leadership Archives - Page 8 of 22

21
Mar 19
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When Workplace Resilience Turns to Brilliance

Tags : bounce back leadership quality resilience workplace

What does being resilient mean? It is a question I often ask in leadership seminars. It is a thought starter, something to get people thinking. Do you have workplace resilience?

Resilience may be described as the ability to bounce back quickly. We may suggest that a Nerf ball has resilient properties. Baby Boomers may think of Timex watch TV commercials, and someone may suggest that the character of Rocky Balboa from the Rocky film series was resilient.

Leadership Means Resilience

Being resilient is an important leadership quality. Whether you are a team lead, front-line supervisor, or a Senior Vice President, workplace resilience matters.

In any position where you lead, which by the way doesn’t necessarily imply that you have direct reports, all eyes are on you. What you say, what you do, and your attitude matter. People are watching.

Leading means forward motion, holding things together, and energizing the team.

Things are going to go wrong, missteps will occur, undesirable situations will arise. Are you going to bounce back quickly or become stuck? Are you going to dramatize the situation or move on?

You can aim to achieve the highest levels of six-sigma. You can even plan to make everything perfect. Working towards doing it right is never a bad idea.

What happens when things go wrong?

Workplace Resilience

Finding balance should perhaps be an organizational value. All of the effort towards perfection may not prepare people for resilience. Persistence matters, but persistence arguably may not happen if you are not resilient.

Too much focus on perfection may not prepare you for resilience. Too much focus on resilience may not propel you towards perfection.

Understanding that your work is likely always a work in progress tends to balance the scale. Even after the standards have been set, the tolerances calculated, and the metric is ready for measurement, something may fall.

Ensuring you are resilient is not a waste of time. It is brilliant.

-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.

20
Mar 19
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Leadership Habit 42: Navigating Leadership Opportunity

Tags : leadership opportunity status quo stuck

One day you are rolling along and things seem to be going well, then you hit a roadblock. This is both the challenge and opportunity of leadership. How are you navigating leadership opportunity?

Change is a process. When we consider employees who are facing a change, that is the external event. How people transition through a change event is an internal process.

Is it possible that people and teams get stuck in the transition? Yes, they sometimes hit a wall or encounter a hurdle that appears too tall.

It may appear easier to just hunker down in place.

Stuck in Status Quo

In a very natural way people often try to protect the status quo. Their thought is, “Don’t change a thing, protect and defend, it took a lot of effort to get here, let’s keep it this way.”

This isn’t the challenge of leadership.

Getting stuck, or especially staying stuck, just doesn’t seem like leading.

In leadership seminars I sometimes witness the frustration of middle or front-line management team members feeling sandwiched. Stuck between process and policy.

They are often almost desperate to find a way to navigate the challenge of productivity while also staying in their lane and coloring inside the lines. In some ways they may feel hypocritical and forced to play politics.

Leading offers new opportunity.

Leadership Opportunity

An opportunity to lead, to find a way, create a path. Not a path of destruction but a path that leads out of stopped, stalled, or stuck.

When roadblocks, obstacles, or adverse conditions occur, this is the time for leadership.

It is easy to observe and say, “Yup, we’re stuck.” The challenge is navigating the situation differently to breakthrough or break free.

-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.

19
Mar 19
2

Team Energy Comes from Going to the Well

Tags : dig deep leadership lend a hand team energy

Team energy seems like an easy concept. Treat people with respect. Focus on the mission. People get paid.

In practice though, it may not always be so easy. Doing the same work repeatedly, the daily grind, conflict with coworkers and a boss who frequently changes his or her mind.

Historical Perspective

The older I get, the more I love history. I’m not a, remember the dates of major events kind of person. What I really enjoy is trying to get a deeper understanding of how people lived, what they endured, and their values and beliefs.

Just 125 years ago, there wasn’t cars. Sure, the first automobile may have may have had a patent from Carl Benz in 1885, but before the early 1900’s automobiles barely existed.

The same is true for many of our modern utilities. Things like septic systems, public water, and in rural areas even electricity wasn’t popular.

People often pumped water with a hand pump, or carried it from a nearby stream. Sometimes, getting to the source of this important human need you would have to, “dig deep.”

I live on an old farm estate. There is still an active hand pump on my porch.

Some of this seems hard to believe, but it is true. Families worked together. People helped people. When someone needed something, you would, “lend a hand.”

You didn’t write a check or start a GoFundMe page.

Times certainly have changed.

Team Energy

A little over a century ago someone would have to pump the water. People went to the well.

Still today in our jobs, even in the highest technology sectors, we have a chance to lend a hand.

Every day in our employee teams we have a chance to bring forward the energy. We all have the opportunity to dig deep.

Going to the well for everyone’s benefit makes sense.

The opposite is watching everything go down the drain.

-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.

15
Mar 19
-

Does Your Team Understand Workplace Purpose?

Tags : growth leadership purpose workplace

One of the most basic elements of building a successful organization is the ability to rally the people around a workplace purpose. Have you considered lately how that is working in your team or department?

Setting the Stage

The development stages of the organization are simpler. There are fewer people, less moving parts, it is easier to watch over the entire operation.

Across the months, years, or decades things start to shift a little. More people join, more problems have become apparent and more rules and policies are put in place. Without careful and purposeful intention, things often start to get lost in the shuffle.

Often larger work groups and teams are doing tasks or following guidelines that they either don’t understand, or worse, they misunderstand.

The big picture with strategy is out there. It may be in the publicized mission statement, unfortunately from the strategy room to the front-line things get lost in the translation.

Department managers sometimes become confused about the true strategy, the why of the business. They respond to measurement, metrics, and performance criteria, but their response lacks the understanding of purpose.

As time moves forward some disorganization may occur. The purpose is confusing, the front-line works towards metrics, but they often do not understand why. Managers insist somewhat blindly that this work, their work, is part of the strategy, however, they too suffer from understanding why.

Workplace Purpose

When groups of people and teams are employed to create work, provide a service, and do great things it is very important that they understand the purpose.

Understanding workplace purpose is everyone’s responsibility, yet it often doesn’t exist.

In the best organizations everyone leads at some level. Otherwise, you have a bureaucratic conundrum.

-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.

22
Feb 19
-

Workplace Engagement Starts with Respect

Tags : engagement leadership respect workplace

The chicken or the egg? Everyone wonders. Workplace engagement isn’t as challenging, but it may not always start in the manner that you think.

I didn’t like green beans as a kid, probably because they weren’t sweet enough. Today, I value their importance in a well-balanced diet and I’m sure to eat a few.

When it comes to the work at hand, people are often not sure whether they will like it or not. Can there be situations where after they explore it, check it out, and give it a try, they’re interested to do more?

Workplace Engagement

Engagement doesn’t always start with the notion that it will be fun and engaging, sometimes people grow into it.

It’s common for someone to dislike the new software release. “It’s awkward. Where is my old screen that showed everything near the top?”

The same is often true for the process change. “We’ve never done it this way. I don’t think this is going to work.”

Engagement doesn’t always start by making it attractive enough. It doesn’t always begin with confidence and a roaring stream of energy.

Sometimes engagement develops by getting ingrained in the process. Passion develops from the understood purpose. The feeling of accomplishment.

Many people want to understand that their work will make a difference, that it matters, and as people, they are needed and valued because it does.

Connect with Respect

Dressing up or sugar coating that there is work to be done and let’s get motivated about it doesn’t guarantee engagement. In fact, once that excitement wears off, people are waiting for you to excite them again. And bigger this time.

Respect will go a long way towards the gratitude of the offer for work to be done. Consider, “We could sure use your expertise on this one.”

Engagement forms when there is a connection to the contribution. It all starts with respect.

-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
Feb 19
-

The Consequences of Bad Data

Tags : data information leadership opinions responsibility

A data driven society? Yes, it’s likely we can apply that label. If we have a data driven society what happens when we have bad data?

As I write this, it is winter. Early February, in Pennsylvania. We’ve recently had some very cold temperatures, snow, and of course, ice.

In the winter months I mostly drive my 20-year-old Tahoe. Winter roads in the Northeast are not kind to vehicle life. I’m thankful for my Tahoe. It’s a trusty rusty machine.

Bad Data

Yesterday, it was around 60 degrees. Snow and ice melting rapidly. I jumped in my Tahoe to proceed to an event. Inside the vehicle it felt so warm, I had to crack a window.

Once underway and rolling down the highway, I glanced to my rearview mirror where there is a digital thermostat. It was displaying minus 36 Fahrenheit, then minus 37, eventually hitting minus 40. Should I trust these numbers?

At the event, I overheard people discussing the local temperature. Comparing the past week, to the current week. Funny how many different temperatures were being reported. Are these facts?

During the event, there was additional information exchanged. Opinions shared, research claimed, materials produced, and notes taken. People processing data.

In a recent workforce meeting I attended, an organization cited an employee turnover ratio of 56 percent. I thought, it must be incorrect, perhaps a decimal problem, or some other error. I asked, “Is there a decimal problem?” The answer was, “No.” Good thing I asked.

Part of the Solution

Our workplaces are often outlined and highlighted with data. Numbers, reports, infographics, facts, opinions, statistics, and presentations.

Be careful with your data. Know what you are presenting. Do appropriate research. We can be a part of the problem, or a part of the solution.

Everyone has a responsibility with data.

-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.

30
Jan 19
2

Showing Up Seems To Make Sense

Tags : attendance culture leadership pivot workforce

There are many stories out there about the effects of low unemployment numbers. Some doubt the validity of the numbers, some suggest they can’t find anyone to hire. Others are just thankful that employees are showing up for work.

I want to ask, “Is that the best we can do?”

If our expectation as an organization leader is that we are grateful when people are showing up for work, something must be wrong.

Showing Up

I remember years ago when the chairperson of a community workforce meeting stated that finding employees was a challenge for local business owners. The chairperson asked a CEO in attendance, “Are you fully staffed, and if so, how are you doing it?”

The response of this CEO took me aback. He said, “Simple, we ignore the pot.”

What he meant was that through drug testing they were willing to overlook someone who tested positive for marijuana use. This was in the early 2000’s.

I’m not writing this to spark a debate about marijuana use. I’m expressing this scenario to ask, “Is this the best we can do?”

What is going on when organizations must lower their standards in order to onboard or keep employees? Worse, what is happening when they are happy they have succeeded? When they are overjoyed that people are showing up?

Tough Problem

I recognize that this is not an easy problem to tackle. I also recognize that there may be many factors involved.

Things that often bubble to the surface are things like, generational challenges, pay scales, and dirty jobs.

Maybe it is something a little more complex and less obvious. Perhaps there are connections to the organizational culture.

Does the CEO measure the value of employees as human capital (an investment), or are they measured as an expense (keep this number low)? There is a significant difference in the mindset.

When we are overjoyed that people are just showing up for work, we’re caught in a downward spiral.

Maybe the standards need to change. Maybe the culture, the business model, or the vision of leadership should pivot.

Just showing up, is that the best we can do?

-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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

24
Jan 19
2

What Is Your Backup Plan? Do You Have One?

Tags : backup contingency leadership plan

Is it smart to have a backup plan? Is there a plan B, or does a plan B set you up for failure with plan A?

Some motivational experts and gurus will suggest that you shouldn’t have a backup plan. They’ll tell you that any thought put into a backup plan means that you are already planning to fail.

Smart Actions and Plans

I wonder if any of these gurus have a spare tire in their car? If you have a spare, does that suggest you’re planning to get a flat?

I will give them credit for the positive inspiration. It makes some sense to me. At the same time, a backup plan can certainly be very beneficial.

Many professionals have alternate plans.

In the sales presentation if things aren’t going well, you may shift gears to a slightly different discussion. The outdoor wedding, the high school graduation, or family picnic may require a backup venue in-case of bad weather.

On a dreary day an umbrella may be smart. Is that a plan?

What about data? Using the Cloud may have benefits, but there is still a plan.

Backup Plan

Only the novice, the amateur, or the over-confident hustler will enter without a backup or contingency plan. It is not something you dwell, or something you spend more time or resources on as compared with your “A” game. However, there is still a plan.

You wouldn’t leave a plane at 10,000 feet without a parachute. Most people today can’t even leave their home without their cell phone.

If you’re going to do something big. When you’re expecting high risk and high reward. You better have a backup plan.

It’s not self-defeating. It is smart.

-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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

19
Dec 18
-

The Failure of Introductions Around the Room

Tags : introductions leadership meeting management networking

Honestly, I always thought it was silly and a waste of time. It may be okay for a very small group to get better acquainted. However, in settings of more than a few it is probably a failure. How are introductions managed in your meetings?

Does the meeting host or leader, “Go around the room?”

Why do some trainers or meeting facilitators do this? Why do they waste valuable time passing the baton from person to person?

The answer is often easy. They haven’t prepared and it is a great way to spend some time (wasting time) putting the burden on the participants.

Introductions

About eight years ago I was delivering a workshop at a university. The participants were all employees. Certainly not everyone knew everyone.

After about 45-minutes of the seminar I opened for some questions. A faculty member quickly jumped in and said, “I don’t know everyone here. Can we spend a few minutes and go around the room?”

I had another more recent case. In this case I was working for a university (on behalf of) and on a break my university contact asked me, “Who is in the room?”

I replied with, “I’m not sure, who signed up?” Keeping in mind that there were more than thirty participants in this session.

The next question was, “You didn’t go around the room with introductions?”

And so, it continues. It isn’t just in academia, it happens in other sectors too.

What’s the Failure?

One of the biggest fails is the idea that most meeting hosts do this in-part to fill a scheduled time-slot. The pressure is off them to deliver while everyone is going around the room.

Another failure is, who is really listening? As the baton gets closer to you, you are planning what you’ll say. Depending on seating you may not be able to clearly see everyone, so you just hear a voice, or people rubbernecking around the room. Awkward.

Some better ideas? Prepare in advance. Publish a list with biographical sketches, use name tags, or tents. Insist on networking. Point out a few honorable mentions. If you want them to share something tell them you’ll be pointing them out in advance.

Want to know the quickest way to waste twenty-five minutes? Ask a group of thirty plus participants to, “Go around the room.” It may be more productive to give an extra fifteen-minute break and suggest more networking.

If you’re the facilitator, prepare, and use your time wisely. Deliver value, not a silly exercise that stalls the real work to be done.

-DEG

AFTER THOUGHTS: I’ve received some push back on this post. I knew it would be controversial before I hit the Publish button. Yes, there may be an appropriate time and setting to go around the room for introductions. I have done it in certain circumstances or situations. Largely though, as a professional in the field, my opinion is that this more ineffective rather than effective. If a goal is to have people get to know each other, an activity specifically geared towards accomplishing that would be better. And yes, knowing your audience is very important but to the extent possible that should be known in advance, not in the moment. The reason for my writing this post is that I see this too often being used as a crutch by the unprepared. It takes the professional out of professionalism. Then, all that remains is an ism.

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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

14
Dec 18
-

Big Problems Require Big Effort

Tags : big problems challenges concerns leadership strategy

Some problems are simple. Some problems feel silly once we see the solution. Big problems typically don’t go away easily, otherwise, we probably wouldn’t be discussing them.

In the workplace we hold meetings to solve problems. Change is often met with opposition, always eager and ready to point out more difficulties, and more challenges.

Resistors insist that the proposed resolution will break the system, lose customers, and start an unstoppable downhill spiral of events that will end in devastation.

Workplace Challenges

Twenty years ago, I remember holding meetings with sales teams and operations groups. During the meetings I used an easel pad to capture what they identified as problems.

Following the meetings in my office I would review the large flip-chart sheets and spend more time to understand the data I had captured.

The problems were complex. They involved numerous departments and workgroups. Budget and money were factors for resolution. So was training, on-boarding the right people, and keeping systems operational while change emerged.

Because of the complexity and budget, it meant that I couldn’t single handedly address their concerns. It would require buy-in from investors and other organizational leaders.

What did I do?

Big Problems

I spent time with the people in the decision flow who had a voice and could impact the necessary areas to address the challenges. This required more meetings, more time, and more red tape.

What didn’t I do?

Unfortunately, I didn’t immediately get back with the teams that spent the time to discuss the challenges. I didn’t spend enough time to follow-up, follow-through, and keep them apprised of the status. I assumed they understood the careful navigation required to address their concerns.

Through their lens, from their frame, I wasn’t doing anything to help with their problems.

I felt rather silly. Twenty years later I still feel kind of silly writing about it. The problem is, we often take many behaviors, actions, and inaction for granted.

Make a big effort. Be thorough. Circle back. Do it timely.

-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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: leadership

Mar 19

-

Leadership Means Resilience

Workplace Resilience

Mar 19

-

Stuck in Status Quo

Leadership Opportunity

Mar 19

Historical Perspective

Team Energy

Mar 19

-

Setting the Stage

Workplace Purpose

Feb 19

-

Workplace Engagement

Connect with Respect

Feb 19

-

Bad Data

Part of the Solution

Jan 19

Showing Up

Tough Problem

Jan 19

Smart Actions and Plans

Backup Plan

Dec 18

-

Introductions

What’s the Failure?

Dec 18

-

Workplace Challenges

Big Problems

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