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People: The Key to Building Your Organizational Structure
Tag: Workplace Environment
Three Things to Know…About Jerks at Work
We don’t devote enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks. – Bill Watterson
Whose face comes to mind when you hear the word “jerk”? Not much hesitation there was it? Identifying jerks is not hard – so what do you need to know?
- Jerks are everywhere. Your organization does not have a monopoly on the number of jerks it has working in it. Every organization has their fair share of them so don’t think you are unique because you have more than one.
- Jerks procreate. Most of the jerks I know have it in their DNA to be that way. Here are a few questions to consider: Do the contributions of the jerk(s) make it more or less feasible to overlook their obnoxious behaviors? At what point do they become more of a liability rather than an asset? Is your organization a jerk magnet, and if so, why?
- Jerks will have their day. Whether it’s in the form of bullying or some other type of intolerable workplace behavior –it’s just a matter of time before the jerks meet with enough resistance to change or move on, or be brought down by their own actions. Best advice here? Be patient.
A few final takeaways…
- Stay above the fray. Don’t be drawn in by the behaviors of the jerk(s) regardless of their following.
- Keep your attitude right. It’s not easy dealing with the jerks and it can be very frustrating especially when you think nothing is being done about it. Regardless, keep your heart right. Don’t let the jerks drag you down!
- Set the right example. Let others (and the jerk) know that there is a better way to conduct yourself. When you treat people with dignity and respect and know how to mind your manners you are setting the right tone. Show the better way to lead.
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Building Bridges and Tearing Down Walls
Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing. – Tom Peters
The Great Wall of China was built over hundreds of years to keep China’s northern enemies from invading. The Great Wall is so wide that chariots could ride across the top. It is one of the few manmade objects that astronauts can see from space as they look back on the earth.
But the Great Wall did not keep the enemy out. Do you know why? All the enemy had to do was bribe a gatekeeper. Despite the massive wall, there was an enemy on the inside that let the enemy on the outside in.
One of your most important responsibilities you have as a leader is to grow your corporate culture in a way that benefits everyone. But what happens when office gossip, professional jealousy, and turf wars build walls that place your company at risk? What is the fallout when walls go up and camaraderie is a faint memory of the past? Here are four critical areas that are impacted in your organization if walls are built or allowed to remain.
Loss of trust
The first line of defense for you as a leader as it relates to your corporate culture is the establishment of trust. When walls go up among your people trust is one of the first casualties along with it. Trust among your team is essential to your operation. If it doesn’t exist internally it’s going to be hard to nurture and develop it externally.
Trust is the foundation of your corporate culture. If there is no trust among the members of your team then your team is simply going through the motions. Trust is built when the walls come down and your people learn to work in harmony with one another. When they see each other as allies and advocates rather than adversaries then you trust can be established.
Lack of communication
When there is no trust then communication is going to suffer. If information is being withheld and secrets are kept, then good corporate culture is lacking. Walls keep people apart and when this occurs then the life blood of your company is missing. Everything rises and falls on trust and communication.
Consider for a moment how different things in your organization would be if there were not impediments to communication. Good communication can be a challenge in the best of times when there are no walls much less when they do exist. Communication in your organization will exist and thrive when you bring people together and make it a priority.
Lack of collaboration
Whatever the cause for the walls that exist – clicks, territorial disputes, petty office politics, etc. one thing is certain – relationships suffer. A strong work environment and the collaborative process are dependent upon good relationships – the very thing the walls have destroyed.
A healthy collaborative process can be very beneficial. When team members come together and check their baggage and their egos at the door, it can make a huge difference in the productivity of the organization. But this can’t happen within the confines of walls that are far too often supported by pride. When team members see their differences as strengths and their diversity as an advantage then collaboration can thrive.
Lack of credibility
Walls can be detrimental to any organization and every leader faces the challenge of how to deal with the underlying issues that lend itself to their creation. It’s a frustrating process and I understand the challenge it presents.
But the credibility of your organizational structure is on the line when walls of division that lead to a lack of trust, communication, and collaboration are allowed to linger. Chances are it’s only one or two disgruntled people who are the chief antagonists giving you this headache. But nonetheless, walls are being built because well-meaning team members may know of no other way to deal with it.
As a leader you must be proactive in the implementation and development of your corporate culture. It’s not an auto-pilot feature that you can turn on and then ignore as you move on to other issues. As a leader the best things you can do is learn how to build more bridges and tear down a lot of more walls.
What do you say?
© 2014 Doug Dickerson
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Leadership Minute: Raise Your Expectations
Act like you expect to get into the end zone. – Christopher Morley
One of the greatest battles you will face in leadership is the one that is waged between your ears. Mental toughness and endurance is a necessity for any leader who desires to succeed. But until you raise your expectations of what success looks like you will be hard pressed to achieve it. Call it an act of faith- and perhaps it is, but you have to picture successes in your mind before they become a reality. If the mental pictures you have are negative and filled with frustrations and disappointments they will be hard to overcome. But what leader doesn’t battle negative thoughts from time to time? Do you now understand why mental toughness is so important? Don’t allow negative thoughts or attitudes to fill your mind or thought processes. Raise your expectations to new levels not based upon what you see at the moment but on the great things you envision for the future. Once you raise your expectations you can take steps to achieve those goals.
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Three Purposes of Leadership Training
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’ – Muhammad Ali
In Readers Digest, Lori Andersen shared a story about an experience as a professional animal trainer. Andersen recounts, “I was disturbed when my own dog developed a bad habit. Every time I hung my wash out on the clothesline, she would yank it down. Drastic action was called for. I put a white kitchen towel on the line and waited. Each time she pulled it off, I scolded her. After two weeks the towel was untouched. Then I hung out a large wash and left to do some errands. When I came home, my clean clothes were scattered all over the yard. On the line was the white kitchen towel.”
That humorous story illustrates the importance of proper training. While we can all acknowledge the necessity of leadership training and the value it brings, properly identifying the right type of training is important.
Much time and resources is devoted to and invested in the topic of leadership development so you want to make sure you get it right. From Fortune 500 companies to the small mom and pop business, everyone wants and needs a competitive edge and leadership training is a practical way to foster that improvement. But what specifically should you be training for? Here are a few tips for your consideration before you plan your next leadership training activity.
Train to replenish
Workplace anxiety and stress can take a toll. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association (http://bit.ly/1jRDByb) in 2012, 65% of Americans cited work as a top source of stress while only 37% said their organizations provide sufficient resources to help them manage that stress.
Before you get too far down the road in planning some extravagant training session keep in mind the likelihood that your team members are stressed out and perhaps you should focus on their well-being first. Healthy team members (mentally, physically, emotionally) will perform at a higher quality and standard if they are not stressed out or burned out. Don’t add to the problem with the good training at the wrong time.
Train to remind
Sometimes the best thing you can do in a leadership training session is to simply remind your people of the basics. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. For example, soft skills are some of the most important skill sets your people will learn and apply. It’s in the daily practice of these skills that you get ahead.
Don’t know where to begin? Try these: good manners, communication, collaboration, attitude, feedback, and trust for starters. Blunders in leadership happen not because you fail at learning new skills but because of laziness in the old ones. Reminders of the basics are never a waste of time.
Train to reinvigorate
When team members are reinvigorated it can pay huge dividends for your organization. When your people have a fresh perspective of their value to the organization, a fresh take on your vision going forward and what their future will look like, you have most likely met some target goals of a training event.
Key here is take stock of your team members’ well-being, sharpen their existing skills, and take everyone to the next level in their leadership. The goal here is to have everyone moving in the right direction – onward and upward.
I am a strong advocate of leadership training and personal development but what’s more important is hitting the right targets. Be perceptive of where your people are collectively so you can fashion the best training possible to meet your goals. Having their best interest at heart is a step in the right direction, but moving your people toward that goal takes careful planning. Be sure to align your purposes with your training.
© 2014 Doug Dickerson
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Leadership Minute: Mind Your Manners
Good manners are a combination of intelligence, education, taste and style mixed together so that you don’t need any of those things. – P.J. O’Rourke
Good manners are essential to your effectiveness as a leader. Good manners are of importance to you not just because it reflects upon your leadership style, but because it speaks volumes about the respect you have for others. We tend to look at having manners as a self-respect issue but it’s more than that- it’s an issue of respect for those we encounter. Of the many soft skills in leadership that are of importance I believe good manners ranks high in priority. When you blend good taste and style with intelligence and education you possess a good formula for good manners. But the formula, as good as it may be, is not enough. You must put good manners into practice. You must model the type behavior you expect. The more you put it into practice the sooner it becomes a habit. Simply put; a good leader practices good manners.
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5 Ways You May Be Killing Employee Morale
Everything rises and falls on leadership. – John Maxwell
Addressing the topic of work many years ago, Indira Gandhi said, “My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.” While there may not be a shortage of people trying to take the credit for work, many a leader faces the challenge of a strong workplace culture and its accompanying morale.
In my research on the topic of employee morale much of the focus I’ve seen is employee driven. By that I mean the attention leans toward what can be done to make the employee happy (perks driven), motivated, etc. I see little on what I consider to be the root of the problem which is leadership driven.
In Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace Study, as reported on in RYOT (http://bit.ly/1poqwxQ) 70 percent of those who participated described themselves as “disengaged” from their work. Only 30 percent admitted they honestly enjoy their job and bosses. Interestingly, the study revealed that workplace perks which have been popular approaches to boosting workplace morale, “do not compare to the employee enjoying and feeling engaged in their work.” Here’s the takeaway – employees and employers desire the same results, but often have two distinctly different means of getting there.
Strong morale is essential to your success as an organization. Leaders need employees who are engaged on all fronts. Employees need strong leaders to show the way. The last thing you want to do is kill employee morale with ineffective leadership. Here are six ways it could be happening.
You kill employee morale when you ignore input
A leader who won’t listen to his or her people is a leader who is out of touch. If you are out of touch with the people that make your business work then employee morale will suffer. If your people attempt to be engaged and offer their input only to be ignored then you are killing employee morale. A smart leader will make it a priority to listen and to invite feedback from team members. Buy-in begins when you invite them in.
You kill employee morale when you hoard decisions
Killing morale happens when leaders hoard the decision making process and by-pass those directly affected by the decision. The most successful teams are those whose people are engaged and invested in the well-being of the organization. They are the ones who have bought in and go all out to be successful. A smart leader won’t hoard decisions but will bring others in to help make them. Employees don’t want a dictator; they want a facilitator. Here’s a simple rule to consider: if a decision affects your people then talk to your people.
You kill employee morale when you keep people in the dark
Communication is the life-blood of any organization, but if you keep your people in the dark; especially with things that directly affect their performance, then you are killing employee morale. This weak leadership style not only builds walls but it tears down trust. If you want your people engaged and enjoying what they do then make open communication a practice and a priority.
You kill employee morale when you play favorites
While responsibilities may differ among departments and personnel, it is important not to play favorites with your people. While not everyone’s role is the same, the way you treat them should be. As a leader it is important to understand the basics of good social skills. The amount of time you spend with the people in your organization will vary depending on assignments, responsibilities, skills, etc., it’s a variable. But not the way you treat your people. If you are perceived as playing favorites you will kill employee morale. Be nice to everyone.
You kill employee morale when you lead from behind
Successful organizations have strong leaders who are not afraid to lead. Employees respeect a leader who will confidently lead his or her team. A leader who is perceived to be weak, indecisive, reactionary, or uncertain of their role will kill morale. How can an employee confidently follow a leader who is unsure of himself? Leaders who lead from behind can’t possibly know what direction they are going, the pitfalls in front of them, and how to stay relevant. Leaders; be out front, lead with confidence and with clarity, and you will have employees who will go the distance with you.
What do you say?
© 2014 Doug Dickerson
Let’s Talk:
1. The list is not comprehensive. What would you add?
2. As a leader; what other ways can you engage your team to avoid negative morale issues?
3. Do you agree or disagree with my premise that employee morale issues are at the root leadership issues? (I am not discouraging perks, bonuses, rewards, etc. they are all good things, but as the study showed, most employees place a higher value in being engaged and enjoying their work.) What are some other measurable steps leaders can take to bridge that gap?
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Time To Let It Go
I don’t care what they’re going to say. Let the storm rage on, the cold never bothered me anyway. – Lyrics from Disney’s’ movie, Frozen.
Call me slow, but 229 million people beat me to the YouTube viewing of Let it Go, the enormously popular song from the Disney movie, Frozen. For the record, I haven’t seen the movie, but I have paid attention to the media buzz that the song has generated. It’s huge.
While people from many sectors have embraced the song for a wide range of reasons, the underlying tone resonates. There comes a time when you just to have to do what the song says and let it go. But let’s now make the leap and see how this philosophy plays out in the adult world and what the implications are in your place of work.
Last year, Forbes columnist Mike Myatt wrote about the “10 Reasons Why Your Top Talent Will Leave You”. He explains that for all the talk about leadership many companies do not have a process for retaining and developing talent. Myatt says, “As with most things in the corporate world, there is too much process built upon theory and not nearly enough practice built on experience.” His observation is both astute and troubling.
His research regarding organizational culture was also very revealing. His survey of employees made for some interesting revelations: 30 percent believe they’ll be working someplace else inside of 12 months, more than 40 percent don’t respect the person they report to, more than 50 percent say they have different values than their employer, and more than 60 percent don’t feel their career goals are aligned with the plans their employers have for them. “So for all those employees who have everything under control, you better start re-evaluating,” says Myatt.
If these revelations and those similar to it are going to be corrected then there must be shifts made in leadership styles and implementation. The shifts will vary in need and scope as each company’s needs prescribe. But here are a few general ideas.
Create a shared vision.
If you want your people to have skin in the game then give them a reason for the buy-in. When your people are involved in creating the vision for their company then they will also feel they are creating a vision for their future. It’s hard to embrace what you don’t create. Roles and responsibilities of each person in the organization may vary but not their commitment if you include them. Disseminating a vision is “I” driven; creating the vision is “We” driven. Which one would you more readily embrace?
Build your culture on purpose.
The best companies build their culture on purpose. Look no further than the workplace cultures of companies like Zappos and Google to figure out why. The culture of your organization is the environment, the tone if you will, whereby your business plan can flourish and grow along with the people who work in it. It has less to do with the perks (although included) and more to do with an atmosphere that in every way, with every person, foster the opportunities to grow and prosper. Your company culture is too important to leave to chance. Build your culture on purpose and you will succeed on purpose. To do anything less is to leave money on the table of your competitors.
Open channels of communication.
Nothing frustrates employees more than the feeling, perception, or reality of communication that is lacking. What a leader perceives as communication can be received as something far different by employees. While that disconnect can be harmful it is preventable. When a leader understands that communication has less to do with the what, (although important) and more to do with the why and the big picture, it can generate goodwill. When a leader is among his or her people it lends itself to the best practice of communication which is through relationship.
It’s to time create buy-in through shared vision, build your culture on purpose to implement your vision, and open channels of communication through relationship. It’s time to let go of anything and everything that would hold you back.
What do you say?
© 2014 Doug Dickerson
I welcome your feedback:
1. What are some leadership shifts do you feel need to be made in your organization?
2. What leadership skills do you need to enhance to help create that change?
3. Which of the three ideas did you most identify with? Why?
4. What advice would you give leaders in organizations today that you believe would be most beneficial in creating a stronger company culture?
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Leadership Minute: Working Together
There is nothing wrong with competition. The problem for many leaders is that thy end up competing against their peers in their organization in a way that hurts the team and them. – John Maxwell
Hopefully within your organization are a group of committed individuals who have a strong desire to succeed. The energy they generate is vital to your future. The more of them you have the better positioned you are going forward. But be careful not to allow that energy to be used in a negative way. Healthy competition is good but it can be counterproductive when it turns friends into enemies or colleagues into adversaries. Don’t allow factions to emerge because of the actions of a few. Your team must be reminded that you are all working toward the same goals and everyone’s success must be celebrated. When you work together you can succeed together.
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Five Ways Leaders Lose Their Focus
The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. – Brian Tracy
Writing in Reader’s Digest, Carol Mann tells the story of golf immortal Arnold Palmer as he recalled an important lesson about self-confidence. It was the final hole of the 1961 Master’s tournament, and Palmer had a one-stroke lead and just hit a very satisfying tee shot. Palmer felt that he was in pretty good shape. As he approached the ball, he saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. The friend motioned him over, stuck out his hand and said, “Congratulations.” Palmer recalls that as soon as he took his hand and shook it, he lost his focus.
The next two shots he hit the ball into the sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. He missed a putt and lost the Master’s. “You don’t forget a mistake like that,” Palmer recalled, “you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again.”
Learning how to keep your focus is an important leadership skill to develop. But yet it is one of the hardest to master. Countless distractions coupled with the never ending demands on your time make it a challenge. How leaders lose their focus is important information. Being aware of these common distractions can help you be a better leader. Here are five ways leaders lose their focus and why it matters to you.
Bogged down in the details
It can be hard to focus on the big picture if you are mired down in the micro details of all of your operations. While it is important to be in the loop you have to empower and trust capable people to help you with the details. It’s normal to want to be informed but when you are mired down in the smallest of details it begs the questions – who’s steering the ship?
Improper delegation
This is where many leaders fall short and where most of them burn out. When the leader is of the opinion that he or she can do the job better by themselves it could be causing more harm than good. Let’s make the assumption that you have surrounded yourself with quality people who are capable of doing the work associated with your organization. Leaders lose focus when they do not empower these people to do their jobs. Delegation at its best will allow you to focus your time and energies where they are most needed. The secret is to empower and release the people around you.
Lack of organization
An unorganized leader is an unfocused leader. It is not so much about the proverbial cluttered desk as it is the personal disciplines that bring order to your life. If you tend to fly by the seat of your pants, if you are reactionary instead of proactive then these are all problematic traits that cause you to lose focus. You can overcome this by bringing order to your day. Keep a calendar. Schedule important calls and appointments and stick to it. Beware of the “tyranny of the urgent” and do not fall into the traps that can easily disrupt your day. Strong organizational skills will keep you focused and serve you well.
The need to be a people pleaser
In all fairness we all want to be liked. But if you are consumed by a need to be liked, you will quickly lose your focus as a leader. Your job is not to be liked. Your job is to lead. That being said; be friendly. But be careful not to get to the place where you are consumed about your popularity so much that it is affecting the decisions you make and it causes you to lose your focus on what is most important. You can’t lead with integrity if you make decisions based upon whom it pleases or displeases.
Gadgets
Technology is great isn’t it? The progress we have made in recent years has made our world much smaller and our work a lot easier. I am sold on the wonders of our technology. But take a look around your place of business or glance around the conference table the next time you are in a meeting. We are all wired up but in many ways are very disconnected. Our technology for all of its benefits has contributed to a strong lack of focus on many fronts. Let your technology serve you but do not be subservient to your technology.
What do you say?
© 2014 Doug Dickerson
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