Strategic Sense » Leadership

The Real Reason Your Team Doesn’t Trust You

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:27:49 +0000

Today’s guest post is by Mike Figliuolo, the author of One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership. Here’s Mike:

Your team doesn’t trust you. Honestly. They don’t.

Trust is key to effective working relationships; yet, as you climb the corporate ladder, trust seems harder to earn and easier to lose.

What causes a team to not trust their leader? You. Yes, you. You’re unpredictable and your team doesn’t know what to expect from you. But, these are fixable problems.

Trust is about an ability to rely upon or expect a predictable outcome. When you act in ways your team doesn’t expect, it erodes trust and makes them wonder what you’re going to do next. If you want to get a sense for how much your people trust you, you can take this Trusted Leader Assessment online – it only takes 3-5 minutes and you’ll get a comprehensive analysis of your results after taking it.

If you can clearly lay out how your people can expect you to behave in a variety of situations, they’ll have a basic expectation upon which to build a foundation of trust. These expectations have to be personal and meaningful enough to you that they guide your behavior. I refer to these guiding principles as “leadership maxims” which are rules of behavior or conduct. The collection of all your leadership maxims becomes your personal leadership philosophy.

Defining Your Leadership Philosophy

I encourage you as a leader to define your own set of leadership maxims. They can be as simple as one of mine which is “What would Nana say?” For reference, Nana was my grandmother. I can use that maxim to guide my behavior. When faced with difficult choices, I simply ask “what would Nana say?” and my choice becomes clear. When I explain this maxim to my team, they’ll better understand how I make choices and they’ll see my behavior as consistent with this maxim. It is this consistency that forms the basis of trust.

If you want to define a powerful leadership philosophy, here are a few steps to start with:

Be yourself. When you write your leadership philosophy, spare your team the corporate-speak and tell your personal story instead. They can spot a phony a mile away.
Give in to emotion. Articulate your leadership philosophy as a set of reminders of stories that have deep emotional meaning for you. The reminders are touchstones to guide your behavior. The stronger the emotions associated with the story, the more likely you are to change your behavior to be consistent with the lesson the story reminds you of.
Lead yourself. You have to know where you personally want to go in life and define your personal code of conduct before you can lead someone else. Write down reminders of your code as part of your philosophy.
Lead the thinking. Your job is to set direction, challenge outdated thinking, and define standards. Create reminders that force you to do these things on a regular basis – not only during the annual strategic planning process.
Lead your people. Get dirty. Know their jobs. Know them as individuals – not as a box on an org chart or a job title. When they know you care about them as a person, they’re much more willing to give you everything they’ve got.
Lead a balanced life. If you’re burned out, you’re worthless. Set your boundaries and stick to them. Let everyone else know what they are. Balance applies to your work too – have enough work you love to do to balance out all the mindless tasks you don’t enjoy. Again – create some simple yet personal guidelines that remind you make decisions that keep you in balance.
Pull it all together. Document all your reminders of how you want to behave on a single piece of paper. Tack it up on your wall or carry it on a card in your wallet. Having that simple reminder of your approach to leadership always within arm’s reach will help you live up to that standard every day.
Share. Tell people your personal story. Share your triumphs and failures. Help them understand the experiences that have made you who you are as a leader. When you share, you help them understand you better. That understanding and the vulnerability you demonstrate while sharing builds trust between you and your team members.

The Bottom Line

The sooner you commit your leadership philosophy to paper, the better off you are. Be sure it is personal, authentic, and free of jargon or buzzwords. Share it with your team. Live it every day. Help them see you’re really not that complex or unpredictable. Morale, productivity, and trust will all increase as a result. Take the Trusted Leader Assessment to see where you stack up. The results can make a big difference in helping you build trust with the members of your team.

Mike Figliuolo is the author of One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership. He’s the managing director of thoughtLEADERS, LLC – a leadership development firm. An Honor Graduate from West Point, he served in the U.S. Army as a combat arms officer. Before founding his own company, he was an assistant professor at Duke University, a consultant at McKinsey & Co., and an executive at Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He regularly writes about leadership on the thoughtLEADERS Blog.

Occupy Your Street

Patti Blackstaffe — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:16:35 +0000

There is a commercial on television where a woman and man are sitting in a reception area, the woman turns to her husband and says, “I just want to stop paying checking fees” and a woman at the reception desk says, “If you want to stop paying checking fees, then stop paying Checking fees.” I love this commercial because of its simplicity.

Simplicity is beauty, especially when one wishes to rally a large group of people with a single message. The message must be clear. I am not sure what the message is regarding Occupy Wall Street protestors, as what I’ve heard varies and some pieces are complex. This doesn’t work for most folks, many wish to have something clear and simple to follow before they get on board to champion and rally with others. I know I want to know what I am rallying toward and the outcome this rally is to achieve.

Of course most of us know some of the reasons behind what drove people to Occupy Wall Street. I recognize people want desperately for the decision makers who put the world economy at crisis to take notice, to pay for their mistakes, for corporate greed not to get the best of us. I know people are frustrated feeling starved while big CEOs took in buyouts to pay themselves handsomely. I get that, I feel for those sharing their stories on the “We Are the 99 percent” webpage and I ache for the populations of all countries who are suffering with the loss of homes and jobs. What I am not certain I understand is what outcome these folks wish to achieve by doing what appears to me to be an un-focused sit-in.

What I wish everyone understood is that all of us, by choosing to ride the wave of boom and buy, we were a large part of the train that brought us here.

But think about this…WE have the power to change things in this world with actions that can truly affect Wall Street. Think about it, if 99% of us are financially hurting or trying to make sense of where we find ourselves within this brutal economy, then the number-odds are pretty much in our favour.

Mere groups don’t create change, actions do.

Gathering in groups in Tanzania, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain did not accomplish change. Showing the world by committing to being part of covert operations and dangerously sending video footage overseas to present to the world the atrocities occurring within their borders did. Being brave enough to organize with a clear message of what they will and will no longer accept and then taking action to gain world-wide support, this created change. Gathering was only a step in the process. Simple message, understood outcome and actions toward that outcome achieved their goals. They were the majority, and they acted together in solidarity to accomplish an outcome.

Like those countries, the majority here have the power to make every day choices that will speak more loudly than a sit-in or a tent in a central park location. We don’t have a simple message such as, “oust the dictator”. WE do have the power of numbers, but not only numbers with messages on placards, but numbers who make every day choices and take everyday actions to truly guide where our countries need to go, and we have the freedom to do so.

We all need to Occupy OUR Own Street and we can do it by using the power of the purse, even if all you have are pennies.

If you want a better environment, change your spending habits to green or ecological companies.
If you want to increase small business, then buy from small business.
If you want to grow local businesses, then shop at local businesses.
If you want more jobs within this country, start purchasing brands made only in this country (if you can find some).
If you want better transit then choose to ride on transit until the sheer numbers force it.
If you don’t like how a company works, fight it by not giving it your money, then support the kind of company you trust.
Be strong enough to fray from the party line and vote for what is best for the 99% and your country instead – listen to your heart not the rhetoric.
Be willing to teach your children fiscal responsibility by showing them and modeling for them the kind of change we need to take as individuals to contribute to positive change.

You got it, do the research, make the choices and then do these things in large numbers and there you have the power. But, you have to know the outcome you wish to achieve so you know what to choose, and then you need to choose it. Stop whining because things have changed and you want it back the old comfortable way but still want OTHERS to drive the change for you.

Right now isn’t comfortable for most of us, right now we are in a great shift and shift means leaving our comfort zones and making decisions that will CREATE the change, but we need to know what we want.

CHOOSE, ACT, and make it YOUR responsibility right at home:

Share what you are doing with others and give them a chance to make it their responsibility, and then share it some more.
Tell people where they can buy, how they can make different decisions, find a way and a path that makes sense, movements require action.
Show people what actions will help, where they can turn and what support you have found.
Repeat the actions over and over again in as many numbers as you can to drive change.

Be the leader you were meant to be…Occupy YOUR Street.

Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop

Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership

through advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323 | contact her here | book her to speak

Warranty Wise and Pocket Poor

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:18:35 +0000

Are cell phone warranties worth it? Based on my personal experience, I don’t think so. This is a customer service post, a little experiential story about my opinion on cell phone warranties…

I purchased a cell phone at Future Shop in 2010. This was already an expensive purchase because the previous cell phone wasn’t working and the repair option was more expensive than the purchase option. Due to this, I was talked into buying what the guy referred to as ‘insurance’ for my phone, Future Shop calls it a PEP (product exchange plan) Warranty. Now, a year down the road I feel a bit misrepresented because I was under the understanding it could be cancelled (I just didn’t realize it had to be done within 14 days of purchase).

I’ve never needed the warranty; the phone never broke nor was it lost, nothing. I did, however dislike that phone model immeasurably and finally contacted my service provider (different company) for an upgrade to a better phone at my own expense – not through Future Shop. Thus, I am no longer using the phone for which the insurance policy was purchased and the phone is not being used by anyone. I made the assumption that by no longer having that phone in service, the warranty could be cancelled. Let’s take a look at that warranty cost:

Cost of warranty to date: approx 125.88

Owing until warranty ends: approx 251.76

Total cost of warranty: 377.53

This is what I discovered today

I can transfer the warranty to another phone, oh but wait, it must be one purchased from Future Shop.

Warranties at Future Shop can NEVER be cancelled.

So, I get to receive a charge on my credit card every month for nothing, zippo. I am receiving no service from it, there is no customer satisfaction because of it, and it feels rather slimy to realize that when a warranty is no longer needed or worth the money spent on it that there is no option but to pay it. Apparently, it is a company policy to NEVER allow customers to cancel their warranties. I asked @FS_Connect on Twitter to better explain it by saying,

“@FS_Connect – what wise words can you use to explain no cancellations on warranties for cell phones no longer used? would luv to understand”

But so far they have chosen not to answer….perhaps they are looking into it???

I can cancel my life insurance policy, my home insurance policy, my car insurance policy. I can stop paying for a lot of things when I no longer need them, but not this phone warranty.

A question comes to mind, is there a commission on these at the store level? Is this why they are pushed so hard? From the report in the next paragraph stores can gain as much as 50% the cost of the warranty by selling it to you.

Reading this post at the Financial Edge piqued my interest on warranties in general and I wish to add this; by the time a 3 year warranty is completed, pricing for many electronic items generally comes down and your total cost of a new one often equals or is less than that of the warranty costs already spent on the old one.

I understand why cell phone service carriers require a locked in term for a new phone, it is because they are trading the price of a new phone at a discount and can afford to do that so long as you are tied into the plan they devise. There is a give and take here, it costs them to offer free phones for a 3 year plan – they are giving you something in agreement for the deal and it makes sense. When it comes to electronics in general, it is this author’s belief that a warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. Technology is travelling at a rate where expecting 3 years for a cell phone is equivalent to expecting 25 years from a computer, so I have learned my lesson.

So, what exactly did I get for this warranty? $377.53 of ‘peace of mind’, oh but this comfort only covers a year, of course that was the year that the Manufacturer’s warranty covered so what did I really get? A monthly visa charge. The next two years I will see a credit card charge on my Visa for 10.49 a month and it will be a fantastic reminder of how unfortunate it is that Future shop has lost my business, (not to mention all other companies any possible warranty purchases). You see, for the 251.76 out of that 377.53 I have no product or service coming my way, nothing will be exchanged, the insurance is moot. In fact, I now carry a loss for which I cannot recoup, and unlike service provider terms, I can’t even buy myself out of this one. I can only remind myself – buyer beware of all things warranty.

We are living in a new age, Future Shop – an age of customer experience and customer satisfaction. I am on to the electronics warranties deal and now know this is where your electronic profits come from, and am happy to share the story with anyone and everyone who will listen. Why? Because I feel having purchased a warranty is like having been talked into buying thin air.

Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop

Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership

through advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323 | contact her here | book her to speak

Beware of Mediocrity

Patti Blackstaffe — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:30:43 +0000

”Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” –Aristotle

He nestled snug inside his cheap blanket, not quite heavy enough to keep him warm, trying to digest the mediocre meal that wanted to return for a second swallow. He had a big day tomorrow, and he needed sleep to get through it. It’s not easy work avoiding the right thing, cutting corners and skirting responsibility, he only hoped the car would get him there. His oil had not been changed and his gas tank was sitting on empty, but he hoped he would have enough to make it to the parking lot. If not, walking is okay if it would give him an excuse to go in late and avoid the meeting with the boss. He pulled the blanket up higher trying to keep warm as he thought about how he chose not to pay the heat bill this month because he kept forgetting to put his check in the bank. Stupid banks anyway, they just want to take it all out in charges.

Do you know this guy? I sure hope he isn’t you, because living in the world of mediocrity is like sitting in a stagnant pond. You’re wet alright, but rather than being clean and cool you’re trapped in slimy mud with parasites and mosquitoes coming in for the kill! Not a pretty picture.

Successful people-and we are talking about true success not the money grabbing, walk-all-over-the-next-guy kind of success – truly successful people are able to lay on their deathbed knowing they did the right thing for their families, their companies, their associates and friends – these guys don’t do mediocre they leave a legacy. (And they are missed when they go.)

The person who skims by barely doing anything more than what’s absolutely necessary to maintain status quo is the most challenging employee. That kind of person frequents the motto, “Meh, it’s good enough,” and chooses to live well below their amazing potential.

Sometimes I wonder what made them decide to keep from wanting to feel the pride and glory of a job well done or seeing the response from a client whose expectations are exceeded. There many be many stories, most of us will never know what holds some folks back, but imagine what it would be like if everyone did their level best to treat every task as though it was the best thing they’d had the pleasure of doing this week. Are you giving your all? Are you working your hardest to avoid mediocrity?

You may not know it, but it is simply a choice!

Try it today, just decide you can, and then do.

Shun mediocrity and adopt an attitude of excellence then show everyone around you what you’re really made of.

”Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.” –Ralph Marston

Patti Blackstaffe works with people and organizations to develop

Happy Workplaces world-wide guiding them toward mastery and leadership

through advising, coaching, speaking, and delivering training.

You can reach Patti at 1-855-968-5323 | contact her here | book her to speak

The Art of “Allowing”

Patti Blackstaffe — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:38:34 +0000

I know a person who has an opinion about everyone. It is interesting and sometimes comedic to listen to because the focus is always about how others should speak, act, and live. I find these opinions even more comedic because they come from someone who has a long way to go to get their own life focused, but the attitude and comments are directed at people who are successful and contributing members of our society. They don’t deserve criticism, but rather applause!

So be it, but what if this person practiced the art of allowing. Dictionary.com describes my definition of allowing, thus;

…to permit something to happen or to exist…

To permit something to happen or exist – what a beautiful thought. Today a tweet went by sent out by S. Max Brown and it said:

Imagine the productivity gains if we just treated each other better.

We hear people describe how they wish to be treated, but sometimes people fail to recognize a key component to relationships also depends upon how they treat others. One large piece of the solution is found in the art of allowing.

Allowing is about not trying to change someone to be like you or perform for you. It is about not having unrealistic selfish expectations about who they are to you, but rather finding out ‘their way’ of loving us, working with us and being a part of the team.

Allowing is about letting others fly their Freak Flag as Joe Gerstandt aptly describes in his talks, on twitter and every Friday on his blog. Allowing is a two way activity. Allowing is about being responsible in that you act according to the true you inside and respectfully allow others to do the same.

Many years ago I was describing to a wise friend what I needed from someone else and she told me;

“But it is not their way.”

This made me think long and hard about whom I decided the other person ‘should be’ while failing to appreciate who they actually are. And yes, even for someone who typically hurts people and needs to be avoided you have the opportunity to ‘allow’ them to be who they are, even if it means the solution is to stay far away.

You see, we have no power to change another, we can only change ourselves and our reaction to others.

What allowing is:

Seeing the strengths and unique qualities that make the other person special.
Letting the other person define their own dreams and goals.
Seeing the true gifts and being grateful for what the other person has given you.
Accepting all of the above as a celebration of another person you have the honour and privilege to know.

What allowing is NOT:

Selfish opinions about what another person should be doing for you.
Attempting to step on the dreams of another because you don’t agree with them.
Seeing only what you want from them rather than what you can give.
Complaining or whining about how someone else behaves or acts.

The art of allowing travels hand in hand with maturity. You see, there was a time when I failed to practice it myself, and I slip with my own children every once in a while because of my passionate desire to help them along in life. But for the most part, it has been the greatest and most life changing action I have ever taken to improve my own personal and business relationships.

When to start? Start now, this minute. Think about the people you interact with every day and take that huge weight of disallowing off of your shoulders by letting them be who they are, let it go! It will feel so good not to own someone else’s life and begin focusing on your own. Is it easy? No way and not for a minute, as my friend Zane Safrit says, “It is tough” Will it change your life? Definitely!

Now, allow me to thank you for reading this far.

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

You can contact Patti at 1-855-968-5323 | contact her here | book her to speak

Leadership | Training | Speaking

The Fat File

Patti Blackstaffe — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:59:04 +0000

Do you keep a file that holds all of the awards, recognition and comments made to you about your performance? I do. I keep everything written about my performance by the companies for whom I have worked in addition to the customers and clients I have served and I call it my Fat File.

This week I ran across my Fat File while organizing some files and with coffee in hand began to go through the documents one by one. Expressions such as “true professional,” “clear passion” and “best interest of your team” in addition to a few other nice and glowing remarks from customers and clients and they made for a great rainy day coffee break.

The thing is, the Fat File is more than just a coffee break upper. These documents are a historical record of performance allowing you to do some self recognition as seen in eyes of others. Why is this important?

Because of all of the criticism we dish out that which is about ourselves is always the most brutal.

It is important to show yourself that you have been a performer, someone who makes a difference and adds value by the work that you do. Failing to recognize and remind yourself of your contribution can be the start of allowing you to undermine the significance you play in your work environment.

If you need a little inspiration, build and go through your Fat File occasionally, you will be surprised at what it does for your energy and motivation.

Feel free to share some of the great words from your ‘Fat File’.

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

You can contact Patti at 403-201-8512 | email her at info@strategicsense.ca | visit her speaking page at http://pattiblackstaffe.com

Thriving Souls and Serial Victims

Patti Blackstaffe — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:36:33 +0000

image courtesy of Iwan Beijes, Netherlands

“Forgiveness has nothing to do with absolving a criminal of his crime. It has everything to do with relieving oneself of the burden of being a victim–letting go of the pain and transforming oneself from victim to survivor.”

~C.R. Strahan

Observation in life has presented two significant types of victims to me…

Thriving Souls and Serial Victims

There are victims of many horrible situations, natural disasters, accidents, abuse, crime and violence. The difference between the two types above is what happens after an event that defines a person’s character and most likely their success in life.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are difficult moments for everyone, no matter whom you are. Moments when it is important to release and when tears or grief are appropriate and justified. Everyone has times of pain, shock, horror, grief and sadness. It is when that shock, horror, grief or sadness turns into a life-long pattern of repetitive sympathy and blame that it becomes self destructive.

So what are the differences between a Thriving Soul and a Serial Victim?

Thriving Souls:

Rebuild, reinvent, move forward, learn and grow such as a child abused who moves on to show the world what success really looks like
Attend counseling long enough so that they find peace and resolve to let the event live in the past
Forgive and understand others with strength and courage like the mother who forgives the killer of her own son
Exhibit resilience and tenacity in creating their own life
Turn the experience into positive actions forward
Are accepting that life is a series of hits, misses and falls that accompany the beauty, growth and love life has to offer
Know there are no ‘special happy folks’ who are without problems
Know that moving forward is hard work
Understand moving forward does not mean running away
Take full responsibility for their own actions and success
See events through the eyes and vantage points of others
Accept life and choose to use their energy for productive purpose
Learn from, support others and create proactive ways of helping solve issues as in the example of the victim of a drunk driver whose mother also died as the result of a drunk driver and who now educates others on the impact
Recognize and see beauty and love in almost every event
Are creative masters of their own happiness using a positive approach to life

Serial Victims:

Find everyday life events difficult to deal with
Struggle with long-term relationships
Appear to suffer when they don’t get their own way (and make others suffer with them)
Relive the event in story form over and over with as many people as possible, bring their past into their present
Blame everyone else for all or most of their problems,( nothing is ever their fault)
Fly into tantrums or rage at neutral events which could easily be handled calmly
Invent what the intentions of others are – in order to hang onto a victim mentality
Seek sympathy or attention in an effort to get what they want
Tread water in self pity
Choose hatred or resentment in place of dealing with people or situations
Frequently run away from jobs, relationships and situations calling it “moving on” but always bringing their victim story with them
Live in a constant state of drama > blamed on others
Need to be ‘saved’ repeatedly from situations they get themselves into
See events only with their own interpretation refusing to hear or believe another viewpoint
Lack empathy for the feelings of others and can be more emotionally abusive than their alleged abusers
Believe people are out to get them, hurt them, cause them pain
Live in anger when forced to live with the consequences of their actions rather than change their own behaviour
Embellish events or mislead others with false facts or details
Will have their own idea of what forgiveness looks like and want to hold you to it (I recently read this post… Forgiveness: 7 Things It’s NOT! A great list for reference)

It is the Thriving Soul who teaches us how to live life. None of us are targets for miserable unless we choose to make it so and there is no happiness outside of the things we choose to be happy about ourselves.

Being a Thriving Soul is hard work

Being responsible for one’s own actions, (seeing events from the viewpoint of another, learning to grow and evolve and accept that life will be difficult) is not the easy path. But if life were easy, we would probably not have the amazing progress we have in medicine, human understanding and comfortable living. If not challenged, we would rarely reach or stretch or seek better, stronger or more beautiful solutions, we wouldn’t need to.

“You are responsible for your life. You can’t keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on.” ~Oprah Winfrey

I have made a choice to exclude serial victims from my life and learn from those Thriving Souls who know what love and life is all about. It is my hope that I choose that positive approach, that I do the hard work of expending my energy toward taking responsibility for my actions and choices; owning and creating my life and owning it when things go wrong.

Do you know a Thriving Soul or a Serial Victim?

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

You can contact Patti at 403-201-8512 | email her at info@strategicsense.ca | visit her speaking page at http://pattiblackstaffe.com

Balancing the Teeter Totter!

Patti Blackstaffe — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:00:50 +0000

photo courtesy of Kostya Kisleyko, Russia

When my brothers and I were kids, we loved hitting the playground so we could play on the teeter-totter. We all knew that in order to balance and not have one of us sitting on the ground while the lighter one was held captive in the air, we needed to adjust where we sat.

No one could do it for us.

So why would we grow up and imagine that someone else is going to step in and adjust where we sit? That’s right, I am talking about being in charge of your own work/life balance. While you are doing your job…

…use these suggestions for adding balance to your life:

1. No time to exercise?

Wake up an hour earlier

2. Needing to eat a healthy diet?

Shop accordingly and try making your lunch

3. Working too much overtime?

Ask your boss to prioritize most important items and THEN leave the office at a decent hour.

4. Always putting out fires?

Gain clarity on what the true emergencies are and reschedule the other items to be dealt with calmly.

The list goes on. When I make suggestions like these to my clients, at first they protest and argue that one or more of these is not possible, often providing excuses for why none of the recommendations will work.

Until they try them

Take your vacations – unplugged. Go home to your families. Do something fun with your significant other. Go away on the weekend. Join a sports team and commit to them.

As soon as my clients begin applying the recommendations for setting their own boundaries, adjusting their lives to HAVE a life, and paying attention to their families and health they come back and thank me.

Remarkably – most others at work barely notice and the ones who notice respect how much better my client looks and deals with their job.

Patti Blackstaffe, President of Strategic Sense Inc, is a Speaker, Strategic Advisor and Trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition.You can book her to speak at her personal page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Read what folks have to say about her eBook Leadership XXL: 11 Practical Steps to Living Leadership Extra, Extra Large.

Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there, and call us. (403) 201-8512

‘Step Up’ and Direct Change For the Future

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:00:35 +0000

Strategic Sense, in addition to providing Leadership Training, has made a commitment to highlight some of the remarkable authors, leadership professionals and business people we’ve had the great fortune of meeting and working with over the last 3 years. On Wednesdays you will see guest-posts from some of these folks. All are leaders in their field and have solutions to some of our biggest workplace issues. Such as Jeffrey Summers, the President and Founder of RestaurantWorx™ who wrote about Building the Ultimate Customer Experience.

Today’s Guest Post is by Joan Koerber-Walker who has recently stepped up again as President and CEO of AZBio and whose blog we follow and share regularily because of it’s insight and great messages.

And now, here’s Joan…

Change is not a passive activity. Leadership isn’t either. When we see something that is changing, we find our opportunity to step up and lead. Just as with the Great Wall of China, there are thousands of opportunities to step up.

As we look around our businesses, our homes, our communities and our countries, we can always find areas in need of improvement. In each of these areas, we have a choice. We can sit back, watch and complain OR we can step up, lead and direct change for the better.

Take your walking stick on the journey.

Whether we choose to keep our world small or embrace it globally, each of us have our own unique talents, skills, and experiences that we can use to drive innovation in the world around us, These are the tools at our disposal that act as walking sticks, supporting us with each step we take IF we choose to use them. Some leadership journeys can be very long and others can be incredibly steep. Bringing everything you have to offer to the project gives you something to lean on along the way.

Connect your steps.

Stepping up does not have to mean traveling alone. It’s been said that it’s lonely at the top. Keep in mind that it does not have to be. Just like the Great Wall, there really is no “top” just a series of plateaus and mile posts that connect along the journey. With each connection comes the opportunity to form a bond with others who share your goals, passions and reasons for taking the lead. These bonds foster communication and the sharing of ideas just as in ancient times the Great Wall served as China’s foundation for a network of communications linking outpost to outpost.

Look back… Move Forward.

At times, when stepping up, the journey may seem too long ahead of us. This can sap our energy and slow our steps. When this happens, don’t be afraid to pause and look behind you at all of the steps that have lead you to this point. The progress you have made will fuel your energy once again and the momentary rest will give your leadership muscles a chance to recover. Then, when it is time, move forward to step up again. You might just leave a legacy as enduring as the Great Wall of China.

Joan Koerber-Walker recently stepped up again as President and CEO of AZBio, the Arizona BioIndustry Association to lead an organization dedicated to the growth of the bioscience industry in her home state and its impact on health, energy, agriculture and the economy. A two time Stevie Award National Finalist and former Fortune 500 executive, she is also the Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc. and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation and serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures. As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association in Washington, D.C. she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands. Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

Patti Blackstaffe, President of Strategic Sense Inc, is a Speaker, Strategic Advisor and Trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition.You can book her to speak at her personal page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Read what folks have to say about her eBook Leadership XXL: 11 Practical Steps to Living Leadership Extra, Extra Large.

Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there, and call us. (403) 201-8512

Say what you do & do what you say

Patti Blackstaffe — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:00:18 +0000

Happy April Fools day!
Today’s post is no joke, values are an important part of building a strong Corporate Culture.

Anything that changes your values changes your behavior. ~George A. Sheehan

image courtesy of Billy Alexander

Mixed messages are prevalent in many companies. Companies who are truly innovative and collaborative address these conflicting statements and work with the entire employee population to develop a set of values and guidelines for the company. With a set of clearly articulated values and guidelines, all actions in regard to company direction, decisions and risks can be based by following that clear set of values or in other words; “Walking the talk of who we say we are as a company.”

Companies without a clear set of values are taking a scary risk.

Companies who do not follow a clear set of values risk paying lip-service to those values. Taking action and setting direction with tunnel vision, continuing to send conflicting messages about what they say and do only mixes up employees tying to take action. Employees WANT to do well for the company if they are given the opportunity.

Let me make myself clear – Values are not a list of things a company says they do on a website somewhere. Values are a code of conduct for clients and employees alike, “This is how we behave here and we guarantee it”.

That means when a company identifies their values, they have to commit to those values at an executive and management level. Commitment means backing those values up with actions and support at every level, and yes, even the executive must live up to those values.

Mixed messages come in many forms, and a lot of companies are not even aware they’re doing it!

Here are some examples of mixed messages:

We are building an innovative organization

o We have a strong risk aversion process to avoid any and all risk

We want efficient and high performing employees

o We do performance review based solely on profit margins and net income

We want our employees to have passion for what they do

o Our employees must seek approval for every decision they make

Our employees are our greatest resource

o We do our strategy sessions without any input from our middle management down

We offer our guests/clients the greatest experience possible

o Cut back on every single ‘extra’ and reduce your budget by 5-10% per year

What does committing to a set of values involve?

It involves hiring and firing based on those values.
It involves identifying unacceptable behaviours and creating consequences for them
It involves ensuring the HR department is aware of the regulations regarding certain behaviours (such as violence and bullying)
It involves performance reviews based on those values
It involves repeated conversations around how to best meet those values at every level
It involves inclusion and transparency to ensure everyone is aware of whether the values are being met

Employees are smart people, mixed messages from a company only leads to anger, frustration and a culture of mistrust.

Keep issuing statements about “who you are” without the follow-through in behaviour management – and your values are simply lip-service. It doesn’t stop there, however, your customers will recognize you don’t walk your talk in an instant and you have just chosen the most difficult model for doing business that exists today.

Patti is a speaker, strategic advisor and trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page. Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

We DO want great employees, right…or do we?

Patti Blackstaffe — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:00:39 +0000

photo courtesy of Laura Leavell, Florida

I hear it time and time again;

“We want to find employees who really care about our business, who are passionate about our customers and who will fight to do what’s right.”

They are employers who lament over how hard it is to get ‘good help’ or who again and again repeat phrases like, “employees aren’t what they used to be” or “this new generation just doesn’t care.”

I call their bluff and I up the ante.

A recent article in our local paper caught my eye last week about an employee who IS passionate, who is fighting for his customers and who is trying to do what’s right. His name is Dr. Lloyd Maybaum, a psychiatrist in Calgary who truly wants to make a difference for his patients. This man is not only concerned about his own patients, according to the article, but he is concerned about all patients in his field of practice. He has tried to care about them using his voice, his friends and his heart, begging to have a mental health unit built as planned for the South Campus.

His reward according to this article is… a letter stating;

“I am forced to make a clear statement that further communications of this nature without discussion and review with members of the Executive of Mental Health and Addictions will require . . . (asking) the Executive to formally review your role as physician leader for psychiatry to the South Campus project.”

So, for asking other doctors to lobby and help his cause, he is slapped on the hand and told to keep quiet. I bring this article to attention because of the leadership priority involved in the situation.

What can we learn from such a disastrous treatment of a well-meaning employee?

The leadership in this case is obviously the priority – not health care, not the patients, not the cause, but what is important is the decision of the leadership.
The direction cannot be challenged.
The right thing to do is defined by the leadership and anyone who disagrees might just as well keep their mouths shut or be threatened.

Sadly, he is not alone in this kind of behaviour by an executive or management group – we see it all the time within organizations who are unwilling to admit their culture is more about covering their rear-ends than caring about the customer or the actual role the company plays in business.

Managers who squash information, hide facts, deflect responsibility, and punish employees for caring about the customer will at worst bury the company and at best, leave it scarred with members who are frustrated and angry. Not exactly what one looks for when seeking a positive, collaborative and innovative culture.

We need passionate employees who care about how we deliver our services, people who see it from a customer relationship side, people who understand the service or product as it is being used, how it is being serviced and what kind of experience we provide. They are the voices we NEED to hear, the voices who challenge us to, as Rebel Brown puts it, Defy Gravity and reach success. We need to celebrate folks who are brave enough to help us understand where we are falling down, not punish them because their voice might make us appear like we don’t know what we are doing.

Do you have an example of a leadership who steps in and tries to quell the voice of reason?

Patti is a speaker, strategic advisor and trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page. Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

Your Team’s Talent May Be Hiding

Patti Blackstaffe — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:00:12 +0000

photo courtesy of Eduardo Schäfer, Brazil

Workplace talent can sometimes be evaluated in a subjective manner with a little bias, self-worth and ego thrown in. Reasons can be anywhere from shaking up my plans to worrying how it will reflect on what others think of me. On those occasions I have had to put my own attitude in check in order to truly utilize the talents of the individuals around me.

One such employee had a talent for bluntly calling out the elephant in the room and speaking up to say the things others were afraid to say. As a leader it could be disconcerting, just when I thought the meeting was going well I would learn just how NOT well it was going. The typical reaction to just such an employee is to wish they would leave it alone and let the meeting go smoothly, so one might be tempted to deflect the comment or put it off hoping the issue will go away.

It took a while to learn the gift is in the challenge, to see how I could possibly manage to take that talent and utilize it for what it really was. The talent she had for digging into the facts, filling me in on what folks were really thinking and for igniting discussion is what helped us grow as a team. To make her stop would have kept us from growing and me from learning that some of the most frustrating things I encounter in others can be the very things I need the most.

Leaders who are settled and comfortable in their leadership are not being challenged to grow.

Furthermore, leaders who attempt to make quiet employees who bring issues to light are not leaders at all, but managers who must control the situation around them in order to maintain their own comfort levels.

My challenge for you is this:

Identify the most frustrating thing you find in an employee. (this does not include dangerous or bullying behaviour)
Coach them to utilize that strength in a positive way to contribute to the team.(coaching takes time, commitment and dedication)
Find ways to see that strength as a means of helping you grow as a leader.

What kind of things do you do to identify and utilize the talent around you?

Patti is a speaker, strategic advisor and trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page. Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

Leadership on the Ski Hill – Swoosh!

Patti Blackstaffe — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:00:41 +0000

Stacey B. photo by W.Blackstaffe

The other day I took my first formal downhill ski lesson. YAHOO!

I guess I should clarify that statement, because my better half is a Level IV International Ski instructor. Every time I have skied in the past has been with him, and so every ski trip has been a lesson – most of which I took for granted.

This time was different, I had to behave, my instructor was someone with whom I couldn’t ‘whine’ or complain as I am comfortable doing with my husband (call me human, I too rattle in my shoes when asked to leave my comfort zone and try something that scares me – but I was willing to try) .

I have never really been much of a ski enthusiast, I have always felt the day was a struggle for me, mostly because I was very much a beginner when I met my husband, and because I am a big chicken, so challenging myself to take what felt like great risk to my life never felt like fun for me.

On this day - I had fun.

Here are some of the leadership lessons I learned while watching both my husband and his talented associate, Stacey, accomplish great things while they were helping us newbie’s:

Follow What I Do

One of the folks I was with managed to find herself in an odd position, doing the splits, legs splayed with skis crossed in the back and facing UPHILL – and stuck. Stacey understood her predicament, and promptly put herself in the exact same position as my friend and Stacey slowly guided my friend back onto her skis all the while making her feel comfortable and secure without ever making her feel ridiculous or embarrassed.

Great leaders guide the way by example, over and over again always respecting the people they lead.

There are Many Ways to Learn

I had a breakthrough with my turns and learned how to lean into the ski I was edging with to make that turn. I know my hubby had told me (a million times) to align myself with the hill not the trees, but I just didn’t get what he meant – did he want me to fall downhill? Stacey told me the SAME thing in a different way. “Make the letter ‘C’ with your body so that it is over top of your outside leg during the turn. Suddenly I had a different visual than trees and slope. Breakthrough.

Great Leaders understand they need to share the same story in different ways in order to make it relevant to everyone.

Follow What’s Right.

For a few years my hubby has asked me to follow him and do what he was doing. I kept refusing, I wanted him to follow me, and then tell me what I was doing wrong. This time I did not argue with Stacey and followed her – this time I paid attention to exactly what her body was DOING rather than ask for criticism and it helped me ‘get’ where my hips, legs and body needed to be. At the same time, my husband was teaching another one of my friends (a much better student than I) and she was grateful for his lead, as it guided her to really improve her skills.

Great Leaders show the way.

Picking Oneself Up Means Not Quitting

A few weeks ago I had fallen skiing. I was so frustrated for falling down when I thought I had control and darn-it, the fall hurt. My right shoulder has since lost a bit of its movement as a result. At this point in my ski-learning I wasn’t getting it, was still afraid of the speed and now I hurt. What I did not know is that I was on the verge of getting it. The other day I watched my friend get up, try again, get up, try again and really WANT to learn. She is tenacious and strong, and she is definitely not a quitter. I watched throughout the day how she improved because of her tenacity and how no matter what new thing was thrown at her she was going to keep on trying.

Great Leaders know learning from the fall is how they improve for next time.

Some folks learn better in a group

As absolutely giving and understanding as my ski-hill friends are, most of them are expert skiers and have been doing it all of their lives. Skiing with people who are excellent is great, especially when they are all instructors who delight in seeing others improve. But there is always something in the back of one’s mind that thinks, “I hate to always hold these experts back.” and it’s hard to shake. The other day my little group included two expert skiers and three of us who really wanted to improve but are new to the sport. Learning with other learners created different conversations, laughter, camaraderie, and a sense of self that felt like I belonged in a community. This is why at a ski hill beginners learn with beginners and experts learn with experts.

Great Leaders provide learning opportunities that are geared to the level of the learner and they do so in groups.

This week I loved skiing, too bad it is at the end of the season. Next year brings with it new opportunities to enjoy it again and I pray these lessons stay with me.

My ski adventures take place at Nakiska Ski Resort near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Nakiska team are a joy to be around, from snow hosts to lifties, from ski school to lodge and everywhere in between – it is clear that the on-site Nakiska management team is out to rock-it for an experience the guests can truly celebrate.

Thank you to the Ski Cellar in Calgary, Alberta and Nakiska for arranging a delightful Ladies Day.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page. Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

Stew, Steward, Stewardship – Stirring the Pot

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:19:30 +0000

image courtesy of Claudio Salvalaio, Brazil

Sometimes, when we work without role clarity, we can find ourselves feeling like everything is a jumbled mess, much like a stew with all the good bits thrown in. It isn’t awful, in fact it’s sometimes comfortable and easy, but you don’t get to taste the uniqueness of all the different flavours. When it comes to food, the intermingled flavours are great, when it comes to business it can be a flat-out mess.

I once worked for a company that was a little unclear in what roles everyone was to play in the organization, thus it all seemed to get mixed up. In their minds it was a messy sort of interdepartmental collaboration, but what it really amounted to was ineffective action and a lot of wheel spinning. Very little was accomplished and even fewer decisions were made. Why? Because no one was a true steward of their role – marketing, sales, proposals, operations, projects all intermingled with each other stealing the flavour from one to another as the situation seemed to suit various individuals. Nosy folks who wanted a piece of the pie would claim responsibility at the profit margin end of the game but claimed no responsibility for angry customers or actions gone wrong, thus passing the buck.

Webster’s Dictionary describes the word Stewardship as a noun; I prefer to reflect on it as a verb, performing the actions of being a Steward.

Being the Steward is about being responsible and accountable for a piece of the business – owning it. Stewardship refers to the actions every person in that piece of the business performs in order for it to go smoothly. Without clarity and set boundaries around who is responsible for what, a company’s going to experience a lot of “passing the buck” (or covering the butt) and those actions will start becoming a focus for frustrated employees rather than the work itself. This is not how collaboration and innovation are derived; a stew-like atmosphere holds greater potential to develop a culture of mistrust and internal competition.

Here are some ways to promote Stewardship within your company:

Define clear roles – and I say again – define clear roles.
Create an environment for autonomy and an understanding of just which decisions a Steward is allowed to make and then hold the Steward accountable for the results.
Empower the Steward to support their team-members with tools necessary to best accomplish their jobs.
Be willing to fire the person(s) who hold a large wooden spoon and are constantly trying to stir things up but take little or no responsibility for their actions (or worse yet, are covert or underhanded in their actions).
Get rid of bullies. Period
Bring in a facilitator to help your teams learn what true collaboration looks like, then support putting it into practice.
Celebrate your true Stewards – and recognize they are not always the ones who bring in the biggest dollars.

Does your company celebrate Stewardship?

NOTE: If you don’t know who the bullies are (or who is covert or secretly stirring the pot), simply ask your front-line workers where their greatest frustrations lie – eventually a path will lead back to that sneaky little whirlpool sucking down everything in it’s path.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page. Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

Feeling Busted by Broken Business? Lead Innovation in Opposite Directions

Patti Blackstaffe — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:13:54 +0000

Strategic Sense made a commitment this year to highlight some of the remarkable authors, leadership professionals and business people we have had the great fortune of meeting and working with over the last 3 years. On Wednesdays, (and this is very late Wednesday) you will see guest-posts from some of these folks. All are leaders in their field and will have solutions to some of our biggest workplace issues. As with Kevin Eikenberry, from The Eikenberry Group who wrote about Encouragement last week and asked us who it is WE encourage.

Today’s Guest Post is by Dr. Ellen Weber, Director at Mita International Brain Center, her blogs (blogs Mita brainpowered approaches, to lead innovation – at Forbes’ Mind Makeover and at Brain Leaders and Learners) top of the line blogs how the brain works, how we can use what we know about the brain to change ourselves and how we can better understand leading others.

And now, here’s Ellen…

Scan any newspaper or flip to news channels and you’re soon swamped with lack of advancement woes and tales of loss. Story after story in workplaces too, suggest doom due to ruts, routines and dead-end regulations. Ever wonder why disasters seem to trump wins these days in business and for that matter, in human brains?

Not surprisingly, negative forces work against personal growth in stagnant organizations, in much the same way they halt progress in business. That’s largely because your brain comes equipped with mirror neurons so that you mimic much of what you hear and see in others around you, whether you are aware of it or not. See why media vents, bureaucrats’ defensiveness, and tenured workers who resist change work against progress? It doesn’t have to be that way though.

We’ve witnessed more and more innovative leaders, who take advantage of unique mental tools such as mirror neurons, to mimic and run with winning sprinters. Leaders who dare to risk on the flip side of stagnation, and who capitalize on neuro discoveries, wield rejuvenation remedies that transform tired traditions. How so?

Run from ruts:

Some leaders lament that the time is not right for moving in a new direction. Others remain stuck because they expect to remain in their ruts. Still others tend to blame workforce decline on any number of problems. Workers resist change, accreditation drains time and effort, profit’s down, or they simply don’t have enough proof that suggested changes will improve their lot.

Neuro discoveries, on the other hand, reveal that it’s stressed or demoralized workers who default to ruts faster. Simply put, rut-like-tendencies trigger a dangerous chemical, cortisol, which shuts down brainpower. In fact this potent hormone can actually shrink the human brain and shave years off a person’s life. Sadly, cortisol also sinks workplaces as morale plummets, people perpetuate losing routines, and profits decrease in its wake.

Run toward risks:

Regardless of your position in an organization, you lead risks for innovation, by simply stepping out boldly to implement an original idea in an attempt to resolve a stubborn workplace problem. It’s quite scary at first, so you’ll want to act before fear tosses cortisol into the mix, and stops spigots for courage needed to carry out the novel proposal. You may be surprised at your brain’s equipment to help here.

Luckily, we now know that dopamine, the brain chemical for risk-taking and change, also increases with each step taken in new directions. That’s why it’s critical to act on your innovations and move with novel proposals, in spite of setbacks that even progressive workplaces can suffer at times. Good news is that nightly, during REM sleep, your brain rewires, and literally changes itself based on what you did the prior day. Design an innovative practice for your workplace, and your brain changes itself nightly for further success in changes you apply.

Run with winners:

Serotonin, the brain chemical that stirs shared well being, and collaborative success is passed from team member to team member whenever we engage multiple intelligences to partner for inventions that pony up new shots at success. Simply start by using more of your own and other’s strengths.

Ready to risk growth? If so, create the kind of mind-bending news that media report for novelty, and help replace naysayers’ reports that create workplace chaos and loss. How so?

Why not, identify one small area that could use improvement where you work. Fuel your own brain with a shot of dopamine, by proposing a novel idea for growth. Then run with a few winners in the opposite direction of busted routines. With a little help from talented peers, brainpowered tools, you’ve never before tried – will equip you to lead novel designs you’ve never before imagined.

Visit Dr. Ellen Weber, Director at Mita International Brain Center, by visiting her blogs Mita brainpowered approaches, to lead innovation – at Forbes’ Mind Makeover and at Brain Leaders and Learners.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page. Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

Encouraging Others

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:12:28 +0000

Strategic Sense made a commitment this year to highlight some of the remarkable authors, leadership professionals and business people we have had the great fortune of meeting and working with over the last 3 years. On Wednesdays, you will see guest-posts from some of these folks. All are leaders in their field and will have solutions to some of our biggest workplace issues. As with Marlene Chism‘s post last week that encouraged us to Stop Complaining today’s post helps us remember to Encourage…

Today’s Guest Post is by Kevin Eikenberry, from The Eikenberry Group. His blog Leadership and Learning has been a mainstay in our weekly reading and he has worked for years with organizations and individuals in helping them improve their leadership. You can get a copy of his latest book here From Bud to Boss and follow up on the review we gave on this blog last week.

image courtesy of Davide Guglielmo, Italy

And now, here’s Kevin:

In certain situations we all understand and value the importance of encouragement.

Take, with kids for example. When they are learning to walk and talk, there is tons of encouragement from every adult around. We know that if they keep at it they will succeed.

Take, our friends as a second example. When our closest friends are down or in pain, we all have provided encouragement and support, knowing that our encouragement would help them through a difficult time.

In both of these situations we realize the other person needs greater courage – either to take another try at a step, or to move past the pain or disappointment they might be feeling. To encourage literally means “to cause or create courage”.

Isn’t courage sometimes lacking at work too?

People lack the courage to try something new.

People lack the courage to do the right thing for the Customer.

People lack the courage to change the work process.

People lack the courage to share a new idea.

(need I go on?)

I talk with leaders all the time that want their team members to “be proactive” and “keep growing”. All too often the biggest barrier in people’s way is fear (of failure, of chastisement, of political suicide, or ridicule, to name a few).

And as we intuitively know, one of the best antidotes for fear is the strong, vibrant, continual and authentic encouragement of others.

If you want people to do more, take on more, and grow; encourage them.

If you want people to try new things, encourage them.

Amongst all of your coaching competencies and fancy coaching models, remember one of the most powerful tools you have.

Encouragement.

Ask yourself, who can I encourage today?

Kevin Eikenberry is a two-time bestselling author, speaker, consultant, trainer, coach, leader, learner, husband, and father (not necessarily in that order).

The High Cost of Complaining and How to Stop It

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:48:42 +0000

Strategic Sense made a commitment this year to highlight some of the remarkable authors, leadership professionals and business people we have had the great fortune of meeting and working with over the last 3 years. Starting on Wednesdays, you will see guest-posts from some of these folks. All are leaders in their field and will have solutions to some of our biggest workplace issues. As with Mike Figliuolo‘s post last week that encouraged us to be Middle Leaders today’s post helps us to stop complaining…

Today’s Guest Post is by Marlene Chism, a speaker, author and founder of The Stop Your Drama Methodology to increase clarity and improve productivity and personal effectiveness. Her Motto is ‘No Complaints, No Excuses and No Regrets”. You can visit her websites at www.stopyourdrama.com or www.attitudebuilders.com or get a copy of her book Stop Workplace Drama (Wiley 2011).

Here’s Marlene…

Riddle: What addictive habit is bad for your health, wastes your time, and is costly to your business?

Answer: Negativity.

Here is some interesting research.

Habit
Negativity is a habit. We think over 60,000 thoughts per day and 85 percent of those thoughts are either negative or repetitive.

Health
According to The Journal for the Advancement of Medicine, even a five minute episode of recalling an angry experience suppresses the immune system for up to six hours.
Time Waster
If two employees who make $20 an hour complain for one hour per week, an average of 12 minutes per day per person, that averages out to $2000 per year due to complaining. Think about what happens with five or six others join in on the complaining.

Costly
Studies show absenteeism is related to workplace negativity. Gallup reports that negativity cost US economy 3 billion in lost productivity last year.

Negativity shows up in various forms: gossip, finger pointing and bickering just to name a few manifestations, not to mention the habit most of us have without realizing it: Complaining.

Complaining is a difficult habit to break, after all venting feels good. The bad news, and part of what makes complaining a addiction is this: Every time you vent, you grow a new brain cell for the purpose of venting. The brain changes as a function of where you put your attention.
I want to give you the answer to break the complaining addiction: Learn how to ask for what you want. That’s right…no complaints, no excuses, and no regrets; just ask.

The method I teach is called “Turning negative into positive.”

It’s easy.

Catch yourself the moment you say, “I don’t want…” Stop yourself right there. This is step one. Now that you know what you don’t want, you don’t need to waste any more time talking about what you don’t want. Turn that statement into a positive request. In other words, what is the opposite of what you don’t want? Then all you have to do is reframe your statement. You have just saved thirty minutes of story-telling, and now you aren’t boring everyone around you as you rant and rave about what isn’t working. In fact, there’s a good chance you will get what you want if you can name what it is that you want instead of going off on a tangent.

Here’s the formula in a 1-2-3 format.

1. Know what you don’t want.

2. Reframe what you don’t want into what you do want.

3. Ask for what you want.

Example: You are getting ready to have a discussion with a co-worker and you have a feeling it might turn into an argument. It is tempting to say, “I don’t want to argue.”

1. Know what you don’t want: (I don’t want to argue.)

2. Reframe what you do want. (I want us to come to an agreement.)

3. Now, ask for what you want, “I have something a bit sensitive to talk to you about and what I really want is for us to come to an agreement.”

Besides setting the stage for problem solving, you have started to break a habit that is bad for your health, wastes your time, bores others and costs your company lots of money.

Marlene Chism is a professional speaker and the author of Stop Workplace Drama (Wiley 2011) Marlene has a master’s degree in HR Development from Webster University. To get a copy of Stop Workplace Drama, go to www.stopworkplacedrama.com

- Patti Blackstaffe at Strategic Sense Inc. is a Speaker, Executive Advisor, Trainer and Leadership Professional. She has worked in international business, non-profit and education; with a focus on workplace behaviour she has a mission to teach companies how to become Happy Workplaces.

Tired of Being Middle Management? Try Being a Middle Leader

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:09:57 +0000

Today’s guest post is by Mike Figliuolo, Managing Director of thoughtLEADERS, LLC. You can subscribe to his blog here and learn about his upcoming book One Piece of Paper by clicking here.

Here’s Mike:

We all deride middle management. It’s that group of folks who are responsible for getting all the work done but they seem to lack the authority to make things happen. Sure, sometimes middle managers are fenced in and cannot affect the world around them without permission but I’d argue most of those limitations are self-imposed.

What’s keeping middle managers from stepping up and leading?

Fear.

Middle management is safe. If you keep your head down, don’t stir up trouble, and make the things you’re tasked with happen without incident, you keep your job and move up the corporate ladder one rung at a time (albeit slowly). Being a middle leader requires you to take on risk. With risk comes the possibility of failure.

Last I checked, leaders can bring more value to the organization than managers. Leaders set new direction. They inspire people. They challenge current or old ways of doing things. Leaders have a tendency to pick up huge monkey wrenches and throw them in the gears. Out of that change and chaos leaders can create, however, is the possibility of dramatic improvement of the business.

In my experience, there are three keys to successfully becoming a middle leader versus stagnating as a middle manager:

Manage Up: If you’re going to go throw around some monkey wrenches, get air cover. Talk to your leaders and let them know you’re considering some changes in the organization. Explain your rationale. Ask for their perspectives and support. Once they have blessed off on your idea and pledged their support, you’re ready to roll. Managing up like this prevents them from being surprised, getting upset, and putting fences around you to keep you under control. Managing up removes a great deal of the risk inherent in leading from the middle.

Make Things Safe: People aren’t used to middle managers taking on meaningful change initiatives. You need to let the folks on your team know you’ll provide air cover for them as they execute your plan. If you give them the security of their jobs and roles, they can focus on executing the plan flawlessly. They’ll be much more willing to stick out their necks for you if they know you’ve already cleared your plan with the higher-ups.

Make Things Different: If you want to lead, you need to take the team places they haven’t been before (or that they’ve been afraid to go to). Be clear with them what you’re looking to change and why the change makes sense. Clearly articulate success criteria (“We’ll have been successful if the new process is ten steps shorter and 15% more efficient than the current process.”). Declare victory when they achieve the goal. If you fail, fess up to it, let your leader know you failed and explain why/what you’ve learned from the experience.

Leading is not without risk. If you’re tired of just being middle management and want to have a larger effect on the organization, you need to step up (smartly) to the challenge of leadership. Build the support of those around you, make the change initiative safe for participants, and make stuff happen. Sure you’ll fail a few times along the way but I’m pretty sure your leaders would rather promote someone on the team who takes initiative and takes risk rather than Middle Management Milton who keeps his head down, his nose clean, and maintains the status quo.

Pick a small project to start and give the above steps a try. Build your confidence in taking these types of challenges on. Before you know it you’ll be carrying a big monkey wrench around and people will be lining up to follow their new middle leader.

Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC. Mike writes The thoughtLEADERS Blog. Go give it a read and be sure to learn about his upcoming leadership book One Piece of Paper by clicking here.

Traveling Your Journey ‘From Bud to Boss’

Patti Blackstaffe — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:09:28 +0000

Book Review:

Everyone is a leader, from the guy helping out at the sports game to the teacher, to the person who answers phones at the dentist office. Every part of our jobs involves leadership skills in one form or another. Just navigating your way through the chaotic and ever-changing world we live in requires a myriad of leadership skills.

In all of the chaos and fluctuation we seek to find a voice of reason and a calm guide to help us work our way through and it’s especially challenging when we have most recently been promoted to a management role and are moving “From Bud to Boss”. Well, you can make a stop on that journey of searching and take more than a peek at a new book of just such a name by Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris. From Bud to Boss – Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership is more than just a book, it’s a journal of steps and strategies that will bring you closer and closer to your goal of being a leader people choose to follow.

If you could have a map for dealing with the significant change from an employee to a boss it would be within the pages of this book. Charting a course through that change, the critical components of your own leadership style and how you communicate physically, emotionally and verbally is not always easy. Self evaluation is a big part of growth and Eikenberry and Harris provide ample ways to take a good look at yourself, much like holding a mirror up to you and showing you what other people see.

Why is that important? Because until we see ourselves as others might see us, our willingness to grow is hindered by a limited view. That limited view provides limited direction.

“But now the world is different, and your perspective must, necessarily, change”

With a clear guide through the transition From Bud to Boss Eikenberry and Harris offer you what they call “Remarkable Principles” that, when read alone, provide a great template for remembering the lessons in the book – grab a highlighter you’re going to want to have these as road-signs on your map to leadership.

“Change is a choice. People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.”

With every “Remarkable Principle” comes both explanation and hands-on, real-life strategies you can take with you and utilize immediately. This is a workbook, a book for a person who has a great desire to take the journey to remarkable leadership. Each exercise applies to you – not some generality you must work hard to apply to your own circumstances.

Throughout the book you will find a “Bonus Byte” a hint or tip for applying the exercise to your own leadership, your team efforts or for simply taking a look back at the steps you have taken and re-assess.

Everyone needs a stepped plan, a place to start and support in getting there. “From Bud To Boss” gives you all that, in addition to a plethora of resources you can tap into in reaching your goals of making a difference as the leader you were meant to be. In addition to all the resources, Eikenberry and Harris help you define a vision for your leadership, your relationships and grow a relationship with yourself.

Not sure why you would bother? It is this writer’s opinion that everyone has room to grow, no matter how successful a leader we are, we always have room to learn more, be more and do more. Take this journey and discover the total cost of not adopting change as the authors walk you through the steps and the path of discovering what happens when we stagnate while change swirls all around us and we live romanticizing the past that we ‘think’ has served us best.

If you were to step yourself through the rugged path of leadership, without a guide, without an understanding of what lies in your path , it is going to be a slower journey. Everyone wants some indication of how to deal with the pitfalls, the roadblocks, the trees in the road, and while one cannot possibly give warning of everything – this book addresses a good many of the critical factors in leadership and creates a map worth following.

“Most people communicate in the way that is most comfortable to

them. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this tendency, it

does present a bit of a challenge to you as a leader.”

None of us are on this journey alone, if you’re the boss – you have a team and an organization you must communicate with, not to mention meeting the expectations of your own boss. Follow the information in the Communication chapters to more effectively influence, support, and provide memorable meaning to what you say and how you say it and then begin to understand the deepest and most relevant skill your team needs – you, listening.

Whether it’s adjusting to change and communicating effectively or coaching and evaluation, ‘From Bud to Boss’ offers a comprehensive workbook and leader-journey to support the key to accomplishing great things… and that is collaboration. They walk you through healthy and unhealthy conflict showing you the difference and give you steps to successfully deal with both so that you, the leader, can set – work toward and achieve your goals.

I don’t know Kevin Eikenberry or Guy Harris, but I get Kevin’s newsletter and read it weekly – that newsletter is always packed with content and valuable information. No fluff there, so when I heard he teamed up with Guy to write a book– I found out how I could get an advance copy to read. Thanks to Kevin and his generosity, I have the privilege of adding a valuable manual for leadership to my bookshelf. It is a book I will reference frequently and that offers more than just words on leadership, it offers actionable steps, resources and a touch-base of follow-up support for the leader who chooses to change, grow and develop with and for the people he/she is privileged to lead.

Getting Rid of a Super-Star

Patti Blackstaffe — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 00:05:26 +0000

You’re the boss, you own or are in charge of the company and it has grown a bit. You are convinced you need each and every one of the people you employ but you have a bit of a conundrum, you are getting a lot of complaints about one or two of your star employees.

These stars have been with you since the beginning, they seem to know everything about the business, they are good with the numbers and they bring money into the business. You simply can’t understand why so many people are complaining about them.

Some days you think;

“I am tired of hearing all this bickering, why can’t these people just get along and get some work done.”

Sorry to tell you this… but it is YOUR job to deal with the issue. You either need to figure out a way to work with your HR department and find some solutions for the issues, or you need to weigh the true value of your super-star against the potential loss of trust, productivity and actual employees from the teams who are complaining about your super-star.

No matter how much money someone is bringing into the company, if their leadership is causing strife in the teams, they either need to be coached in their leadership or they need to find a different path. Either way, it is your job to take care of it.

Handing this off or ignoring the issue is irresponsible to the company, your company and will eventually result in a far greater loss than is ever gained by your super-star. I have witnessed this in a company and watched as it slowly and painfully became the one place no one wanted to be due to a few ‘superstars’. The environment is toxic and the damage is irreparable, all of which could have been avoided by someone with strength enough to remove folks who are counter-productive to a healthy culture.

Know your people – all of them, not just the apparent super-stars!