First, ask yourself...
Would you like to see your relationships continue to strengthen over time?
Strong, trusting relationships are not simply created out of thin air. They take time, and they take work. If we desire to have the type of relationships where a strong, mutual level of trust is shared, then conscious effort must be made on our end to "build" the relationship in order to get it to that point.
Affirming is a technique that we (especially as leaders) can use to help strengthen our relationships. To affirm our relationship with someone means to consciously and proactively communicate to them any of the following: what they do well, what we like about them, why we respect them, the good work they do, etc.
When we affirm, we do it with sincere purpose and intent. It is much more than simply giving a compliment. It is indicating that we believe in them and truly value their relationship, and at the same time, indicating they should also do the same for us. The more we affirm our relationships with others, the stronger the relationship will get, which will allow for more trust to be built over time.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Leading Others Through Change
First, ask yourself...Do you ever feel like you don't get a full "buy-in" from your employees when you implement a change?
When change takes place, it is human nature to have concerns about it. The level of accuracy with which those concerns are addressed will significantly impact the type of reaction (either positive or negative) we have towards the change. If our employees' concerns are not addressed, fear and resistance will overcome other emotions, and they will have little motivation to "buy-in" to whatever the change happens to be.
Often the most overlooked concerns that must be addressed are the personal concerns our employees have. They will always have questions such as "how will this change effect me?," "what's in it for me?" and "what must I do to be successful in relation to this change?"
If these questions/concerns are not addressed and we leave employees wondering or guessing, there is a strong likelihood of immediate resistance to the change and an even stronger likelihood that fear will take over. Luckily for us, the best, easiest, and most effective way to ensure our employees DO NOT fear the change is to simply answer questions proactively, and be open and honest about information.
When change takes place, it is human nature to have concerns about it. The level of accuracy with which those concerns are addressed will significantly impact the type of reaction (either positive or negative) we have towards the change. If our employees' concerns are not addressed, fear and resistance will overcome other emotions, and they will have little motivation to "buy-in" to whatever the change happens to be.
Often the most overlooked concerns that must be addressed are the personal concerns our employees have. They will always have questions such as "how will this change effect me?," "what's in it for me?" and "what must I do to be successful in relation to this change?"
If these questions/concerns are not addressed and we leave employees wondering or guessing, there is a strong likelihood of immediate resistance to the change and an even stronger likelihood that fear will take over. Luckily for us, the best, easiest, and most effective way to ensure our employees DO NOT fear the change is to simply answer questions proactively, and be open and honest about information.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Enhancing Your Productivity
First, ask yourself...
Do you ever go home at the end of the day, feeling like you didn't get enough accomplished?
Have you ever worked a 12-hour day or a 60 hour week, and then looked back and felt like "nothing got done?" I'm sure we can all recall times when this has happened. One of the main reasons for this is because we're not always efficient AND effective with our time.
To be efficient with our time means to get things done right. To be effective with our time means to get the right things done. With those definitions in mind, its easy to see how we might work "hard" all day and get a bunch of "tasks" accomplished (we are efficient), but if those tasks are not the ones we should even be working on in the first place, then we are NOT being effective- which leads to stress, frustration, and the feeling that we didn't get much done.
So how can we ensure this does not happen? Simple! Make sure our tasks are directly related to our ultimate goals. When the work that gets accomplished is meaningful and is moving us closer towards accomplishing a desired outcome or goal, we will feel much better about the time that was invested.
**This week's tip was taken from "Maximizing Productivity" which is the March session of The Compass Program. Click Here to view the schedule of all 12 sessions for The Compass Program.
Do you ever go home at the end of the day, feeling like you didn't get enough accomplished?
Have you ever worked a 12-hour day or a 60 hour week, and then looked back and felt like "nothing got done?" I'm sure we can all recall times when this has happened. One of the main reasons for this is because we're not always efficient AND effective with our time.
To be efficient with our time means to get things done right. To be effective with our time means to get the right things done. With those definitions in mind, its easy to see how we might work "hard" all day and get a bunch of "tasks" accomplished (we are efficient), but if those tasks are not the ones we should even be working on in the first place, then we are NOT being effective- which leads to stress, frustration, and the feeling that we didn't get much done.
So how can we ensure this does not happen? Simple! Make sure our tasks are directly related to our ultimate goals. When the work that gets accomplished is meaningful and is moving us closer towards accomplishing a desired outcome or goal, we will feel much better about the time that was invested.
**This week's tip was taken from "Maximizing Productivity" which is the March session of The Compass Program. Click Here to view the schedule of all 12 sessions for The Compass Program.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Increasing Employee Commitment
Would you like your employees to be more committed to the team and/or organization?
Employees today can't be told, tricked, forced, manipulated or "managed" into committing to the team. They must make that choice on their own, and it is up to us, as the leaders, to help them make the right choice! It is our actions, and the environment that we create/promote that plays a significant role in the level of commitment our employees choose to have.
To help our employees become excited about the team, and consequently raise their level of commitment, one of the most important things we can do is to actually help them feel like a bigger, more important part of the team. Some examples are things like: encouraging and soliciting their input and opinions, reminding them of the importance of their role to the team's success, and openly sharing information with them (such as info about the company, team goals, future opportunities, etc).
When our employees truly feel that they are integral to the long-term success of the team, they will be much more likely to increase the level of effort they put into their job, and ultimately care much more about contributing to the team's success!
Employees today can't be told, tricked, forced, manipulated or "managed" into committing to the team. They must make that choice on their own, and it is up to us, as the leaders, to help them make the right choice! It is our actions, and the environment that we create/promote that plays a significant role in the level of commitment our employees choose to have.
To help our employees become excited about the team, and consequently raise their level of commitment, one of the most important things we can do is to actually help them feel like a bigger, more important part of the team. Some examples are things like: encouraging and soliciting their input and opinions, reminding them of the importance of their role to the team's success, and openly sharing information with them (such as info about the company, team goals, future opportunities, etc).
When our employees truly feel that they are integral to the long-term success of the team, they will be much more likely to increase the level of effort they put into their job, and ultimately care much more about contributing to the team's success!
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