How often do you hear people speak with envy about companies with “real heart”? Companies like Nordstrom, FedEx, Ben and Jerry’s, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, and The Container Store to name a few. Outsiders are constantly looking for their “secrets” to success. Fact is, the secret lies in the hearts of their employees. These companies create connected teams and, as a result, build dominant businesses by acting like geese. Like geese? Yes, like GEESE!
If you ever happen to see (or hear about) geese heading south for the winter – flying along in “V” formation – you might consider what science has discovered about why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew by itself. Any goose that falls out of formation suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into position to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the set and another goose moves up to fly point. And the geese in the back honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed. Finally, when a goose gets sick or is wounded and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen teammate until it is able to fly or it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own – or with another formation – to catch back up with their group.
The lesson: Like geese, people who share a common direction and sense of community, who take turns doing demanding jobs, and who watch out for one another, can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of their teammates. Geese are defined by how they stay connected with one another. Successful teams – and excellent leaders – are defined the same way.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Teamwork essetials
The Power of Teamwork
Successful teamwork starts at the top with qualified leaders who provide strategic vision and establish team goals and priorities. Team leaders don’t micromanage—they empower and inspire individuals to accomplish the stated objectives.
Successful leaders embrace the power of teamwork by tapping into the innate strengths each person brings to the table. An effective leader “walks the talk” and sets the standard.
Within the Blue Angels, the Commanding Officer is affectionately referred to as “Boss.” He not only leads the team from the ground, Boss also flies the lead jet at every event. His role is so vital, should he be unable to fly a demonstration, the show is cancelled.
Regardless of title, the role of a leader carries great honor and responsibility. Someone unable or unwilling to make decisions, accept responsibility for the team, or who hides behind a desk and makes excuses, is unqualified to lead. Before an officer can be considered to lead the Blue Angels, he or she must demonstrate an exemplary history of leadership, exceed 3,000 tactical jet flight-hours, and be experienced in commanding a tactical jet squadron.
Leaders must understand group dynamics, remain open-minded, and always be aware of the team’s pulse. Ultimately, leaders must take full responsibility for keeping the team focused and for accomplishing the team’s stated objectives.
Do these qualities reflect your team’s leadership? What role does leadership play on your team? Do your leaders walk the talk?
Successful teamwork starts at the top with qualified leaders who provide strategic vision and establish team goals and priorities. Team leaders don’t micromanage—they empower and inspire individuals to accomplish the stated objectives.
Successful leaders embrace the power of teamwork by tapping into the innate strengths each person brings to the table. An effective leader “walks the talk” and sets the standard.
Within the Blue Angels, the Commanding Officer is affectionately referred to as “Boss.” He not only leads the team from the ground, Boss also flies the lead jet at every event. His role is so vital, should he be unable to fly a demonstration, the show is cancelled.
Regardless of title, the role of a leader carries great honor and responsibility. Someone unable or unwilling to make decisions, accept responsibility for the team, or who hides behind a desk and makes excuses, is unqualified to lead. Before an officer can be considered to lead the Blue Angels, he or she must demonstrate an exemplary history of leadership, exceed 3,000 tactical jet flight-hours, and be experienced in commanding a tactical jet squadron.
Leaders must understand group dynamics, remain open-minded, and always be aware of the team’s pulse. Ultimately, leaders must take full responsibility for keeping the team focused and for accomplishing the team’s stated objectives.
Do these qualities reflect your team’s leadership? What role does leadership play on your team? Do your leaders walk the talk?
Friday, August 21, 2009
DELEGATION
Don’t Forget to DELEGATE!
One of the most common mistakes made by supervisors – especially those who are new to leadership – is taking on unnecessary tasks … trying to do everything by themselves.
As a result, they can easily find themselves buried under a ton of work. Sound familiar? Things move slower, not as much gets done, and job satisfaction is reduced. What’s the best way to avoid that trap? DELEGATION!
You need to pass along certain duties and responsibilities to your direct reports so that:
a) more actions are being done by more people, more of the time,
b) you’re a facilitator of, rather than a barrier to, progress, and
c) you can focus on – and accomplish – those important tasks that really must be done by you.
As you look at what’s on you plate that you might ask others the handle, keep the following in mind:
When TO Delegate
When the task or action is really someone else’s to do.
When it provides a fairly low-risk opportunity for someone to learn, grow, and develop.
When someone else is equally (or better) equipped to handle it.
When you are more concerned that something gets done and less concerned that it gets done in a certain way.
When NOT to Delegate
When you haven’t helped the person prioritize the new task relative to your other expectations.
When you won’t be accessible for any counsel and guidance that the person may need.
When someone is new, too inexperienced, or otherwise incapable of performing the task.
When you truly are the best person to handle it – due to sensitivity, confidentially, timing, experience, etc.
No person will make a great business who wants todo it all himself or get all the credit.~ Andrew Carnegie
One of the most common mistakes made by supervisors – especially those who are new to leadership – is taking on unnecessary tasks … trying to do everything by themselves.
As a result, they can easily find themselves buried under a ton of work. Sound familiar? Things move slower, not as much gets done, and job satisfaction is reduced. What’s the best way to avoid that trap? DELEGATION!
You need to pass along certain duties and responsibilities to your direct reports so that:
a) more actions are being done by more people, more of the time,
b) you’re a facilitator of, rather than a barrier to, progress, and
c) you can focus on – and accomplish – those important tasks that really must be done by you.
As you look at what’s on you plate that you might ask others the handle, keep the following in mind:
When TO Delegate
When the task or action is really someone else’s to do.
When it provides a fairly low-risk opportunity for someone to learn, grow, and develop.
When someone else is equally (or better) equipped to handle it.
When you are more concerned that something gets done and less concerned that it gets done in a certain way.
When NOT to Delegate
When you haven’t helped the person prioritize the new task relative to your other expectations.
When you won’t be accessible for any counsel and guidance that the person may need.
When someone is new, too inexperienced, or otherwise incapable of performing the task.
When you truly are the best person to handle it – due to sensitivity, confidentially, timing, experience, etc.
No person will make a great business who wants todo it all himself or get all the credit.~ Andrew Carnegie
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Retaining Talent
From technical skills in disciplines such as finance and accounting to the budding leadership qualities of tomorrow's CEOs, employers are facing an uphill battle to get the best people with the right competencies into their organisations. And even those that manage to recruit good staff are finding that they face a new challenge – keeping them on board.
As the business environment becomes more global and demanding, the skills gap means it is a seller's market for candidates with the right experience and training. The pressure is on employers to understand how to target the right people and offer them the right rewards to stay and grow with the company.
The staff challenge
Many companies have taken the first step by raising the importance of talent management to the highest levels, realising the strategic importance of finding and keeping the best people. Companies taking a proactive stance towards HR are realising that creative thinking and concrete investment in long-term staffing continuity go hand-in-hand. The benefits may not make an immediate impact on the bottom line and so do not fit the paradigm of short-termism in which the evaluation of key staff, especially senior executives, takes place these days. For the long-term health of the business, however, they are invaluable.
Changing demographics and increasingly global markets mean that companies must be far more selective about the talent pools they target to fill key posts, whether at junior or senior levels. First and foremost, this often means casting the net wider in geographic terms.
More than money
Having targeted specific talent pools, companies must then ensure that the individuals on which they come to rely are sufficiently rewarded and challenged to want to stay for the long-term.
There was a time when this could be ensured by offering greater financial rewards, but those days are gone. Furthermore, the need to retain key staff has never been greater, so firms that find the right formula could create significant competitive advantage.
Kath Roberts, Managing Director at Michael Page International, a global specialist in mid-market and executive recruitment says: 'In a buoyant economy, employees take more risks in the knowledge that they can get another job. That is why retention is a massive issue in HR now. Research suggests that a 5% increase in staff retention can result in a 40% increase in productivity.'
Employees' newfound power in the marketplace means employers must understand their workers' changing values and provide the right environment for staff to develop and achieve their goals.
Roberts explains: 'The 1990s was a decade of cost-cutting and corporate scandals. Employees felt disenfranchised from their workplace. Generation Y people place greater importance on trust, ethics and pride. They do not believe in blind corporate loyalty. More often, they want to join smaller companies or start their own businesses. So employees prioritise work-life balance and the community values of their employer, not just job security.'
Kelvin Stagg, Group Financial Controller and Company Secretary at Michael Page International agrees: 'Such is the demand for what is an increasingly sparse population of skilled, competent and motivated people that simply improved remuneration packages just do not make the difference anymore. It takes an in-depth consideration of what the role and the company has to offer, married with a highly professional approach to career management, to secure the very best.'
Those companies that fail to develop such a professional approach will find that they incur not only the immediate costs of recruiting to fill vacant positions, but also a number of less tangible costs that, while less obvious, are just as harmful to the business.
Strategic staffing
If there is a single key to successfully overcoming the staffing challenge that will face every large company in the coming decade then it is to align staffing strategy with the overall goals of the business. This not only forces companies to clearly identify the skills they need in line with the long-term business plan, but provides the right environment for developing the leaders of tomorrow to ensure that succession problems do not weigh a company down.
To develop their top talent and prepare those who will eventually take over the reins, companies need to move individuals around the organisation so they can build a diverse set of skills and offer key people new challenges. This will help such companies groom successors from within by providing clear personal and career development plans. Most organisations, however, are lagging behind.
Roberts says: 'Many companies are still poor at training their own staff. The better companies are good at assessing potential and bringing it out through experience. They measure leadership potential, not just performance.'
Organisations that have recognised the need to address the strategic risk associated with the skills gap understand that the best practice is to focus on a more holistic, long-term view of staffing needs. They judge talent more on its potential than on quarterly results, and regularly review staff satisfaction to ensure that they are providing the necessary framework for personal development.
This can, in turn, create a virtuous cycle, where organisations that work hard to retain talent also develop as part of their brand the concept that they are good employers. This in turn comes to play an important part in attracting new people.
The skills gap is not going to disappear overnight, so the onus is firmly on employers to develop talent for the future.
As the business environment becomes more global and demanding, the skills gap means it is a seller's market for candidates with the right experience and training. The pressure is on employers to understand how to target the right people and offer them the right rewards to stay and grow with the company.
The staff challenge
Many companies have taken the first step by raising the importance of talent management to the highest levels, realising the strategic importance of finding and keeping the best people. Companies taking a proactive stance towards HR are realising that creative thinking and concrete investment in long-term staffing continuity go hand-in-hand. The benefits may not make an immediate impact on the bottom line and so do not fit the paradigm of short-termism in which the evaluation of key staff, especially senior executives, takes place these days. For the long-term health of the business, however, they are invaluable.
Changing demographics and increasingly global markets mean that companies must be far more selective about the talent pools they target to fill key posts, whether at junior or senior levels. First and foremost, this often means casting the net wider in geographic terms.
More than money
Having targeted specific talent pools, companies must then ensure that the individuals on which they come to rely are sufficiently rewarded and challenged to want to stay for the long-term.
There was a time when this could be ensured by offering greater financial rewards, but those days are gone. Furthermore, the need to retain key staff has never been greater, so firms that find the right formula could create significant competitive advantage.
Kath Roberts, Managing Director at Michael Page International, a global specialist in mid-market and executive recruitment says: 'In a buoyant economy, employees take more risks in the knowledge that they can get another job. That is why retention is a massive issue in HR now. Research suggests that a 5% increase in staff retention can result in a 40% increase in productivity.'
Employees' newfound power in the marketplace means employers must understand their workers' changing values and provide the right environment for staff to develop and achieve their goals.
Roberts explains: 'The 1990s was a decade of cost-cutting and corporate scandals. Employees felt disenfranchised from their workplace. Generation Y people place greater importance on trust, ethics and pride. They do not believe in blind corporate loyalty. More often, they want to join smaller companies or start their own businesses. So employees prioritise work-life balance and the community values of their employer, not just job security.'
Kelvin Stagg, Group Financial Controller and Company Secretary at Michael Page International agrees: 'Such is the demand for what is an increasingly sparse population of skilled, competent and motivated people that simply improved remuneration packages just do not make the difference anymore. It takes an in-depth consideration of what the role and the company has to offer, married with a highly professional approach to career management, to secure the very best.'
Those companies that fail to develop such a professional approach will find that they incur not only the immediate costs of recruiting to fill vacant positions, but also a number of less tangible costs that, while less obvious, are just as harmful to the business.
Strategic staffing
If there is a single key to successfully overcoming the staffing challenge that will face every large company in the coming decade then it is to align staffing strategy with the overall goals of the business. This not only forces companies to clearly identify the skills they need in line with the long-term business plan, but provides the right environment for developing the leaders of tomorrow to ensure that succession problems do not weigh a company down.
To develop their top talent and prepare those who will eventually take over the reins, companies need to move individuals around the organisation so they can build a diverse set of skills and offer key people new challenges. This will help such companies groom successors from within by providing clear personal and career development plans. Most organisations, however, are lagging behind.
Roberts says: 'Many companies are still poor at training their own staff. The better companies are good at assessing potential and bringing it out through experience. They measure leadership potential, not just performance.'
Organisations that have recognised the need to address the strategic risk associated with the skills gap understand that the best practice is to focus on a more holistic, long-term view of staffing needs. They judge talent more on its potential than on quarterly results, and regularly review staff satisfaction to ensure that they are providing the necessary framework for personal development.
This can, in turn, create a virtuous cycle, where organisations that work hard to retain talent also develop as part of their brand the concept that they are good employers. This in turn comes to play an important part in attracting new people.
The skills gap is not going to disappear overnight, so the onus is firmly on employers to develop talent for the future.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Power of Discipline
The development of character is the great business of life. Your ability to develop a reputation as a person of character and of honor is the highest achievement of social life. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say.
”The person you are today, your innermost character, is the sum total of all your choices and decisions in life to date. Each time you consistently make good choices and decisions, your character is strengthened and self-worth increases. Conversely, each time you compromise your value system by consistently choosing poor choices, your character is weakened.
A person of character possesses a series of virtues or values. These are courage, compassion, generosity, temperance, persistence, and friendliness, among others. But the most important value in determining the depth and strength of your character is integrity.
It is integrity, living in complete truth with yourself and others, that most demonstrates the quality of your character.
In a way, integrity is actually the value that guarantees all other values. The higher your level of integrity, the more honest you are with yourself, the more likely it is you will live consistently with all other values you admire and respect. It takes tremendous self-discipline to become a person of character. It takes considerable willpower to always “do the right thing” in every situation. It takes self-discipline and willpower to resist the temptation to cut corners, to take the easy way, or to act for short-term advantage.
All of life is a test, ultimately proving our character. Wisdom can be developed privately, through study and reflection. But character can only be developed in the give and take of daily life, when forced to choose and decide among alternatives.
”The person you are today, your innermost character, is the sum total of all your choices and decisions in life to date. Each time you consistently make good choices and decisions, your character is strengthened and self-worth increases. Conversely, each time you compromise your value system by consistently choosing poor choices, your character is weakened.
A person of character possesses a series of virtues or values. These are courage, compassion, generosity, temperance, persistence, and friendliness, among others. But the most important value in determining the depth and strength of your character is integrity.
It is integrity, living in complete truth with yourself and others, that most demonstrates the quality of your character.
In a way, integrity is actually the value that guarantees all other values. The higher your level of integrity, the more honest you are with yourself, the more likely it is you will live consistently with all other values you admire and respect. It takes tremendous self-discipline to become a person of character. It takes considerable willpower to always “do the right thing” in every situation. It takes self-discipline and willpower to resist the temptation to cut corners, to take the easy way, or to act for short-term advantage.
All of life is a test, ultimately proving our character. Wisdom can be developed privately, through study and reflection. But character can only be developed in the give and take of daily life, when forced to choose and decide among alternatives.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Mentoring
Helping Others – and Yourself – Grow Through
MentoringMen-tor n.
A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.Looking for a way to help your people develop, grow, and improve their performance? Like to do the same for yourself? If so, you need to try MENTORING. If ever there was a “win-win” process, this is it!
By definition, mentoring is a relationship between an experienced person and a less experienced person for the purpose of helping the individual with less experience learn and grow.
Mentoring is a great way to serve your people … and yourself. As team members develop in both knowledge and skills, their performance naturally improves. When that happens, everyone wins. And you’ll find that YOU grow by mentoring, as well. As you reflect on your life experiences and distill them into nuggets to share with others, you “re-experience” the wisdom that’s inside of you. What’s wrong with that picture? NOTHING!
So, consider adding mentoring to your leadership strategies. And as you do, keep the following in mind:
All mentoring relationships need to focus on the people being mentored. Remember that it’s not about you – it’s about them. Accept them for who they are. Help them advance at their own place.
Avoid treating people you are mentoring as incompetent or incapable. Rather, think of them as individuals lacking in experience … valuable team members who need guidance. And don’t forget where YOU came from. Earlier in your career, you didn’t know what you know now. Why should they?
Don’t criticize or belittle. Instead, help “mentorees” think through the consequences of their behavior and to identify more positive ways of handling difficult or troubling situations. And, by all means, hold the people you are mentoring responsible for their success. Be willing to give of yourself and your time, but insist that they do the same.
MentoringMen-tor n.
A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.Looking for a way to help your people develop, grow, and improve their performance? Like to do the same for yourself? If so, you need to try MENTORING. If ever there was a “win-win” process, this is it!
By definition, mentoring is a relationship between an experienced person and a less experienced person for the purpose of helping the individual with less experience learn and grow.
Mentoring is a great way to serve your people … and yourself. As team members develop in both knowledge and skills, their performance naturally improves. When that happens, everyone wins. And you’ll find that YOU grow by mentoring, as well. As you reflect on your life experiences and distill them into nuggets to share with others, you “re-experience” the wisdom that’s inside of you. What’s wrong with that picture? NOTHING!
So, consider adding mentoring to your leadership strategies. And as you do, keep the following in mind:
All mentoring relationships need to focus on the people being mentored. Remember that it’s not about you – it’s about them. Accept them for who they are. Help them advance at their own place.
Avoid treating people you are mentoring as incompetent or incapable. Rather, think of them as individuals lacking in experience … valuable team members who need guidance. And don’t forget where YOU came from. Earlier in your career, you didn’t know what you know now. Why should they?
Don’t criticize or belittle. Instead, help “mentorees” think through the consequences of their behavior and to identify more positive ways of handling difficult or troubling situations. And, by all means, hold the people you are mentoring responsible for their success. Be willing to give of yourself and your time, but insist that they do the same.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Questioning your way to better TEAMWORK
Like to get your group working more collaboratively together as a team? You can! And one of the best ways to do that is to ask questions … EFFECTIVE questions.
Have you ever asked, “Why can’t we all be better at teamwork?” and received blank stares, head scratching, and even some finger pointing? A question like that is ineffective – it’s non-specific, negative, and backward (what’s wrong) focused. Ineffective questions typically cause people to roll their eyes, affix blame, and “circle the wagons” in defensiveness instead of creating and testing ideas and solutions.
Effective questions are much different. They’re the “right” questions – ones that encourage people to focus on what they’ve done well in the past – and to use that information to help identify strategies for achieving today’s desired results.Effective questions can be the single-most potent tool in any leader’s toolbox. They create a mindset shift away from problem orientation and limitations – and toward solution orientation and possibilities. Here are five examples of effective questions you can ask to encourage your people to work together better.
Give them a try …
What are some things we do well when we work together as a team?
What are some things that worked well on other teams of which you have been a part?
What specifically caused each of those to work?
What is our vision of excellent collaboration and teamwork … what does it look like?
How would each of us benefit if we lived that vision every day?
What can we do to move closer to that vision? What are each of us willing and committed to contribute?
Have you ever asked, “Why can’t we all be better at teamwork?” and received blank stares, head scratching, and even some finger pointing? A question like that is ineffective – it’s non-specific, negative, and backward (what’s wrong) focused. Ineffective questions typically cause people to roll their eyes, affix blame, and “circle the wagons” in defensiveness instead of creating and testing ideas and solutions.
Effective questions are much different. They’re the “right” questions – ones that encourage people to focus on what they’ve done well in the past – and to use that information to help identify strategies for achieving today’s desired results.Effective questions can be the single-most potent tool in any leader’s toolbox. They create a mindset shift away from problem orientation and limitations – and toward solution orientation and possibilities. Here are five examples of effective questions you can ask to encourage your people to work together better.
Give them a try …
What are some things we do well when we work together as a team?
What are some things that worked well on other teams of which you have been a part?
What specifically caused each of those to work?
What is our vision of excellent collaboration and teamwork … what does it look like?
How would each of us benefit if we lived that vision every day?
What can we do to move closer to that vision? What are each of us willing and committed to contribute?
Monday, August 3, 2009
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