The summer has blown by and I’m busy getting geared up for the fall. There are a lot of great things happening that I will keep you posted on.
I am training for a big cycling ride with a friend and we were discussing the high probability of getting a flat tire as we were riding on one of our several epic training rides. We were both saying that it would be a great idea to take a mini-course in changing flat tires and also to carry a spare tube and pump. Three weeks later we had a similar discussion, no action taken.
You can guess what’s next… This past weekend I noticed my tire was low as I was leaving my house to meet friends for a long ride. I pumped it up and went on my way hoping to get lucky since I did not have a spare tube. Sure enough, it became fully flat and I needed to turn around.
Was I prepared? No way. I found several tubes at my house, none fit my bike. In fact, I didn’t really know how to change the tire, although I knew with enough time, I could figure it out. However, I didn’t have time! My friends were already at the site, the temperature was going up and we had other things to do that day. What did I do? I grabbed a different bike and hustled down to meet my friends. The final result: I was slower with the other bike (and more tired at the end), I held up my friends unnecessarily, and we biked in hotter weather than we needed to.
How does this compare to the “flat tires” we encounter at work? The phone calls that we procrastinate returning that turn into a crisis; the piles of documentation that await us that we put off until the audit; the problematic employee who needs crucial feedback or disciplinary action that you hesitate to give until the situation gets out of control.
What would it be like to have the initial concern/task/idea and then take pro-active action?
How much time is lost changing the proverbial flat tire when you are blindsided by the sharp object?
Being ready means having the knowledge, the resources (material and people), the time, and the motivation to manage the issue. Instead of pushing away the initial concern, I invite you to get ready for the situation and take action.
I wish you an awesome start to the fall season.
I admit that the plot of land in front of our house is hurting. We have a combination of weeds, grass and random plants that do not look attractive. I decided to tackle this issue over the weekend and made only a small dent until my weed pulling hands started cramping up. I was surprised that the next day I was walking like I participated in a rodeo. Who would have thought my groin muscles would have been so affected by weed pulling activity? Seriously.
So you can imagine my frustration when I received a ticket from the city for $75 for grass/weeds over 10″ high. No warning first, no “I’m sorry we have to do this….” In fact, this ticketing effort is part of a city plan called SWEEP (Streets & Walkways Education and Enforcement Program). The program brochure talks about recycling and keeping the area clean. We received the “enforcement” part of the program without the “education” part of the program since we had no idea there was a 10 inch grass height rule.
What does this have to do with your leadership? Compare me to one of your low performing employees. When it comes to the annual performance appraisal time do you issue the $75 fine? Or, is there verbal feedback given at the first notice of a problem that educates your staff person about your expectations and what it takes to get an excellent performance evaluation? What wording, tone of voice, and emotion are you using when giving the feedback? Is this a dialogue or a one-way giving of information?
The officers who issued our ticket have no idea how much my husband contributes to the neighborhood’s overall health. I don’t expect them to but I expect you know what contributions your employee makes to the organization other than the low performing area(s) and that those are considered in your feedback as well. When we share the Leadership Without Excuses Model we often get comments about how several members of the team are sinners in some ways and saints in other ways and that it’s not a clear cut delineation. How do you factor this in to your leadership?
Thanks for reading my rant today and I welcome further discussion on this topic of giving feedback and enforcing rules.
Last week I shared 5 Tips to Increase Your Team’s Performance using the Leadership Without Excuses model. I focused on the area of “making your expectations clear.” Today I’m sharing the next 5 tips on “making your expectations credible and
reasonable.” I hope you find these tips valuable and doable in your organization.
1. Make crystal clear your conditions of satisfaction about the activities they are supposed to perform or not perform. If you aren’t clear than it is not your employee’s fault when they do an unsatisfactory job.
2. Communicate the rationale for why they are supposed to do the things they are supposed to do. “Because I said so” is old school and doesn’t cut it (not even with children).
3. Ensure they have the capacity with time and resources to do what’s required of them. I work with a lot of human service leaders who are stressed by this concept, but the fact is, the task won’t get done in time or to your satisfaction if the person
assigned to complete the task doesn’t have the time to do it.
4. Ensure they have the capability to do what is required (technical or professional training). I have made the mistake as a leader in assuming a competent employee knows how to do a certain job activity and then find out they never learned that skill. Oops!
5. Be sure that they receive credible guidance when a choice they make will support one organizational value at the expense of another (Example: Quality vs. productivity or compliance vs. speed and cost management). This comes up in documentation requirements – if there’s a choice between rushing to meet the documentation deadline vs. being late but having better quality documentation, which do you
choose?
I would love to hear your feedback on this material. Please e-mail me at chris@chriscoward.com
Happy Spring (for real this time)! I’m really enjoying the blooming trees and plants and trying to get motivated to do some planting myself. Will keep you posted on that…
My colleague Neill Edwards and I presented last week at the Pennsylvania Children Youth and Family Services conference on “Creating the Conditions of Accountability From the Top Down” and it was great. We had 75 people participating in our workshop (and I mean participating, minimal lecturing going on from us), sharing ideas of best practice along with their successes and challenges. Of course we had tons of fun along the way.
Today I want to give you 5 Tips to Increase Your Team’s Performance using the Leadership Without Excuses model. The model has 4 parts: Making your expectations clear, making your
expectations credible and reasonable, following high performance with positive consequences and following low performance with negative consequences. Simple, right? As you know the simple things can be difficult to implement which is where these tips can help. So I don’t overwhelm you with information, today’s 5 tips will only be in the category of “making your expectations clear.” Enjoy!
1. Don’t assume your common sense is their common sense
2. Create an atmosphere where questions for clarity are
encouraged rather than viewed as “not getting it”
3. Check for understanding by asking what they heard
4. Ask good, probing questions to make sure they really got it
5. Give candid, constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, not
just when a deliverable is due
If you really want to take your leadership up 10 notches then read about our Leadership Without Excuses Coaching Group that starts next Wednesday at noon.
To see the details: http://chriscoward.com/leadership-programs/
If you have any questions about this material or the upcoming LWE Coaching Group please call me at 215.472.1572 or Neill at 610.955.3702. We would love to hear from you!
I’ve had several visits to my physical therapist in the last month and each time I go I am so impressed with the work culture of the staff and their leader’s ability to give clear and credible instructions. The work environment is sometimes very hectic and fast paced, serving several patients at once and requiring each PT to juggle the monitoring, instruction and treatment of more than one patient at a time. At other times, the work environment is slow, the ratio of PT to patients is almost three to one and I always wonder if the PT’s are bored (although they don’t show it and seem to be having fun).
My physical therapist, Kim, is in charge of the other PT’s who seem to be at varying levels of experience. Here are five things Kim does well in modeling leadership without excuses:
1) Kim makes her expectations clear to the staff. She tells them which exercise they need to help me with and if it’s not a common exercise, she’ll demonstrate exactly what she’s looking for. She does not assume her common sense is their common sense about how to work with me.
2) Even though Kim is often super busy, she will always take time to give clarity about an assignment. This includes providing a rationale for why a particular exercise needs to be done in a particular way.
3) Kim ensures that staff have the capacity and capability of executing their assignments. If capability is unclear, Kim will take a moment to teach the assigned intervention or make a staff switch to a more experienced person.
4) Kim sets up frequent, brief check points to ensure that her team is following the treatment plans correctly and managing their array of patients smoothly. She doesn’t wait until a problem occurs nor does she wait until the end of the day to address concerning issues.
5) Kim treats high performers differently than average performers. I have overheard her mentoring and advising a less experienced (but high performing) PT during downtime about this person’s career opportunities. How great does that young PT feel about working there and giving 100%?
Your turn. Are you taking excuses away from the team by implementing some of these strategies that Kim uses? If not, I challenge you to take a small step in implementing Leadership Without Excuses. The “Leadership Without Excuses Assessment” CLICK BELOW
http://bit.ly/LWOChangeGrid will give you a full picture on how you are managing change and where your tension is at work. I encourage you to take it and schedule a complimentary debriefing session with me.
I wish you all the best!
Please join me for a No Cost tele-seminar where I interview Neill Edwards, contributing author for the book “Leadership Without Excuses: How to Create Accountability and High Performance” by Jeff Grimshaw and Gregg Baron (scheduled to be published by McGraw Hill Business in March, 2010).
You will get new and actionable information in this packed 1 hour phone call that will help you become a rock star leader.
DATE: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
TIME: Noon-1PM
CALL IN NUMBER: 218-862-7200 Pin: 485420
On this call you will learn:
* Why it’s so difficult to get people to do the things you want them to do
* Strategies to eliminate costly excuses (made by both performers AND their leaders)
* How to distinguish your Saints, Sinners and Save-ables and how to manage each
* Strategies to motivate your performers on a deeper level, backing up the claim: The greatest power you have is to change the way people feel
* A simple accountability model with tools to ensure:
- you make performance expectations clear,
- that your expectations are credible and reasonable,
- that you create compelling positive consequences for high performers,
- that you follow through with negative consequences for low performers,
- and that you engage in performance conversations based on reality vs. magical thinking
If you are a leader, and have any doubt how invaluable this call will be to you, please contact me to discuss!
Hope to “see” you on Feb. 24th!
I’m one of those (hopefully not annoying) people who can always find the silver lining in situations that are not good. This week I finally saw a specialist about a nagging undiagnosed knee problem. Although the results were upsetting to me, I was struck by this doctor’s personal leadership skills and how well he ran his business. In fact, when I left his office I was compelled to do two things – 1) call my husband and let him know the results, and 2) jot down what impressed me about my visit. Oh, and text my running partners to let them know what’s up.
Here is what struck me about “Dr. John”:
1) Delegation – Dr. John delegated the beginning of my exam to a trusty assistant. She took my story, completed the x-rays, and generally managed some pieces of the visit so Dr. John could help more people. I realize this is typical – the dental hygienist does the cleaning, the nurse takes the blood pressure and weight, but it is not just the role, it’s WHO you choose to delegate to. Are you delegating to people who are the best fit for the assignment?
2) No Assumptions – It would have been easy for Dr. John to let me know very quickly what my problem was after reading the x-rays. He could have shortened his visit with me by 10 minutes by not examining my knee carefully. Instead, Dr. John gave me a thorough knee exam before telling me what was wrong. Why is this important? Dr. John sees a lot of patients with my problem and knows fairly quickly from reading x-rays what the issue is. But, is that all there is? Am I exactly like the last patient with similar x-rays or is there an important nuance or additional problem that makes me unique? As a leader it is important to hear the whole situation even when on the surface it seems like the same old story, or the same type of employee problem. There should always be something new to consider.
3) Clear communication – Dr. John’s communication was clear, on my level of understanding and two-way. I’m sure you know leaders who are directive, brisk, and don’t hang around to see if you have questions or understand what they want from you. In my appointment I felt heard, partnered with regarding my treatment choices, and talked to with respect and empathy. As a leader you know there is a time to be directive and a time to be collaborative. Dr. John managed that balance well.
4) Teach to different learning styles – I’m pretty sure Dr. John did not consciously decide that he needs to explain things to patients using multiple learning modalities. However, he did that very well. First there was a verbal explanation, than he showed me my problem using a visual model of the knee. Finally, he had me flex and experience a variety of positions that got me physically in touch with the diagnosis. Since I’m an experiential and auditory learner, it was very helpful to have things explained to me that way. As a leader, how often do you only explain or teach using your most comfortable learning style rather than using a variety of styles that make it easier for others to understand?
5) Involving others in finding the solution – Dr. John referred to himself as my “Tour Guide”, meaning his role was to present treatment options to me and explain the benefit vs. cost of each one. This means that: I was not told what to do and my input into the discussion was equally important as Dr. John’s input in finding the best treatment for me. As a leader, how often do you collaborate and brainstorm with your team in finding solutions to problems vs. feeling like it’s your job only to come up with the best answers?
Last Tuesday was an important day for me. I received bad news – I have arthritis under my knee cap and am not supposed to run or hike. If you know me, you know that this is a big loss. Amazingly though, I felt really good about my appointment with Dr. John not because of the news but because of the way it was delivered and the respect and time he gave me as one of his patients. As you move forward in your own leadership development be aware of your opportunities to delegate well, communicate clearly using a variety of communication modalities, and avoid assuming that you’ve seen or heard everything so you can fully listen to what your employees have to say.
If you live in the Philly area, I’m doing a workshop, “How To
Make 2010 Your Best Year Ever!”
Studio34 Yoga
4522 Baltimore Ave Philadelphia
Thursday, January 28
7-9PM
You know New Year’s Resolutions don’t work
You are committed to making sustainable changes
I’ll show you how…
You will:
•Learn how to set goals that are aligned with your values
and dreams
•Gain clarity on what you really want to achieve
•Learn how to create an environment that supports your
success
•Understand barriers to change and how to overcome them
Join Professional Coach Christine Coward, VP of Coaching
Services for Habit Change Company, for this life- changing
workshop and set yourself on the right track for 2010 and beyond.
Investment: $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Includes handouts
and refreshments.
To Register: E-mail chris@chriscoward.com and pay with PayPal to
chris@coachingtofulfillment.com
Questions? E-mail chris@chriscoward.com or call (215) 472-1572
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade! This is an exciting time,
this post-holiday – get our acts together time. I love starting
the New Year off with a whole body cleanse, a review of the
previous year (what was good, what am I most proud of, and what
is unfinished business) and by setting intentions for the new
year. I’m not talking resolutions, but intentions regarding what
I can do better and what I want to see more of in my life.
As leaders we often don’t get the space and time to take stock
of our leadership progress. We are constantly going, responding
to work needs and crises and if we are lucky, getting a yearly
performance review. Some organizations invest in 360 degree
feedback assessments for their leaders which can be tremendously
helpful in getting an honest report on what you are doing well,
what your strengths are, what your challenges are, and what you
could be doing better. What’s neat about a 360, is that the
information is coming (hopefully anonymously) from the leader’s
subordinates, their supervisor, and colleagues. It takes a bit
of courage to solicit feedback from others, but it is well worth
it if you are serious about being a rock star leader. If you are
interested in having a 360 completed on yourself or someone you
supervise, I recommend the one I use, The 360 Degree Investment.
E-mail me at chris@chriscoward.com if you want more information.
In the meantime, here is my New Year’s gift to you – a set of
important questions to get you on the right track for the new
decade. I invite you to take some time reflecting on these
questions and journal your responses, keeping them handy for
easy viewing before you fall back into your default response mode.
• What was the best part about 2009 for you?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of in the last
year, both personally and professionally?
• What unfinished business is left over from 2009?
• If I accomplished _____________, I would feel really awesome
about myself.
• What are two leadership qualities you would like to
develop or enhance?
• What are two of your leadership qualities that you would
like to shed?
• What are your best sources of support to help you achieve
your goals?
• What do you need to say “no” to, to make this year a
successful one?
Good luck and I would love to hear from you on your progress!
If you are not getting the results you want from your team, even though your own work is getting done, than are you really leading? And if you are purely managing, rather than leading, aren’t you missing out on opportunities for growth, acknowledgment and promotions?
Here’s a brief quiz to help you figure out how well you are leading.
1. Has your team surpassed its goals?
2. Is your opinion sought out from colleagues in similar positions?
3. Is your team cohesive as a unit?
4. Do the individuals on your team perform to the best of their abilities?
5. Do the individuals on your team stay working with you unless they are promoted or leave for a better opportunity?
6. Do your colleagues at work sometimes ask you how you got someone to do an undesirable task without complaining?
7. Are you invited to participate in special projects based on your unique perspective and contributions?
8. Do you have a vision for your department that is clear, bold and in line with company values?
9. Do you discipline and let poor performers go rather than hanging on to them because it’s easier sometimes?
10. Are you accessible both to your team and your superiors rather than staying behind your office door and hoping no one bothers you?
If you answered “YES” to all 10 questions than you are doing great as a leader. If you answered “NO” to any of the questions and want to turn that around to a YES than you are in luck.
I’m offering a Back to School Special for the month of September only – A FREE phone consultation on “Turning Your Team into a High Performing Machine.”
If you are serious about being a star leader vs. an average manager, than please contact me to schedule your “Turning Your Team into a High Performing Machine” consultation. The offer expires on September 30th.