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The most productive leaders:
Set stretch goals.
Drive hard for results.
Practice unfailing consistency.
Expand knowledge and technical skill.
Display energy and take initiative.
Anticipate and solve problems.
(Zenger – Forbes.)
In an HBR post, Zenger and Folkman added a seventh trait, “Be collaborative.”
This post focuses on INITIATIVE.
The 5 practices of initiative:
#1. Do for yourself what you wish others would do for you.
Would you like a mentor? Then get off your butt and find a mentor. Do you need more information from higher ups? Go ask questions.
#2. Consider a lousy leader an opportunity to contribute.
You develop skills, gain knowledge, and develop humility when you do your boss’s job for him. If he takes credit for your work, forget it.
Expand your resume. Continue learning, developing, and contributing. Then move on.
#3. Fail trying, not gathering information.
Losers hide behind the word ‘right’. I’m waiting for the right time, the right team, the right resources.
Unproductive people love the word, ‘waiting’. I’m waiting for permission. I’m waiting for someone to return my call.
Initiative gets in trouble sometimes. But trouble caused by initiative is better than trouble caused by delay.
Ask forgiveness, not permission.
Proactive leaders believe NOW is better than later.
#4. Learn by trying stuff, not simply talking.
Talk deceives teams into believing they’re getting stuff done. Yes, define problems and explore solutions, but make choices that enable visible action.
If you can’t see it, it doesn’t count. Talking about things is a beginning. But initiative always ends in action.
#5. Do more than needs to be done.
Anticipate what your customers need and give it before they ask. This applies to colleagues, employees, and bosses.
If you will start small, you’re less likely to stay small.
If you go to work every day just going through the motions, you aren't alone.
According to Gallup, only 33% of employees are engaged at work.
So, how can nearly 70% of the workforce be disengaged?
I believe it's because there is a tremendous lack of recognition in the world today, or what I call the global recognition deficit. And there are statistics to prove it.
According to OC Tanner research:
• 79% of employees who quit their jobs claim that a lack of appreciation was a major reason for leaving
• 65% of Americans claimed they weren't even recognized one time last year
My company, oGoLead, fielded national research and found even more evidence for the lack of recognition in the workplace:
• 82% of employees feel their supervisor doesn't recognize them for what they do
• 60% say they are more motivated by recognition than money
Today’s challenge is as difficult as it is simple. Seek advice from an imperfect boss or colleague. If you’re feeling brave, seek advice from your spouse or children. But there’s more.
Commit to do whatever they advise.
Examples:
“I’d like to fuel energy on the team. What advice do you have? Before you answer, I want you to know that I’ll do whatever you say for a week.”
“I’d like to live a more meaningful life. I wonder what advice you have for me. Before you answer, I want you to know that I’ll do whatever you say for a week.”
“I’d like to get better at holding people accountable. What do you suggest I do? Before you answer, I want you to know that I’ll do whatever you say for a week.”
Rational:
Shake things up once in a while or you’ll sink into ruts.
The phrase, “I’ll do whatever you say,” changes the dynamic for the advice giver.
“I’ll do whatever you say,” humbles you. Everything good in leadership begins with humility.
This exercise shows you who you trust. I found that I don’t trust as many people as I thought. Maybe I need to deepen some of my relationships?
Guidelines:
#1. Declare an intention before seeking advice.
What could I do this week to:
Develop new relationships?
Deepen current relationships?
Become a better leader? (Spouse, friend, boss.)
Move my career forward?
Encourage my team?
Fulfill my vision for life?
Serve you/my team?
#2. Set a short time limit, perhaps a day or a week.
#3. Regardless of the question you craft, commit to do whatever they tell you, before they respond.
You know the value of people trusting YOU. But how are you helping managers TRUST EACH OTHER?
You aren’t done trust building until the people around the table trust each other.
Elvis got it right when he sang:
We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds
Choose how you show up BEFORE you show up.
#1. Show up to let others be right.
Take advice. Stop finding fault with advice. If advice won’t make matters worse, try it.
Give room for others to learn. Say, “That’s an interesting idea. Why don’t you try it? Let’s meet next Thursday at 3:00 to debrief.”
4 tips for letting others be right:
Will an idea cause damage? Intervene.
Does the person possess drive and openness? Let them dive into the deep end.
Is there a track record of learning from failure? Provide rope for trying things.
Do they get defensive when receiving tough feedback? Perhaps learning from failure will develop humility.
#2. Show up to embolden others to act.
Permission-giving hinders bold action.
Teach people to stop asking permission and start declaring intention. “I intend to,” is more courageous than, “May I.” (See, Turn the Ship Around, by David Marquet.)
Too many suggestions hinder bold action. Affirm more. Tweak less.
Others are timid when you don’t trust their talent.
#3. Show up to get out of the way.
Step back and allow others to act.
The transition from being IN the spotlight to shining the spotlight is painful for some. Your need to be the center of attention prevents initiative.
Notice your need to be part of the action. When you feel left out, stay out.
Give yourself freedom to give others freedom:
Coach instead of giving quick answers when people seek input.
Affirm instead of tweak.
Schedule reports. (Use #1 and #2 above during reports.)
Learn to speak directly with kindness. Lack of courage to speak your mind prevents you from freeing others to act.
The courage to step back is often greater than the courage to step in.
In the world of sales, you have a choice to either follow the path of the Sales Dog or the Sales Wolf. The Sales Wolf aggressively chases their prospects and will do anything and everything necessary to reach their targets. They may be successful in the short term, but their tactics fall far short when it comes to building long-standing, trusting relationships. The Sales Dog, on the other hand, is committed to developing trust from the onset, working much more in partnership with the clients, rather than simply being seen as a simple supplier who can be easily replaced.
Forbes Media recruited us to join its Agency Council. Ethical concerns guided our decision to decline.
THE OFFER
According to its website, the Forbes Agency Council is an “invitation-only organization for senior-level executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies.” It’s positioned as an exclusive group of executives. An honor to be selected. A career status symbol.
But the honor isn’t free. Joining the Council requires annual dues. It’s a fee-based membership group. You pay to belong.
Dues-paying Forbes Agency Council members can publish “expert business articles and short tips” on Forbes.com. These articles are part of the Forbes CommunityVoiceTM content thread, the purpose of which is “connecting expert communities to the Forbes audience.”
If you think that paying a news organization for the opportunity to publish content sounds suspiciously like advertising, you’re not alone.
The ever-changing social media algorithms make it harder to get engagement on social media posts. With some content writing tips, however, you can make your message more appealing to more people.
If you invest time, effort and money into posting on social media, I am sure you would want to get a good return on your investment. That return should see you meeting or exceeding the goals you have identified for each social media platform.
But if you post without a social media strategy that outlines how each platform will help you accomplish your business goals, many of your efforts will be wasted.
Having a social media strategy and action plan, based on your unique business goals, resources and available time, is essential to your success.
Even with a well laid out action plan, you still need to create social media posts and content that speak to your identified audience and inspire them to take action.
The actions they can take include engagement (likes, comments, shares), visiting your blog or a landing page, or buying something.
In this article, I share seven social media content writing tips for creating posts that get the attention of your target audience and inspire engagement.
Most American workers are not aiming for the corner office. Approximately one third (34 percent) of workers aspire to leadership positions, with only 7 percent aiming for senior or C-level management. (CareerBuilder)
Why are workers avoiding leadership? 52 percent are simply satisfied in their current roles. 34 percent don’t want to sacrifice work life balance.
A Berrett Koehler study found only 43 percent are comfortable being managers. Only 32 percent saying they like being managers. (Managing for People who Hate Managing)
Why managing sucks:
You were promoted to your level of incompetence. (The Peter Principle)
Companies promote the best salesperson to sales manager. In the process they lose their best salesperson and end up with a frustrated manager.
You’re caught in the middle between upper management’s goals and employee empowerment. You don’t have authority to make decisions and aren’t included in company goal setting.
You were promoted and not trained. 61 percent of new managers DON’T receive management training. Only 34 percent report receiving any mentoring. And only 31 percent report receiving any coaching. (Blanchard)
Finding enjoyment in managing:
#1. Stop working so hard.
Let talented people do their jobs. Stop telling people how to do the work you assign. People resent your interference and enjoy your support.
You might be able to do the job better than others. Keep your mouth shut. Let people do their work.
#2. Show up to coach, inspire, and encourage.
Delegate authority and get out of the way. Show up to offer support, but don’t tweak everyone’s work.
Show respect.
Offer encouragement.
Stay available.
#3. Schedule follow-up meetings.
Ambiguity is stressful. Alleviate ambiguity by scheduling follow up meetings. “Let’s touch base next Tuesday at 3:00 to finalize things.” (Then stay out of people’s hair.)
#4. Get a mentor/coach. Don’t wait for permission, just do it.
What makes managing a painful experience?
How might managing become more enjoyable?
There’s no disputing it: many people prefer to consume content via videos. That’s why more and more businesses are investing in a video marketing strategy.
Video has become so popular that:
it accounts for about 80% of all consumer internet traffic
the volume of mobile video consumption increases by 100% every year.
Video allows you to connect with your ideal clients and develop stronger relationships with them more effectively. People respond well to video as it humanizes you and allows your prospects to get to know you more intimately.
Videos, allowing the viewers to see your face, body language and surroundings and hear your tone of voice, can often help you create a more compelling story than articles, graphics or email can. It is a powerful medium for storytelling.
It also can set you apart from your competition, especially those who have yet to add video marketing to their overall marketing strategy.
Remember: people buy from people, not companies. Your videos show your ideal clients the person behind the company. They see with whom they are dealing, which helps them to know, like and trust you.
According to research, 79% of consumers agree video is the easiest way to get to know a brand online.
Most importantly, nearly three-quarters (74%) of consumers pointed to a connection between watching a video on social media and their purchasing decision-making process.
In fact, roughly half (46%) of consumers said they have made a purchase as a result of watching a brand video on social media, and another third (32%) have considered doing so.
If you are like many businesses or social sellers, you might be extremely hesitant to create and share your own videos, but I can assure you the benefits are worth it.
Studies suggest that for lead generation purposes, businesses and sellers get better results when they create videos themselves.
A video of yourself can leave you feeling a bit vulnerable, giving your video a level of authenticity lacking in high-quality marketing videos. Those slick marketing videos are more likely to be ignored than in-house videos featuring you.
The search for solid salespeople itself requires a healthy dose of salesmanship.
Much like the presentations you’ll be hiring salespeople to deliver, recruitment pitches should be approached with a progression of goals in mind.
Follow the widely accepted AIDA formula – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action – to improve your sales hiring success rates and chances of having your next hire be your BEST hire!
Companies need diversity. It is beneficial to an organization to think with a wider breadth of perspectives, it portrays a positive image to the public eye, and gives them access to the potential revenue gains from employing people who can contribute different things to the companies they work for. Unfortunately, hiring diversity is an issue that has only recently begun to improve.
Here are ten reasons why your team needs to change their mind about diversity hiring and five ways to help you begin to do so.
1. The Biggest Reason Companies Avoid Hiring Diversity? 41% Say They’re “Too Busy"
This stat shows us one of the biggest barriers to creating a more diverse workforce. A SHRM report recently noted that 41% of managers are “too busy” to implement diversity initiatives. It may be true that managers have too much on their plates to handle on a given day, but the stat reveals just how small of a priority diversity hiring is. If managers want anything to get done about the lack of diversity on their teams, they’ll need to start fitting it into their schedule. That means making it a bigger priority.
What can you do to move diversity to the top of your list?
Make it a team effort. Not everything needs to fall on your hands. Get insight, feedback, and support from other members of senior management. Getting commitment from them creates a way for everyone to encourage diversity throughout the organization.
Create a committee. This could be a small group of managers or even team members that collaborate on and establish ways to create more diversity within the workplace. Remember, this group should be diverse in employee rank, race, gender, age, etc. A team that lacks diversity will not bring about the best approach to welcoming diversity.
Use other companies. Today, diversity is a group effort in that organizations of all types and in every industry are trying to be more inclusive. While it might unveil some of your own shortcomings, looking to others who are succeeding can inspire new ideas for your own company and help you start on your own path to a more diverse workforce.
Be honest. No one is perfect and even seasoned leaders can struggle with understanding how to implement diversity. Approaching the issue with honesty will show self-reflection and encourage others to join in on improving the problem.
2. There Are Fewer CEOs Who Are Women Than Men In Leadership Roles Named David
When a single name outnumbers an entire gender in leadership, it reveals a staggering problem.
This stat reveals just how few opportunities women get in the business world, and it’s not because women can’t handle leadership. Women are capable of handling all the demands of a business — the people in charge simply aren’t giving women the opportunity to prove themselves.
Tips for women to thrive in the workplace and prove their worth:
Voice the projects and opportunities you really want to work on; push back at other times
Play to your strengths - even if they’re stereotypes
Build relationships with your boss and others high up in leadership from the start - they will be your best supporter
Do you know what #hiring decisions you should be making in order to see immediate benefits?
3. Racially Diverse Teams Outperform Non-diverse Teams by 35%
One of the biggest things stopping managers from implementing diversity is that they’re afraid that introducing people who may not agree with each other will hamper productivity. For those companies, we offer the above-mentioned stat. Because diverse teams outperform non-diverse ones, companies should actively try to engage with diversity initiatives as soon as possible to make sure they’re implemented, instead of trying to hamper them out of fear.
In fact, the awkwardness that comes with not understanding those around you is what makes diverse teams work so well. In a cognitive intelligence study done by MIT engineers, researchers observed that successful teams had three things in common:
They gave one another roughly equal time to talk
They were sensitive towards each other (even in awkward situations)
They included more women - making them the most diverse.
In other words, having different types of people on the same team can help others look at problems more carefully while also being more innovative, creative and inclusive about their solutions.
4. 57% of Employees Think Their Companies Should Be More Diverse
Your employees want to be more productive. They want racial diversity in the workplace as much as anyone else. Working with the same people, who’ve shared their background and experiences, can be nice, but it’s becoming boring rather quickly. Without a flood of new experiences to keep them motivated and excited about the people they work with, there’s a chance they could get burnt out. So when it comes to diversity, you can be sure your employees have your back.
5. 40% of People Think There’s a Double-Standard Against Hiring Women
A recent Pew study asked respondents this question, and the stat reveals just how much bias against women in the workplace there is. Both women and men are more likely to hire men over women, and it’s likely what leads to a lack of gender diversity in the workplace, as well as problems with women in leadership positions (which we discussed in an earlier stat). Companies need to recognize this bias and implement programs which favor women in order to counteract this inherent bias in hiring.
Ways to help create a level playing field and eliminate gender bias in the workplace include:
Establish clear criteria and qualifications for decisions.
Make yourself accountable to others when it comes to hiring and promoting.
Study the existing criteria you use to make management decisions.
Be able to explain the decisions you make.
Educate and make your employees aware of how stereotypes work.
6. Blind Applications Lead to Five Times More Women
It sounds like a bit of an exaggeration to say that, but in reality, this stat demonstrates just how few women are considered in male-dominated fields. In Orchestras, when companies switched from auditions where they could see the candidate to blind auditions, the percentage of female members in the orchestra jumped from 5% to 25%. Similarly, institutions using a double-blind method to review scientific studies have similarly increased the number of women who get published in journals. This is good in adding diversity to your team while also helping your team perform overall. In a large study of more than 4,600 people, teams that welcomed more women performed better than those with fewer or no women.
7. Google’s Tech Staff is Only 4.8%African American
Diversity is everyone’s problem. Being a big company doesn’t mean you’re excluded from needing diversity. Along with that stat, only 1.1% of Google’s tech staff is Hispanic, and only 33.1% are women. When the number of college IT graduates is several times that number, it shows how little even larger companies take diversity into account.
8. Caucasians Received 50% More Callbacks Than Those from African American Descent
This stat makes the case for affirmative action. Arguments against Affirmative Action say that it gives minorities an unfair advantage without the skills to properly perform the tasks required of them. But in reality, initiatives like Affirmative Action are created to battle the inherent bias against African Americans in the workplace. Categorically, people of minority backgrounds are invited less often to the interviews, and when the numbers are this consistent, it makes the case for targeted diversity initiatives.
This is where a true understanding of interview bias comes into play. Individuals should be hired based on skill, experience, and performance - not by their name or ethnic background. Sadly, snap judgments are still very much a part of the interview and hiring decisions. As a manager or employer, there are things you can do to prevent bias from interfering:
Make it a process. Create a list of questions and tasks that every candidate must answer and in the same manner and point of the assessment. Keeping consistency ensures everyone has an equal opportunity to perform well.
Make a justified decision. Don’t decide right away on which candidate is the best choice. Look over your notes and justify why they are (or aren’t) the best fit. Write down your reasoning and make sure that it is based on more than just superficial facts. Welcoming more than one colleague into this decision will help deter bias.
10 #diversity statistics from @ClearCompany that will make you rethink your #hiring decisions
9.Bilingual Employees Earn 10% More Revenue
Hiring bilingual employees, no matter what other languages they may speak is one great way to increase diversity in your company and see a few immediate benefits. If many of your employees interact with customers and clients on a regular basis, being able to speak multiple languages is a huge boon for your business. When a customer who does not speak English is interested in your product, having someone who speaks their language makes the transaction happen that much more smoothly.
10.Teams Where Men and Women are Equal Earn 41% More Revenue
Another stat that supports moving toward greater gender diversity. When companies employ more women, they’re able to take advantage of a greater wealth of perspectives. This, in turn, causes companies to have more angles from which to tackle big business issues. The results are faster solutions, more creative thinking, and higher overall revenue.
There are more than ten reasons to diversify your workforce, but we think these are the most important ones. There’s no reason to avoid creative diversity hiring initiatives any longer. Your employees want them, they’re more profitable, and they help rectify other unfair practices in hiring. Diversity benefits everyone, so it’s time for your company to start taking advantage of diversity now. Wondering where you should start? Take a step closer to promoting diversity by eliminating your hiring bias:
Become educated and aware - Understanding how the natural bias of one person toward another can affect the hiring decision.
Provide training - Provide your hiring team with training on diversity and how to eliminate bias from the recruiting process.
Make your interview process consistent - This will ensure candidates are compared based on the same questions and no one has an advantage or disadvantage over another.
Identify the language used in job descriptions - Remove any words that can be specific to one gender and replace them with titles that are easy to understand.
Removing hiring bias and developing diversity in the workplace has three simple benefits:
It’s beneficial to your bottom line, 19% more to be exact.
It attracts a wide array (67%) of diverse candidates.
It sparks creative talent and promotes better decision making, 87% of the time, within the company and its leaders, as opposed to leaders that are in need of diversity.
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The deadly habits of highly toxic leaders:
#1. Toxic leaders think others need to grow, but they don’t.
There is no hope for a leader who doesn’t need to learn and grow.
Toxic leaders:
Carry the curse of knowledge that allows superiority. My wife and I watch cooking shows on TV. The contestant who already knows-it-all inevitably crashes and burns.
Don’t listen to ignorant novices.
Don’t read. It takes too much time.
Reject coaching and mentoring. Sadly, in some organizations having a coach is punishment.
You become irrelevant when you don’t learn and grow.
#2. Toxic leaders expect blood from turnips.
Turnips are great if you need vegetables, but not if you need blood.
Toxic leaders want turnips to move into leadership, but turnips don’t aspire to lead, for example.
Hope is cruel. Your team wants you to stop tolerating turnips, but you hope they’ll step up.
You have aspiration for those who have none for themselves. (Some people are thriving at their job and they don’t want to move up.)
Tips for toxic turnip lovers:
Leverage strengths. Know the top five strengths of everyone on the team.
Fuel energy. Watch for bright eyes. What are people doing when their eyes light up?
Move slowly. Don’t promote turnips in the hope they will start giving blood. Toxic leaders expect too much, too quickly, from reluctant turnips. They may rise someday, but not now.
How to Weasel out of Change:
You’re frustrated when others do it. Maybe you’re a weasel, too.
#1. Weasel out of change by using the “exception justification”.
Exception-thinking appears when the response to advice is, “Yes, but,” or “What about?”
If you want to stay the same, use an exception like a comforting baby blanket. Now you can keep doing the same ineffective things and feel good about it.
It’s interesting that people who seek advice use small exceptions to justify rejecting advice.
You seldom change while looking for excuses to stay the same.
#2. Weasel out of change by using the “small flaw justification”.
If you want to stay the same, discount the WHOLE truth by finding a small flaw in the advice someone gives.
Find small reasons not to change so you can justify staying the same.
Imperfect people use imperfection as an excuse to continue following an ineffective path.
#3. Weasel out of change by using the “it might fail justification”.
It’s interesting that people who are failing use the excuse, “I might fail,” to continue failing.
Failure-thinking is seen when people say, “But it might not work,” or “What if I fail?”
You might not always get what you reach for, but if you reach for nothing, you always get it.
Tips:
Stop using small things as reasons to reject the whole.
Seek advice from someone you respect. Don’t judge it. Follow their advice for a week. (See: An Exercise Guaranteed to Ignite Growth in Anyone.)
Invest in yourself. Hire a coach.
Adopt an imperfect plan so you can make imperfect progress.
Find reasons something might work.
What excuses do people use to avoid growth and change?
How might leaders overcome the challenge of weaseling out of change?
One of the benefits of leading many different types of organizations over my 30+ year career was having a window to observe and study other leaders.
Let’s face it, honing your leadership skills is not a one-off event; it’s a process of learning new skills that are required in the role and practicing them day in and day out.
I found that looking across at how other leaders practiced their craft was an excellent source of learning material; I saw what worked and didn’t work and was able to pick and choose to enhance my own repertoire of skills accordingly.
Most of what I saw in others was quite pedantic. They typically followed the “leader book” prescribed by the experts in the field and by academics who wrote papers on the subject.
It was a rare occurrence to witness a truly different approach to what the crowd of other leaders was following.
Although in the moment they might seem larger than life, interviewers are people just like you.
That means they're susceptible to the same psychological preferences and cognitive biases that affect the rest of us. Simple tweaks to the way you speak and hold yourself can make you seem much more likable, competent, and hirable in their eyes.
With that in mind, we rounded up a list of easy strategies to forge a connection with your interviewer and boost your chances of landing the job.
Here are 24 psychological tricks to ace your next job interview:
This is an open love letter to business owners, sales leaders or anyone leading a team of sales people that are mobile aka “out of the office” most of the day. Sales is a system and you, the “mobile” salesperson and any tool, process or procedure you follow together, is part of that system.
Since you are part of that system, take a look at what you can do first, as a contributor to that system. When you take this step first and communicate that you have done this, to the mobile salesperson, I guarantee you will get the improvement you are looking for.
Here are the 3 Most Common Problems with “The Mobile Salesperson” that we see, that readers of this love letter can focus on first to improve results:
Here is an alarming statistic for business owners and high-level managers: Researchers say a whopping 70% of your employees have no idea about big picture strategy where they work.
So how are the people on the front lines supposed to lead the charge if they don’t know where they’re going?
Face it, many of us have worked for companies that had us running in one direction and everything was fine. Until one day someone said, “Oh, didn’t you hear? We’re not doing it that way anymore.” Sometimes it’s as simple as a new expense report form. But other times it’s something extremely important such as brand re-positioning, or even new rules of engagement for poaching employees from a top competitor. And what about safety issues or recalls?
The reality is that America isn’t short of ideas. We’re just not communicating them properly. An Interact/Harris Poll found that 91% of employees feel their leaders don’t communicate well.
Sometimes being a sage is about what you DON’T do.
#1. Don’t cast pearls before pigs.
Never treat unmotivated learners the same as motivated. Hunger motivates pigs to seek food, but when their bellies bulge, they lay in the mud. They don’t want change. They want confirmation.
When you realize you’re dealing with a pig say, “Oh, I see you already know what you should do about this. I shouldn’t have offered my suggestions. Please feel free to keep me informed on your progress.”
2 ways to spot a pig:
Pigs always look for the next thing to gobble up. The solution you provide is never quite good enough.
Pigs seem enthusiastic until it’s time to change something.
#2. Don’t include timid learners with pigs.
The difference between pigs and timid learners is resistance. Pigs gobble up your solutions and find fault. The timid need time and courage to try something new.
Show patience and compassion with the timid. Allow pigs to wallow in their own mud until they’re ready to change.
Don’t include fearful novices with resistant pigs. The timid need a safety net. Pigs need to struggle in the mud longer.
#3. Don’t minimize problems.
Give solutions AFTER defining problems. A solution without a problem is a good idea. A solution to a big problem is a mandate to action.
The bigger the problem, the more valuable the solution and the wiser the advisor.
Don’t say, “That’s no big deal,” to a struggling novice. Instead ask, “What’s painful about this situation?” Allow pain to be painful – so that solutions feel like an opportunity.
Recall the frustrations in your past. Tell stories about your struggles but don’t focus the conversation on yourself.
Ask, “What will it feel like to solve this problem?”
What does a sage avoid doing?
How do you deal with resistant pigs?
The birth of a wise sage:
You become a wise sage in the dark. There is no sagacity in easy wins. Success is a platform that’s built on courage, struggle, failure, and success. You move toward sagaciousness when you:
Stand for principle when tempted to compromise.
Confront arrogance and practice humility.
Try, fail, own it, and learn. Finger-pointers never learn and grow.
A wise sage courageously exposes struggle, but fools hide the struggle and snarl like lapdogs.
Explain the pain of failure with personal language. Avoid generalities. Painful struggle makes you inviting and trustworthy.
Pain teaches empathy and openness – if you have the humility and courage to listen.
You cannot close your heart and be a wise sage.
A wise sage looks for growth in others not sympathy for herself. The reason to explain the lessons from pain include:
Connection.
Humility.
Honesty.
Encouragement.
You’re an encouragement to others when they realize you found success on the other side of failure. Maybe they can too.
There’s more to becoming a wise sage than moving through darkness to light, but this is a beginning.
What have you learned in the dark?
How might a leader become a wise sage?
Feedback principle #1. People prefer affirmation to criticism.
When options are available, you choose to hang with people who affirm you and avoid those who criticize you. (“Negative Feedback Rarely Leads to Improvement,” HBR Magazine Jan.-Feb. 2018)
Have you given abundant praise? Try this experiment. Make tomorrow Affirmation Day. No criticism allowed. No complaining. None!
It’s not enough to lock yourself in the office and refuse to talk to anyone on Affirmation Day. Get out and talk to people. Silence isn’t affirming.
Reality check: I tried this exercise. I lasted 30 seconds. (How to Stop Complaining)
Positive communication elevates relationship.
Use the 4:1 ratio as a daily gauge. Say four positive things for every negative. (I know, it seems outrageous.)
Positive relationships provide the foundation for tough conversations.
Feedback principle #2. Know the strengths and aspirations of everyone on your team.
Feedback that speaks to aspiration energizes. Irrelevant feedback is irritating. Don’t give leadership feedback to people who don’t aspire to leadership.
Note: Reassign or replace people when their aspirations don’t align with organizational mission.
Feedback principle #3. Shift from judging after-the-fact to describing in-the-moment.
Effective feedback:
Describes behaviors.
Occurs when the behaviors happen or as close to the occurrence as possible.
Try saying, “I know you’re working to run effective meetings. I noticed you interrupted Betty when she shared her idea. Betty didn’t contribute for the rest of the meeting.”
Feedback principle #4. Follow feedback with coaching.
Coaches turn conversations toward future concerns.
What might you try when you feel the urge to interrupt?
What options do you have when someone talks too long in meet
Two people face the same challenge. One rises and thrives. One stumbles and flounders. The difference is motivational energy.
You are responsible to manage your energy.
Don’t surrender to a lousy boss, boring task, or turbulent environment.
The three buckets of motivational energy are choice, connection, and competence. (Master Your Motivation) Look in these buckets when energy fades.
Energy sinks when you:
Feel like a puppet.
Engage in tasks that seem trivial or meaningless.
Aren’t learning or developing skills.
Click HERE to see my interview with Susan Fowler! (4:29)
Energy rises when you:
Make choices.
See meaning even in the mundane.
Develop useful skills.
The most powerful questions are the questions you speak to yourself.
Energy in choice:
Choice is the perception that we are the ones directing our behavior …” (Master your Motivation)
What choices do I have?
What choices have I made?
Which choices am I glad I made?
What choices would I like to do over?
What choices do I have going forward?
“… sometimes recognizing that we have choice is enough to make the right choice.” Susan Fowler
Energy in connection:
Connection includes the belief that, “… our goals … are aligned to meaningful values and a sense of purpose.” Susan Fowler
What do I find that’s meaningful in this experience?
What is it that is going to help me contribute to others?
How does this goal align with my values and purpose?
Energy in competence:
“Competence is the ability to see progress and demonstrate skill over time.” Susan Fowler
What am I learning?
What could I learn?
What skills do I have?
What skills could I develop?
What am I learning that helps me serve others?
“Of all the things that can boost inner work life, the most important is making progress in meaningful work.” Amabile and Kramer (HBR)
Your inner critic’s voice is louder and more believable than external voices. Others compliment you, but you know you’re a fraud.
Forget about silencing your inner accuser. Negative aspiration tends to strengthen negative behavior.
It’s unsatisfying to pursue NOT doing something.
5 types of “stupid” suggestions:
Suggestions based on inadequate information.
Ideas that might be relevant at a future time.
Input that reflects a personal agenda.
Recommendations that arrive too late to help.
Contributions that are difficult or costly to implement.
The etiquette of suggestions:
Good manners and wisdom prevent you from saying, “That’s stupid.”
#1. Suggestions impose social obligations. You need to consider and respond.
#2. People believe their stupid suggestions are smart.
We believe our suggestions are helpful. That’s why we offered them.
#3. It stings when suggestions are dismissed without consideration or respect.
Smart people don’t enjoy feeling stupid.
A brilliant response to a stupid suggestion:
I recently sent a suggestion via text to a corporate leader. Maybe it wasn’t stupid, but it didn’t apply. His response was a lesson on responding to “stupid” suggestions.
“Thanks Dan. I like this idea. I believe this would work best after this upcoming offsite. We are essentially rebooting … .” (The text message continues with an explanation of their current focus.)
Appreciation.
Personal address, “Dan.”
Approval of the idea. “I like this idea.”
Respectful rejection. “I believe this would work best after this upcoming offsite.”
Clarification of the current focus.
Good suggestions are withheld from leaders who make people feel stupid.
4 tips:
Don’t say, “This is a good idea, BUT ….”
Don’t say, “That’s not our current focus.” Instead, explain your current focus.
Say, “Your suggestion might work when…”
Say, “That’s an interesting suggestion. Right now, we’re focused on ….”
Build a culture where:
Best ideas win, regardless of their source.
Multiple ideas are explored.
You avoid yes or no choices based on one option.
What are the worst ways to respond to stupid suggestions?
What are the best ways to respond to stupid suggestions?
Bonus material:
The Bacon Solution: How to (Nicely) Handle a Bad Idea (Forbes)
5 Ways to Politely Decline Unsolicited Advice (Inc)
Thanks for sharing.
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Category : Leading
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