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Are You Asking the Right Questions?

by Patti Blackstaffe on Apr 29 · Comments (0)

Question Are You Asking the Right Questions? “We find … it’s much more important and difficult to ask the right question. Once you do that, the right answer becomes obvious.”
~Amory Lovins

If you want to know more about why people do or don’t change, then ask more questions.

When working with organizations and teams, it is important to first listen and understand before building plans and developing programs for them. For organizations that do not have coaching as a mainstay offering for their leaders, they may be surprised to hear it is those coaching methodologies that open the door to understanding. For a large company, it is definitely worthwhile for key individuals and leaders within the organization to be coached, and for those in charge of organizational development (OD) to have some coaching training behind them.

There is a generalized stigma around coaching that can be hard to shake and it’s often referred to as that ‘airy-fairy’ soft-skills stuff. There is nothing soft about coaching!

If you remember being figuratively pinned to the wall as a teen in high school as some wise adult helped you learn to stand up and take responsibility for your own actions, you can easily recognize the value for coaching in any environment. Through great questions, a coach can dig deep enough to get to the root of why you choose your current thought patterns and reactions, helping you better understand where you fit among the dynamics of a multifaceted team of individuals. There is nothing soft about it. The secret to a coach’s success is the training they receive within two areas:

learning how to ask questions and

the right questions to ask.

This is why people in Change Management (CM) are also effective coaches. One who seeks to understand the stakeholders and the stakes involved in any change initiative is best served by first knowing the right questions to ask. Great questions return great results, further creating introspective reasoning for the individual who is providing the answers. The people being asked begin to think a little more about what they do and why they do it, eventually getting to the heart of why, within a change initiative, the stakes are so high for them.

This doesn’t mean the stakeholders are all in an ‘organized coaching program’, but rather, through a varied series of meetings, one-on-one discussions, facilitated group sessions and other forms of analysis and risk analysis, the CM professional is able to dig deep to the heart of any challenges that may inhibit change.

Change is inevitable, but change as a push mechanism is rarely successful. Change initiatives that take into consideration all stakeholders and build a plan for change that motivates and inspires people to move forward from resistance to desire find greater success. It is my experience that there is usually a lot more to resistance than what is initially shared, and a little coaching methodology can certainly loan itself to finding the greatest resistance and helping the people within an organization work through it.

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Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Idea Sessions | Change Management | Executive Coaching | Team Building

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Categories : Communication, Conflict, Culture, Human Resources, Leadership, Management

Tags : Asking the right Questions, Change Management, Leadership, Organizational Development

Are You A Team Player?

by Patti Blackstaffe on Feb 26 · Comments (0)

Team 700x350 Are You A Team Player?

In his blog titled, “We Don’t Need To Make it Better” on February 5, Seth Godin says this about improvements.

“Just because it is uphill doesn’t mean it’s hopeless, though. One of the most essential tasks a leader faces is understanding just how much the team is afraid of making things better (because it usually means making things worse—for some people).

Change is scary for most people, and risky change that might adversely affect someone or cause a wave, even scarier! The thing is, it is important to do what is RIGHT instead of working in fear.

Malcolm Gladwell notes in his book, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference”

“Cooperation and conciliation and compromise and teamwork are all arts, and like all arts they require practice and commitment. In a complex world, success is not possible without teamwork.”

Let me put it this way, if you are a member of a team or a ‘Tribe’, as Seth Godin calls them, you have a responsibility to that team; not only to each other, but to the overall mission (or company) as well. If you have been hired in a role and you work with other people to accomplish that role, you are being paid to work with them and help develop plans for reaching the BIG PICTURE. Not sure what that is? As a team, ask these questions:

What is our collective why?
What exactly does success look like, what are we trying to accomplish overall?
Who is needed to accomplish that goal?
What do I have to do in my specific role to make it an amazing success and who do I need to collaborate with in order to reach success for the BIG PICTURE?

Now bump it up…..

How can I bring the very best of myself to that role and help everyone else shine so they too can accomplish our BIG PICTURE Mission?

Ultimately, it is not about you. If your loyalty is only to yourself and not with the team and the company who is paying you, you are in the wrong job or at the very least not giving your best to the job you have.

Here are a few great actions of a team-player.

They keep professional confidences and do not put the company or their team mates at risk for selfish gain.
They see and recognize the strengths that EVERY member of the team brings to the table and are willing to work WITH those people for the BIG PICTURE success.
They are both transparent and honest, protecting the path to the BIG PICTURE along-side their team members.
They deal directly with the individual they have a qualm with and do not drag clients or outside individuals into their emotional dramas or insecurities. (P.S. that is called gossip)
They do not disparage other team members to each other (or anyone else for that matter), but rather find ways to turn the other team member’s poor performance or lack of success into a coaching opportunity before writing them off.
They are loyal to the BIG PICTURE realizing the people or organization paying their salary are where their loyalty lies, and they work together to meet that big picture.

Getting the drift? If you are a member of a team within which you can take these actions, then you are on the right team.

If you cannot find yourself loyal to the team or play well in the sandbox with the people you are supposed to be reaching the collective goal with, united for a common cause, (or you don’t believe in the cause), it is time to find a different place to work.

Why? Your heart is with you, not the team or the goal.

Go do something GRAND, something you can be passionate about in reaching a common BIG PICTURE goal WITH people you can respect – or – find a way to be a solid member of your existing team, unite and build a plan together so that you can again be passionate about what you do and who you work with. Stop waiting for your company to change so you can make this happen – you have much more power than you think.

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You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Idea Sessions | Change Management | Executive Coaching | Team Building

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Categories : Culture, Engage, Gratitude, Leadership, Team Building

Tags : Big Picture Team Work, Reaching a Goal, Team Loyalty, Team Work, Working Together

Policies, Procedures and the Leadership Team

by Patti Blackstaffe on Feb 12 · Comments (2)

Whether you have 10 people walking in the door for work or 1000, they all bring with them their dreams, hopes, values, frustrations, problems and their desire to make their career the best it can be. People bring with them every experience they have ever had, and their perception of what that experience has meant to them, good or bad. Most of them will react to everyday situations based on those experiences, putting a wrapper around the situation based on what they believe it means to them.

Witnessing the human dynamic can be both awe inspiring and difficult, depending on what is playing out at any given time within the organization. You will have motivated and non-motivated employees, you will have great leaders and managers who are biding their time. There will be people with good intentions and the odd one with not-so-good intentions.

And this is why every company needs to have policies and procedures in place with strict adherence to them.

For the routine actions and for the unusual actions that will occur in any company, a set of guidelines for both employee and employer provide clarity and help avoid miscommunication.

First, the best place to start is to look at your Provincial or State labour standards or code. These are the guidelines you as an employer must uphold, it is the law in the place where you live. It is also the job of every manager in your company to know what these are; are you helping them? Small companies without a solid HR presence will especially need to know what the rules are.

Second, you need to protect the company and your employees from harm. Harm includes law suits, security issues, labour problems and safety. There are clear guidelines in all of these areas as well. Do your homework, make sure you know what your rights are and make sure you know the rights of your employees. A company handbook can include some of these items.

Third, you need to understand what processes you as a company wish to work within, basically; “What are my manager’s supposed to do and what are they allowed to do within these walls and how do I want them to accomplish it?” AND “What are my employees supposed to do and how do I want them to accomplish that?”

Many companies are unaware of how important their own policies and procedures are.

Executive team, not everyone ‘works like you and thinks like you.’

I know a lot of companies are weary trying to keep up with the legislated pieces and want to apply more of the budget to operations rather than HR. However, HR, when given the right direction and authority, have the ability to save the company many dollars in the long run.

From vacations to stress leave, from benefits to complaints, without a solid set of procedures to access and the guidelines of what to do, your employees will be scrambling for answers and wanting support. In most companies employees want their immediate manager to have both the answers and the authority to make a difference for them. Have you prepared your management team to handle all they will need to handle when they encounter a difficult situation or event, a budgetary shift, a grievance? Have you prepared your HR team to take on what the manager cannot? Have you outlined the differences in their roles? Are you tracking attrition, complaints, costs of transition, and more? Have you outlined the overall ‘behavioural intolerance level’ your company will not accept and what happens when they arise? If not, you have some work to do.

It is easy to make the assumption your staff understands how you want the company to run, after all, you are there every day and you are showing them how to do it. Be cautious, leader, these people need things clearly laid out, eliminate as much opportunity for misinterpretation of your desires as possible. Empower your staff to make decisions without you because the policy or procedure is spelled out in a way that supports your teams and protects your organization. But be aware, this is not a quick task or a two month answer, you will need facilitation and direction through about 18 months to two years of development if this is the first time you have embarked on such a task and you have more than 20 employees.

Give your Managers and HR department the tools and the power to make a difference for you and for your staff. Develop a company where everyone knows what support looks like and your teams are empowered to shine.

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Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

Idea Sessions | Change Management | Executive Coaching | Team Building

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Categories : Communication, Culture, Human Resources, Leadership, Management, Training

Tags : Employees, employment standards, labour laws, Leadership Guidance, Policies, Procedures, Training

Why I Can’t Be Hired

by Patti Blackstaffe on Feb 05 · Comments (0)

Be willing to do the work, not play the victim of circumstance

Working in Organizational Development (executive coaching and change management) is my passion. I love situational, character and behavioural development within an organizational environment. I personally study hard to build my programs and I take neuroscience, anthropology and psychology research into account for all jobs involving people. I have done this self-study for almost 20 years regardless of where I have worked – I am fascinated by people. What really charges me is when I am asked to come in and work with teams for greater collaboration and communication.

To determine if I am a good fit for the consulting contract, I ask the following two questions:

How much action and change is the executive leadership willing to take on in order to make my efforts worthwhile for the company?
What kind of support will be available from the top in order to make positive change happen?

The one statement that leads me to decline a consulting role with a company is this:

“I just want you to come in and fix ______________.” (This statement is rarely associated with actions of the executive leadership.)

First, your people don’t need fixing. Second, I am powerless to ‘fix this’ because as the consultant that is not my job, as the leader it is YOUR job. Third, I am hired to guide you and lead the way, the work involved belongs to each and every individual within the company STARTING with the top level leadership and supported through to the front lines.

When a problem exists, the first step is for the leadership to be able to admit there is a problem, but they cannot stop there. They must be willing to admit the actions they have been taking thus far are not working and something needs to change. It needs to change first at their level.

I have been known to decline any job whereby the hiring individual is unwilling to do what it takes to turn around the morale or working relationships within the company. I will also turn down coaching jobs with any manager who is not willing to take the action necessary to make change at their (leadership) level.

Coaching and consulting are about providing the assist, but we don’t come in and score the goals for our client, that is their job. They must be willing to do the work – not play the victim of circumstance.

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Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

Idea Sessions | Change Management | Executive Coaching | Team Building

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Categories : Communication, Culture, Leadership, Management

Tags : Getting hired, hiring fit, who doesn't hire me, why people hire me

Rock and Roll Momentum

by Patti Blackstaffe on Jan 28 · Comments (0)

r n r Rock and Roll Momentum

Have you ever noticed when a really catchy song comes on the radio, you can’t help but tap a toe, hum or even sing along? For me, it is when a song from my late teens and early twenties comes alive. There is something about reminiscing back to a time of personal freedom, and feeling like the world is your oyster, that truly gets a person going.

Do you remember when you first entered your career or business and you could feel your body vibrate with excitement about what you were doing? Remember the thrill of anticipation for a new project?

How long has it been since you felt a rock and roll momentum in your job?

Perhaps it’s time to shake things up and take a good look at what you do every day.

What are the work activities that charge you the most?
What action could you do to bring an inspiring activity at work into your every day?
Who are the people at the office that you can collaborate with to give you the kind of energy and enthusiasm you want at work?
Is there a project you can get approved that keeps innovation and motivation charged?

The key thing to note is this:

People have a tendency to wait for their boss, employer, co-workers to present them with activities to excite them about going to work.

The reality is that we create our own motivation and inspiration. Stop waiting for the company, boss, co-worker, department to change, start taking action to create your own beat and dance to the music.

The energy we put into our work is the energy we get out of our work.

Now, shake, stir, repeat!

Every day is a new beginning granted to us for approaching life with enthusiasm – and life includes work! Find at least one activity or action to bring you closer to a rock and roll momentum, then seek approval, schedule it and enjoy!

Opportunity: There is a good possibility you will be rewarded with renewed respect from co-workers for your innovative and enthusiastic attitude.

What kinds of activities give you a charge you at work?

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Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

Idea Sessions | Change Management | Executive Coaching | Team Building

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Categories : Culture, Human Resources, Leadership

Tags : Encouragement, enthusiasm, Innovation, motivation, personal mastery

The Credit is Due

by Patti Blackstaffe on Jan 21 · Comments (0)

Ideal: Everyone wants to work for a great team and to give credit to a great team – that’s most people’s workplace utopia.

Reality: Human dynamics, competition and workplace conflict make it difficult to know just where credit and responsibility are to be shared.

Here is a hint: It’s multi-level and sometimes confusing.

Clarification: Your team contributes to the overall success of the company and it’s imperative to give the team credit when publicly celebrating any success. “The group did this! WooHoo!” Where that thinking goes off the rails is when the focus is group, group, group, and there is no credit given to each individual for the unique strengths and abilities they bring to the team.

Tip: Every person wants to believe they bring value to the team, that they have made a difference in their own unique way. When we fail to pay attention to the individuals, we negate the hard work of each member of the team and this erodes the individual’s motivation to continue contributing.

Each member must be willing to acknowledge the core strengths of the unique individuals on their team.

Just as each type of cell in your body does a remarkable and unique function and contributes to a remarkable whole, we must give each type of cell its day to shine. The body is only whole and functional because of the individual parts. Just ask anyone who has had an injury how difficult it is when one part of the body is no longer functional.

The team itself is not discounted by recognizing strengths in the individuals (unless one person is taking ALL the credit for the team’s success – and that is a different blog altogether). When team members refuse to acknowledge the individual strengths of its members, it fails to function as a team – it’s broken.

Ironic, isn’t it? By giving credit only to the whole group and ignoring the individuals, the group begins to crumble.

Give the team credit – by all means, they’ve earned it by working hard together to accomplish their jobs.

Just remember: A team is made up of many individuals bringing unique strengths and qualities that only when united with other team members are they contributing to the whole. So when someone mentions a unique talent or strength of one of the members, don’t be too quick to call it a team effort –everyone’s unique contribution matters.

___________________________________________

Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

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Categories : Culture, Human Resources, Leadership

Tags : celebrate the win, individual efforts, strengths and talents, team efforts

Five Years!

by Patti Blackstaffe on Jan 18 · Comments (0)

sm5YrAnniv1 Five Years! At the end of January we will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary as a business! On January 29th, 2008 Strategic Sense Inc was incorporated and what a ride it has been. Keep in touch and follow us as we make plans to celebrate our 5th year!

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Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

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Categories : Leadership

Liars Get Caught, Period.

by Patti Blackstaffe on Oct 31 · Comments (2)

liar Liars Get Caught, Period. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but liars do get caught.

The thing about lies is that they are unsustainable. Eventually, someone begins to catch on, investigate, corroborate and vet the lies.

When a person tells enough of them, it is too hard for the liar to keep track of who/what was told.

The truth is always a ‘same story’ scenario – it is clean and you only have to remember the truth.

Lies get bent, twisted and confused until one can no longer remember what they have told, and eventually lies begin to unravel.

When a long series of lies begins to unravel, desperation sets in – and the lies get bigger to cover the other unraveling lies. It is a deep vortex from which one rarely recovers, especially if they have a high profile or are in a position of authority. (edit 2013: think Lance Armstrong)

Indication one is caught in a lie – they attempt to eliminate the person who knows the truth!

Very risky.

Cheating works the same way as lying…..

Solution? Don’t do it.

Transparency and honesty are key pieces of the leadership puzzle. If you want your team to perform, remember that lies and bullying will shut the performing parts of their brains down – not as many synapses in the brain will fire.

Honesty, engagement and giving credit to those who have worked for you, this opens up the performing parts of the brain – more synapses in the brain will fire. This equals great performance by your team. It is science. Pay attention.

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Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

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Categories : Conflict, Leadership, Training

Tags : cheating, honesty, integrity, liar, lies, Lying, truth

The Three E’s of Hiring

by Patti Blackstaffe on Sep 19 · Comments (0)

Untitled 3 The Three Es of Hiring Do not be fooled by assuming that education = expertise.
Do not be fooled by assuming expertise = results.
Do not discount experience.

The HR hiring departments of many organizations seek qualifications, expertise and experience when trying to fill a position.

Paper tells very little. The person can tell/show you a lot.

Start with experience – it is the practitioners who do the work regularly and on a continual bases who know what results look like.

Experience is: hands on doing, maturity in the industry and holds the foundational knowledge leading to the role.

Next, vet their expertise – some gain it by reading, some by doing; some both ways.

Use the interview to clarify if the expertise is that which they ‘tell’ you they know or if it is actual knowledge pertaining to the role.

Let education be the last thing you look for, not the first. Use it to select the candidate from your short list of practitioners.

Remember: You want to hire people who can DO the job, not look impressive. Your role is to decipher who those people are and then determine if they are a good fit for the values and goals of the company and team for whom they are being recruited.

Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop
Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership
through consulting, advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323

Contact us here to book for Idea Sessions, Change Management, Executive Coaching or Team Development.

Comments (0)

Categories : Human Resources, Leadership, Management

Tags : Education, experience, Expertise, hiring, Human Resources, recruiting

Seven Life Lessons From Dad

by Patti Blackstaffe on Jun 15

I don’t know how many of you are lucky enough to still have your dad in your life, or even have a dad as dedicated as mine, but given that Father’s day is fast approaching, I would like a chance to share some of the very valuable lessons I have learned from the man who helped to shape who I am.

1. If it needs to be done, do it now.

I can guarantee you there are very few ‘unfinished’ projects in my dad’s house. It doesn’t matter what it is, he takes it on like it is his full-time job. Retired and always needing a project, he rarely leaves anything until the deadline. He sees something that needs to be done and he takes it on in his next spare moment. From yard work, to painting, to fixing the back steps – he is a doer; someone who knows success is doing what needs to be done, doing it as soon as possible and not procrastinating.

2. Be a champion for someone you love.

My mom has been ill for over a year, at her side every day, he is her advocate, her champion and her pal. He keeps a steady loyal routine for her, pays attention to everything going on medically for her and is willing to fight with her to get well. He believes in her, he helps her believe she can do it too. Every day, no fail, without complaint, he is a man of conviction. He loves her, love means being there and not leaving it up to someone else.

3. Fight fairly and with facts – fight with all you have if it means fighting for your rights.

My dad is a letter writer, and a good one. He never just sits there and accepts unfair treatment or allows someone to take advantage. He is the first one digging up all the facts, researching the details, finding out the knowledge needed to ensure fairness and he uses it. He learns what it is all about and doesn’t hesitate to make a good factual case. No matter how much he may be angered or emotional about the topic, he works hard to be factual and fair in his dealings. He keeps it as simple as possible to make a great case for why his way may be the way to go. I write letters too – I learned it from him. I have fought and won with a major automaker, I have won my case with an educational institution and have been a winner in making sure my facts are straight and my details are correct. It is a skill I have used many, many times throughout my life.

4. Never settle for “good enough”.

Just “good enough” makes no sense to my dad, from my very youngest years I recall hearing him say, “If it isn’t done right there is no point in doing it at all”. The earliest I recall these words was when we were building fences at our ranch in Montana. He had a chain saw and was notching out spaces to put a cross post in. I used the expression, “Nah, it’s good enough” and quickly learned why it wasn’t. He explained the reasoning behind exactly where the strength in the fence existed when done right and what happens when it isn’t. Needless to say, I dug that post out of the ground and we pounded in a new one. It is something I will never forget, even when you make a mistake, fix it, own it or find a way to ensure it is “done well” but never leave something at “just good enough”

5. Ya, but are you making any money?

If the truth be told, I love what I do so much that I would do it for free. And he knows it. He challenges me all the time to remember that everything has a value, especially expertise and time. He wants the best for me and my family, and if anything is going to take time away from home and family there had better be a return on investment for home and family. My dad is a great provider, he is a role model in many ways that I wish to emulate. How we go about things is different from one another, but he has modelled provision in a way many people these days do not. Earn, save and grow your money – in all cases spend less than you earn and keep some aside, you are going to need it. (I still have a lot to learn)

6. Work harder than you think you can.

Sometimes this is the little piece that makes the difference between finishing with time to spare and nudging way too close to a deadline. He likes to finish things, so starting something one day typically means he finishes on the same day. He pushes it sometimes, and often we tease him for being crazed with it. The truth is, he has combined what needs to be done NOW with “let’s finish it” to ensure he is rarely caught with something left incomplete.

7. Research, research, research.

Don’t just take the word of others, do your research. My dad is an avid “Googler” even at 80 years of age. He has kept his diabetes under control with food, he knows all the antioxidants to eat in an effort to stave off a return of the prostate cancer he had years ago and he has researched the company history and management team of the stocks he buys. He pays attention to the things that affect his life. He has taught me to know more about things, challenge the status quo and to stand strong in my conviction – but back it up with data.

These lessons, these things he has taught me have contributed significantly to my life providing an even greater power now while I work out a redesign of my business and personal priorities. Having in the past few months slid quietly into a self-imposed leave of absence from many outside influences to lay down the groundwork for this change. I am ever grateful to my dad for these and many more lessons that have served me well in the past and will serve me well in the future.