“I firmly believe that if your environment works for you and your family, it translates into a better life.” — Candice Olson

I once had a friend whose mother had advised her to only date a man if her life with him would be better than the life she would have without him. I was a little taken aback those many years ago that her mother would even suggest that it was someone else’s responsibility to make her life better. I have since changed my view a little bit. I do believe that there are people who hold certain positions whose responsibility it becomes to make peoples’ lives better. Leadership is one of those positions. So, as a leader, are your employees’ lives better because of you than they would be if you weren’t their leader?

Do they have your support?

When employees do not have the support of their leader it always feels like they are fighting an uphill battle. This battle never ends and it is exhausting. Exhaustion diminishes employees’ quality of life rather than enhancing it. Give them the support they need so the constant battle comes to an end.

Do they feel safe?

Everyone has the basic need to feel safe. As a leader, it is your responsibility to provide a consistent environment where employee know what to expect. Knowing what to expect provides a level of security. If employees work in a chaotic, inconsistent environment they can never feel at ease. Provide employees with a sense of safety so they can feel comfortable in their work environment.

Can they trust you?

Lack of trust will overshadow every other step you take, as a leader, to improve the lives of your employees. Employees need to know that you are looking out for their best interests. Leadership is never about the leader and employees will quickly start to see through your façade into your hidden agendas. Make sure your words, actions, and intentions are authentic. Be transparent so that your employees never have a reason to question your motives.

Do you have respect for their lives?

It’s easy to become so focused on reaching organizational goals that you forget that your employees have lives outside of work. Their personal lives: families, friends, hobbies, and communities are just as important to them as their work lives. If you want employees to give 100% while they are in the workplace, you must provide them with ample opportunity to give 100% to their personal lives also. Everyone needs balance, even you.

Are you dedicated to serving them?

Leadership is about service, period. Your employees are not there to serve you; you are there to serve them. You can look at this as a blessing or a curse. If you see it as a curse you are in the wrong position. As a leader, you must provide guidance and support so that employees can be successful. Their success should be your main focus.

What Type of Work Environment are You Creating?

Are you creating a work environment where employees feel supported? Is there a consistency that gives them a sense of safety and security? Are you transparent and authentic so that employees have no reason to question if they can trust you or not? Do you have respect for their personal lives and the attention they need to give to matters outside of the workplace? Are you dedicated to serving your employees? These factors contribute to you, as a leader, giving your employees a better life. Is there any greater legacy you can leave than having made a positive impact on the quality of life of every employee that has worked with you?

What will you start doing today to improve the lives of your employees?

© 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.

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” —Malcolm Forbes

I see the impact of the above Malcolm Forbes quote in almost every organization I work with. Leaders tend to put more emphasis on what employees are not than on what they are. Are you undervaluing your employees? Here are a few of the most common causes for undervaluing what your employees really have to offer.

Trust in the wrong people

One of the biggest barriers to valuing the contributions of your employees is that you are trusting the wrong people’s opinion. You need to recognize that many managers and supervisors have their own personal agendas. Often, some of your best employees are viewed as threats or competition rather than valued assets. I know that most of you are thinking that this is not an issue in your organization; I guarantee that it is.

Poor internal systems

Another obstacle to placing the value on your employees that they deserve is poor internal processes and systems. When you have a weak link in your process, the blame for failure is often misplaced on the employees working within that system. Before you devalue the contributions that your employees are making to the success of the organization, make sure you haven’t built failure into your processes.

Lack of information

Access to information is another factor that has a huge impact on the perception of how valuable an employee is. When employees lack the pertinent information they need their deliverables are seen as deficient. I can’t tell you how many times I hear leaders tell me that their employees should be asking the questions. The problem with this thinking is that, more times than not, they don’t know what they don’t know. It is the responsibility of management to make sure employees have all of the information they need. Make sure that your employees have the information, tools, resources, and support necessary to do their jobs effectively.

Looking at the wrong things

Everyone has strengths and everyone has weakness. Would you want to be judged solely on your weaknesses? Of course not, so make sure you are not doing this to your employees. Make sure you are basing your evaluation of their value as much if not more on their strengths rather than their areas of weakness.

Disengagement

Employees do become less productive when they are not engaged in their work. This does not necessarily make them less valuable to the organization. The key is to figure out how to keep employees engaged and making meaningful contributions to the success of the organization. Disengagement is often the result of having little or no opportunity for professional growth and a lack of appreciation for the hard work employees are actually putting forth. Don’t start to undervalue your employees before you make sure you are keeping them engaged.

Keep Your Finger on the Pulse of Employee Value

You cannot base the value of an employee solely on the opinion of others; others have personal agendas. You cannot hold employees accountable for your poor processes and systems; make sure you build systems that work. You cannot expect exceptional work from employees who are not given the information and tools they need to do their jobs; remember, you can’t expect them to know what they don’t know they don’t know. Do not judge employee solely on their areas of weakness; you wouldn’t want to be judged on yours. And, don’t write off an employee’s value just because they have become disengaged; it’s your responsibility to offer an engaging work environment with ample opportunities for growth. As a leader, it is your responsibility to keep your finger on the pulse of employee value. Value is an individual property; it is not a determination that you can leave in the hands of others. Make sure you are valuing employees for what they are.

© 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.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim Rohn

As a leader, you will have your big moments. But, great leaders are made not in the big moments, but in the daily disciplines. While there are many things that demand your focus, here are three things that need your attention daily. This daily attention will help build the bridge between goals and accomplishments.

Get real

Develop the daily discipline of being a realist. You can have pie in the sky goals all you want; the fact is, they aren’t going to happen often. Great leaders understand where they are and what is currently possible. Then, and only then, can you start building up to achieving big goals; one realistic goal at a time.

It’s not about you

Not one day goes by that your leadership is about you. Develop the discipline of being the support system for your people. What do they need? Are they lacking resources, training, or engagement? Do they need support, encouragement, or maybe just a listening ear? Make sure you are in-touch with the needs of your people on a daily basis.

Small steps

It’s the small steps you take every single day that will make all the difference in the long-run. Develop the discipline to do the small, seemingly insignificant, things on a daily basis. You can only make giant strides for so long before one of two things happen. You exhaust yourself and your people, or you find yourself so far down the wrong path that it’s extremely difficult to change course.

Build the Bridge

Get realistic about where you are, where you are going, and what it is going to take to get there. Remember that your leadership is never about you. And, discipline yourself to take the small steps every day that make a big difference over time. Build the bridge between your goals and your accomplishments by developing the daily leadership disciplines that lead to success.

© 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.