Employee Engagement – Page 3 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Why Encouragement Matters in Leadership

Posted March 1, 2020
by admin

If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. – John Maxwell

As a young boy, he worked in a factory but had an intense desire to be a singer. When he turned ten years old, he took his first voice lesson which procured a less than encouraging remark from his teacher, “You can’t sing. You haven’t any voice at all. Your voice sounds like a wind in the shutters.”

His mother, however, believed that he could learn to sing. She was very poor, but she hugged and said, “My boy, I’m going to make every sacrifice to pay for your voice lessons.”

Her encouragement and sacrifice for her son proved to be invaluable. He became known as one of the world’s greatest singers. His name is Enrico Caruso.

I’m always inspired by stories like this. To think that the turning point for a world-renowned singer was the encouragement from one person who believed in him when others passed him over.

Think about your own story. Who was it that inspired and challenged you to be your best and pushed you to go further than you thought possible?

I’m thankful for teachers who helped me reclaim the confidence I need to succeed in school due to my struggle with dyslexia. Without their understanding and their encouragement to me to push through and overcome my learning challenges, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Encouragement is the secret sauce for all successful leaders. And all leaders who want to add value to those around them but are not quite sure where to start - well, this is it. Click To Tweet There are many benefits to encouraging those around you, but here are three that stand out.

Encouragement pays immediate dividends

In any given moment, a word of encouragement is the boost a friend or colleague needs. Without your knowledge, encouragement can be a game-changer for someone who may have felt like giving up and throwing in the towel.

Never underestimate the power of encouragement at the moment in which it was given. It may not seem like all that much to you at the time, but it could make all the difference in the world to the one who just received it.

Encouragement creates margins

Have you ever had those times when you just felt stuck? You were in that funk and it was like your head was in a cloud. I know I have. Many times. When I look back, I can see where it was a word of encouragement snapped me out of it. It caused me to look at my circumstances from a different perspective and try another way.

Encouragement is not meant to be an isolated emotional boost of support. Encouragement stirs you to look at your circumstances differently and find new paths to better solutions. Click To TweetYour word of encouragement may be all it takes for someone else to find new margins they need.

Encouragement creates a boomerang effect

There’s an old saying, “What goes around, come around,” and that is especially true with encouragement. Every leader worth his or her salt is an encouragement to those around them. It’s in a leader’s DNA.

While it’s never about what you get in return, every word of encouragement you give as a leader has a boomerang effect and comes back around in positive ways in your own life. Be generous with encouragement. People around you need it now more than ever. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

By our words and actions, we are either building or destroying. As a leader, let me admonish you to see the best in others, believe the best in others, and speak words of encouragement to those around you. When you do, everyone benefits.

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The Value of Recognition

Posted February 24, 2020
by admin

Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. – Abraham Lincoln

I read a story about a man who attended a lecture on the importance of showing appreciation to the important people in your life. Mike decided to start with his wife. So after work that night on his way home, he bought her a dozen long-stemmed red roses, a box of chocolates, and a pair of earrings. He smiled with self-satisfaction as he contemplated surprising his wife and showing her how much he appreciated her.

He stood at the front door with the roses and gifts in hand and rang the doorbell. His wife came and opened it, and stared at him for a long minute. Suddenly she burst into tears. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s been the worst day of my life,” she answered. “First, Johnny tried to flush his diaper down the toilet. Then Kevin melted a plastic airplane in the oven. Then the dishwasher clogged and overflowed all over the kitchen floor. Then Jessica came home from school with a note from the teacher saying that she beat up a boy in her class. And now you come home drunk?”

Despite our best efforts, sometimes showing our appreciation doesn’t always go according to plan. It can be awkward to express and sometimes misinterpreted.

But in the workplace, let’s make sure that we understand that recognition is important. It’s what TINYpulse refers to as the secret sauce of employee engagement.

In the report, they state, “Providing recognition for excellent work is one of the best things an organization can do to maintain employee engagement”. Yet, according to the report, “only one in three people feel they were well-recognized the last time they went the extra mile at work.”

The report states that when asked more broadly about how valued people feel at work, the results we just as bleak. Only 26% of employees report feeling valued at work. This is outweighed by the 33% of people who actually feel undervalued.

If you are concerned at all about employee engagement in your workplace, you must make recognition a priority. Click To Tweet

Here are a few reasons why it matters.

Recognition matters because your people matter

It’s just this simple. And because they matter they should be recognized for the excellent work they do. I know for many in leadership the unspoken attitude may sound something like “their paycheck is all the recognition they need,” but not so fast.

According to the same TINYpulse report, 43% would leave for a 10% salary increase, up from 25% last year. If just a 10% salary increase is all it takes for an employee to leave, perhaps more recognition is in order for them to stay.

Recognition matters because your culture matters

Imagine if you will what it would be like to be in a workplace culture that is thriving, producing, and where recognition abounds for all the hard work. Culture is contagious. And a thriving workplace culture creates a momentum that is hard to beat. Click To Tweet

To be sure, no workplace is perfect even in the best of environments. But it’s easier to tackle the issues that challenge your workplace culture when your people feel valued and appreciated. Recognition plays a huge role in making that happen.

Recognition matters because your reputation matters

In the TINYpulse survey, there is a gap in how managers perceive culture and how employees perceive it. That should not come as a surprise. The survey states, “leaders make or break motivation within their team.” And this is where recognition can work to your benefit.

If your people do not feel valued or respected, then everything else you do comes across as disingenuous. Click To TweetRecognition is given to what is valued. If your people are not recognized, then it is obvious to them that they are not valued. Like it or not, your reputation as a leader is being defined on how you treat your people.

Final Thoughts

Employee engagement is critical to your success as a leader. Recognizing your people for their hard work, sacrifices, and contributions ought to come as natural to you as breathing. Recognition matters that much.

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Leaders: For Best Results, Walk Out

Posted January 20, 2020
by admin

Either you run the day or the day runs you. – Jim Rohn

I read an article by Scott Mautz in Inc not long ago about the five skills employees want most from their bosses. The compilation of these skills came from a survey conducted by LinkedIn.

The top five skills were problem-solving, time management, decisiveness, empathy, and compassion.

What do you think? What would you say are the most important skills you’d like to see in your boss? As I was thinking about what the respondents to that LinkedIn survey revealed, it also got me thinking about another way in which a boss can really make his people happy – just walk out!

No, I am not talking about walking out to never return (although that might make a few people happy), I am talking about something more useful and practical that’s found in three simple tips that can make a big difference.

Walk out

The lifeblood of your organization is found outside of the protective confines of your office. Yes, you have to spend time there for obvious reasons, but getting out and among your people is essential. The answers to how, why, and what questions on your mind about your organization are found outside your office. The greatest appreciable asset you have is not your desk, it’s your people. Get out there and be with them. Click To Tweet

Get a fresh perspective

Being out among your people gives you a fresh perspective as to what’s going on in your organization. This gives you a close-up view of what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the minds of your people. It gives you the opportunity to build relationships with your people in a non-threatening manner. Additionally, it sends a signal to your people that you are involved and engaged and care about what they do.

Go back and implement

The benefit of being out among your people is that you can go back to your office and translate what you’ve heard into practical action steps from the people who know best. Let’s be honest - more times than not, the best ideas flow into your office, not out of it. Click To Tweet But when you are out and among your people, if you’re smart and listening, you will pick up on the ideas and suggestions they are giving you and put them into practice.

Final Thoughts

The purpose of walking out and getting among your people besides the reasons stated above is to build your leadership skills. It’s about building relationships and earning trust. You can’t do that if you are detached from your people.

Effective leadership doesn’t happen in a bubble and rarely alone. Leaders need to be accessible, relatable, teachable, and in this case, mobile. When you are among your people they will see you as one of them, not above them. So do your people a favor and walk out more often!

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Five Questions Every Employee Should Be Able To Answer

Posted January 12, 2020
by admin

Our lives are shaped by the questions we ask. Good questions lead to good outcomes. Bad questions lead to bad outcomes. – Michael Hyatt

A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn’t so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, “Did you ask a good question today?”

“Asking good questions,” Rabi said, “made me become a scientist.”

How’s your workplace culture? It’s a subjective question perhaps, but one that’s important nonetheless. A good leader cares about it.

Your workplace culture is the sum of all the people who have bought-in not only to you as a leader – but to your organization-, your values, your service, your product, and the contributions you are making because your organization exists. If your people have no buy-in or sense of ownership, then your culture is going to suffer as well as your impact.

In light of this, here are five basic questions your team members need to be able to answer. These questions are a reflection of their personal investments as well as their understanding of what it means to be on your team.

Why am I here?

Your employees need to be able to answer this question at the beginning of their tenure in your organization. Without a clear understanding of how they fit in and why they fit in, your people will never reach the potential for which they were hired. Click To TweetBut it also helps them clarify internally the reason they chose to come on board in the first place. If they don’t have a good answer to this question then chances are they have no good reason to be there.

The question of why am I here speaks to their motives.

How do I add value?

Everyone in your organization wants to know and believe that they make a difference. They want to be impact players. They should be able to identify ways in which they add value and know that they are not being taken for granted. No one person can do it all by themselves, and everyone’s contribution matters. Your employees need to be able to clearly and confidently identify the tangible ways they add value to your team. Their sense of belonging is riding on it. Click To Tweet

The question about value speaks to their contribution.

What is our purpose?

Fundamental to the success of your team members is a clear understanding of what they are doing and why they are doing it. Your mission and vision must be clear. Your employees need to be able to answer this. If they can’t, they are exposing a much deeper issue for you as a leader. Employees with no knowledge of the greater purpose to which they serve reflect a dereliction of your leadership. If your people don’t understand their purpose they will have a hard time finding their place.

The question of knowing your purpose speaks to understanding your ‘why’.

What sets us apart?

In addition to knowing their purpose, your team members need to know what sets their organization apart from their competitors. Most businesses – be it a coffee shop, retail store, school, financial services, etc. are a dime a dozen. Knowing what sets you apart goes beyond memorizing a mission statement that’s in a cracked frame in the break room. It’s about the relentless pursuit of excellence in everything you do.

The question of knowing what sets you apart speaks to your values.

Are we still growing?

Everything you do depends on the answer to this question. Your employees may fully understand why they are there, how they add value, what your purpose is, and what sets your organization apart; but if your organization has grown complacent then you are vulnerable. Having the right answers is a good thing, having the right mindset is better. If your culture has stopped growing, then it’s time to disrupt things and get back on track. Click To Tweet

The question about growing speaks to your future.

Final Thoughts

A good leader will ask great questions. Not for the sake of asking questions but to gauge the heartbeat of your organization and to know your people. Don’t be afraid to ask the questions. Don’t be afraid of the answers.

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What Your Employees Don’t Need From You

Posted November 18, 2019
by admin

What a pleasure life would be to live if everybody would try to do only half of what he expects others to do. – William J.H. Boetcker

I read a story about a farm boy got a white football for Christmas. He played with it a while and accidentally kicked it over into the neighbor’s yard. The old rooster ran out, looked at it, and called the hens to see it. “Now look here,” the rooster told them, “I don’t want you to think I’m complaining, but I want you to see what they are doing next door.”

Ask most people at their place of business what they need from their employers to be more successful or productive on the job and they will be quick to tell you. But when you ask them what they don’t need in order to be more productive is when things get interesting.

Knowing what your people need to succeed is important, but also knowing what they don’t need from you will certainly help. Here are four things to start with.

Your negative attitude

In as much as positive attitudes are contagious, so too, are negatives ones. If you make it a habit to circulate among your people with a bad attitude, always finding fault, only focusing on what’s wrong, then your presence will be a demoralizing factor. Click To TweetThe truth be told, your people may have every tool they need to succeed but if you have a negative attitude then it is hindering them.

Your indifference

Everyone wants to be appreciated, valued, and wants to believe that their work makes a difference. But if you come across as indifferent to their work, ideas, and contributions then you are sending signals that they are unimportant to you. If you place no value in your people then how can you expect them to place value in their work? Indifference breeds indifference and the results will be devastating. Click To Tweet

Your Obstruction

Your leadership style will either facilitate the progress of your people or it will stand in their way. If you burden people down with unnecessary policies and procedures, time-wasting meetings, or ill-timed interruptions then you are in the way. Your employees should not be made to pay the price for your poor time management skills. Don’t allow the “tyranny of the urgent” to be an obstruction to your people.

Your Inconsistencies

While most of your people will never speak up about this, don’t mistake it for not noticing. Inconsistent actions by management always send the wrong message. When you communicate one thing and do another then you have planted doubt and mistrust in the minds of your people. Click To TweetYour employees don’t need mixed messages. It only creates confusion and animosity.

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When Things Aren’t Always Clear

Posted November 10, 2019
by admin

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. – George Bernard Shaw

Communication is the lifeblood of any good organization. With it, things run smoothly. Without it, it’s a constant struggle.

Consider this humorous story I came across not long ago. It was about a man who lacked tact. He was the type of person who just couldn’t say anything graciously.

He and his wife owned a poodle. They loved this dog. It was the object of their affection. The wife was to take a trip abroad, and she made it to New York on the first day. She called home and asked her husband, “How are things?”

He said, “The dog’s dead!”

She was devastated. After collecting her thoughts, she asked, “Why do you do that? Why can’t you be more tactful?”

He said, “Well, what do you want me to say? The dog died.”

She said, “Well, you can give it to me in stages. For example, you could have said, ‘The dog went out on the roof.’ And then when I travel to London the next day and call, you could tell me, ‘Honey, the dog fell and had to be taken to the vet. In fact, he’s in the hospital, not doing well.’ And finally, when I call you from Rome, ‘Honey, brace yourself. Our dog died.’ I could handle that.”

The husband paused and said, “Oh, I see.”

Then she asked, “By the way, how’s Mother?”

He said, “She’s on the roof.”

Communication. How would you rate it in your organization? Is it good? Bad? Why is that? If it’s bad, is that a reflection of the culture at large or is it more random? Regardless of your answers, one thing is for certain – good communication matters.

As a leader, you want to make sure that your communication systems are working. It needs to be C.L.E.A.R.

C – Correct.

It’s not enough that communication in your organization is taking place. The information that is flowing within and out of your organization needs to be accurate. Expediency serves no purpose if the information is wrong Click To Tweet. Make sure it’s correct. Nothing is more frustrating than inaccurate information being disseminated. It makes you look bad and frustrates the very people you are trying to serve.

L – Logical

A necessary ingredient to good communication is that it’s logical. Make sure that it serves a useful purpose and is beneficial to those who receive it. If the information you are trying to communicate is important enough to be distributed to those in your organization and beyond, then it’s important that it’s done right. Don’t put forth information that is irrelevant or hard to understand.

E – Essential

It’s one thing to communicate regularly, but how much of that communication is essential? How would a communication audit look for you and your organization? How much of what you communicate in a meeting could have been handled in an email? Click To TweetHow do you recoup that lost time in productivity? What about those unnecessary emails that clutter up the inbox? Good communication is necessary but make sure that what you are communicating is essential. Don’t waste people’s time with the trivial.

A – Accessible

Information that your people need should be accessible through good communication channels. Make sure that people who are supposed to be in the loop are in the loop. Don’t make access to information difficult or make assumptions that it’s been received. Nothing will frustrate your people more than being in the dark on matters that they should know about. Be intentional with your communication and make it accessible. Click To Tweet

R – Regular

Good communication within your organization should be regular. In other words, good communication practices should be a part of the routine of your organization. It’s dependable, it’s reliable, it’s accurate, and you’ve built a reputation upon it. Avoid the pitfalls of poor communication and poor morale by good communication a priority. Too much is at stake not to.

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How To Defeat A Culture Of Apathy

Posted May 12, 2019
by admin

A lot of you cared, just not enough. – Jay Asher

Data from Gallup has confirmed what many have known for some time – employee engagement in the workplace is suffering. When only 32% are engaged in their work then we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Simply wishing things were different is not enough.

The Conference Board reports that 53% of Americans are unhappy at work. Think for a moment too about the economic impact of disengaged employees on your bottom line. If more than half the people in your organization are not happy, how do you think that affects your future?

An article in shiftboard revealed that disengaged employees are costing you money and affecting your profits. They say, “Each disengaged employee costs you 34% of their salary because of lost productivity, missed shifts, chronic tardiness, and disrupting others by spreading negativity throughout the company”. If not bad enough, the article goes on to say that “actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $483 billion to $605 billion in lost productivity.”

How much can you afford to lose to disengaged employees? What is an acceptable figure that you are willing to tolerate?

While every organization faces its own cultural challenges as it relates to employee engagement, there is usually one common denominator that can be found in most- apathy.

Apathy, in its simplest definition, is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. It sets in when your people believe they have no voice, and when they believe that things are not going to get better. Then they get angry.

When any of these characteristics are in play within your organization then you must move quickly to identify it and turn it around. Time is money and your productivity is at stake. Here are a few ways to defeat a culture of apathy.

Promote ownership

As a leader, you must do everything within your power to promote the mission and vision of the organization. It must be out there and repeated often. Never take for granted that because you’ve shared it once they will remember it forever. But, over time, the buy-in will happen as trust is built. However, if you want to fast track employee engagement, then give your people ownership. When people take ownership they will be less apathetic, they will be more invested, and will deliver their best work.

When people work to fulfill your vision it can be a struggle, when they work to fulfill theirs it can be life-changing. Click To Tweet

Promote community

A smart leader understands that there’s no substitute for a community of people within your organization who are known to each as colleagues and not combatants. Apathy becomes an issue when people see each other as combatants – not caring what the other group is doing- when in reality it all matters. A diversity of ideas and opinions is one of your greatest assets. In community, all ideas are welcome. In a community, relationships are coveted over competition and turf wars. In a community, people are held accountable for negative attitudes that would give rise to apathy. Click To Tweet

Good leaders are not just aware of the need for community but insist upon it because they know their existence depends upon it.

Promote culture

This is an important piece of the puzzle that leaders need to understand. Community is how you get along with one another. It’s the practice of good manners, cordiality, and civility. But your culture is your why. It’s what gives meaning and purpose to what you do.

Your organizational culture is weakened or is breaking down when you hear things like, “I don’t why I bother speaking up, no one listens to me,” or “What difference does it make if I’m late, no one will notice,” or “Why should I care if no one else does,”. How many times have you heard these type of statements? How many times have you used them?

A failure in community creates conflict. A failure in leadership creates apathy. Your organizational community is relationship driven. Your organizational culture is leadership driven.A failure in community creates conflict. A failure in leadership creates apathy. Your organizational community is relationship driven. Your organizational culture is leadership driven. Click To Tweet

As a leader, you need to understand that apathy is the greatest threat to your organization. With apathy there is no ownership, there is no community, and your culture is harmed.

Make it your practice to know the signs of apathy and be intentional in addressing it. It will make a world of difference to your organization.

Check out the link at the top of the page for information on my employee engagement workshop.

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Why Do The Good Ones Leave?

Posted April 7, 2019
by admin

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

How is the organizational culture where you work? How is morale? Depending on the day when asked, the answers can run the gambit of responses and emotions.

A document was discovered in the ruins of a London office building. It was dated 1852. Here are a few of the notices that were posted for a group of employees: 1) This firm has reduced the hours of work, and clerical staff will only have to be present between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays, 2) Now that the hours of business have been drastically reduced, the partaking of food is allowed between 11:30 and noon, but work will not on any account cease, 3) No talking is allowed during business hours, and 4) The craving for tobacco, wine, or spirits is a human weakness, and as such is forbidden to all members of the clerical staff.

Can you imagine the morale at a place like that?

It’s been said that people don’t quit organizations, they quit leaders. It’s a sad but true commentary on the lack of leadership skills that are so desperately needed in the workplace.

There are consequences to poor leadership and where it’s not present, people will leave to find it. Inevitably it’s the good employees who leave. Left behind is a weakened and demoralized team forced to pick up the pieces.

But why do the good ones leave? What is the tipping point in which a good employee will cash in the chips and bolt? The specifics vary, of course, but typically the good ones leave for these reasons.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no backbone

This type of leader plays to the crowd and will say whatever he or she thinks you want to hear. The good ones had rather hear the uncomfortable truth than the pleasant sounds of an appeaser. The good ones want a leader who is not afraid to make difficult decisions.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no vision

The good ones long for and thrive in an environment where the leader has a vision for the future, can articulate it, and sets a course of action that will take them there. The good ones understand that without a clear vision for the future there is no future to be had by staying.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no skin in the game

It will be hard to command the respect of your people if you have no skin in the game as it relates to your organization and its mission. You can’t expect a buy-in from your people if you have not fully invested yourself. The good ones seek to be with leaders who are as passionately invested as they are. Click To Tweet

The good ones leave because of leaders who place limits on their potential

The good ones will thrive in a culture of excellence where their hard work and talents are put to best use. The good ones will not sit idly by while the leader plays politics or favorites and be denied the opportunity to advance professionally.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no accountability

The good ones fundamentally understand that accountability and transparency are the cornerstones of success. When a leader no longer feels the need to be transparent or be accountable for his or her actions, then the good ones will not stay. Trust is like glue for the leader, is there is none, people won’t stick.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no boundaries

Ultimately, the leader is responsible for the culture of the organization. If proper boundaries are not being observed and inappropriate behaviors are being tolerated- such as bullying, then the good ones will not stay in that environment.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no integrity

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the integrity of the leader. The good ones want their leader to be a person of integrity and one they can trust. If integrity is lacking in the leader then integrity will be lacking in the culture. Click To Tweet The good ones will leave to avoid the connection.

Many personal factors contribute to the reasons why the good ones tend to leave and move on. I’ve discovered that it’s not always for the money or a promotion. The good ones understand the wisdom of the words of John Maxwell who said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” That’s why the good ones leave- to be with good leaders.

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7 Reasons Why Your Leadership Style is Causing Workplace Drama

Posted March 31, 2019
by admin

A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible. – Simon Sinek

Workplace drama. It’s nothing new and has been around for a while. We get it. But have you ever stopped to consider the impact of such drama to your bottom line? According to an article in Success, dramatic interactions in the workplace, as cited by Gallup, costs U.S. businesses as much as $550 billion a year.

How much can your organization afford to lose due to office drama? What amount is acceptable?

It is our belief that it is the leader who is, in many ways, responsible for the level of drama that exists within your organization. Clearly, not all drama is the creation of you as a leader, but here are seven ways that your leadership stirs it up.

You hoard knowledge and information

When your people are left in the dark concerning information that they need, you leave them no choice but to speculate and talk among themselves. This can lead to unnecessary confusion, rumors, and gossip. This action on your part fans the flames of workplace drama. How can you expect your people to perform at their best when you leave them in the dark?

You make teamwork difficult

The effectiveness and productivity of your workplace are realized when your people work as a team. But your leadership style of hoarding knowledge and information could be the reason why there’s so much drama. Perhaps you play favorites and the drama and tension are just too much to overcome. Without clear directives and unity, teams will flounder. It’s when you create an atmosphere of teamwork that your workplace will be productive and your people will be engaged. When teams are not working together it’s just a breeding ground for drama. Click To Tweet

You pit employees against each other

As a leader, your responsibility is to bring your people together, not keep them apart. It’s when everyone knows their roles and everyone has respect for what the other contributes and brings to the table. If an “us vs. them” mentality exists- it’s your responsibility as the leader to identify it, stop it, and correct it. As long as your people are pitted against each other there will be workplace drama. Click To Tweet

You create a crisis so you can solve it and be seen as the hero

You, as a leader, need to be confident in your abilities and value. When leaders feel insecure they often, consciously or unconsciously, create crisis situations within their team. This allows them to step in, resolve the issue, and get the credit for being the hero. Not only does this negatively impact productivity, but your team members will also begin to see through your veiled actions and you will lose their respect as well as the respect of any other leaders you are trying to impress. This lack of respect and continually operating in crisis mode is a key contributor to drama in the workplace.

You cause strife between other departments

Success is a win-win situation. If in striving to help your team succeed, you cause strife between other departments, you are causing failure as a whole. It is your responsibility to ensure that your team works well across departments. This collective teamwork is the solid foundation that allows your organization to thrive and you to be seen as an effective leader. Constant strife between departments feeds drama in the workplace.

Your meetings always involve the same few people or the wrong people

One of the quickest ways to cause workplace drama is to continually include the same few people or the wrong people in all your meetings. Click To Tweet Your team needs to know that they are valued; when you exclude them from meetings addressing their areas of responsibility you send a clear message that you do not see them as valuable contributors. You also start losing their trust because you appear to be secretive and manipulative; why else would you leave them out of the loop? This contributes to the poor morale and drama that, as a leader, you are always struggling against.

You embrace an environment that creates heroes and rewards them lavishly

If we spent a day in your organization, would we be able to identify the “teacher’s pets”? We believe so. Without even recognizing it, leaders often develop work environments where heroes are created and rewarded far beyond other team members. These individuals rarely shine consistently above everyone else in the organization, they have simply become the “teacher’s pet” and as such, can do no wrong. This creates resentment among other team members who work just as hard but go unnoticed and unrecognized for their efforts. Resentment fuels gossip and drama like gas to a flame.

A certain level of workplace drama is inevitable, but it is a productivity and morale killer. Your organization cannot afford for you, as a leader, to be creating more drama than emerges naturally from business and human interaction. Start minimizing the drama in your workplace by sharing knowledge and information, inspiring teamwork, encouraging employees to together instead of against each other, avoiding the creation of crisis situations, helping departments to work together, including the right mix of people in your meetings, and eliminating the “teacher’s pet” environment.

You are the leader; it’s time to stop stirring up workplace drama and set a good example for your employees to follow.

Read more from Liz Stincelli at https://lizstincelli.wordpress.com/

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7 Things You Can Do To Move Your Team Forward

Posted February 4, 2019
by admin

In any team sport, the best teams have consistency and chemistry. – Roger Staubach

In the past few weeks, I have shared a series of articles devoted to helping employees and leaders understand each other better. While it was not a comprehensive list, it does shed light on some of the most common complaints from each respective side.

In case you missed it, allow me to share, without comment, the two lists with you:

7 things you do as a leader that your team can’t stand:

You are out of touch with your people
You don’t communicate values and vision
You don’t have their backs
You don’t call out bad behavior
You don’t empower your people
You don’t easily change
You don’t realize that everything rises and falls on leadership

7 things you do that your leader can’t stand:

You are not a team player
You play politics
You point out problems, provide no solutions
You don’t go above and beyond what’s required
You don’t take risks
You stop growing and learning
You don’t lead yourself well

The respective lists are not meant to pit one side against another. They are, however, meant to create dialogue to help you build bridges that get you talking with each other. So how can leadership and employees be more mindful of each other? Here 7 paths forward.

See yourself for what you are – a team, not combatants

So long as either side reads through the previous lists with a “see, this is how they are screwing things up for us,” attitude- then going forward as a unified team will always be out of reach. If either side sees the other as nothing more than combatants to be conquered then where is the team chemistry you need to go forward and be successful? As long as it’s an “us vs. them” mentality, the path forward will be long and hard. Everything rises and falls on trust. You must protect it at all costs.

Take ownership of your actions

It’s just too easy to point fingers and lay blame at the feet of those you don’t like or get along with. It’s time to get past that and think of what’s best for the team. Is your attitude moving the team forward or holding it back? If not, then before pointing the finger at someone else, look first in the mirror and figure out why. So long as you think it’s all about you then you are hurting more than helping.

Change your perspective

Admittedly, too many leaders are out of touch with what’s going on in their respective organizations. Maybe they’ve lost touch with what it’s like day to day in the trenches. Perhaps those on the front lines don’t truly appreciate the voluminous amount of work that goes unnoticed to keep things operating. Either way, it’s fixable. Both sides should begin moving toward one another and open up better avenues of communication and understanding. When you see what’s going on from the other person’s point of view, things can look a lot different. Do it.

Stake your claim to your culture, pave your path to the future you want

If you had the opportunity to create the ideal culture in which you woke up with anticipation about going and being a part of something greater than yourself, that brought you and your colleagues genuine enjoyment, where everyone rose to the challenge, had each other’s backs, and went the extra mile to get there- what would that look like for you? The future you want begins with the culture you build and everyone must build it together. Click To Tweet

Hold each other accountable

If you are going to move forward as a team, then every area that affects team performance must be held to account. From the bottom line, attitudes, behaviors, culture – everything must be on the table. If it impacts the organization, it must be evaluated for its contribution.

Be willing to pivot

Teams that struggle to move forward do so because at times they’re stuck in the past, people are too attached to defending their own agendas and is otherwise not receptive to new ideas. Click To Tweet The mantra of “this is the way we’ve always done it” is nothing more than a eulogy to your success. Everyone must be willing to abandon business as usual and look for new and innovative ways to move forward. So long as you are unwilling to change you run the risk of being stuck where you are.

Never stop growing leaders

Many things will contribute to the growth of your organization. But everything will rise and fall (to borrow the phrase from John Maxwell) on leadership. It’s as your organization develops leaders and adopts a leadership mindset that you will begin to chip away at all the negatives that each side points to as the reason for the team not moving forward. Raise up, leaders. Develop leaders. Grow your organization.

The consistency and chemistry of your team take hard work, commitment, and resolve. Be all in with your level of commitment and lead with integrity and you will all move forward together.

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