Persistence And An Unwavering Will To Succeed!

In my home area of Peoria, IL and the surrounding communities in this metro area many folks now more than ever remember to give thanks for those very things. Why? Because November is the month two years ago when the community of Washington, IL made national news when an EF4 tornado with winds in excess of 190mph suddenly hit that town. I wrote one of my most emotional newsletters ever in November of 2013 describing that nightmare(see  www.goransonconsulting.com ; Resources/Newsletter, November 2013, for the full story).
Today, while Washington, IL will never be the same, the people in the area have bounced back – BIG TIME! While still not completely recovered, it’s certainly close. But the spirit, drive and will to hang in there and rebound from that disaster is a perfect example of what it often takes to survive and thrive in today’s world we live in now. And that will is key in both business and in life! It still amazes me how in some of our worst times, the best in the human spirit comes alive. With the support, resources and care of the townspeople in Washington plus help from many other areas and organizations, things are better. And the people here know, despite the horrific hardships, in many cases it could have been even worse. They know first hand you can recover. The people of Washington have and they are still doing so to this day. Most of all, we all have learned some valuable lessons in remembering to be grateful. And we have been reminded that we really aren’t alone, that the strength of the human spirit can overcome SO much. Most of all, it’s a constant reminder to give thanks each and every day for the blessings we do have and not just on Thanksgiving.
Washington IL after the tornado on November 17th, 2013
Washington IL rebuilding November 2015

Managing To The Individual Makes For A Great Team!

The number one, recurring message that appears again and again in all the articles, research and real world experiences I have been exposed to is this – MANAGE TO THE INDIVIDUAL EFFECTIVELY and….SUCCESS!!

 

So, “Where do I begin” is the question I am often asked. And the answer? GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM!

–         What motivates them?

–         What are their passions and interests?

–         What are their skills?

–         What is their preferred style at work?

 

Sounds simple, doesn’t it. Yet many, many managers, leaders and organizations ignore this piece of the puzzle or are simply uncomfortable exploring the more personal drivers in their people. BIG mistake. If you are going to make them feel valued, heard, engaged in the work they are there to do you have to get to know them much better. And it can be done without getting too personal or uncomfortable. Here’s a great place to start and it’s something I do all the time in workshops, pairing people up to a) break the ice and b) teach them that despite how long they may have worked with someone, they may be surprised by what they find out by doing this simple drill. Hint: open-ended questions work best. A couple of my favorites that seem to work well are “What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?”. “How did you end up here?”. “Where do you think you want to get now, at this stage of life, in your career?”.

 

 

Idea #1

And in the everyday real world, what do you do? What could you do? MEET WITH YOUR PEOPLE. Do so formally(20-30 minutes every 1-2 weeks ideally, or at the very least once a month. Put it on your calendars, officially carving out time). This gives the person a feeling of carrying more importance than just the chance “drive by’s” done at the spur of the moment. It’s sacred time, usually with the boss, with a chance to exchange information, discuss ideas or frustrations, and just chat alone. It is their time with you. This has proven invaluable to me in my business career. And I know it’s worked well for others as well that have adopted this as a regular business practice. We will expand on what to do and how to do this in an upcoming newsletter.

 

Idea #2

MBWA. Management by wandering around is the most underrated thing a manager, leader, owner of an organization can do. GET OUT OF YOUR OFFICE. Stop creating silos by staying at your desk. Or worse yet, by creating the infamous “Death by Meeting” culture so common. For those of you old enough to remember, or for those interested enough to read this that are not, remember the old school model of a small business owner, factory floor supervisor or manager, etc.? The good ones would make the rounds of their facility, at least once or twice a day, like clockwork. And if there were different shifts(there were!), they would somehow make time to get to touch those folks as well. They weren’t forgotten. ALL were valued, known by first name and treated as a valued member of the team. The result??? ENGAGED, LOYAL, PRODUCTIVE employees. HOW you do that well is important, but the mere effort and act of doing so takes care of that to a large degree. DO IT! It works when done regularly and done well.

 

Idea #3

If you do the things mentioned above, then this last step should logically flow from those acts of getting to know your team. And that step can be very simple, but also very important for all involved. Create a personal, professional development plan with each of your people, Ms. And Mr. Manager! It can be very simple but also extremely engaging for both the employee and you. It should be one to two pages maximum, with some sort of template/form/paper/electronic format which allows the employee to identify their strengths as well as what they would like to learn, get better at. Select no more than three things to work together on in the current year(this is designed to be separate from the annual review process for those that still do those), with check in points along the way for conversation, guidance, feedback, training, coaching to the goals self-selected by the employee and agreed to by you the boss. Hint – if you are holding those one-on-one meetings on a regular basis this fits nicely into some of those!! And for those that need some help in how to create this, just send me an e-mail or pick up the phone and call me. I have some templates that help in this process tremendously.

Change, Stretch and Grow!

Spring has begun and once again CHANGE is occurring, whether we like it or not. And I am sure after the Winter just endured by most….that change is welcomed! Now, wouldn’t it be nice if we held that attitude more often? After all, change is inevitable. We can fight it or embrace it. I have been speaking to and about change so much this past six months, I decided to rerun a past article, with a few tweaks or…changes, lol. It seems like the perfect time to revisit this topic!

Change can seem scary and if we think about it long enough and rationalize it to the ultimate degree….unnecessary. Thinks are fine the way they are now. My response to that would be, “Things are and will be fine for how long?”. Without change there can be very little growth either personally or professionally. Can it happen? Yes. But at a very small, measured pace and purely by circumstances thrown your way. Let’s examine further.

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Change
1. It’s safe.
2. It’s familiar just where I am NOW.
3. It doesn’t stress me out.
4. I know how to “do it”.
5. I am good at it.
6. No extra effort is needed; just put it on auto-pilot.
7. It doesn’t require a lot of thought on my part.
8. I haven’t had any complaints!
9. We’ve been doing good just the way we are now.
10. AND….If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!

Change, Stretch and Grow!

Be honest and ask yourself if any of this ever rings true for you. It certainly has for me throughout my working career and throughout my life as well. Some of us are more open to change than others. That’s just the way we are hard-wired. And some of us like TOO much change. Change just for the sake of change or simply from shear boredom can be even more destructive than no change at all.

It’s a well-known and obvious fact that the speed of change today is at an all-time high for pace and frequency of change. Accept it. It is NOT going away or going to slow down. And while it can be stressful to be caught up in that, much good can come from shifting our viewpoint and trying to become a more active participant in change, both at work and personally. After all, if we don’t we are simply going to be left behind. And when in the business world, if we don’t frequently review, plan and alter our businesses one of our competitors will or has already done so.

I am constantly reminded when I venture out into new territory how much change can be a good thing for us. Exhausting at times. Daunting? No doubt. Scary….you bet! But once we make it through to the other side and look back at where we were and where we are now after having gone through that change process, it feels GREAT! And that process has undoubtedly made us stretch outside our comfort zone, tested our self-imposed limits and helped us grow.

Bear with me as I share a small, short story that prompted me to write this article. It came to light while on a vacation a few years ago in the mountains of Colorado, prior to my move back here. On my second day in Breckenridge I decided to check out a new area for a “little day hike”. On the web site, it appeared to be a reasonable 7-mile hike round trip with great scenery, a well-defined path and probably very few people to encounter. Perfect for me! While I had checked it out on a web site for that area in Summit County, I had NOT printed out the maps or directions. It seemed simple enough. Sooooo…off I went on a supposed recreational hike and then back for a late lunch in the town of Frisco. Well….not exactly!

At the 3 to 3.5 mile mark after some steeper and rockier than expected terrain along a gorgeous river valley I came to the infamous fork in the road. To my recollection, it was just about 1.5 miles more and I would reach the end of the hike I had planned. Just turn right, follow the Gore Range Trail and in about another hour, voila. Then head back down a happy guy. Almost immediately the trail became MUCH steeper, narrower and as time went by a little treacherous in spots. Up and up I went, reading the instructions I had handwritten before heading out. Finally, after one more meadow with more and more altitude gain and a trail that never ends, I stubbornly had to admit it was time to give up. I must be lost. I was!! So, back down I went hoping to be at the bottom in an hour or so. Of course, I ran out of water and food and didn’t have my watch, was in “No Service” on my smart phone, etc. etc. Exhausted, I made my way back finally encountering one local on his way up. When chatting briefly and asking for the time I realized he was the first human being I had seen in well over four hours. Yikes! Six and a half hours from the time I started, I made it back to the parking lot. And right there was a U.S Forestry map and trail write up in black and white on the sign board heading through the gate. I had just gone approximately 12-14 miles round trip, with a supposed altitude gain of probably 2500+ feet and was heading for the base of a 13,300′ peak out in a wilderness area designated for 3 to 4-day backpack trips. No wonder I was wiped out! BUT…I learned a lot in the process.

I learned once again that my own limits and capabilities are much greater than I thought they were, both physically and mentally. I certainly had to tap into both to get through that experience with nothing more than a big blister on my foot. I was reminded that all of us are capable of more if a challenge is put in front of us, expected or not. It served as a great reminder that even the best laid plans sometimes go off track and we need to be flexible, sometimes steely in our determination, slow down and think a new plan or path through rationally and unemotionally to get on the correct path and reach our ultimate goal. And that we are capable of SO much more than we think we are actually. Once through it, I felt more empowered, like I had really accomplished something I really had no idea I could or would. And it made me immediately start to think of other ways to feel that same thing and that same flush of success in the process, both professionally and personally. I hope you decide to stretch your limits and grow, too. Color outside the lines. Take some chances. But have an outcome in mind. In other words, don’t be afraid to CHANGE, STRETCH and GROW in the process.

It’s worth it!

Dave G

Change Can Be Scary

Change can scare a lot of people, but in today’s workplace – managing change is what keeps people relevant. Being held accountable for managing change and making things better in your work is the new normal. Knowing how to innovate and manage change will soon become a requirement in one’s job description and performance review. Being responsible to generate results is one thing; knowing how to make the results more sustainable, profitable and multifaceted is another. The new workplace requires everyone to lead and/or coordinate change in some shape or form – but very few have been formally trained to assure that it is effectively implemented. This is the opportunity that everyone must learn to embrace!

 

For most, they would rather hide from change, rather than embrace it. They view change as something that will impair them rather than enable unseen opportunities. What most people fail to realize is that change is one of the most powerful professional development toolsavailable to them. Selling change impacts the entire organization, its people, brands, the entire supply chain, processes and procedures. If your organization is undergoing any type of change management or business transformation process – embrace it. Learn from the journey. Change makes you stronger and any adversity that goes with it makes you wiser.

 

Without strategy, change is merely substitution not evolution

Effectively selling change demands a strategy embracing the following five essential components that serve as the foundation for successful change management and change leadership.

 

1) Awareness

You must be aware enough of the business landscape to recognize that a need for change exists. This requires you to anticipate the unexpected and take proactive steps to provide solutions for a changing terrain, magnifying your vision from being traditionally “linear” to what’s known as “circular vision.” For example, Estee Lauder had circular vision and created a family dynasty in the cosmetics industry. She anticipated the unexpected and took action to address the changing needs of women who were demanding to sample cosmetic products before buying them. As a result, she pioneered two marketing techniques that are still popular today: the free gift and the gift with purchase.

 

Apple, a company that had originally been known for its computer products, also had a keen sense of awareness in selling change. Remember the Sony Walkman? Apple made it virtually extinct when they introduced the iPod. So who is the next iPod in your field or interest or industry that has the awareness (circular vision) to anticipate the unexpected?

 

2) Timing

Selling change requires impeccable timing. This means having the ability to seamlessly sell change while minimizing disruption. It requires you to not only be aware of when to make your pitch – but more importantly how to sell change knowing that regardless of what type of opportunity or innovative idea you are selling – it will create a counter-effect of resistance.

 

Timing is the single most important component to gaining initial “buy-in” to the change that you are selling. The right timing can build the required momentum to get your colleagues, senior management and the boardroom excited about your idea(s). You must possess extreme patience with the right amount of knowledge to determine your timing. This is difficult because you are so passionate about selling change that you believe would benefit the organization that you serve. Be equally mindful that if your timing is wrong (though well intentioned), the momentum you may have built may instantly be lost.

 

3) Competency and Know-how

Once you have become aware of the need for change and your timing was on-point, your ability to sell change now requires you to showcase your competencies and capabilities to most effectively generate the outcomes you are projecting. Don’t sell an unattainable forecast – sell an ability to sustain long-term bottom line impact that comes from the change you are selling.

 

Don’t ever attempt to sell change if you can’t deliver upon it. Remember that even if you are not successful in delivering the outcomes, the manner in which you are selling change is being critically evaluated. Regardless of the change you are selling, manage the opportunity as if it were your last.

 

Your competency and know-how will be evaluated as if you were selling a new venture to a group of investors. As such, you must be able to manage the outcomes you are selling by being politically savvy(regardless of hierarchy or rank) and you must be able to easily articulate (in a manner that everyone can understand) how you will be able to connect the dots of opportunity that were previously unseen or unrecognizable.

 

4) Desire

Having the required tenacity, endurance and passion to sell change all the way through to the end is never easy and could be the ultimate breaking point to your successful change management and change leadership efforts. Selling change requires a level of desire that makes it mandatory for you to get your hands dirty throughout the selling cycle. This means that you need to be ready to face uncertainty head-on and welcome the fiercest battles from the doubters who want you to fail.

 

Desire is not just being willing and able to tackle any tension points through the journey of selling change – but more so an ability to accept the fact that you must continue to touch the process of selling the new opportunity as much as you lead it. Touching the process requires you to stay involved, even in menial tasks that you would rather delegate. This also requires having the desire to “play the game like you are winning it” – even when it feels like you are losing.

Selling change is difficult and it takes a special level of desire in order to translate something that may be difficult for others to see into something that is concrete enough for people to believe in and begin to hold onto. When others observe your genuine desire to breakthrough what seemed impossible, they will begin to support you as a sign of respect and gratitude. This also helps in building momentum.

 

5) Mental toughness

To withstand the obstacles and resistance by those affected by the change you are selling demands mental toughness. In many respects, mental toughness is a first-cousin to desire. They feed off of each other during the “change selling cycle.” For example, you may have the will and desire to sell change – but you may not be mentally tough enough to finish each task at hand.

 

Mental toughness is imperative when selling change because you are almost always dealing with some form of crisis along the way. Mental toughness allows you to “separate issues” and compartmentalize them in a strategic fashion that strengthens your desire (rather than weakens your spirits). In other words, it allows you to become more mindful of how to best manage the consequences of the change that you are selling.

 

Adversity makes or breaks you, but it primarily reveals you.

This is exactly what you experience when you sell change. It helps strengthen you and builds your character. Embrace change and it will make you a more credible, reliable and enduring leader.

 

Clearly, Glenn touches on the most important part of any successful attempt at implementing change, selling it and leading it. Without that, very little is going to happen.

The Five Fundamentals of Golf AND Life

My father was adamant that a minister in our hometown, Jim Epperson, conduct his memorial service just as he had my late mother’s and scores of others. Part of that process was the meeting to ask questions and find out more about the departed and gather information for the service. In a very short amount of time, Jim indicated he “had an idea”. He wanted to talk about B.I.’s life and his legacy by discussing the principles of something Dad loved dearly, the game of golf.  And then weave those into the bigger message of how to live your life. With so little time, no notes being taken and a sketchy idea of how that would work I was skeptical to say the least. But I knew how much everyone trusted Jim so I went with it. I am SO glad I did. Jim nailed it and even gave me some hand-written notes and highlights afterwards in order to use the message as a basis for this newsletter. With his blessing, here ya go.

Fundamental #1 – Your Stance

The first key that sets up everything else is the stance. The correct stance is the building block for everything to come after that. Get that right and you have a much greater chance for success from there.

What do you stand for? Is it clear and is it “the right stuff”? You know the old saying, stand for something or stand for nothing. And HOW you stand is a key part of that.

Fundamental #2 – Your Alignment

Alignment is another important key to golf and to life, without a doubt. Where are you aimed? What are you aligned with or to? If your building block, the stance, sets you up for a successful swing in golf and through life, you need to be aimed in the right direction! It only makes sense that these two things, stance and alignment, would almost have to go hand in hand would it not. What’s the path you want to follow and where do you want to get?

Fundamental #3 – The Grip

There are many types of grips, or how we lay our hands on the club, for you non-golfers. But one common theme most great teachers preach, not just in golf, is to not grip TOO tightly. Too much tension, tightness, pressure can lead to bigger problems. The old analogy of “not too soft but not too hard; lay your hands on the club like you’re holding a bird” would seem to be full of great and practical applications in our personal and business lives as well. And a key piece to this message, thanks to Jim Epperson, is that with the right grip on life we have a much better chance of surviving and coming out of its innate trials and tribulations whole. It helps us to weather the storms!

Fundamental #4 – Swing

There are many, many different swings in the golf world. Exhibit A would be a pro golfer by the name of Jim Furyk. For those that have never heard of him and want to see a “different” way to get the job done, Google him and I’m quite sure there will be some sort of video there to show you first hand. But it works for Jim and has for years. He’s very successful in his career. My Dad had a somewhat unique swing as well, but he stuck to his principles, repeated it over and over again and made it work for him quite well. And Dad did much the same in how he lived his life. The key that Jim Epperson spoke about was this, SWING. You have to take a swing to hit the ball. Take YOUR swing, no matter how it might look to others. And if you miss or hit it off line, keep swinging. You can’t “hit the ball” without taking a swing!!

Fundamental #5 – Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Last but not least, keep your eye(s) on the ball, in golf and in life. If you don’t keep your eyes open and focused on your objective you won’t be able to succeed. While seemingly so simple, it’s often the hardest thing to master, in golf and in life, for most of us. So, quite simply, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL.

Adapting To Change Pays BIG Benefits

Welcome to the world we live in today, one of seemingly constant change. A recent study ranked “resistance to change” as number 4 in a list of the most common career-limiting habits. One key thing to remember is that change is a combination of chaos and opportunity. Those who are resistant are only looking at one side of the equation and in turn creating massive amounts of stress for themselves. They’re forgetting about the opportunity and focusing only on the chaos. And who can blame them?

 

We all know that change is the only constant in life and nowhere is that more true than in the workplace. Technology alone forces us to be adaptable and learn new things on nearly a daily basis. The business world is always evolving in big ways and small (think: mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, etc.).

 

Change is absolutely unavoidable so, as the trekkies say, resistance is futile. Successful professionals have to be willing to embrace change, even when the outcome is still unknown. And the same holds true for change and the impact on us personally as well. IT IS UNAVOIDABLE. Accept that fact.

 

 

How can you handle change positively? Here are some tips, courtesy of a blogger and self-described work-life balance examiner, Fran Bozarth.

1. Remember that change is a natural part of our existence – it happens whether you accept it or not. This is not something you have control over, so let it go. Put your energy into being resilient and coming through the change creatively.

2. See this as an opportunity. Think about it – change may be uncomfortable, but on the other hand, it also changes the parameters in which we operate. You have been given an opportunity for growth!

3. Know that it’s entirely normal to be resistant to change. The stages of grief are also important emotional stages when facing any kind of change. (Denial, Resistance,Exploration, Acceptance/Commitment)

4. Pay attention to your attitude. Fighting some changes is like beating your head against a brick wall. Don’t waste your energy on it! Find ways to channel your energy in a positive direction. This will increase your sense of empowerment, and help you feel more resilient in the face of such change.

5. Most importantly, form a support network. This might be people who are also undergoing the change, or might have to be people who are NOT experiencing the change you are undergoing. The call is yours.

Remember, you may not have control over the changes that come at you, but you DO have control over your responses. That, in itself, is pretty empowering.

 

In the coming months we will be exploring in greater depth how to master and take control of change and how that can impact our work lives and personal lives positively. It’s all about results!

Who Says I Can’t?!

Spring is officially here, folks. At least according to the calendar. Yea!! If you are reading this you have survived Winter(at least so far). And this time of year, soon sun, flowers, green grass, etc. will be bursting forth. Great time to dust off the cobwebs and refocus on all the good things that lie ahead. And…get back to basics on what affects everything. That would be our attitude, focus, outlook, persistence and belief in ourselves.

A perfect example of these would be an old “little hero” of mine mentioned in a previous newsletter and easy to find on the internet. That would be the little wrestler named Isaiah Bird. Love this guy! Now, I have a new hero….Rob Mendez.

Please, watch the WHOLE thing. Interesting, inspiring and real!

 WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!

Okay, I hope you enjoyed the video and the message(s). There was a lot there if you chose to hear them. But for me, key takeaways(other than Rob himself) were as follows:

– Believe in YOURSELF
– Believe in what you’re doing
– Believe in your teammates
– Do NOT judge a book by it’s cover
– We are a family no matter what; show some love to each other
– No obstacle is too big
– When you’re chance comes, be ready

Thanks for reading and watching this month. I hope you got something out of this. And to quote Rob, “It’s go time”! Who says I can’t….NOBODY!

Stretch, change and GROW

Change can seem scary and if we think about it long enough and rationalize it to the ultimate degree….unnecessary. Thinks are fine the way they are now. My response to that would be, “Things are and will be fine for how long?”. Without change there can be very little growth either personally or professionally. Can it happen? Yes. But at a very small, measured pace and purely by circumstances thrown your way. Let’s examine further.

 

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Change

  1. It’s safe.
  2. It’s familiar just where I am NOW.
  3. It doesn’t stress me out.
  4. I know how to “do it”.
  5. I am good at it.
  6. No extra effort is needed; just put it on auto-pilot.
  7. It doesn’t require a lot of thought on my part.
  8. I haven’t had any complaints!
  9. We’ve been doing good just the way we are now.
  10. AND….If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!

Be honest and ask yourself if any of this ever rings true for you. It certainly has for me throughout my working career and throughout my life as well. Some of us are more open to change than others. That’s just the way we are hard-wired. And some of us like TOO much change. Change just for the sake of change or simply from shear boredom can be even more destructive than no change at all.

 

It’s a well-known and obvious fact that the speed of change today is at an all-time high for pace and frequency of change. Accept it. It is NOT going away or going to slow down. And while it can be stressful to be caught up in that, much good can come from shifting our viewpoint and trying to become a more active participant in change, both at work and personally. After all, if we don’t we are simply going to be left behind. And when in the business world, if we don’t frequently review, plan and alter our businesses one of our competitors will or has already done so.

 

I am constantly reminded when I venture out into new territory how much change can be a good thing for us. Exhausting at times. Daunting? No doubt. Scary….you bet! But once we make it through to the other side and look back at where we were and where we are now after having gone through that change process, it feels GREAT! And that process has undoubtedly made us stretch outside our comfort zone, tested our self-imposed limits and helped us grow.

 

Bear with me as I share a small, short story that prompted me to write this article. It came to light while on a vacation this past month in the mountains of Colorado. On my second day in Breckenridge I decided to check out a new area for a “little day hike”. On the web site, it appeared to be a reasonable 7-mile hike round trip with great scenery, a well-defined path and probably very few people to encounter. Perfect for me! While I had checked it out on a web site for that area in Summit County, I had NOT printed out the maps or directions. It seemed simple enough. Sooooo…off I went on a supposed recreational hike and then back for a late lunch in the town of Frisco. Wellllllll….not exactly.

 

At the 3 to 3.5 mile mark after some steeper and rockier than expected terrain along a gorgeous river valley I came to the infamous fork in the road. To my recollection, it was just about 1.5 miles more and I would reach the end of the hike I had planned. Just turn right, follow the Gore Range Trail and in about another hour, voila. Then head back down a happy guy. Almost immediately the trail became MUCH steeper, narrower and as time went by a little treacherous in spots. Up and up I went, reading the instructions I had handwritten before heading out. Finally, after one more meadow with more and more altitude gain and a trail that never ends, I stubbornly had to admit it was time to give up. I must be lost. I was!! So, back down I went hoping to be at the bottom in an hour or so. Of course, I ran out of water and food and didn’t have my watch, was in No Service on my smart phone, etc. etc. Exhausted, I made my way back finally encountering one local on his way up. When chatting briefly and asking for the time I realized he was the first human being I had seen in over four hours. Yikes! Five and a half hours from the time I started, I made it back to the parking lot. And right there was a U.S Forestry map and trail write up in black and white on the sign board heading through the gate. I had just gone approximately 12-14 miles round trip, with a supposed altitude gain of probably 2100-2300′ and was heading for the base of a 13,300′ peak out in a wilderness area for 3 to 4-day backpack trips. No wonder I was wiped out! BUT…I learned a lot in the process.

 

I learned once again that my own limits and capabilities are much greater than I thought they were, both physically and mentally. I certainly had to tap into both to get through that experience with nothing more than a big blister on my foot. I was reminded that all of us are capable of more if a challenge is put in front of us, expected or not. It served as a great reminder that even the best laid plans sometimes go off track and we need to be flexible, sometimes steely in our determination, slow down and think a new plan or path through rationally and unemotionally to get on the correct path and reach our ultimate goal. And that we are capable of SO much more than we think we are actually. Once through it, I felt more empowered, like I had really accomplished something I really had no idea I could or would. And it made me immediately start to think of other ways to feel that same thing and that same flush of success in the process, both professionally and personally. I hope you decide to stretch your limits and grow, too. Color outside the lines. Take some chances. But have an outcome in mind.

 

It’s worth it!

 

Thanks for reading.

Great Leaders Develop Their People

A valuable lesson I learned from a former boss way back in the mid-80’s taught me firsthand the value of this. To quote him, “It’s important to understand the numbers, to monitor them, see what’s working and what needs attention. But if all you do is manage numbers and talk about them rather than manage your people you’ll never reach the level of success possible and you’ll lose your people. Be aware of the numbers, but take care of your people. Get to know them, what they need, want and like. Without them you can’t get where you need to get so treat them as individuals in order to hit your team’s goals.” Thanks again, Ed. You were exactly right. When I have occasionally gotten off track in the past as a manager and leader I was reminded by a couple of folks I was responsible for to not forget about THEM and stop talking SO much about the numbers. And they did so very directly and clearly! It took guts but they were right. Once we got back to watching our performance on paper but working together on the actual hard and soft skills plus having more fun, we rocked!!

 

My philosophy has been and continues to be, get the right players in the right seats. Then, feed them, water them and watch them grow! Let’s explore how to enhance that growth.

 

Soooooo….how do I do this development, managing to the individual, while at the same time tracking my results, aka NUMBERS? I am SO busy now, how could I possible do more is the next question I always get asked. Let’s address those now.

 

#1 – Set up individual meetings with each of your employees.   45-60 minutes initially. And the key questions you need to answer are as follows:

  • What challenges do you face every day?
  • What is most frustrating about your role?
  • What areas of your role, or the organization, do you wish you knew more about?
  • What skills or additional training would help you work more productively or effectively

 

Next, ask them about what they would like to get out of additional training and to visualize the outcomes that they’d like to achieve. What does that look like to them? Also, find out more about their personal goals, and think about how well these goals align with the organization’s objectives. When done properly, training and development will help them in both of these areas almost every time.

 

Some additional tips to gather the necessary information to “get it right” when laying out an individual plan might be:

  • MBWA (manage by wandering around); observe their behavior in the workplace AND in order to be honest and upfront let them know what you are doing. You don’t want them thinking something is wrong and you are spying on them!
  • Talk to internal and external customers they work with or have worked with in the past, along with past bosses, peers and co-workers.
  • Refer to past performance appraisals or feedback sessions when that information is available.
  • Conduct a High-Quality 360 assessment on them using an instrument that is validated and benchmarked. I use one of the best whenever I can on behalf of my clients!!

 

Lastly and most important of all, make sure that you take into account people’s individual learning styles before you commit to any one training & development program. Remember, everyone learns differently; your training will be most effective if you customize it to accommodate everyone’s best learning style.

Today’s Leaders Build Strong Work Relationships

Getting things done correctly and on time is a daily challenge in today’s fast paced working world. Lack of time and resources, more responsibility, higher performance demands, restructuring, and job changes have fundamentally changed the way work is completed. Based on real world experience, along with a variety of research, it is obvious the majority of workers today are depending more and more on others to help them complete their work. Or they should be! Often these are individuals with whom you do not share the same goals and might not have any authority over.

 

Can you think of someone who didn’t have to help you with your workload but did so anyway? Ever wonder why the heck they decided to help you? Is it because they already knew you? Or is it perhaps because you had helped them in some way in the past? Maybe they did so just because you had developed a personal connection with this person based on some things as simple as mutual respect, common interests, and shared values?

 

The bottom line is, better working relationships help us do our jobs more effectively, with less effort and less stress. Always a good thing! I have said it many times and it holds true today more than ever, people generally like to help other people. Especially those they have gotten to know better, genuinely like, trust and also know they can count on you. Those that don’t just make it all about them. People are willing to help others who they know, like, and connect with, especially if the relationship is one of give-and-take. Knowing how and with whom to build these “strategic” relationships is an important part of any job and requires special skills.

 

Strategic working relationships can help you in a variety of ways. It can help you get assistance when you need it, often without even asking. Important information is often needed to complete a task or project and these same relationships can help ensure you get what you need, in a timely fashion. That in turn can help avoid problems that might occur otherwise. These same relationships can help provide you with an invaluable support network, as well as a sounding board and second opinion, when needed. And last but not least, building these more effective, strategic relationships can help us all have more FUN while achieving our goals and advancing and enhancing our careers.

 

Building strategic working relationships is often mistakenly labeled as not being genuine. Or it can be seen as using others for your own gain. It is NOT! Perhaps it is the use of the term “strategic”. It doesn’t mean just being nice to others. And it’s not purely about using others to benefit you and your goals. The KEY objectives of building better, strategic relationships at work are to:

  • Focus on and develop solid, long-term working relationships with people you count on to help you get your job done.
  • Taking the time to proactively build these relationships
  • Collaborating so that BOTH parties achieve their work goals. A win-win outcome!

 

QUICK TIPS FOR SUCCESS

 

*Send thank you notes(hand-written preferred!!) to those who have helped you.

 

*Make sure that the appropriate managers(unless that is you)know when one of their staff has helped you. Catch ’em doing something right today as I always say.

 

*Offer to help someone as least 1X per week.

 

*Be extremely aware and in tune with the need to pass along any and all needed information. Better too much than too little.

 

*Here’s an important and often uncomfortable tip. Try it, it works over time when genuine and real. Identify the person you LEAST like working with and compliment them on something they have done. One Minute Manager praisings work well here!

 

*Be conscious of using casual work settings such as the elevator, break room, lunch area, etc. to introduce yourself to someone who could help you achieve your goals. Not always easy and comfortable, but it can pay big dividends for both of you, in many ways. If you struggle with small talk, chatting it up a bit, being proactive in this way I might suggest finding a book called “The Fine Art of Small Talk”, by Debra Fine. It has a lot of lists, tips and choices on how to break the ice and get to know people a bit better no matter your introversion or extroversion.