Monthly Archives: April 2017

Engage Now, Leadership

When Things Don’t Go as Planned

“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower

Even the best laid plans go sideways once in a while. In fact, you can almost always count on something not going according to plan. This is why Dwight D. Eisenhower’s above quote is so meaningful; you can’t count on the plan, but planning is everything. Here’s why:

Preparedness

Planning allows you to be prepared. If you know where you are, and you know where you want to end up, then you can start looking at the options for getting there. There is almost always more than one way to achieve a goal. The thought and research that goes into planning helps you to understand the multiple options available to you.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the key to responding instead of reacting when things don’t go according to plan. If you become dead-set on following your plan; step by step; from beginning to end, you will lack the flexibility necessary to adapt the plan to new or unforeseen circumstances. It is this flexibility that allows you to continue moving forward toward your goal even when your plan falls short.

Team strength

Planning gives you the opportunity to assess the strength of each of your team members. Knowing their strengths in advance gives you an advantage when things start going sideways. Who will be your best pinch-hitter in different situations when things don’t go according to plan? Don’t leave yourself scrambling at the last minute trying to figure out what to do; know who to turn to when the going gets tough.

Roll with the Punches

The key is to plan, but also plan for your plan to break-down along the way. Be prepared, build flexibility into your plan, and know your team member’s strengths. When things don’t go as planned, fall back on your planning and roll with the punches.

 

 

© 2017 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.

 

Engage Now, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation

Motivation vs. Inspiration

4 Comments

“Excellence endures and sustains. It goes beyond motivation into the realms of inspiration.” —Azim Premji

Webster’s definition of motivation is the process of motivating through force, stimulus, or influence. Inspiration is defined as the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions. The words motivate and inspire are often used interchangeably but, they have very different meanings. So, do you want to motivate your employees or so you want to inspire them?

       The external

I think of motivation as an external force. Picture the carrot or the whip in getting the behavior you want. When you motivate employees, you get them to perform purely to receive a reward or to avoid punishment.

              The internal

I think of inspiration as an internal force. Picture excitement, pride, and being part of something bigger that influences behavior. When you inspire your employees they perform because they are internally driven to make a meaningful contribution.

Why it Matters

Motivation can provide a great incentive for achieving short-term results. But, for the long-haul, do you want employees going through the motions purely to receive a reward or to avoid punishment? Or, would you like employees who are loyal to you, dedicated to doing a good job because they are proud of their contributions, and inspired to be part of something great? The fact is, both motivation and inspiration play an important role in leadership. Motivate employees to achieve short-term goals; inspire employees to reach far beyond your vision.

So, what are you going to do?

 

© 2017 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.

 

Engage Now, Leadership

Why are Some Employees Underachieving?

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” —Mario Andretti

When looking at employee achievement it’s easy to assume that some people have it and some people just don’t. But, what if that weren’t true? What if you, as a leader, had the ability to turn every employee into an achiever? You really need to ask yourself, “Why are some employees underachieving?”

Right position

The first question to ask yourself is, “Do I have the right person in the right position?” The best employee can underachieve when placed in a position that is not a good fit for their strengths. This quickly spirals into the employee losing confidence in their own abilities and management underestimating what this employee is truly capable of.

Desire

Another thing to look at is desire. We all want to do something that gives us a sense of accomplishment, something worth waking up for in the morning. When an employee feels that their contribution makes a real difference they have the desire to keep adding value. If they feel like they are going through meaningless motions just to earn a paycheck, they quickly lose the desire to put forth their best efforts.

Commitment

How committed are your employees? Well, one good gauge of their commitment to the organization is how committed you, as a leader are to them. Commitment is a two-way street; just because you pay an employee to perform a task does not buy you their commitment. Do they feel secure in their job? Do they feel appreciated? When employees do not feel that you are committed to them, they quickly lose any aspiration to be fully invested in their jobs or the organization.

Encouragement

Even the most unskilled employee might surprise you if you offer them encouragement. We all struggle sometimes. It might be lack of training or experience; it might be low self-confidence; it might be struggles in our personal life that cause us to lose focus, but a little encouragement from a trusted and respected leader can help turn a poor performer into an outstanding performer.

Support

Any employee can slip backward into becoming an underachiever if they do not have the support they need. No one can succeed when left all on their own; we need a team, a support structure. And, as the leader, you are the foundation of that support structure. Knowing that someone has your back, that someone is cheering you on goes a long way in turning underachievers into achievers.

Your Role

Underachievement is often not an employee problem, but a leadership problem. As a leader, it is your responsibility is to ensure you have the right people in the right positions. You must give them meaningful work that inspires the desire to contribute even more. You must be committed to them so they will be committed to you. You must offer encouragement. And, they must know they have your support. What if you could turn every employee into an achiever?

 

© 2017 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

A Rebel Loyalist as a Leader-Guest Post by Bill Treasurer

In most organizations, the moment you become responsible for leading others, you cross over into the management ranks.

As a member of the executive body, you’re expected to be even more loyal to the company’s values, strategic agenda, and written and unwritten rules. Loyalty is a good thing. By giving it, you gain trust. But the loyalty you give to the company often requires suspending some of your own wants and preferences. Even your own values may have to be compromised, at least to some degree.

Loyalty is something you give—and in exchange for giving your loyalty to the organization, and by extension sublimating your loyalty to self, you get to be more involved in shaping decisions. All of this is to say, loyalty is connected to humility because it requires surrendering some of yourself to the agenda of the executive body.

Balanced against the need to be loyal is the need to be independent-minded. As a leader, you’re expected to assert bold ideas, imaginatively solve problems, and be decisive. At least in healthy organizations, you’re also expected to push back against directives that are unethical, or off-mission, or disconnected from the organization’s values. Being a rebel leader means acting in the organization’s best interest when others aren’t doing so.

Being a Rebel Loyalist means having enough confidence to act with independence, and enough humility to put the interests of the organization above your own.

Here are some tips to help you become a Rebel Loyalist:

    • Be loyal to the rebel founder—If you go back far enough in your organization’s history, you’ll likely find someone who bucked convention, went against the tide, and did something disruptive in the marketplace. Know that rebel’s story. What rules did he or she break? What did he or she have to sacrifice in order to create the organization? How did loyalty factor into his or her success?
    • Check your beliefs—Which beliefs have you adopted without scrutiny? How were those beliefs shaped, and who or what shaped them? Having independence of thought requires codifying your own beliefs. Answer this key question: What do you truly believe about what it takes to lead people?
    • Determine whom you are with, and who is with you—Just as critical as the ancient question “Who am I?” is the question “Whom am I with?” Who at work stands with you when situations go south? Whom can you be yourself around, without fear of being judged? Who always has your back? Stick with those people. Find more like them. Build a posse worthy of your loyalty.
  • Get clear on the rules and the exceptions— Check to see if your organization has a code of ethics. If so, scrutinize them from the inside out. Understand why each individual code was included. Learn what extenuating circumstances or exceptions would fall outside the code.

 

Applying these tips into your leadership practice will help you find the balance as a Rebel Loyalist.

“If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect.” — Ted Turner

 

Since 1991 Bill has conducted over 500 corporate workshops designed to strengthen people’s leadership skills, improve team performance, accelerate innovation, and help executives behave more courageously. Among his clients are Accenture, Saks Fifth Avenue, UBS Bank, SPANX, Walsh Construction, Hugo Boss, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Veteran’s Administration. Bill’s insights about courage and risk-taking have been featured in over 100 newspapers and magazines, including the Washington Post, NY Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Herald, Woman’s Day, Redbook, Fitness, and The Harvard Management Update.

His latest book, A Leadership Kick in the Ass, will be released on January 16, 2017. You can find out more about Bill at www.billtreasurer.com and http://giantleapconsulting.com/.

 

Engage Now, Leadership

What Will They Say at Your Retirement Party?

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” —Warren Buffett

A principal of the architectural firm that I work with recently retired. As I listened to his colleagues speak and watched the video interviews with employees, managers, clients, and fellow principals I started to wonder, “What will people say when I retire?” Have you ever given it any thought? Here are a few of the things that contribute to your reputation and what others will have to say at your retirement party.

What did they see?

Actions speak louder than words. Were your actions authentic? Were you willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty? Did you set a good example for others to follow? People are always watching; your behaviors have a great impact on others and their perception of you. What did they see?

What did they hear?

Were you true to your word? How did you speak of others? Were your words encouraging or were they biting? Was your communication style open and honest? Was it consistent regardless of who you were speaking with? What did they hear?

How did they feel?

Did they know you cared? Was there a sense of mutual trust and respect? Were you willing to invest your time and resources into helping them become the best they could be? How did you make them feel?

What Will They Say?

When that day finally comes and people gather together to acknowledge the contributions you have made to their work lives, what will they say? What did they see? Were your actions authentic? What did they hear? Were your words encouraging or biting? How did they feel? Did they know you cared? Your legacy lasts far longer than the years you put into any position. What will you leave behind in the hearts and minds of those you worked with?

 

 

© 2017 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.