Monthly Archives: November 2016
Top 3 Mistakes Most Managers Make
Guest Post by: Heather R. Younger, J.D. CCXP
Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility. Peter F. Drucker
In my role, I often meet with employee focus groups and leaders of organizations. While on one side I am privy to what employees think of their manager’s effectiveness, I also see first-hand some of the key mistakes that block managers’ ability to be their best. Below are the top five mistakes I see managers make in their role as manager.
I have to focus on getting work done.
I do live in the real world where organizations exist to make money and profits. To this extent, I understand that managers have to meet their own deadlines. They have to get work done.
Having said that, most managers focus too much of their effort on tasks and not on the people who help perform the tasks. These are the same people who can make or break the customer experience and the bottom line.
I challenge managers to schedule in a sliver of time every week to sit with each team member. Having meaningful conversations with team members will actually drive improved performance.
We believe in this so much that we created a Meaningful Conversations tip sheet for managers.Click Here if you need direction.
I see what you are doing, but don’t have time to recognize you.
This is a big one!
I don’t think I need to be academic about this concept, because we all crave more consistent recognition. It is such an important driver of employee engagement that Gallup research still lists it as one of the top reasons employees remain with or leave an organization.
If you are a manager, how often do you recognize your team members? Remember, know how your team member likes to receive recognition. Some just don’t like big parties and balloons. Many just prefer a “thank you.”
Be sure to use their name and be as specific as possible about the reason for the recognition. This way, they know what types of behaviors drive positive praise from you.
In order to have long-lasting effects, you want to recognize team members every seven days. I don’t mean you have to give them a party or even give them a ribbon. Keep it simple. If you go too long before praising them, they will forget that positive feeling and that affects performance.
How did you feel the last time your manager recognized you?
Give that same feeling to your team members often!
I need to tell you what you are doing wrong and don’t have time to care about how that sounds.
Ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it?”
Managers are in a unique position to be able to use their authority for the betterment of others, or to use it to make others feel awful for their shortcomings or mistakes.
I would caution managers from jumping too quickly to find their team members’ mistakes. If you notice that any one team member’s performance, behavior or attitude is below your standards, sit with them to find out what might be going on to cause such a change.
Let them know that you are concerned about this decline. Offer to provide clear guidance to help them get back on track. They need to know that you are not always judging them. Choose your words carefully in order to avoid creating this perception.
They need to know that you are on their side and will fight for them if they put in the hard work.
The good news?
Managers can control whether or not they make these mistakes and how often they choose to do so. While the power and authority rests on the manager to drive their team forward, the more important thing to remember is to use that power for the good of the team. I know that these mistakes can create a lot of frustration. What other mistakes do you think many managers make? Ideas on how to stop them?
Senior Consultant and Trainer
Heather is a leadership strategist and employee engagement consultant, trainer, coach and speaker with proven expertise in building Voice of the Employee cultures and acting as catalyst for employee-driven cultural & process improvements. Heather is a frequent author on LinkedIn’s Pulse platform, a blog contributor for Huffington Post and a member and Certified Customer Experience Professional with the Customer Experience Professional’s Association.
Heather truly believes that the fastest way to create employee engagement and loyalty is to transform organizational culture into an environment focused on breaking down silos, aligning around a common purpose, empowering employees to do their best work and reinvigorating leaders to take ownership in their role in creating all of it.
Leadership Growth Hacks Week 7
Get Rid of the Word ‘Should’!
“You would be much happier if you removed the word ‘should’ from your vocabulary. ‘Should’ is denial. You’re saying your expectations deserve to override reality.” —Albert Ellis
Expectations, how many ways do we let ourselves down with our expectations? Goals are one thing; they are an aspiration to achieve a future state. On the other hand, we tend to mislead ourselves with expectations. This is how things ‘should’ be. I ‘should’ have done this. I ‘shouldn’t’ have done that. ‘Should’ is irrelevant. What we have is what is. So, how can we get rid of the word ‘should’ and stop denying what is?
What is real?
When we focus on ‘should’, we risk overlooking what actually is. Things are how they are, regardless of if you think they should be or not. You did what you did, regardless of what you think you should have done. You cannot live in denial of what is real. This is the first step to getting rid of the word ‘should’. The word ‘should’ becomes even worse when you try to insert your ‘should’ into someone else’s reality.
Where are you now?
Where you expected to be is irrelevant. Where are you now? How foolish it is to waste time concentrating our energies on where we expected to be. The only way you can achieve a desired future state is to be honest with yourself about where you really are right now. The word ‘should’ becomes a heavy weight when you try to tell others where they ‘should’ be.
What do you want?
Not what do you want in an expectation way, what do you want in a way that allows you to set actual goals. Goals are actionable, expectations are not. What do you want that you are willing to put in the work for? What can you do so that in the future you won’t find yourself under the dark cloud of ‘should’? Don’t push your wants on others; no one ‘should’ want what you think they should want.
What is the next step?
Now that you acknowledge what is real; where you in fact are; and what you are actually willing to put in the work to achieve, what is the next step? Again, goals are actionable; what action will you take? What is your plan to get yourself from your current state to your desired future state? Start on that journey, one step at a time. Your next step is personal, don’t try to ‘should’ it on others.
Remove the Word ‘Should’ from Your Vocabulary
Is it possible to go through life without regrets? Probably not but, you can sure distance yourself from regret by removing the word ‘should’ from your vocabulary. Get clear on what is real. Focus on where are you now. Define what you want. And, then plan out your next step. Stop deceiving yourself with ‘should’.
© 2016 Elizabeth Stincelli
Liz Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the Founder of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations change attitudes, change communication dynamics, improve collaboration and problem-solving, engage employees, and strengthen organizational culture. Liz holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.
Learn more about Liz by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.
Leadership Growth Hacks Week 6
If You’re a Leader, Everyone is Watching
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” —Robert Fulghum
Everyone is Watching
Robert Fulghum’s above quote is applicable not only to children, but to employees, colleagues, and competitors. If you are a leader, everyone is watching you. They want to see how you behave, who you are, and what you value.
How you behave
They are watching to see how you behave. Are your actions aligned with your words? Do they know what to expect from you? People want to follow those whose behavior is consistent. If you’re a loose cannon, you will make people nervous. Nervousness never equates to trust and without trust you cannot lead effectively.
Who you are
They are watching to see who you are. Are you the same person out on the floor as you are behind closed doors? Are you the same person in the office as you are in your personal life? People want to follow those who are authentic. If you are a different person to their face than you are behind their back, they will not trust you and they will not follow.
What you value
They are watching to determine what you value. Do your values line up with those you preach to your employees? Are your values the same as theirs? People want to follow those whose values they can respect. If you preach one thing and live another, they will not respect you and you will lose the credibility and trust needed to lead.
Why it Matters
You may not realize it, but what they see matters. What they see will either inspire them to follow you or cause them to turn away from your leadership. As a leader, you set the example; you show them you are either friend or foe; and what they see impacts your ability to influence.
You set the example
As a leader, you set the example. It is not ‘do as I say’, but ‘do as I do’. They are looking to you to set the standard for behavior by your actions. If you are authentic, trustworthy, and supportive, they will also be authentic, trustworthy, and supportive of you and others.
It determines friend or foe
What you say, who you are, and what you value signals to others that you are either friend or foe. If you are a foe, they will be on the defense at all times. They will not trust or follow you. If you are friend, they will give 110% to helping achieve your loftiest goals.
It impacts your influence
What they see impacts your ability to influence and you cannot lead without influence. If your behavior inspires trust, you will have influence. If you are authentic, they will develop the trust in you that you need to influence. If they share your values, they will respect you and you will gain influence. Of course, the opposite is also true, your behavior, lack of authenticity, and less desirable values will have a negative impact on your influence and your leadership.
How will you behave now that you know everyone is watching?
© 2016 Elizabeth Stincelli
Liz Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the Founder of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations change attitudes, change communication dynamics, improve collaboration and problem-solving, engage employees, and strengthen organizational culture. Liz holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.
Learn more about Liz by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.
Leadership Growth Hacks
Expand Your Circle of Control
“Focus on what you can control and your circle of control expands.” —Brent Tippets (Principal, VCBO Architecture)
How often do you sit and stew about your current circumstances, frustrated with your lack of progress? I was recently in this situation when I was given the above piece of advice from Brent Tippets. These wise words helped me to change my perspective, and as a result, my approach to my work and my goals. So, how do you expand your circle of control?
What can you control?
As Brent stated in the above quote, you must first start by focusing on the things that are currently in your control. Are you paying attention to the details that ensure you are providing quality deliverables? It is easy to become so complacent with our daily tasks that we start operating on autopilot. Take yourself off autopilot and pay conscious attention to the things you can control.
Look inside yourself
Once you have a clear picture of what you can control, you must look inside yourself and ask, ‘Can I do better?’ Are you focusing your energy in the right places? Are you getting the desired results? Once you answer these questions, you must determine what you can do better that is currently in your control. Take the accountability and initiative to evaluate and improve your own performance in the things you can control.
Care authentically
The final piece of the puzzle is to care authentically about the tasks that are in your control. Why do you do what you do? How does it fit into the big picture? How is what you are doing now contributing to getting you where you want to go? It’s great to have big aspirations; one of most effective ways to get from here to there is to perform the things you can control not because you are paid, not because you fear discipline, but because you truly care about your work and the contributions you are making.
Expand Your Circle
If you want to expand your circle of control, it’s time to change your approach to your work and your goals. When you focus your energy on the things you can control; when you look inside yourself and strive to do better; and when you care authentically about the contributions you are making, your circle of control will expand. You gain pride and confidence in your work; others develop trust and appreciation for your contribution. This combination of confidence and trust will be the vehicle that takes you from where you are now to where you want to go.
What will you do today to change your focus and impact your circle of control?
© 2016 Elizabeth Stincelli
Liz Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the Founder of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations change attitudes, change communication dynamics, improve collaboration and problem-solving, engage employees, and strengthen organizational culture. Liz holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.
Learn more about Liz by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.