Posted in Uncategorized No comments

Has Leadership Been Redefined?

Leadership used to be about telling people what to do. We saw the manager as “hero.” Managers were needed to solve problems, needed for their technical expertise and their know-how. They were needed to keep the ship running in tiptop shape!

All our old leadership models came from the military, where people took their command from a few people at the top. These models don’t work in today’s world. As the industrial age models rust, the power has shifted from the people who sell, to the people who buy.

Today’s business leader needs to a master juggler, and a compassionate listener. She needs to be savvy and intuitive and sharp as a tack in business matters. Most of all today’s leader needs to be able to mobilize HUMAN energy, align it and direct it towards a single goal – creating more value for the customer. This, in turn creates a more profitable company. Companies that have high levels of customer happiness and employee happiness outperform those who don’t.

Creative thinker – Einstein said, “The world we have created is a product of our way of thinking” Nothing will change in the future without fundamentally new ways of thinking.

If we want to create a new world we have to first change our thinking and thinking patterns. 80% of the population thinks reactively. They take action to make something go away (usually a problem.) The other 20% are creative thinkers – they take action to make something come into being (the creation.)

Creative thinkers thrive on the question “What’s Possible?” Reactive thinkers ask, “What’s wrong?” or “Who’s to blame?” Reactive thinkers live in reaction and response to circumstances. Creative thinkers go beyond circumstances.

The next quality of tomorrow’s leader is “Change readiness.” The Change-ready individual embraces change. They understand the process of change and how it affects most people, and is skilled at enrolling people in it with a minimum amount of fear.

Most people do resist change – that’s because it forces us right out of our comfort zones. A leader knows how to move people out of their comfort zones with dignity and respect. He helps people share a “common understanding” of the past and why they need to change it and then provides them with a positive image of their future along with actions they can all agree will move them in the right direction.

A leader is a landscape architect. It’s her primary job to build a living environment– called culture. Culture is the soul of the enterprise. Today’s leader is a master “culture-crafter.” He or she sculpts and crafts an environment that stimulates, excites and invites people to be the best they can be.

The architect leader knows that the ability to create a nourishing and challenging environment for people to grow in is more important than any technical skill she can possess.

Continuous Improvement – The leader of tomorrow will regularly challenge old beliefs and be passionate about learning and about applying that learning in the real world. She will often ask my favorite question “Who is doing something differently then I am and what can I learn from them?”

The new leader is authentic. How and who you are is just as important as what you know! Hold yourself to the highest standards – don’t talk the talk unless you are prepared to walk the walk. Don’t expect of others what you don’t expect from your self. Be real, tell the truth. The leaders that are the most revered are those that let the light of who they are shine through in all they do. They are honest, forthright and clear.

Our new leader is a visionary. It’s clearly documented that visionary leaders are successful at mobilizing human potential. A vision provides focus. It’s a tool for aligning energy. Clear vision and purpose provide people with a framework from which to make decisions, it organizes action and effort.

…

Posted in Uncategorized No comments

What they not telling you to be effective

You’ve probably heard people talking about coaching in the workplace. You might have even received some coaching in the past, or you might have used coaching to improve a person’s performance, even if you didn’t actually describe it as “coaching” at the time.

But what actually is coaching, and how do you use it? And what skills do you need to be an effective coach?
In this article, we’ll look at the basics of coaching in the workplace. We’ll clarify what it involves, and review the key approaches that you can use to be a successful coach. We’ll also review some situations where coaching can be useful, and look at some examples of coaching questions.

Coaching is a deliberate process utilizing focused conversations to create an environment for individual growth, purposeful action, and sustained improvement. It is designed to help people focus on what they need to do more and less of to achieve their goals.
In addition, coaching is a one-to-one process and a relationship between an individual and a coach, usually via telephone, with specific objectives and goals focused on developing potential, improving relationships, and enhancing performance. Coaching uses a formal yet personalized approach that integrates proven techniques for change with behavioral knowledge and hands-on practice. Coaching breaks down barriers to help achieve greater levels of accomplishment. It is a process of self-leadership that enables people to gain clarity about who they are, what they are doing, why they are doing it, and where they want to go.
Coaching is a useful way of developing people’s skills and abilities, and of boosting performance. It can also help deal with issues and challenges before they become major problems.
A coaching session will typically take place as a conversation between the coach and the coachee (person being coached), and it focuses on helping the coachee discover answers for themselves. After all, people are much more likely to engage with solutions that they have come up with themselves, rather than those that are forced upon them!
In some organizations, coaching is still seen as a corrective tool, used only when things have gone wrong. But in many companies, coaching is considered to be a positive and proven approach for helping others explore their goals and ambitions, and then achieve them.
Coaches in the workplace are not counselors, psychotherapists, gurus, teachers, trainers, or consultants – although they may use some of the same skills and tools.
Most formal, professional coaching is carried out by qualified people who work with clients to improve their effectiveness and performance, and help them achieve their full potential. Coaches can be hired by coachees, or by their organizations. Coaching on this basis works best when everyone clearly understands the reason for hiring a coach, and when they jointly set the expectations for what they want to achieve through coaching.
However, managers and leaders in the organization can be just as effective as externally hired coaches. Managers don’t have to be trained formally as coaches. As long as they stay within the scope of their skill set, and maintain a structured approach, they can add value, and help develop their people’s skills and abilities

…

Posted in Uncategorized No comments

How to get Employees Engaged

So far we have discussed the evolution and definition of employee engagement, the factors that affect it and importance of employee engagement explaining how it is linked to business performance. Now, at this stage any
inquisitive reader may ask a question: So what? Employee engagement strategies listed below answer this question. In order to have engaged employees in any organization, managers need to look at the following ten strategies

1. Start it on day one: Most organizations do have clear new talent acquisition strategies. However, they lack employee retention strategies. Effective recruitment and orientation programs are the first building
blocks to be laid on the first day of the new employee. Managers should be careful in pooling out the potential talent of the new employee through effective recruitment. The newly hired employee should be given both general orientation which is related to the company mission, vision, values, policies and
procedures and job-specific orientation such as his/her job duties, and responsibilities, goals and current priorities of the department to which the employee belongs in order to enable him/her to develop
realistic job expectations and reduce role conflict that might arise in the future. After the hiring decision is made, the manager has to ensure role-talent fit when placing an employee in a certain position and exert all managerial efforts needed to retain that talent in the organization.
2. Start it from the top: Employee engagement requires leadership commitment through establishing clear mission, vision and values. Unless the people at the top believe in it, own it, pass it down to managers and employees, and enhance their leadership, employee engagement will never be more than just a “corporate fad” or “another HR thing”. Employee engagement does not need lip-service rather dedicated heart and action-oriented service from top management. It requires “Leading by Being example”
3. Enhance employee engagement through two-way communication:Managers should promote two-way communication. Employees are not sets of pots to which you pour out your ideas without giving them a chance to have a say on issues that matter to their job and life. Clear and consistent communication of what is expected of them paves the way for engaged workforce. Involve your people and always show respect to their input. Share power with your employees through participative decision
making so that they would feel sense of belonging thereby increasing their engagement in realizing it.
4. Give satisfactory opportunities for development and advancement: Encourage independent thinking through giving them more job autonomy so that employees will have a chance to make their
own freedom of choosing their own best way of doing their job so long as they are producing the expected result. Manage through results rather than trying to manage all the processes by which that result is achieved.
5. Ensure that employees have every thing they need to do their jobs: Managers are expected to make sure that employees have all the resources such as physical or material, financial and information resources in order to effectively do their job.
6. Give employees appropriate training: Help employees update themselves increasing their knowledge and skills through giving appropriate trainings. Generally it is understood that when employees get to
know more about their job, their confidence increases there by being able to work without much supervision from their immediate managers which in turn builds their self-efficacy and commitment.
7. Have a strong feedback system: Companies should develop a performance management system which holds managers and employees accountable for the level of engagement they have shown. Conducting regular survey of employee engagement level helps make out factors that make employees engaged.
After finalizing the survey, it is advisable to determine all the factors that driving engagement in the organization, then narrow down the list of factors to focus on two or three areas. It is important that organizations begin with a concentration on the factors that will make the most difference to the
employees and put energy around improving these areas as it may be difficult to address all factors at once. Managers should be behind such survey results and develop action-oriented plans that are specific, measurable, and accountable and time- bound.
8. Incentives have a part to play: Managers should work out both financial and non-financial benefits for employees who show more engagement in their jobs. Several management theories have indicated that when employees get more pay, recognition and praise, they tend to exert more effort into their job.
There should be a clear link between performance and incentives given to the employees.
9. Build a distinctive corporate culture: Companies should promote a strong work culture in which the goals and values of managers are aligned across all work sections. Companies that build a culture of
mutual respect by keeping success stories alive will not only keep their existing employees engaged but also they baptize the new incoming employees with this contagious spirit of work culture.
10. Focus on top-performing employees: Studies show that high-performing organizations are focusing on engaging their top performing employees or what we call Elite Performers. According to the finding of the same research, what high-performing firms are doing is what top-performing employees are asking for and this reduces the turnover of high-performing employees and as a result leads to top business performance.

…

Posted in Uncategorized No comments

The Elite Performer

High performance employees see quality as a priority in the workplace. They focus on doing a good job to satisfy clients and customers. They concentrate on improving their skills and take the lead when it comes time to make decisions. These characteristics add to their skills and talent to provide innovation and new development within the company or organization. Do you have these individuals within your team?

Have a sense of “control”

Autonomy provides a key ingredient of top performers in the workplace. High performance employees manage their time, complete their workload and learn from their experience to plan ahead with a great deal of autonomy. Top performers report they have more flexibility than typical performers, according to research and surveys on employees conducted by Accenture, a global management consulting firm. Average performers have little or no autonomy, having their jobs closely monitored by supervisors. High performers rely on their strengths and insights to get the job done.

Input and Feedback

High performers seek input and feedback from their supervisors. They want more detailed information about their work, so they can stay on check with their job performance. High performance employees also keep track of the influence and knowledge within the organization. They will have frequent contact with supervisors and managers in other departments and subsequently use the input from the overall organization to develop new ideas. They know when to take the “lead, follow or get out of the way” approach constructively.

Proactive or Reactive

A self-directed approach allows high performers to know what they need to do to support their career development and to help the organization. The high performance employee remains motivated and self-initiating. High performers are more likely to perform research on their own or spend significantly more time in training programs than typical performers. They may look for new assignments or projects to take on and search for opportunities to try something different. They continue to learn new responsibilities to take the next step in their careers. They are eager to handle challenges that help them learn and grow.

Networking Skills

High performers have people-oriented and strong relationship-building skills. Good networking skills help high performers to reach out through the organization and at outside sources to gather information and contribute ample knowledge to the organization. Top performers have larger networks than the usual worker. They can quickly call on these contacts and sources, whether within the company or outside the organization, whenever the need arises. This ability to collaborate with others provides growth for the high performance employee and benefits the company or organization.

Adaptive

A top performer keeps cool under pressure. High performance employees remain emotionally stable and consistent in their style of working and leadership. They will compromise and be open minded when the time is right to change positions instead of being stubborn or resistant. This helps top performers learn quickly and become excellent problem solvers.

Elite Performers is a team of experts specializing in Consulting, Employee Engagement, Business and Life coaching for teams and individuals as well as Leadership training and development.

…

Posted in Uncategorized No comments

The 4 key Emotions that lead to Engagement

A recent study on employee engagement helps to answer a question many businesses ask today: how to engage employees? The study found that emotions are some of the main drivers of engagement. In any organization’s employee engagement strategy, emotions are important indicators of the current level of engagement. Emotions such as enthusiasm, inspiration, empowerment and confidence can engage employees, and the presence of at least three can indicate an engaged employee. Organizations can work to foster these emotions as part of their employee engagement strategy by improving the relationships employees have with managers and senior leaders. The basic emotion that leads an employee to be engaged is being valued,which is the sum of other feelings that are necessary to generate engagement. Lets take a look at some of these drivers..

ENTHUSIASM

The buzz currently in organizational circles is about engaged employees or employee engagement. The truth is that engaged employees are enthusiastic ones. Nothing is more contagious than enthusiasm, especially in the workplace. Enthusiastic employees are interested and engaged in their work and with the people with whom they work. They have a strong passion. Passion is something that can’t be taught. It can be caught, but not taught. One way to spread the enthusiasm virus is to assign an enthusiastic employee to someone who needs to be. This attitude will positively affect both of them. When employers look at prospective candidates, beyond skills, experience, and training, they look for those who demonstrate enthusiasm – those they believe will complete assigned tasks in an upbeat and cooperative manner. All other things being equal, a candidate who can demonstrate a positive attitude and eagerness to tackle the job will have an advantage over one who displays an attitude viewed by the employer as negative or disinterested. In fact, many employers would rather provide job skills training to an enthusiastic but inexperienced worker than hire someone with perfect qualifications but a lessthan-positive attitude. Managers sometimes worry that this type of person will not get along with supervisors and co-workers, treat customers disrespectfully, and not put much effort into his or her work. On the other hand, employees who are viewed as enthusiastic are known to provide good customer service, resolve interpersonal conflict effectively, and work productively with others.

EMPOWERED

Employee empowerment is a strategy and philosophy that enables employees to make decisions about their jobs. Employee empowerment helps employees own their work and take responsibility for their results. Employee empowerment helps employees serve customers at the level of the organization where the customer interface exists. When employees feel under-compensated, under-titled for the responsibilities they take on, under-noticed, under-praised, and under-appreciated, don’t expect results from employee empowerment. The basic needs of employees must feel met for employees to give you their discretionary energy, that extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work. For successful employee empowerment, recognition plays a significant role.

INSPIRED

An inspired employee gives his or her all to their employer, and is constantly striving to be and do their best; to use their skills and talents to their full potential. Take a look around at the people who work with you. Are they listless or full of energy? Are they somewhat disinterested in their work or are they passionately striving to achieve company goals and working to their full potential? If you are like most employers, your workers could probably use a little added jolt of energy and enthusiasm on the job, something that will make them love coming to work every day.

How is this accomplished? Quite simply, you need to inspire your employees. An inspired employee gives his or her all to their employer, and is constantly striving to be and do their best; to use their skills and talents to their full potential.

Eighteen hundred years ago, Patanjali – the author of Yoga Sutra – had this to say about inspiration: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

CONFIDENCE

What is the number one personality trait of individuals who deal effectively with change? It’s confidence. Confident people are self-motivated, have high self-esteem and are willing to take risks. But even the most confident employee may suffer a crisis of self-doubt in times of radical change. That’s when leadership becomes a critical factor.

A confident employee makes for an employee who is more likely to succeed. Employees who lack self-confidence often find themselves unsure of their work, causing their performance to suffer. As a manager or owner, you have the task of ensuring that employees feel good about themselves. Instilling confidence in an employee requires you to take a personable approach to managing and make the employee feel that he’s needed by the company and that he’s successful at his job. Managers need to design “small wins” to encourage people along the way to achieving goals of exceptional performance. One manager put it this way: “A stretch goal can scare people to death. I always begin with a mini-goal that I know my staff can achieve, and then I use that victory as a confidence-builder for reaching the larger objective.”

As a manager, the employees you hire play a significant role in determining your success within the organization. You need strong, confident employees that help motivate others, increase productivity, and drive results. Confident employees don’t wait for opportunities to come knocking at their door; they go after them. Look for candidates that have demonstrated their willingness to help out on projects other than those assigned to them. These professionals are always looking for ways to gain experience and continue growing professionally. When their skills are relevant to a situation, they aren’t afraid to speak up and offer their expertise. These are …