Blog - Page 26 of 60 - Wheeler Coaching Systems

Feb

2021

Which Way Do You Most Often Provide Guidance?

I have been preparing for an upcoming webinar on communicating with care and candor so I picked up Kim Scott’s book Radical Candor.* In this book she provides language for us to process how we are communicating when we lead.

For me candor and challenging others comes easily, but then I tip too far to that side and forget about caring for those I’m talking with. In my Friday video I mentioned the idea of kindness and the value of kindness in our leadership. As leaders we must demonstrate this kindness and care, but balance it with honest and at times difficult communication.

I have found models helpful for evaluating my performance. When I was first learning how to perform the squat exercise, I went down to what I thought was low enough. I was uncomfortable so it must be the standard, but later realized I was going only halfway to where I needed to be! The example of someone else helped me understand the standard.

Scott shares with us a framework for providing guidance to those we lead and interact with. These are her four terms with a brief explanation to help understanding.

Obnoxious Aggression

As I learned about this, I realized I fall in this category more often than I want to admit. This is the person who has no filter and tells EXACTLY what they think about something. We know they are being honest, but they fail to balance their honesty with compassion. At times this person may compliment, but include a belittling tone or sarcastic jab in the statement.

Manipulative Insincerity

When we provide guidance in this way, we are being political or guarded for a personal gain. Jim has turned in a project and the quality was not good enough but instead of telling him you say the quality is acceptable. Why? This keeps him happy and thinking he is doing well, but really you need to replace him. The insincere compliment buys you more time, but fails to be either caring or candid.

Ruinous Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings with others. This is a good trait and a quality of great leaders, but leaders put themselves in difficult situations that can potentially lose the respect of others if it prevents them from making difficult decisions. When Jim was not performing well his leader did not criticize him because he did not want to create tension. This unintentionally set a lower standard and negatively impacted the entire team.

Radical Candor

This is when we have the right balance of care and challenge. Imagine you are talking to a neighbor who lets their two-year-old play near the street constantly. You say “Sue I know you love your son” which demonstrates care. Shortly after you kindly, but directly, remind Sue if she lets her son continue to play that close to the street, she may lose him. Care and challenge combined create this radical candor.

As you look at these four ways of guiding people that Scott provides, which do you tend to fall into? In what ways can you grow in either care or candor with those you lead? Need help thinking into your leadership? Contact me for a thirty minute no cost to you thinking partner session. Lead Well.

*This is an affiliate code.

Feb

2021

Learning from a Banking Leader

We were sitting virtually across from one another in our ZOOM conference. I was talking with a humble man who grew up as an only child on a farm and makes personal decisions based on his values and not based on money. Not only that, but his title does not determine who he is, but is an explanation of what he does. This was evident in the fact that when he started at FORUM Credit Union he took the lowest paying of multiple offers because of the culture fit.

That decision seemed to pay off as now many years later he serves as the CEO of FORUM. I would suggest he arrived in that position partly because of demonstrating early on the ability to solve problems.

Early in his tenure at FORUM he saw a need to speed up the processing of loans to stay competitive in the marketplace. After realizing that, he gathered a team to help him create a software that eventually led to a new entity within the organization and helped in sustaining them during an economic downturn. During our conversation I learned three of his key leadership principles.

Transparency

In banking, as well as in many industries, it can be easy for the front lines to feel disconnected from top level leadership. Doug has a system in place to help close that gap. An internal blog for the organization to summarize the key points from the executive team meetings. This enables the organization to understand what and why decisions are being made and can open communication in real time.

I asked Doug how he determines his level of transparency. Many leaders want to be transparent, but need wisdom on what and when to share so they prevent creating unneeded challenges from too much transparency too soon. With this system Doug slows himself down by drafting some of his posts and sharing them with his executive team before posting. This prevents him from sharing information before his team can share with those they lead.

Manage Differently

Maybe you are familiar with Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model. I won’t go into detail on that model here. It provides a framework for leaders to adjust their leadership approach based on the situation and the individual. Effective leaders have the same standards for all team members, but how we lead them to the goals varies by person and situation.

Doug adapts by striving to know each person and what they need. Outside of regular formal and informal communication the Credit Union has created an expectation of quarterly reviews. This is not to give more work to staff, but to increase feedback. Pre-set questions in the quarterly reviews for both the employee and supervisor provide a vehicle for creating beneficial feedback conversations.

Invest in People

An additional benefit of the regular blog is the ability for those who want to learn and grow within the organization to experience “Just-in-time learning.” If an up-and-coming leader comments on the blog with a question Doug can reply or connect individually with the person and create a real-time learning opportunity. This is one example of investing in people along with promotion opportunities, customized training, and opportunities to grow in knowledge.

Why invest in your people? When his people are satisfied this sentiment flows to the Credit Union members experience and loyalty to the company. Think of Southwest Airlines, they have happy, engaged employees which makes our flight experience the same. This is no different in any other industry.

As we wrapped up our time I asked for Doug’s biggest leadership lesson and he said:

“Choose words wisely. Be prudent in when you talk. Listen more, talk less, and ask questions.”

Ultimately, he recommends leaders to simply be themselves. As leaders at work, home, or in our communities we all lead at our highest level if we stay true and authentic to who we are and not try to lead like someone else. How does that occur, by constantly learning about ourselves, others, and what we lead.

Which of these principles do you need to learn and grow in? Do you want to think into how to invest in your people? Contact me and let’s discover any way I can help you grow the leaders around you. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

Are Your People In the Right Seat?

Remember when you were a kid in school. Maybe you had that nerve-wracking experience in elementary school when you walked in and were looking for it.

What were you looking for? Your seat, of course! The desk with your name on it. Then you found it and settled in. Each day it felt great to have that seat until someone moved your desk!

Things have not changed for us as adults. We have a seat and ways we function in that seat, but is it the right seat? As a leader are your duties in alignment with your strengths and what best serves your organization or team? What about the people on your team? This is an important question, but before we determine if we are in the right seat we must determine if we are on the right bus.

The Right Bus

Jim Collins popularized the concept of being on the bus in his book Good to Great. He challenged us first with determining whether we have the right people on the bus. WHO often is more important than WHAT. As leaders we can change the what to fit the who. As individuals we may need to determine if we are on the right bus. Does the vision of the organization align with what is important to me as an individual? If not, as the leader we are putting a lid to the potential growth of our organization.

Get It

In his book Traction author Gino Wickman provides a structure to help determine if people are positioned in a way that most utilizes their abilities and benefits the overall cause. When a leader is deciding whether to move someone into a new role they must determine if the individual has the necessary basic understanding. Does the individual understand how the job works and get the role they are stepping into or will they be lost? If they “get it” then they have passed the first test of being in the right seat.

Want It

Wickman says the next step is determining if they want the seat that is offered. I would suggest this is both a question of desire and motive. The right person in the seat will want the position out of a desire to serve the people and the organization. On the other hand, some people want the position because of a motive to have a position or control. As we evaluate the person for the seat, take time to get a clear answer to why they want it.

Capacity for It

Leadership expert John Maxwell in his book No Limits suggests that when we grow our awareness, abilities, and make right choices we can reach our capacity. This is what the third part of the structure seeks to answer. Wickman suggests that if a person does not have the mental, physical, and emotional space in their lives they may not be the right fit. For example, taking a role that requires 60 hours of work a week when you only have 40 to give is not the right seat.

Are you in the right seat on the bus in your organization? If you are the founder what do you need to do to work more often in your strengths? If you lead a team how can you position them in the right seat so the team thrives? Need help thinking into this? Schedule a 30 minute one on one thinking partner session at no cost to you so I can come alongside and help you. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

Learning from Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Part II

Last year I shared a blog with a few leadership lessons I learned from Donald T. Phillips’ book Martin Luther King Jr. On Leadership. I am doing the same again this year and sharing a few more principles he highlighted on how to lead.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of vision who peacefully championed change in a very turbulent time. This is what leaders often must do. Phillips put it this way:

“[H]e was not only an optimistic individual (as great leaders are), he was also persistent, determined, and had an eye focused on the future. Even more important. . . . Martin was a lifelong continuous learner.”

In this one statement I see four traits we can all develop to increase our leadership effectiveness.

Optimistic

In their fight against the oppression of the day specifically at one point in Albany “5 percent of the Negro population” went to jail. Instead of being angry, King’s optimism shone through. He said how extraordinary the response was that five percent would willingly go to jail for a just cause. As leaders we must be realistic and accept the difficulties that come, but what is the positive in the situation?

During a pandemic many may paint a bleak picture, but the optimistic people have seen opportunities and capitalized on them. They provide new services, create new businesses, form new service organizations and meet needs that were not previously present. King saw the willingness of people to go to jail for a just cause as positive momentum in the movement.

Persistent

I shared in one of my weekly videos an example of my son’s persistence in pursuing something he really wanted. I’ve heard leadership expert John Maxwell say “everything worth having is uphill.” I find this is true. Whether it be a personal or professional goal there will be an uphill climb to reach it and leaders must have the determination to persist.

King must have realized this as he faced resistance to the idea of peacefully fighting for civil rights. Whether it was within or outside of public view King persistently championed the cause as all leaders must do.

Vision

What keeps one fighting and pressing forward amidst such adversity? Keeping an eye focused on the future. King had a dream of what the world would be like one day and that dream must have remained constantly at the forefront of his mind. If you are in a position of leadership or are championing a cause this focus on the future must remain. Leaders who lose this focus quit because the climb becomes unbearable.

Lifelong Learner

“Not all readers can be leaders. But all leaders must be readers.”

Harry Truman

What makes the above statement and Phillip’s statement about King’s lifelong learning being more important so true? An effective leader sees situations from multiple perspectives in order to make the best decision for all. This requires a learner’s mindset. Listening to multiple voices and reading multiple sources can inform a leader so he or she has more insight before making decisions.

Maybe you have heard the statement “experience is the best teacher.” Experience teaches, but only when we evaluate and learn from it. King continually sought to learn from both successes and failures to grow and move himself and the cause forward.

These are only a few lessons learned from this legendary leader. How are you doing in these areas? Is there one of these areas you need to intentionally grow in? Want an objective evaluation of your team and leadership? Contact me to discuss a facilitation of The Leadership Game to open communication and grow your team and leaders in your organization. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

The Power of A Single Habit

Most years I am in the gym in January and it is packed. I cannot get on equipment because everyone is pursuing their New Year’s resolution to lose weight. There is lots of energy and many people. This year has been similar, but not as many people.

Then the middle of January hits.

The numbers are back to what they used to be. People tried, but didn’t create a habit. Maybe this is you already. In his book The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg discusses the process of building habits which you can read here. According to cognitive neuroscientist expert Caroline Leaf, it takes 21 days to change a habit at a neurophysiological level and 63 days to make it permanent!

When we’ve made this change we have created something lasting.

Keystone Habits

I have a friend who recently started training to run a mini-marathon. In the beginning he was getting up and running on a daily basis. Around the time the weather got colder he had a few weeks lull in his training. Do you know what happened?

Not only was he not performing at his peak physically, but his performance and focus at work dropped as well. This illustrates the power of a what Duhigg calls a keystone habit.

“keystone habits encourage change: by creating structures that help other habits to flourish.”

My friend had developed a habit that impacted everything else in his life in a positive way. This key habit can be a personal change or an organizational habit change. Maybe in your organization by changing the order taking and filling process everything else will be positively and powerfully impacted. This is a keystone habit.

Willpower

Just like my friend, it takes willpower . . . at least in the beginning. Whether organizationally within a culture or on a personal level Duhigg found:

“Dozens of studies show that willpower is the single most important keystone habit for individual success.”

If it requires over three months for a habit to be permanently ingrained, then as leaders we have to be disciplined to promote the change in our culture. The change starts with us. My friend joined a gym so he could run and strength train and began seeing his performance at work improve again, but he had to choose that path.

Make it Personal

We all have felt the exhaustion of driving on pure willpower. We can only push so hard for so long and as leaders we do not want to be “pushing” our teams all the time. What can help make the shift? Again, Duhigg makes an excellent observation:

“When people are asked to do something that takes self-control, if they think they are doing for personal reasons – if they feel like it’s a choice or something they enjoy because it helps someone else – it’s much less taxing.”

If we are making a personal habit change this idea is simple, but applying this on an organizational level is more challenging. Take time to help individuals align this key habit with their personal goals and the habit will stick. When our team personalizes and sees the value of the habit for them, we shift from pushing to a keystone habit.

What is the one key habit that would impact multiple areas of your life personally? If you lead an organization or team what key habit would most impact results? Need help thinking into this? Contact me for a no cost one on one thinking partner session. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

Motion to Get Motivated

I live in the Northern part of the United States and the winter can be a little rough at times. Usually I get up early and go do my morning workout. On this particular day it was different.

I had done my morning routine and was ready to go. My bag was packed and I had opened the door to the garage, then I looked at the driveway.

I knew an ice/snow storm had started overnight, but when I looked at my driveway it was a sheet of ice. If you have seen the effects of an ice storm you know what I am talking about. I threw salt on the driveway and changed my plan.

We have a steep driveway and I didn’t want to crash into the neighbor’s car parked on the street and I wasn’t sure I would make it back up my driveway once I left. Now I didn’t know what to do because my morning workout is my coffee.

My motivation had dipped and I was tempted to go back to bed for a little bit, but instead I went into the basement. I hung up my TRX Band straps and turned on some Rocky music and started working out.

I will spare you the details of my workout, but I accomplished the goal of 30 minutes of elevating my heartrate and felt pretty good afterwards. As I thought about this there are a few leadership lessons to be learned from simply getting in motion whether that is to exercise or to move toward accomplishing your personal and/or professional vision as you start this new year.

Motion first and emotion later

Whether exercising, going out to make a sales call, preparing or whatever tempts us to procrastinate we all have crafty ways to stall our motion. Look at the word “emotion.” I am not an expert in words, but I do see most of the word is motion and the “e” has to catch up. Emotion is simply energy in motion. Maybe we would benefit from reminding ourselves to “Do it NOW” so we get in motion quickly.

Give yourself success steps

As I started my workout I wanted to get my heart rate up quick and warm up achy joints so I ran in place. I accomplished that small goal and moved on to the next small goal. After accomplishing multiple small goals I ended up completing the entire workout. Whatever the goal is, take small steps in the direction of the vision, celebrate the victories, then move on.

Persevere

When you are at minute one of a 30 minute workout it looks overwhelming. As you have set goals for the new year maybe they are overwhelming you. Keep taking one step at a time and follow your plan, adjusting when necessary and you will reach the destination.

Enjoy the process

This is a challenge for me because I just want to get there. I have to remind myself to slow down, connect with others who are on the journey with me and enjoy the benefits of the process.

As you set goals for this new year, get in motion and keep moving one step at a time. Which of these four steps do you need to grow in? Do you need someone to help you in that process? Contact me for a no cost thirty-minute thinking partner session to help you think into these goals and more. Lead well.