Category: Leadership

Reaching a Milestone: Another Opportunity for Reflection

Four years ago, I started writing articles and mailing a newsletter. This article is the 200th article I have written and posted. It is a milestone. A step in a journey, but not the goal. I did not set a target of writing 200 articles. I began this process only to convey ideas that I thought would help others. But along the way, I learned that it helped me also.

Those of you that read my articles regularly know my purpose and passion is to help people expand their awareness, grow belief in themselves, and discover new opportunities for success. It is what I do as a coach and trainer at New Roads Leadership. When I help my clients, I want them to examine themselves, and really learn about their values, their passions, and their habits.

Most people would tell you that they know what they value. They could describe their values with words like honesty, loyalty, and openness. But to truly know your values, they must be challenged. How do you react to adverse situations? The clearer you can visualize your potential actions, the more effective you can be at living your values.

For me, writing these articles provides a forum for my own analysis. I am able to take an idea, and explore it. I can recall situations that were affected by my values, and reflect on lessons learned. I think and challenge myself. I can seek alternatives that would have served me better, and actions that would create better results. I search for excellence, improvement, and success.

I plan to keep writing. My hope is that my words can continue to challenge your thoughts. I am looking forward to my next 200 articles.

3 Critical Attributes Everyone Should Consider for a Healthy Work Environment

What does a healthy growth environment look like in the corporate workplace? Although there are many considerations, I think there are three critical factors.

1. Committed to employee development.  A company must match action with their words in regards to employee development. For some companies employee development is an exercise on paper not backed up by action. A company must make employee development as strategic as other corporate initiatives. A healthy environment also refrains from punishing mistakes. Instead it takes the opportunity to learn from the mistake.

2. Willing to make changes for growth. A company must be willing to create development assignments. It must be willing to provide new opportunities and new challenges. In most cases this will require changes to the organization design. A company organizations structure should be built with the strengths of their employees as an input, rather than trying to fit employees into a fixed structure.

3. Willing to spend money for employee development. A company must invest money in their people… effectively. By effectively, I mean that the opportunities must match the needs. Much of the corporate training these days only provides training that meets the legal requirements related to employment. Also consider development opportunities are not limited to training, and are best if the are matched to individual strengths.

Why should you want to create or work in a growth environment? Because the result of matching good employees and a healthy growth environment creates success.

Compare it to the success of a motion picture:

  • If you have a good script but bad actors, your film will barely get noticed.
  • If you have a bad script with good actors, your film will fail. And people will wonder why those actors ever signed for that film.
  • If you have a bad script and bad actors, no one will ever notice. Very few people will ever see it.
  • If you have a good script with good actors, your film will rise above the other films with which you are competing. You will have a winning combination.

Do you want a winning formula? Put great employees in a healthy, growth environment! How is your current environment? What makes it great or poor?

4 Key Ingredients in Developing Your Team

I routinely get asked, “How can I develop leadership skills in my employees (or my team)?” No matter your business, your team size, or your objectives, there are key requirements for successful employee development that apply . Let’s review these four significant steps to learn how you can develop a leader from within your team. A leader who will help you grow your business, or grow your success.

1) See their potential. You cannot develop someone if you truly do not see their potential. This may be the hardest part. You must be willing to see them as they can be, not as they are right now.

2) Show them the picture of their potential. You have to be very clear about what the future looks like. You can’t just tell them they have potential. Where do they have potential? Where can it lead them? What is the opportunity they have right now to start developing this potential? Make it as clear as possible. Support them as they begin to step out of their comfort zone.

3) Create rewards to match their growth. You can’t develop leaders without having a business model that rewards them for their achievement. You have to be willing to provide appropriate rewards for the performance you expect.

4) Align this process with your business plan or goals. How many people do you need to develop? Where will they fit in your business? Where will their new skills and responsibilities drive new growth or new success? If you develop new leaders, you want to keep them. You will only be able to retain them if they fit your business plan, and if they can continue to grow. You will need to establish a growth environment that supports and nurtures your team in alignment with your business.

This is not an employee training plan. This is a leadership development plan. A plan which requires your intentional involvement to be successful. It is not a plan that you would want to implement with all your employees. It is a plan that meets the need of a specific employee for a specific business purpose. It is this alignment which creates the opportunity to successfully develop your employees.

I hope this helps you think through the process that will help you develop key people on your path to success!

 

What Everybody Ought to Know About Connecting

Recently I was certified in the facilitation of the Real Colors temperament assessment tool. Real Colors is grounded in the personality theory of Carl Jung, and validated by the work of Myers-Briggs, and Keirsey-Bates. Maybe you are familiar with other assessment tools like MBTI or DISC. Real Colors is a tool that is accurate, understandable, and easy to apply on a daily basis.

Why is all of that important? Your ability to communicate and connect with others is vital to your success. According to the Harvard Business Review, “The number one criteria for advancement and promotion for professionals is an ability to communicate effectively.” Leadership expert John C. Maxwell says, “Connecting is vital for any person who wants to achieve success. It is essential for anyone who wants to build great relationships.”

Knowing about temperament theory can help you identify the approach required to improve your connection with specific people. People are different in how they connect with others. People have different perspectives.

How much more effective could you be in your work life and relationships if you had more insight in how to connect, support and add value to others?

As Zig Ziglar said, “You can get everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want.” What if you had a better understanding of how to communicate effectively with other people?

The Real Colors workshop provides the opportunity for people to learn their own temperament preferences, and how they can better relate to others with different preferences.

If you are discussing a new problem that needs to be solved with an individual, what approach in communication would you use? Some people want you to get right to the point and discuss how to solve the problem. Some people want to understand why the problem needs to be solved, but not told how to solve it. Others want to understand how solving the problem will support the team or other people. Other people need clear and precise direction with defined organization on how to solve the problem.

Which approach is most effective? It depends on who you are are talking with.

If you knew which approach would work with different individuals wouldn’t your effectiveness improve? That is the power of Real Colors.

I am excited about helping people understand themselves, and how they can be more effective in this world. Contact me if you would like to know more about how Real Colors can help you or your organization.