Leading Amidst Challenge

It’s no surprise to anyone that our world has changed. Notably, the way we conduct business and communicate. COVID-19 has undeniably adjusted how companies govern and the virus has been a source of stress for families – from unemployment to a fear of falling ill, emotions have stirred over these past four months.

As many companies looked to cut costs, headcount reduction was sizable. What’s more, teams were stretched thin regardless of an unchanged workload. When considering how to lead through a challenge, it is more amply clear than in previous taxing situations, how stress and limited resources can affect leadership. In observing team and management behavior, here are fundamental reminders for how to lead amidst challenge. 

Mentorship.

If you have a mentor, you know it takes work. Not only from the recipient to be receptive, but from the mentor: to engage, listen, and offer advice. As a leader, we must realize that it is our turn to pay that mentorship forward and actively engage – answering hard questions and offering support in difficult times.                                                                       

Self-Care.

I learned an important lesson during COVID: increased workload decreases the ability to govern effectively. This is why witnessing leaders through crises is a truth serum for their core self. Leaders are fully challenged when resources are scraggly, tensions are high, and economic fear ensues. In order to persevere, to remain constant, and to not spiral out of control, we must practice self-care. Daily meditation, exercise, and actively facing our own shortcomings is the path to ensuring that your team is cared for. Liken this to putting on an oxygen mask in a plane when needed; you cannot help others if you do not have an oxygen supply for yourself.

Recognition + Communication.

When a challenge is staring us in the face, we often focus on the task at hand, pushing personal feelings and emotional baggage aside. This, I argue, will only exacerbate discontentment, fuel hostility, and remove effective communication. The responsibility falls on you to pause, recognize your team for the work they are doing, and not take a back seat to communication. Easier said than done, I get it. But make an active decision, daily, to hear your team and resist the urge to put tasks before relationships, even if your day-to-day workload has increased exponentially.

Does Empathy Belong in the Workplace?

You better believed it.

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Research has found that empathy can help increase trust and, in my opinion, trust is the lifeline for teams. What’s more, according to empathy experts, we can harness empathy to increase productivity.

We have all experienced the frustration of a team member not completing his or her assigned duties. In these cases, it is typical to assume a team member does not care about the work or is disengaged. However, what if that is not the reason? What if there is a family or life scenario that is causing deadlines to be missed?

The natural outcome of a missed deadline is harsher scrutiny on the employee. A varied approach suggests that there is value in seeking to understand what is occurring in a person’s personal life. It is possible a less favorable situation is being faced, and that provides an opportunity for other team members to assume additional responsibility (within reason and for an agreed upon time). The goal here is not to make excuses for anyone; it is to encourage the team to function as a team – allowing the team member who is undergoing difficulty an opportunity to be transparent. [Have you ever noticed how quick we are to point fingers? Rewriting this narrative may be challenging, but it yields powerful outcomes.]

To this point, a manager has the opportunity to commence an empathetic cycle by putting the feedback loop in motion. The first step is to inquire. It is common employees who are underperforming know that they are and are fearful of discussing the topic. Posing the question, “How are things going for you?” may present a moment of candor – opening the lines of communication, rather than assuming a person is actively trying to underperform.

Human behavior can be very predictable; when someone pushes, the natural response is to push back. But, when a manager demonstrates care for employees – dedicating time and energy to understand perspectives or challenging scenarios – it deescalates situations that could otherwise have been time exhaustive. Employees pick up on the ability for a manager to extend care and empathy, which, in return, generates higher functioning teams, saves on lost productivity, and enables incomparable trust.

Is there a need for increased empathy in your place of work? Contact me.

First published on LinkedIn.

Today is the Day (to be an awesome boss)

If you have a team, and you are earnest in your desire to be an effective leader, keep fighting the good fight. It is proven that engaged employees (those that have a sense of meaningfulness, feel safe in their place of work, and know their superior is available) put forth discretionary effort which reflects well on you and the team as a whole.

Perhaps you do not have time to read the latest empirically backed study about just what makes a manager successful. But what you do have is a couple minutes to chow down on simple – undoubtedly sound – reminders.

Trust.
Does your behavior increase and support trust? This is a non-negotiable. If you want a transparent team dynamic, where members feel psychologically safe, trust is paramount. Be your word.

Belief.
Do you believe that your people are capable? Make one adjustment to your day that encourages a person (or multiple people) on your team to take ownership of a process or task. Empowering your team is not about micromanaging the process along the way. It’s quite the opposite. It is about watching them thrive on their own and being nearby for assistance when you are needed.

Integrity.
I recently read an article about Warren Buffett’s philosophy on integrity. In brief, if your behavior was published in a newspaper every day, would you be pleased with what you read? Would you be proud that your family and friends receive the same paper? To me, this take-away is powerful. Strive to be the best version of yourself, with integrity as a guiding principle.

Humility.
When you trip over your ego you are on a path to alienate your team and set a reputation that is hard to correct. Knowing that you do not always have the answer - and giving credit to its rightful owner - is a strength, not a weakness. I liken the ability to be humble as the ability to truly listen to what a person is suggesting; are you gathering information effectively? Are you assessing the facts accurately? Humility is the antidote to delusion!

First published on LinkedIn

Do You Inspire?

What does an inspired person look like? Not only are they actively engaged, their productivity is superior. As a consequence, their production motivates those around them – and a new standard is set.

Inspired people can be team members, leaders, or managers. Arguably, all people can be leaders – thus it does not matter where an inspired person falls on the totem pole. This is about setting standards of excellence, and having it radiate to others.

If an inspirational leader (person) unlocks motivation and engagement – as well as commitment, there’s no question that businesses will be served well to help people tap into their inner inspiration. But how do we do that?

First, let me define what I mean by inspiration. Inspirational leaders use a combination of skills that motivate and simultaneously place value on accountability for results. This is not a cheerleader – it is a cheerleader with expectations. Inspirational leaders use taught or innate traits to help unlock performance potential in others.  

HBR conducted a study to learn what traits the participants identify as inspiring. The findings point to an interesting conclusion: inspirational people need to be diverse and have the ability to adapt. While many attributes help inspire others, only one trait is needed to double the likelihood that you will be viewed as an inspirational person.

Some of these traits include humility, empathy, openness, vision, focus, unselfishness, and stress tolerance. From my experiences, it is clear these attributes require self-reflection, receptivity, and a guiding philosophy of servanthood. [Are you taking steps to flex muscles that result in the aforementioned traits?]

The answer to reaching limitless potential is through the investment in people and in ourselves. Inspirational leaders recognize the opportunity to draw upon the rolodex of traits, contingent upon the situation. An aptitude to respond appropriately in differing scenarios takes poise and practice. The good news is, in dealing with people, there is never an absence of opportunity to practice inspiring others! What trait do your colleagues or counterparts possess that you find most inspirational?  

First published on LinkedIn