Posted: August 17, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

As an executive coach, I help companies and organizations to further improve teamwork and overall performance.  As we know, good communication is at the heart of a winning team.  One of the toughest parts can be getting our message out in a conflict situation.  So often, we just end up talking past each other, and not solving the problem.  A few weeks ago I came across this situation with one of my clients:

Jane is a team leader.  One day her boss came in with a bad mood.  He began talking to Jane’s team members in a harsh way.  Even though the boss was pointing out important things, the way he said it was not well received.

In the past such an incident would have caused Jane much stress and frustration.  Jane had been working on her communication skills, and this time she decided to confront her boss at a time when they could have a private conversation. Here is how she approached her boss:

• She began in a friendly way, and asked her boss how he thought it went the day before.
• She listened, and he talked for a few minutes recounting the scene, and making comments along the way. When he was through talking, Jane affirmed what she heard, and asked him a follow up question.

It wasn’t long before the problem was solved.  The boss admitted he was out of line, and pledged to improve his “re-direction” in a more nurturing way.  He did just that.  He was happy, Jane was feeling less stressed, and all the team enjoyed their improved working environment.

Here is what Jane learned:  If someone does something that we believe is a threat to teamwork, find a time to talk to them one-on-one.  Begin in a friendly way.  Gently ask questions. Listen and find common ground.  You will have a more positive and engaged team.

Posted: July 20, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Team Building

Have you ever seen a situation where a company hires a new team member, things go well for a couple weeks, and then the new hire suddenly quits?  What happened?  You thought they were happy and doing fine.

Well, you may want to look at your onboarding process.  Studies have shown that for the first six weeks of employment we need to be intentional in making sure that we work with the new person in building trust and helping them keep engaged in their work.  This can make a big difference.

In 1977 I joined a local Rotary Club.  I wanted to be more involved in the community and enjoy some good fellowship.  At 28, I was the youngest person in that club.

As soon as I was inducted, I was paired with a mentor.  His name was Art, and he was genuinely interested in me and what skills I brought to the table.  We set up weekly conversations, and I was soon given the job of bulletin editor.  Art knew I liked to write, and he tapped in to a hot button.  After six weeks my mentoring ended, and the program had succeeded.  I was an active member of the club and felt very much at home – even though I was the youngest member of the club – by far!  I was a member for 10 years before I moved away, and during that time served in every office…including president!

One of the most persistent challenges my clients encounter today is hiring and keeping good employees.  To reduce this threat, I recommend you have a step-by-step onboarding process guided by a competent mentor who will manage the process.  Keem’em smiling!

Posted: June 20, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Sales

Country music legend Barbara Mandrell once gave some advice to her younger sister, Louise, who is also a performer.  She said, “Remember to always appreciate your audience.  They are giving you the most valuable thing they have…their time. This same rule applies in sales.  We demonstrate that we respect a client’s time.

Early in my career I learned a lesson about respecting our prospect’s time.  I was meeting with a decision maker and we had agreed to a 30-minute meeting.  The meeting progressed nicely, and when the 30 minutes had expired, the prospect kept going and the conversation continued to evolve.  I decided to let him roll, and the meeting ended up lasting close to an hour. I thought it went great.  Later on I found out the prospect was upset that I agreed to a 30-minute meeting and went beyond that.   Huh?  But, but, but…  He was the one who kept talking!

The next day I shared this frustration with my coach/mentor Ed.  Ed said, “You were leading the conversation.  You let that happen”

Then Ed tauaght me something that has worked for me ever since.  Ed said, “If you have agreed to a 30-minute meeting, keep track of the time.  If you reach the 30 minute mark and you are really in to it, you say, “Mr/Ms _______, I noticed that we have reached our 30 minutes we agreed on.  I have allowed some extra time.  Would you like to continue or should we set a follow up call?”  This puts the decision on their shoulders, and shows us that we respect our time as well as theirs.  We are also taking charge of the meeting.

Posted: June 20, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Management

“Teeth…ignore them and they will go away.”  -1960’s ADA media message

The phrase quoted above has been embedded in my brain for over 50 years, and it has worked for me.  Other than my 3rd molars, I still have all my teeth.

Let’s move from teeth to turnover.  In today’s business workplace adequate staffing is one of the biggest concerns to deal with.  How do we find good people and keep them?  Often, it is all about paying attention.  Here is an example:  I have a friend who recently quit his job.  Here’s what happened:  When he was hired a year ago top management told him how much they appreciated and encouraged new ideas that can make the company more profitable.  That excited Phil and he began looking right and left for ways to preserve profit and generate more revenue.  His ideas were detailed and well thought out.  He began presenting them.  Top management did not respond or acknowledge them.  That was discouraging for Phil, and over time his eagerness subsided.  He became “checked out”, and no longer felt he could represent the company with the right attitude.  He resigned and it was an amicable departure.

The best we can tell, about 90% of turnover is a result of dissatisfaction with an immediate supervisor.  What is the cause of that dissatisfaction?  Too many times it is the preoccupation or lack of attention to our direct reports.  Let’s remember the most important objective of a manager:  “To build others and make them more successful”.  To do that, we need to pay attention, welcome their ideas, and carefully weigh them.  Otherwise, we can ignore them, and they will go away!

Posted: May 25, 2022 | Categories: Leadership

“Listening builds trust…listening builds trust…listening builds trust”

-Brian Tracy

Just about every boss I know is always looking for ways to be stronger leader.  This means being a better listener.

One of the quickest ways to thwart the listening process is to be a “story topper”.  We all have lives filled with experiences and events that we love to share and often carry a message or lesson.  A “story topper” is one who pretends to listen to our story but is really just thinking of a story they could tell that could top ours.  You can usually tell a story-topper by the phrases they use like, “Oh, that’s nothing…listen to this”.  I know a couple of people who are story toppers and I usually don’t share much with them.  I find it to be frustrating and a waste of time.

We don’t want to be perceived as a story topper.  We won’t be if we subordinate our desire to share a story in favor of listening to theirs.  We can show that we are listening by asking questions along the way for clarification, and using phrases like, “Tell me more” or “And then what happened?”.  At this point you might be thinking, “But wait a minute…What if I have a good story that I think will add to our discussion?”  Fine.  Tell it.  We just need to be sure that we are listening to the other person’s story first with both ears.