07
Oct 20
0

Masterclass : Delegation for Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Empowerment

Tags : accountability measurements metrics remote teams telework wfh

Masterclass : Delegation for Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Empowerment

Starts in:

Often cited as one of the most common supervisory deficiencies, effective delegation can be the difference between success and failure in leadership roles.

Delegation is not only about letting go, but also about forward-thinking.

Is it time to end the frustration, worry, and risk of delegating tasks? Are you involved in committees, a matrix-management environment, or otherwise expected to get more done through people?

This masterclass is exactly what you need.

virtual presenter Dennis Gilbert

There are many barriers to delegation regardless of whether you work closely in the same physical space or whether you are working remotely across town or thousands of miles apart.

This two-part masterclass will help you:

Escape the fears that are stopping you from delegating
Knockdown barriers and ease worries about delegation outcomes
Gain better balance of your workday by empowering team members
Learn six action steps and best practices for effective delegation
Improve your leadership prowess by allocating more time for strategy
Boost job security and future promotion opportunities with succession pathways

Gain master-level knowledge to eliminate the fear of bad results, wasted time, and anxiety weakening job performance. Gain effectiveness, improve efficiencies and empower others through your delegation efforts.

Stop wasting time and start leading again.

Create an environment where everybody wins!

Dennis Gilbert Masterclass virtual

Join us – October 7th!

Register now, below…

Where: From your own device. For best results, you’ll utilize a webcam type device (and speakers) to connect to the seminar. Optionally, you can listen in and interact through questions without a video connection.

When: October 7 and October 14, both starting at 10:00 AM (Eastern U.S. timezone) 90-minutes each.

Who: This seminar is appropriate for team leaders, committee leaders, supervisors, managers, directors, and executives. Anyone with the responsibility to lead or manage the work and productivity of employees, committees, or peer teams.

This virtual (Zoom) seminar will be presented by business consultant and national level speaker, Dennis Gilbert.

Dennis Gilbert

“I delivered my first live, on-line virtual training program in 2009. Much changed since then, and the content and delivery is now better than ever. Make no mistake, this program is not a freebie teaser. It is a specially developed live virtual training (webinar) that is jam packed with tips, techniques, and most of all, value.” – Dennis

Cost: $199 per participant – one ticket buys both sessions!

Register now for ~~$199~~ $189

Register Now

Thanks for looking and for supporting small businesses!

29
Sep 20
0

Masterclass : Leadership Metrics and Accountability – Remote Teams

Tags : accountability measurements metrics remote teams telework wfh

Masterclass : Leadership Metrics and Accountability

Remote Work Teams

Starts in:

Leading in a remote environment is different from traditional approaches. While there are attributes shared across both environments, a one-size only approach will likely result in additional communication challenges, misunderstood expectations, and workflow or project shortcomings.

None of these things are attractive for your leadership style, respect, and trust-building. Not to mention it wastes other precious resources such as time and productivity.

Many traditional teams have been displaced from the traditional office. Managing and leading remote employees has never been more popular.

virtual presenter Dennis Gilbert

This two-part masterclass will help you:

Gain relief from tactical versus strategic roadblocks
Balance and manage the stress associated with leading remote teams
Approach team workflow more as a collaborative leader and less as an over-bearing taskmaster
Learn best practices for leading with metrics and measurements and not guesswork or misunderstood expectations
Improve accountability and provide performance oversight without disengaging the person or team
Increase morale and improve cohesion across all team members

Session one: Create, Set, and Monitor – Metrics and Measurements (90 Minutes)

Session two: Accountability – Leadership Action Steps and Team Results (90 Minutes)

Gain master-level knowledge to eliminate the fear of slipping projects, declining productivity, and low-morale without accountability. Reduce anxieties and get your employee teams energized.

Start leading again and make more constructive use of your own time!

Dennis Gilbert virtual presenter masterclass

Join us – September 29th!

Register now, below…

Where: From your own device. For best results, you’ll utilize a webcam type device (and speakers) to connect to the seminar. Optionally, you can listen in and interact through questions without a video connection.

When: September 29 and October 13, both starting at 10:00 AM (Eastern U.S. timezone) 90-minutes each.

Who: This seminar is appropriate for team leaders, committee leaders, supervisors, managers, directors, and executives. Anyone with the responsibility to lead or manage the work and productivity of remote employees.

This virtual (Zoom) seminar will be presented by business consultant and national level speaker, Dennis Gilbert.

Dennis Gilbert

“I delivered my first live, on-line virtual training program in 2009. Much changed since then, and the content and delivery is now better than ever. Make no mistake, this program is not a freebie teaser. It is a specially developed live virtual training (webinar) that is jam packed with tips, techniques, and most of all, value.” – Dennis

Cost: $199 per participant

Register now for ~~$199~~ $189

Register Now

Thanks for looking and for supporting small businesses!

06
Aug 20
-

Workplace Accountability Starts With Purpose

Tags : accountability ownership purpose skills turnover

Frustrated, many employees feel that there is a lack of accountability. Have you sized up your workplace accountability?

As an individual, team lead, manager, or the CEO, are people accountable?

In the workplace people can be accountable for many things. They can be accountable for knowledge, skills, and abilities. They can also be accountable for their time and turning in good work.

There’s still more. People should be accountable for their attitude, commitment, and interpersonal relationships.

It’s not okay to show up and do nothing.

It’s not okay to claim, “I’m a little weird.” and then refuse to engage or form appropriate relationships.

Most of all it’s not okay to blame others, waste resources, or contribute less than what is expected.

How should you hold yourself or others accountable?

Workplace Accountability

It starts with a creating a sense of purpose.

People are much more accountable when they are connected with why their work matters.

For managers and other workplace leaders, showing them that you don’t care about them is the fastest way to have them not care about you.

Often, unconscious, thoughtless, or misinterpreted actions will undermine purpose and accountability.

Leaders who can transfer the feeling of ownership, connection, and purpose to every job seem to have an easier path to accountability.

It is easier said, than done though.

Accountability Pathways

Connecting people with purpose requires time, effort, and trust. It will not work for the person who doesn’t care about building lasting relationships.

You can’t treat people like machines. If you do, they may complete the task, but the organization will suffer from the high cost of employee turnover, low morale, and bad attitudes.

Accountability might be measured on a spreadsheet, but those results are connected to the human factor.

Connect everyone with purpose. Give them ownership in the work.

Holding people accountable can be a tough job. Creating a culture that inspires accountability lessens that effort.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

08
Apr 20
-

Workforce Disruption and Working From Home

Tags : accountability disruption trust wfh work from home

Certainly, for many, there has been a workforce disruption. For all the businesses and organizations attempting to navigate this pandemic environment, what has changed?

Some have faced tremendous change. They are busy beyond belief. Others have closed doors, either by government pressure or because of a lack of business.

It seems likely the biggest category is somewhere in the middle. Larger organizations are struggling to find the right path and smaller ones are examining how to get by without the horsepower of a larger operation.

This middle group likely faces the most unknown’s and deciding how they will navigate leaves their workforce wondering about their fate.

Popular wisdom suggests a good number of people who have not been displaced by the disruption are in some form, working from home.

Workforce Disruption

Working from home is not the same as being at work only now you are working in a different location. The psychology behind this change affects both the supervisor and the direct report.

Communication has changed, work hours are different, and the normal ways of doing business are of course, disrupted.

The supervisor who led by face-to-face observation is now feeling uneasy about the tasks ahead. The direct report who always waited on the supervisor to guide and steer their daily work is impacted by not knowing or understanding what to do next. Precious time is lost, productivity drops, and without precise metrics and measurements outcomes are unknown.

Working from home, for the supervisor and the direct report, requires a different approach from a conventional workplace.

Communication must be more concise than ever, accountability and responsibility shifts, and trust will be the competitive edge in the battle to the top, or the race to the bottom.

-DEG

Recently, I’ve launch two programs targeted specifically for helping individuals and teams navigate the disruption and work more effectively remotely or in work from home (WFH) environments. Check out Managing Remote Work Teams and Mastering Work From Home.

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

23
Mar 20
2

5 Tips To Help You Work From Home

Tags : accountability commitment focus productivity work from home

There are some people who just realized their dream opportunity. Largely, this sudden shift may feel more like a nightmare to many people. Are you prepared to work from home?

More or less I have worked from home for the past 14 years. I’ve had part-time offices out of my home and spent many hours onsite at client locations. However, when I’m grinding out new content, writing, studying, and preparing for deliveries, I’m often at home.

Work From Home

First, let me say that there are pros and cons. I spent over 20 years working in conventional workplace settings. I definitely recognize both sides of this story.

Solitude can drive you mad. Yes, it seems kinda cool at first, but after some time you miss the interactions and sometimes the climate of a face-to-face team. There is also no one immediately available to bounce ideas off of, except for your plant or a family pet.

Let me jump right in. Here are five tips to help you get started, stay productive, and not feel like you’re totally alone.

Set a schedule. Planning to do things when you get around to it is probably a bad idea. If you’re planning to do some wash, run the vacuum, or get a snack for the kids you are best to plan around a schedule. A schedule keeps you focused during high energy times of the day and helps you avoid time sucking distractions. Productivity is going to be important so set a schedule.
Prepare a work space. A home office is ideal. However, you can also use your kitchen island, a coffee table, or a stand up desk by using your ironing board. Your best work is going to occur if you can establish a place to setup and keep it somewhat permanent. Using your laptop on your recliner may work for processing some email but your best work is going to occur from a little bit more rigid work space.
Block out distractions. It may feel pretty cool to have the news on the TV, or be jamming to music so loud that the neighbors can hear it, but these are largely distractions. While everyone is different and some will think that they work better with these distractions I encourage you to think twice. Every time you pause to think about something else, something different, or throw in the next load of laundry you are wasting time and more importantly energy.
Take some breaks. A break is not necessarily a distraction. It can be an energizer. It can also be very healthy both emotionally and physically. Your best-case scenario is to plan your breaks. Set a timer and forget about it until you are alerted. You could take break every hour or every two or three. They are important and don’t skip too many.
Teamwork. If you you’re working remotely with a team a great energizer is to plan for team calls or video chats. One way is to plan a call for every two hours. The team quickly assembles at the appropriate time and in a round-robin approach you take turns talking about what you accomplished since you last spoke and what you plan to accomplish in the next time slot. This call should last no more than 15 minutes. It is a quick huddle, and energizer, and a great way to hold each other accountable.

Working from home is just that, it’s work. Yes, you may be able to dress down a bit and yes, you may have some additional flexibility but there is still plenty of work to be done so don’t coast.

-DEG

You may also be interested in the Managing Remote Work Teams or Master Your Work From Home Environment webinar(s).

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

25
Feb 20
-

Responsible Coach And The Engaged Trainee

Tags : accountability coach coaching responsibility

Are you a responsible coach? Are you serving as a mentor, a coach, or a teacher?

In your workplace role do you find yourself feeling responsible to help guide, motivate, or teach others?

Professional coaches spend decades honing their craft. They are in it to make a difference. Much of their inspiration develops from seeing the results in others.

Is it possible that the coach cares more than the trainee?

Making a Difference

Both formally and informally many workplace professionals find themselves assigned to help others. Is it working? Are you making a difference?

It is difficult to feed those who are not hungry. You can set a table full of delicious and nutritious food in front of them, yet, they’ll not indulge.

Is the food terrible or are they just not hungry?

It is true for most things in life. As a general rule, people will only participate fully when they feel the need or have the desire.

Someone who doesn’t want to learn, or see a need to learn, probably won’t learn very much.

Weight loss, exercise, or healthy eating, will mostly come from those who have some desire or a feeling of necessity to create the outcome. Very limited desire yields very limited results.

A Motivation Coach

Can you motivate as a coach? Absolutely, you can. The question often becomes, “For how long?”

Remove the stimulus and you may see the results dwindle.

One role of the coach is to help the person stay accountable. Yet, you likely cannot provide oversight every minute, of every day.

Often, this circles back to the trainee having or developing some level of self-motivation for the cause.

It seems that there must be a level of commitment from the trainee.

What is the responsibility of the coach?

Responsible Coach

Remember that coaches often gain their own satisfaction or inspiration from helping others succeed. A coached person or trainee who lacks the commitment to the cause may not accomplish much.

The responsible coach may show the path, guide, teach, and even motivate. Yet, they can’t be held accountable to helping someone who consistently fails to do their part.

Be a good coach. Be a good trainee.

A responsible coach won’t waste his or her time.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

06
Jan 20
-

Workplace Timelines Create Accountability

Tags : accountability priorities timelines workplace

It is often easy to shout out the timeline. Are workplace timelines creating accountability or hindering productivity?

Depending on the work, timelines are either set or contingent upon availability or demand.

Workplace Timelines

Management sometimes sets the timeline. It may be based on historical performance, benchmark data, or even just management expectations.

In other cases, timelines are conditioned by availability or need.

Restaurants are busy during a breakfast, lunch, or dinner hour, but not so much during other times.

Personal tax service businesses have a peak time of the year.

In manufacturing or assembly businesses, efforts often depend on first things first, each step of the process relies on the step before.

In healthcare or firefighting, the timeline may be conditioned by an emergency.

For some businesses the timeline is conditioned by a project specification. Project managers assure the process is happening according to spec.

In all cases, accountability is often a concern. Matrix management or cross-functional teams often leave accountability in the hands of the employee teams.

What makes a difference for accountability?

Driving Accountability

There are two schools of thought.

The first is that management sets all timelines and provides oversight to ensure all responsible parties are held accountable.

Another is that management asks responsible parties to provide the timeline and then provides support and oversight to the process.

Are the timelines reasonable? Will the work be completed on time?

When the responsible party chooses the timeline and everyone agrees that it is reasonable there is little room for excuses.

Perhaps the quality, accuracy, and completeness of the project will depend on who sets the timeline?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

03
Jan 20
-

Decision Commitment and Deciding What to Do

Tags : accountability belief commitment decision

Sometimes the best thing to happen next is to decide that you are going to decide. Decision commitment can be a stumbling block. Are you ready to leap over the obstacles?

Often it is not about a lack of options, it is about a lack of commitment to decisions.

If you’re in sales, you’ll want the customer to decide. Your goal is to close the deal. You’re in the business of helping other people decide.

Selling It

Isn’t everyone in sales? Can you sell to yourself?

Sometimes we have to sell it to ourselves. We have to take the big leap. Create the contract and stay committed.

In my consulting practice, the biggest obstacle I often see for clients is their inability to decide. They want something different, bigger, or better. They can see it, but their next decision means commitment and they may not be ready for it.

Decision Commitment

It feels so final. You contemplate over and over about the pros and cons? Will it work or will it crash and burn in disaster?

At every entry point you have a chance to decide that you will decide.

Here is the thing. It doesn’t have to be final. Your choice can be fluid. You can ebb and flow, make adjustments, take a break, or start again. If the number is too steep, adjust. The timeline is too fast (or slow), adjust it.

Procrastination and a lack of making a decision is often a crusher of momentum and certainly productivity. You know time is money. The inability to make a choice may be costing much more than the risk you’re contemplating.

Trust Yourself

A decision often starts with trusting yourself.

Is that something you can feel confident about? Do you trust yourself?

Your next decision may be a big one. The heat of the moment may not be the best time to decide, and sometimes a decision to do nothing is still a good decision.

You must decide.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

05
Aug 19
-

Whatever You Do, We Trust You.

Tags : accountability rules trust workplace

Workplace trust seems like a reasonable component of any flourishing organization. What are the signs of trust? Does your team have it?

A small entrepreneurial effort may not require a lot of rules. A few people working together to add value and build a growing business, they have each other’s back. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing.

Workplace Trust

As organizations grow a little bigger, things often start to change. Trust often changes.

Do supervisors micromanage because they lack trust? You bet.

Are there rules of engagement, rules for decisions, and rules to track effort? You bet.

Are there rules about keeping the rules? Yes, often.

Organizations of all sizes can be wildly successful and exciting. The difference between small and large often requires more management of the organizational dynamics.

Mistakes sometimes pile up and can become a new rule.

When accountability seems to fall short, there is a new rule. There are rules to protect the bottom line, rules to protect the organization from legal actions, and likely some rules to protect the customer.

Rules Pile Up

As the rules pile up, the pace of the organization slows.

I don’t know if we can do that, check back next week.

That isn’t my job, I’ll have to get someone who can help.

Next week is our meeting, we’ll discuss it then.

Rules slow the pace.

The business owner who is a plumber and actively works in the field doesn’t need to check with the boss. The same is true for the print shop, the landscaper, and the garage builder.

Do you have a growing business enterprise? Do you trust your employees? How do you show it? What does the customer feel?

A lack of trust becomes costly in many ways.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

01
Apr 19
-

2 Paths for Getting Things Done

Tags : accountability choices culture leadership responsibility

How do we get things done in the workplace? Should we push people, push systems, and use authority? Are you getting things done?

Organizational culture is driving what happens in your workplace. Is the culture supportive, or is it us against them?

Which Path?

One thought is that the authoritarian approach guides what happens next, or else, nothing happens. Without authority, without pushing, without using people as a tool, nothing happens. People will do little or nothing, they’ll wait.

This is the concept of, “because I said so.” This should beg a question though. The question becomes, “Is that the culture of leadership?” Unlikely.

Another pathway suggests that potential exists in everyone. Everyone can and should contribute. Instead of thinking about tackling work or challenges with an iron fist, we instead consider that properly empowered people will figure it out together.

This path believes that everyone has talent. This is how skills are developed, talent is grown, and leaders are made.

How will leadership utilize this resource?

Getting Things Done

One path ignites ownership, creates buy-in, and establishes responsibility. It is a natural system for accountability. It is an opportunity to recognize the potential that is in everyone and it highlights the potential of the team.

This culture pulls employee teams into action. There really isn’t a reason for push. Compelled by determination and responsibility teams will achieve.

In this system empowerment is the driver. It is a good way to get things done.

The other path suggests you wait to get picked. Dominance is about authority. Judgment of people happens based on their history, not the possibility for the future. Do as I say, not as I do. You’re never paid to think.

Every culture has a choice. Every choice metaphorically mortars another brick in the culture.

Make good choices because it is not only how things will get done, it is also how things will get built.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Tag Archives: accountability

Oct 20

Masterclass : Delegation for Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Empowerment

Sep 20

Masterclass : Leadership Metrics and Accountability

Aug 20

-

Workplace Accountability

Accountability Pathways

Apr 20

-

Workforce Disruption

Mar 20

Work From Home

Feb 20

-

Making a Difference

A Motivation Coach

Responsible Coach

Jan 20

-

Workplace Timelines

Driving Accountability

Jan 20

-

Selling It

Decision Commitment

Trust Yourself

Aug 19

-

Workplace Trust

Rules Pile Up

Apr 19

-

Which Path?

Getting Things Done

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