Asking the right questions is an essential skill of a great boss. Yet many fail to inquire enough. Here are three types of questions you should be asking to be an effective manager and to help develop a high-performing team:
Questions about yourself. Good managers ask themselves and others about what they could do better. Ask in a way that invites constructive, candid responses.
Questions about plans and projects. These should both advance the work and develop the people. Tough and direct questions are ok, as long as they are in the interest of progress.
Questions about the organization. Look for ways that the organization can function more effectively by questioning practices, processes, and structures. Ask: Why do we do things this way? Is there a better approach?
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "The Art of Asking Questions" by Ron Ashkenas. Harvard Business Review 11/4
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Be Strong Leader! Follow these 10 Guidelines:
Tough projects, aggressive goals, limited resources and huge roadblocks are always getting in the way of your success. Plus you have to deal with managing the attitudes, actions, and behaviors of a team? Geez!
Over the years, I have developed the following guidelines that I have found to be successful while managing and coaching teams. If you are not already using these, go ahead and TRY them. I promise you will create a winning team!
1. Define roles and responsibilities. Not only do people want a clear understanding of where they fit in, but they also want others to know what they do and vice versa. Provide clarity when lines of responsibility become blurred.
2. Recognize strengths and capitalize on them. Allow and encourage rising stars to go above and beyond. Motivate employees by leveraging their strengths. Acknowledge accomplishments!
3. Provide focus, alignment and get buy-in. Employees who take part in creating a plan, own it. Ensure that goals are realistic and focus the team on the actions that will make the biggest difference to results. Above all else, make sure team is aligned under common goals.
4. Hold people accountable. People want to know that the leader will make tough decisions when others don’t play by the rules or uphold their commitments. Determine and enforce what is acceptable and what is not. Be fair and consistent.
5. Walk the talk. Provide clarity and understanding of your mission. Live it and get others excited and proud to be a part of it. Enthusiasm is contagious.
6. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Be open and honest in all communications. Prompt discussions and share information from the top down and the bottom up. And don’t forget to LISTEN!
7. Give opportunities to influence, impact and make a difference. In today's fast-paced world, to be effective, you need to know how to adapt to and drive change. Allow others to develop ideas to improve, evolve and innovate.
8. Set a good example. Strong leaders are good mentors and coaches to their teams. Employees want to learn and grow. Pass on your knowledge, learnings and always remember the golden rule “do to others what you would like to be done to you".
9. Be authentic no matter what your strengths or personality traits. Employees know when you are NOT being REAL. It’s okay to human, but also remember that a strong leader will always keep the best interest of the organization top of mind.
10. Trust and encourage your team. Empower your employees and give them the autonomy they need to achieve results.
Any other tips, suggestions, ideas you want to share with others? Let's help each other experience the rewards of being a strong and successful leader!
For additional help in developing a strong team and driving results, email donna.king@bestyearyet.com to learn about the Best Year Yet Programs.
Over the years, I have developed the following guidelines that I have found to be successful while managing and coaching teams. If you are not already using these, go ahead and TRY them. I promise you will create a winning team!
1. Define roles and responsibilities. Not only do people want a clear understanding of where they fit in, but they also want others to know what they do and vice versa. Provide clarity when lines of responsibility become blurred.
2. Recognize strengths and capitalize on them. Allow and encourage rising stars to go above and beyond. Motivate employees by leveraging their strengths. Acknowledge accomplishments!
3. Provide focus, alignment and get buy-in. Employees who take part in creating a plan, own it. Ensure that goals are realistic and focus the team on the actions that will make the biggest difference to results. Above all else, make sure team is aligned under common goals.
4. Hold people accountable. People want to know that the leader will make tough decisions when others don’t play by the rules or uphold their commitments. Determine and enforce what is acceptable and what is not. Be fair and consistent.
5. Walk the talk. Provide clarity and understanding of your mission. Live it and get others excited and proud to be a part of it. Enthusiasm is contagious.
6. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Be open and honest in all communications. Prompt discussions and share information from the top down and the bottom up. And don’t forget to LISTEN!
7. Give opportunities to influence, impact and make a difference. In today's fast-paced world, to be effective, you need to know how to adapt to and drive change. Allow others to develop ideas to improve, evolve and innovate.
8. Set a good example. Strong leaders are good mentors and coaches to their teams. Employees want to learn and grow. Pass on your knowledge, learnings and always remember the golden rule “do to others what you would like to be done to you".
9. Be authentic no matter what your strengths or personality traits. Employees know when you are NOT being REAL. It’s okay to human, but also remember that a strong leader will always keep the best interest of the organization top of mind.
10. Trust and encourage your team. Empower your employees and give them the autonomy they need to achieve results.
Any other tips, suggestions, ideas you want to share with others? Let's help each other experience the rewards of being a strong and successful leader!
For additional help in developing a strong team and driving results, email donna.king@bestyearyet.com to learn about the Best Year Yet Programs.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
THe Source Principle: YOU are the Source of Your Business
What is a 'business' or organization? Is it the buildings? The furniture? The product or service, logo or market share, brand? Not really. The source, the power of any organization, is its people.
The true challenge of organizational transformation is building an organization in which people are empowered to think and act in a way that is consistent with their Vision and Values. The reason an organization often fails to deliver on its promise is that its people become frustrated, angry, hurt and disempowered.
Imagine a a model with 3 rings: The middle ring of the model is the source of our limiting paradigms - the place within us where we store memories of our failures and feelings of self-doubt and fear. The outer ring, also known as our ego, is the demonstration of the behaviors that stem from these limiting paradigms. Empowering paradigms come from our center or source and give us the courage to be all we can be.
It is easier for you to embrace your new paradigm when you remind yourself that it provides you with a true perspective of WHO YOU ARE. A source.
The true challenge of organizational transformation is building an organization in which people are empowered to think and act in a way that is consistent with their Vision and Values. The reason an organization often fails to deliver on its promise is that its people become frustrated, angry, hurt and disempowered.
Imagine a a model with 3 rings: The middle ring of the model is the source of our limiting paradigms - the place within us where we store memories of our failures and feelings of self-doubt and fear. The outer ring, also known as our ego, is the demonstration of the behaviors that stem from these limiting paradigms. Empowering paradigms come from our center or source and give us the courage to be all we can be.
It is easier for you to embrace your new paradigm when you remind yourself that it provides you with a true perspective of WHO YOU ARE. A source.
Engage your Peple
Engaged employees are essential to a manager's success. Without subordinates who care about, participate in, and take ownership over the work, even the best boss will flounder. Here are three ways to win your employees' engagement:
1. Be modest. Share both your mistakes and your successes. Subordinates will see that you're both human and don't have anything to prove.
2. Show that you're listening. People tune in to body language. Manage where you look and what you do with your hands so that employees know you're paying attention.
3. Don't have all the answers. Managers should catalyze problem solving. Be willing to admit that you don't know what the answer is and invite your team to toss around ideas.
HBR Management Tip of the day - adapted from "How to Cultivate Engaged Employees" by Charalambos A. Viachoutsicos
1. Be modest. Share both your mistakes and your successes. Subordinates will see that you're both human and don't have anything to prove.
2. Show that you're listening. People tune in to body language. Manage where you look and what you do with your hands so that employees know you're paying attention.
3. Don't have all the answers. Managers should catalyze problem solving. Be willing to admit that you don't know what the answer is and invite your team to toss around ideas.
HBR Management Tip of the day - adapted from "How to Cultivate Engaged Employees" by Charalambos A. Viachoutsicos
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Joe Torre’s rules for leading a team
Great tips on effective communication from leader, Joe Torre! Consider applying to your business team.
Baseball manager Joe Torre has led far more diverse and ego-driven teams than
most of us ever will. Yet, Torre’s teams have won repeatedly, thanks to these four
“rules of straight communication” he has developed over the years:
1. Remember that every player has a special need for one of these things:
motivation, reassurance or technical help. Determine what that need is and
meet it.
2. Deliver tightly focused, positive messages, such as a quick word of praise
for a good play. Simple words of appreciation are more powerful
motivators than many leaders expect.
3. Work hard to establish rapport with team members from backgrounds that
are different from your own. It does take extra work, but the results can be
extraordinary.
4. Let team members know that you accept the full range of their emotions,
including fear and uncertainty. Unless people admit their fear, they will
never be able to confront obstacles and grow.
—Adapted from Joe Torre’s Ground Rules for Winners, Joe Torre and Henry
Dreher, Hyperion. From 2008 National Institute of Business "leadership Tips"
Baseball manager Joe Torre has led far more diverse and ego-driven teams than
most of us ever will. Yet, Torre’s teams have won repeatedly, thanks to these four
“rules of straight communication” he has developed over the years:
1. Remember that every player has a special need for one of these things:
motivation, reassurance or technical help. Determine what that need is and
meet it.
2. Deliver tightly focused, positive messages, such as a quick word of praise
for a good play. Simple words of appreciation are more powerful
motivators than many leaders expect.
3. Work hard to establish rapport with team members from backgrounds that
are different from your own. It does take extra work, but the results can be
extraordinary.
4. Let team members know that you accept the full range of their emotions,
including fear and uncertainty. Unless people admit their fear, they will
never be able to confront obstacles and grow.
—Adapted from Joe Torre’s Ground Rules for Winners, Joe Torre and Henry
Dreher, Hyperion. From 2008 National Institute of Business "leadership Tips"
Monday, September 19, 2011
Get Your Complex Team to Collaborate
3 ways to build collaboration within complex teams:
1. Train employees in the right skills. Most people don't collaborate by nature. They need the right skills: appreciating others, engaging in purposeful conversations, and productively solving conflicts.
2. Help employees get to know each other. People who know each other socially are more likely to collaborate. Invest time in networking and social events to build a sense of community.
3. Model collaborative behavior. Employees emulate what they see at the top. Leaders should visibly work together and even fill in for each other on occasion.
Edited from Harvard Business Review on "Building Better Teams"
For more information on build high performing teams and getting the BEST results from your team, contact Donna King at Results Coaching 913-745-5499. Visit www.resultscoaching.us
1. Train employees in the right skills. Most people don't collaborate by nature. They need the right skills: appreciating others, engaging in purposeful conversations, and productively solving conflicts.
2. Help employees get to know each other. People who know each other socially are more likely to collaborate. Invest time in networking and social events to build a sense of community.
3. Model collaborative behavior. Employees emulate what they see at the top. Leaders should visibly work together and even fill in for each other on occasion.
Edited from Harvard Business Review on "Building Better Teams"
For more information on build high performing teams and getting the BEST results from your team, contact Donna King at Results Coaching 913-745-5499. Visit www.resultscoaching.us
Friday, September 9, 2011
You Can't Dictate Culture — but You Can Influence It
Most senior managers struggle with culture because it's so difficult to define. Even less tangible than a "soft" concept, culture is more like a cloud: You know it's there, but it's nearly impossible to grasp. as "the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group." But how do you come to an agreement on those "shared" attitudes, values, goals, and practices? And even if you do, how do you get hundreds (or thousands) of people to think and act in the way you agreed upon?
The answer is that you don't. Even after thousands of years of civilization, leaders still have trouble getting everyone to follow any basic precepts of behavior (think the Ten Commandments). In other words, culture is not a "goal" to be mandated, but the outcome of a collective set of behaviors.
Leaders however can influence those behaviors in several ways — and by so doing shape the culture of their firms. Whether you are a CEO or a department manager, here are three steps that you can take:
Convey your vision of a winning culture. If you want to be more than just the caretaker of an existing culture, then you need to define your aspirations. What will be different, and how will it make a difference for the success of your organization? More specifically what are the most critical behaviors that will characterize the culture you want to create? For example, Jack Welch used the mantra of "speed, simplicity, and self-confidence" as the beacon for his transformation of GE's culture in the 1990's — in stark contrast to the company's analytical, bureaucratic, and hierarchical culture at the time. This aspirational vision sparked dialogue at every level of the company about what people needed to do to make GE successful — and to be personally successful at GE.
Demonstrate how new cultural behaviors can advance the business. Nothing reinforces new behaviors more than success. So once you define these behaviors, work with your team to apply them to a specific project that might need to be accelerated or improved. To do this, challenge your team to achieve a specific stretch goal in a short period of time, while explicitly trying to bring the new culture to life. For example, several years ago a financial institution set out to create a more collaborative, proactive, and externally focused culture. To demonstrate what this meant, one of the trading groups worked with a relationship team to find ways of improving cash flow for a specific client — while keeping the new cultural imperatives in mind. Their success encouraged other groups to try similar experiments, such that the new culture gradually became more of a reality across the company.
Put teeth into the new culture by integrating it into HR processes. People tend to do what's measured and rewarded. So a third step for building a new culture is to use the desired behaviors as criteria for hiring, promoting, rewarding, and developing people. The real turning point for GE's transformation came when Jack Welch publicly announced to his senior managers that he had fired two business leaders for not demonstrating the new behaviors of the company — despite having achieved exceptional financial results. This made it very clear that the culture was not just a soft concept — instead, it had tangible outcomes and consequences.
Shaping a corporate culture is one of the most difficult challenges for a leader. But if you want to get started, following these guidelines will probably be more effective than telling the HR director to go out and "get us one of those."
Excerpt from Ron Ashkenas' article in HBR, June 21, 2011
Visit CreativeCounts or Results Coaching for more information
The answer is that you don't. Even after thousands of years of civilization, leaders still have trouble getting everyone to follow any basic precepts of behavior (think the Ten Commandments). In other words, culture is not a "goal" to be mandated, but the outcome of a collective set of behaviors.
Leaders however can influence those behaviors in several ways — and by so doing shape the culture of their firms. Whether you are a CEO or a department manager, here are three steps that you can take:
Convey your vision of a winning culture. If you want to be more than just the caretaker of an existing culture, then you need to define your aspirations. What will be different, and how will it make a difference for the success of your organization? More specifically what are the most critical behaviors that will characterize the culture you want to create? For example, Jack Welch used the mantra of "speed, simplicity, and self-confidence" as the beacon for his transformation of GE's culture in the 1990's — in stark contrast to the company's analytical, bureaucratic, and hierarchical culture at the time. This aspirational vision sparked dialogue at every level of the company about what people needed to do to make GE successful — and to be personally successful at GE.
Demonstrate how new cultural behaviors can advance the business. Nothing reinforces new behaviors more than success. So once you define these behaviors, work with your team to apply them to a specific project that might need to be accelerated or improved. To do this, challenge your team to achieve a specific stretch goal in a short period of time, while explicitly trying to bring the new culture to life. For example, several years ago a financial institution set out to create a more collaborative, proactive, and externally focused culture. To demonstrate what this meant, one of the trading groups worked with a relationship team to find ways of improving cash flow for a specific client — while keeping the new cultural imperatives in mind. Their success encouraged other groups to try similar experiments, such that the new culture gradually became more of a reality across the company.
Put teeth into the new culture by integrating it into HR processes. People tend to do what's measured and rewarded. So a third step for building a new culture is to use the desired behaviors as criteria for hiring, promoting, rewarding, and developing people. The real turning point for GE's transformation came when Jack Welch publicly announced to his senior managers that he had fired two business leaders for not demonstrating the new behaviors of the company — despite having achieved exceptional financial results. This made it very clear that the culture was not just a soft concept — instead, it had tangible outcomes and consequences.
Shaping a corporate culture is one of the most difficult challenges for a leader. But if you want to get started, following these guidelines will probably be more effective than telling the HR director to go out and "get us one of those."
Excerpt from Ron Ashkenas' article in HBR, June 21, 2011
Visit CreativeCounts or Results Coaching for more information
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