something present than to identify information that is missing. Take a deeper look to determine what the facts mean. Try to identify root causes of problems. Review all the facts with key people, inside and outside the system. Based on the analysis, create a problem statement that clearly identifies the improvement to be made.
Come to a decision: Identify the key people who will need to be responsible, informed, consulted, or otherwise engaged in making changes. These people should probably be involved in gathering and analyzing facts as well. Get a consensus on specific decisions and action steps. People support a world they help create, so consult your team on assigning responsibilities and get your team to agree on when the steps will be completed.
Once a decision is reached, act! Get into action. It's all too common to become overwhelmed with the next crisis or next assignment and quickly lose focus on implementing new ideas. Don't lose the momentum. If people have invested time and energy in this initiative, reward them by making it happen quickly.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Coaching Process
Coaching is a major responsibility for every manager, and for many people, it can be a major challenge. Managers need to be able to maintain performance standards, be certain people are following policies and procedures, and hit individual and team targets through other people.
Step One: Identify the Opportunity
There are five ways to identify opportunities.
- You identify an opportunity for another person.
- An individual identifies an opportunity for themselves.
- A customer, vendor, or other outsider identifies an opportunity.
- You identify new skills needed within your team.
- A situation creates an opportunity.
These different opportunities may arise due to a new need or out of taking on a new job or project that requires a new skill, or they may come out of a performance review or be identified after a mistake occurs.
Multiple opportunities arise for people on your team, and it is your job as a manager to prioritize those needs to keep others on your team from getting overwhelmed by the possibilities.
Jot down some opportunities that you see for yourself or for others in your workplace. Are you the right person to point out these needs? What is the best way to do so?
Step Two: Picture the Desired Outcome
Once the opportunity is identified, it is important to take the time and pinpoint what the situation will look like when the gap is filled. This is the step that many people skip or don't develop fully, which can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and frustration for everyone.
One of the most important concepts in coaching is having a vision or end goal in mind. Without that, people often lose sight of the importance of making the needed changes. How we create this picture of what is possible is the central component of this step in the coaching process.
People with a clear vision of the end result of coaching tend to move in that direction more quickly than those without. It is crucial that both the coach and the trainee own the goal. Without that sense of ownership, coach or trainee may lose motivation. We focus on motivation and buy-in even more in the next step of the process, but this is where direction and motivation really begin.
Step Three: Establish the Right Attitudes
How well you really know your team may determine how quickly you know if you have the right trainee for the job and are able to gauge their motivation. This step is a critical part of the process of effective coaching. Without it, you spend a great deal of your time just overcoming resistance.
You often hear that people resist change. It isn't true. People resist being changed when they:
- Don't see the need
- Don't want to do it
- Believe that the change is not possible for them
In this step, you should focus on some of the skills required to cut resistance and move through the coaching process with less friction. These skills are:
- Leadership
- Communication
- Building trust
- Getting commitment vs. compliance
Step Four: Provide the Resources
In order for a coaching process to be successful, it is important the appropriate resources available. This includes time and, most importantly, a personal commitment to succeed from everyone. Other resources may include money, equipment, training, information, and upper level buy-in and support.
Ensure that the appropriate resources are in place and available. Nothing is as frustrating as being promised something and then not getting it. It can make everyone feel like they have been set up to fail.
Step Five: Practice & Skill Development
Once the resources are in place and the correct skill set has been identified, explained, and demonstrated, it is now time for the trainee to practice and apply what has been learned. For knowledge to evolve into a skill, you must practice it and perfect the skill with the help of a coach, who can ensure that you are practicing the new skill and not the old habit.
Practice also allows the coach to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- How to encourage others to success
- How closely to monitor and when to let go
- How to hold others accountable for progress
Step Six: Reinforce Progress
Making progress is one thing, but without a way to reinforce and maintain it, people may quickly go back to their old habits. One of the biggest fallacies managers hold on to is the assumption that if people know something, they will do it. People don't do what they know; they do what they have always done.
Try to use these strategies to reinforce learned skills:
- Empowering people to get results after they have learned new skills
- Giving the right kind of feedback
- Following up
- Handling nonperformance issues
- Handling mistakes and people who get off track
Step Seven: Reward
One of the best ways to cement growth and progress is to reward it. Rewarded behavior is repeated, and what gets repeated becomes habit.
But change can be uncomfortable. That is why people often revert to their habits if reinforcement and reward are not motivating forces. Habit is stronger than knowledge. To ensure that change happens quickly and is kept in place as long as needed, celebration and reward are important.
Some of the skills you put into coaching in this step of the process are:
- Praise and recognition
- Positive feedback techniques
- Recognizing people's strengths and accomplishments
- Having the right credibility and impact in the delivery
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Building Trust Through Conflict
Ironically, you have an opportunity to take a relationship to a higher level of trust after a conflict situation. Think of a time when your car had to be returned to the dealer for repair. You may have been frustrated and annoyed by the situation. If the auto dealer handled the situation successfully, we will choose that dealer over another in the future. You trust that they will come through, even if there is an issue. In order to rise to that level of trust in conflict situations, you must be able to:
Adapt
Nothing is more irritating than being in conflict with another person who is rigidly adhering to their set of rules and unwilling to adapt to the particular situation. Be willing to look at the situation objectively and let go of resentment, bias, and inflexible thinking.
Keep the Relationship Warm
Just because you are coming from opposite viewpoints, you don’t have to treat each other coldly or rudely. That only deepens the resentment in the conflict situation. Try to continue to connect on a human level with the other person.
Listen to Values
Sometimes a conflict situation gets bogged down in petty details. If you can focus on the values of the other person and look for shared values, you can often find a way to resolve the conflict.
Act on What You Hear
If another person has an issue with you and feels strongly enough about it to express it, it is your responsibility as a professional to act on that communication. You show your good faith in trying to bring the conflict to a mutually acceptable resolution.
Follow Up
You can’t simply walk away from a conflict situation and expect that everything is resolved. People need time to cool off and process solutions. Follow up with the other person and check to see that you have moved beyond the conflict in your relationship.
Be Willing to Change Yourself
How can you expect other to change if you can’t change yourself? Someone once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results. To put the conflict behind you permanently, you have to demonstrate that you are doing your best to change.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
"Person to Person": Warren Buffett
(CBS News)
Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns or has a stake in over 70 businesses such as Coca Cola, IBM, and American Express. But this is no ordinary billionaire. He's giving 99 percent of his wealth to charity and he thinks rich people should pay higher taxes.
"Person to Person" take you to where Buffett's mega deals are done. His private office in Omaha, Neb., is as unconventional as the man himself.
Go here for the story
Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns or has a stake in over 70 businesses such as Coca Cola, IBM, and American Express. But this is no ordinary billionaire. He's giving 99 percent of his wealth to charity and he thinks rich people should pay higher taxes.
"Person to Person" take you to where Buffett's mega deals are done. His private office in Omaha, Neb., is as unconventional as the man himself.
Go here for the story
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Participating in Teams during Change
One way you can contribute to your team during change is to keep your attitudes positive and focused. These principles give you direction in keeping your attitude centered on team success.
Support each other
During periods of change, you sometimes feel like you are on a tightrope without a net. Even though other members of the team may be experiencing the same change, you tend to feel isolated and alone during organizational change. Make a commitment to express support to everyone else on the team, and let them know that the whole team is in this effort together. If you give unconditional support to your fellow team members, you will receive support in return.
During periods of change, you sometimes feel like you are on a tightrope without a net. Even though other members of the team may be experiencing the same change, you tend to feel isolated and alone during organizational change. Make a commitment to express support to everyone else on the team, and let them know that the whole team is in this effort together. If you give unconditional support to your fellow team members, you will receive support in return.
Communicate expectations
The best way to break out of isolation is to communicate openly, honestly, and often. What are your expectations of each other as a team? What are your expectations of the team effort and the results that you can produce? Commit to discussing these expectations and applying the highest levels of listening to one another. In this way, all members of the team can unite in a common purpose.
The best way to break out of isolation is to communicate openly, honestly, and often. What are your expectations of each other as a team? What are your expectations of the team effort and the results that you can produce? Commit to discussing these expectations and applying the highest levels of listening to one another. In this way, all members of the team can unite in a common purpose.
Have fun
Let's face it. Sometimes you take yourself a little too seriously. Sure, you are engaged in serious, demanding team efforts during periods of organizational change, but teamwork at its highest level is fast-paced, engaging, and fun. Many of us feel that the most exciting and rewarding efforts in our work are team efforts. Let's make a commitment to make teamwork during change enjoyable and fun, rather than dreary and dull.
Let's face it. Sometimes you take yourself a little too seriously. Sure, you are engaged in serious, demanding team efforts during periods of organizational change, but teamwork at its highest level is fast-paced, engaging, and fun. Many of us feel that the most exciting and rewarding efforts in our work are team efforts. Let's make a commitment to make teamwork during change enjoyable and fun, rather than dreary and dull.
Find efficiencies
One of the advantages of working on a team is that you can capitalize on the individual strengths of your team members. You don't have to do everything or even know everything when you are on a team. Focus on utilizing individual team members' skills, experience, and abilities to achieve a high level of team efficiency and accomplishment.
One of the advantages of working on a team is that you can capitalize on the individual strengths of your team members. You don't have to do everything or even know everything when you are on a team. Focus on utilizing individual team members' skills, experience, and abilities to achieve a high level of team efficiency and accomplishment.
Build competitive team spirit
You can take tremendous pride in being a member of high-achieving teams. As you set and achieve goals, why not compete with each other and push each other and the team to an ever-higher level of performance? When you tap into your competitive spirit, you unite as a team and reach higher levels of success.
You can take tremendous pride in being a member of high-achieving teams. As you set and achieve goals, why not compete with each other and push each other and the team to an ever-higher level of performance? When you tap into your competitive spirit, you unite as a team and reach higher levels of success.
Think big
Maybe the changes that you are undergoing as a team will be the best thing that ever happened to each of you. Maybe you will come through the change so successfully that you will achieve team recognition. Instead of viewing yourselves as merely surviving the change, think big and imagine the organizational change as a springboard to greater individual and team success.
Maybe the changes that you are undergoing as a team will be the best thing that ever happened to each of you. Maybe you will come through the change so successfully that you will achieve team recognition. Instead of viewing yourselves as merely surviving the change, think big and imagine the organizational change as a springboard to greater individual and team success.
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