Leadership

Nov

2022

Teams That Are Healthy

Teams are everywhere. A team can consist of two people or two hundred. The larger the team the more challenging to get them to work together effectively. Let me illustrate.

55 vs. 15

Fifty-five is the number of players on an NFL team while fifteen is the number of players on an NBA team.

16 v 4

Sixteen coaches including the head coach and not including trainers, etc. lead NFL teams while the head coach and three assistants lead NBA teams. With the ratios I’ve just shared you would think it is easier to build a healthy NBA team than NFL team. We may think the same at work that a smaller team should become healthy and well-functioning easier than a larger team.

Three factors will decide which one is healthier. Each of these start with the leader and those around him or her.

“[T]hree conditions are essential to a group’s effectiveness: trust . . . , group identity, and . . . group efficacy.” Druskatt & Wolff

Emotional Intelligence

“[E]motional competencies were found to be twice as important in contributing to excellence as pure intellect and expertise.”

Daniel Goleman

The first piece to a healthy team is self-aware individuals. Emotional intelligence is simply awareness of one’s emotions in a manner that individuals can sense them and control them.

Maybe you have been in a situation where you feel your emotions rise and want to explode. You pause for a minute recognizing this explosion may make you feel better but will not positively impact the conversation so you pause and reset. Individuals with a lack of emotional intelligence fail to have the capacity to be aware of these feelings.

We are emotional individuals and failure to be in tune with our emotions hinders our ability to connect. If emotions are an area that is awkward for you then take time when you feel emotion to identify what the emotion is and then ask “what is making me . . . . frustrated, angry, etc.” This pause will help you show up in an emotionally healthier way with your team.

Social Intelligence

A team consists of individuals. These individuals work together to accomplish a common goal. Emotional intelligence is awareness of our emotions and having the capacity to respond appropriately. Social intelligence is awareness of others’ emotions and the capacity to respond in a manner that brings the group together.

Imagine you are leading a meeting and you sense tensions rising as you discuss an important issue. A leader with good social intelligence will be able to keep the conversation moving forward in a productive manner. Different perspectives are helpful to a team, but a socially intelligent leader must have the ability to lead the team through problem solving scenarios in a manner that brings unity and not division.

Trust

“Speed happens when people . . . truly trust each other.” Edward Marshall

In his book The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey suggests trust is a function of character and competence. When each member of a team is competent in what they do the leader will be able to trust them to accomplish work correctly. A team member’s character is demonstrated by accomplishing the work accurately and on time. Both dramatically impact the health of a team.

As you evaluate your leadership how are you doing in each of these areas? How aware are you of your feelings and what is the cause of them in the moment, so you don’t explode and create an unhealthy environment? Do you need to be more aware of the emotions of the team so you can help them navigate problems more effectively? Where would you rate your team on trust on a scale of one to ten? We all have areas to grow. If you need help thinking into ways to break through any of these barriers with your team contact me and let’s discover how I can serve you. Keep building your team and growing as a leader. Lead Well.

Goleman, Daniel. Working With Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books: New York, 1998.

Druskat, V. and Wolff, S. “Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups.” Harvard Business Review, March 2001. https://hbr.org/2001/03/building-the-emotional-intelligence-of-groups retrieved 1/18/22

Covey, Stephen M. R. The Speed of Trust. Free Press: New York, 2006.

Nov

2022

Leadership Lessons From a Firehouse Tour

I was in the newly constructed firehouse of our community during a Rotary meeting and while I was listening, I picked up some lessons on leadership.

Honor Tradition

This new headquarters was finished last year. The construction is beautiful and it includes useful new technology, yet there were some key areas where they did not want to forget their past.

This new building is taller than the old one so they had a pole that had a seam. Why? They wanted to keep the old one and extended it. . . . tradition.

As you come to the building and then as you enter it there are monuments to remember the past. One is a wooden case with memorabilia as a reminder of a firefighter who lost his life while pushing a colleague out of the way of a falling wall. The second is a boulder with a bell in memory of another firefighter. Throughout the building are symbols that honor the past.

As leaders we constantly thing “what’s next.” The tension is we need to also honor and cherish what “next” has been built on. Tension between change and tradition exists, but the tradition of the past created the foundation for the future we are seeking to build. Honoring it honors the leaders that built it and reminds us of the lessons learned.

Personal Identity

As we toured the firehouse two designs exemplified the firehouse’s personal identity. In the garage where the trucks park a giant logo was on the wall. This was not a generic logo, but a design specifically as an identity for this fire station. I learned every station in the community has a unique design to identify themselves.

The second design was along the stairs. The walls were painted with a map of the city and giant shadows of firefighters. These shadows were the shadows of some of the firemen on their staff.

As leaders we can create unique ways for our teams to feel special. Creating an identity that is unique to your team builds pride and strengthens buy-in. Take time to allow the team to create that identity instead of just giving it to them.

Clear Roles

At one point the captain described an emergency situation. As he shared the fact that in emergency situations everyone was quiet something he said jumped out at me.

Everyone knows their role and responsibility.

When a group knows their role, stays in that role, and does their job it seems less communication may be needed. As leaders we need to take the time to clearly clarify roles and expectations so when emergencies arise everyone can calmly focus on solving the problem. When we fail to have clarity beforehand chaos ensues when the problem arises.

The first two observations relate to culture and the final relates to performance. How are you doing in each of these areas? Which of these areas do you need to improve in the next thirty days? Not sure how you are doing in these areas? Maybe having your team together in a safe, non-threatening, and interactive environment may open up conversation. Contact me to learn about The Leadership Game to build your team and think into your culture and leadership. Lead Well!

Oct

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum Part IV

I was sixteen years old in a Honda Accord. We stopped on a hill. This is typically no big deal, but right now it was.

I was driving a manual (stick shift) car. This was my mentor’s car and he explained to me how I needed to slowly let off the clutch while gently pressing on the gas at the same time. I start the process, then it happened.

The car started violently shaking back and forth like it was having a seizure. Internally I was thinking the car was going to blow up! My mentor remained calm, told me to push the clutch back in and push down on the gas. With a jerk, shimmy, and big lurch I then moved forward.

I don’t know if you have ever had that specific experience, but it reminds me of leading ourselves. The car was either going to go forward or backward even if it stalled. If I put the brake on, then I would be stuck going nowhere.

Leading ourselves can feel like driving a stick shift that has a clutch that is slipping. We don’t know what to do and get stuck out of ignorance or fear. What can we do when we sense this temptation to be complacent?

Set a Goal

I had this statement from my older brother going around in my head saying I wasn’t coordinated enough to drive a stick so I had a goal to prove I could accomplish this. Maybe you are stuck and feeling paralyzed on what to do because of a lack of vision. Take time to ask yourself these three questions:

What makes me excited?
What moves me to tears?
What brings me great joy?

These questions help you identify your passion. Once you have clarity on your passion ask what is one step that can move me in that direction? This will reveal your first goal. Continue asking this to determine the following goals.

Get in Motion

A goal is like revving the engine. Next you must put the car in gear. At this point you know your goal and need to move. Is there someone you need to talk to? Maybe you need to develop a new habit that will get you moving in the direction of your goal.

Take time to determine the first step and then do it immediately! As you move discover the next step and take it. Continue asking yourself what is the next best step to help me get to my goal? This is like putting the car in first, but if we stay there too long we overheat so we shift into second and continue climbing the hill.

Find Accountability

As I was learning to drive this stick shift, I had a person beside me who could teach me and correct me if I was heading in a destructive direction. To avoid the complacency trap, find someone or a group of people who know your goals and will challenge you when you are not moving toward them.

Each Friday I have a business accountability partner call with a friend. A consistent question for us on the call is what did you do this week and what are you doing next week? This forces me to think into how I’m moving the business forward on a weekly basis. When I’m stuck he encourages me and when I’m lazy he is honest with me. A little tough love helps us all move from complacency to consistent action.

Which of these three steps do you need to take? Are you stuck in any of these areas and need someone to come alongside you to help you get unstuck and regain clarity on where you are headed or where you are leading your team? Contact me for a powerful thinking partner session to help you think into your business and go from stuck to soaring. Lead Well.

Oct

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum Part II

For many years I worked with teenagers and at times a young man would get himself in trouble for something done outside of school. At this point he would learn what I call my “rule of five.” The five people closest to you most impact the person you become.

This does not change for us as adults. Leadership expert John Maxwell describes The Law of The Inner Circle in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership which I facilitate masterminds and workshops around. This law states:

“A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him.”

People around us influence us either consciously or unconsciously therefore those closest to us matter. The reality with these people is that they can affect the momentum of what we are moving toward in one of three ways.

Negative

Some people create negative momentum from a lack of skill or knowledge. Because of the time required to train and equip these people the movement can slow. Slowing down to train ultimately will be a positive if the individual continues to grow and develop.

At times this negative momentum can be permanent and a major way those closest to us become negative influences is by their attitude. As leaders if we surround ourselves with people who are negative it will slow our momentum. Remember, we need people who will speak truth and help us see a different perspective, but if they have a bad attitude across all areas of their life the relationship may need to be evaluated and adjusted.

Indifferent

In his book Relentless (warning this book can be a little raw if you do read it) Tim Grover the personal strength coach for basketball legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and others says:

“Being relentless means never being satisfied.

It means creating new goals every time you reach your personal best.”

This mindset is essential to accomplish any worthwhile vision and if leaders surround themselves with individuals who are satisfied and indifferent it can be a virus. Just as negativity can be caught from those closest to us so can apathy and indifference. Indifferent people will encourage us to play it safe and to accomplish a worthwhile goal we must take risks. Evaluate your inner circle and determine if you have any indifferent people too close to you.

Positive

These people are the best people to have in our inner circle. The positive influencers are NOT “yes people.” They are people who believe in us and in what we are moving toward. They will come alongside us and help us move the vision forward whether as a thinking partner or working alongside you. These individuals will encourage us and give us perspective when we are down. Powerful positive people see the struggle of pursuing the vision but will allow you to borrow their belief and continue to help drive you forward when you are weary.

Who are the five people closest to you? Which category do they fit in? Sometimes we invest in having these influencers in our lives and sometimes they just appear. If you need help thinking into this or want to think into intentionally creating this inner circle then let’s talk. Remember the five people closest to us most impact the person we become. Choose them wisely. Lead well.

Sep

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum

I was facilitating a leadership roundtable group with a few small business owners and we discussed some roadblocks to momentum they have encountered? Based on their responses this post and later ones will address some of these challenges.

First, allow me to define momentum. Leadership expert and author John Maxwell in his bestselling book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership describes the Law of Momentum as a leader’s best friend. The best way to describe this is the idea of a train heading toward a brick wall. If a train is heading toward a wall at 55 miles per hour the momentum will drive it through the wall, but if the train is only going 5 MPH then it will bump the wall and stop with little to no damage to the wall.

For example, an individual trying to lose weight drops 5 pounds right away, then another 3 and they are seeing the payoff so they have momentum to keep following the path. A salesman keeps getting “no’s” and finally closes a deal, the momentum is starting, but it still feels slow. Once he gets rolling and closes multiple deals he begins to feel he can do anything.

What prevents this momentum? One of the obstacles is ourselves and our emotions. At times our enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm for the project we are working on prevents us from continuing the process. This lack of enthusiasm could come from multiple sources:

A lack of vision

Do we understand why we are doing what we are doing? Two bricklayers are working on a project. One is apathetic because he feels the job is tiring and monotonous while the other is whistling with enthusiasm. When asked why, the second says “I am building a cathedral!” He has vision.

A lack of autonomy

According to author Daniel Pink in his book Drive, one of the key factors for motivation is autonomy or a feeling that one is in control of his or her own life. If we see the vision, but do not have the ability to speak into the vision, our enthusiasm may quickly wane.

A lack of buy-in

Not only does buy-in apply to the vision, but equally (if not more) important is the leader. Do those who lack enthusiasm simply not like or trust the leader? Maybe they do not buy into the bigger picture and are content doing a specific role at an average level.

A lack of self-leadership

What recharges you? Are you spending enough time recharging your battery to rekindle your enthusiasm? If not, what do you need to do to renew your enthusiasm? Go to a conference, read a book, join a group of like-minded people, share new ideas . . .

These are just four possible causes of a lack of enthusiasm. The reality is no one can make you enthusiastic. What is your passion? What is your purpose? What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What makes you cheer loudly? Answer these and you may be on the path to finding your greatest enthusiasm. If you need help thinking into how to gain momentum personally or with your team, contact me for a thinking partner session. In the meantime, Lead Well.

Sep

2022

Four C’s to Effective Communication

Not long ago someone recommended reading the book Make Virtual Meetings Matter by Paul Axtell. This short book has a lot of very practical tips about leading meetings. He provides many tips on leading engaging and productive meetings. One section highlights a framework for effective communication which can help us in every aspect of leadership.

Clarity

Have you ever sat in a meeting where the leader rambles on and you are not sure where they are going? Have you been that leader? I find this happens when I do not know what I want to accomplish before we start. As the leader of the meeting my job is to come prepared with clear objectives I want to cover.

When we fail to prepare we are unclear and likely to not honor the time of those present. Clarity not only helps you lead better, but gives participants purpose and more internal motivation to engage in the meeting. As the meeting leader continually check to see if everyone has clarity on what you are trying to accomplish.

Candor

Some meetings are great at this while others are not. If we lead with candor, then we will set a tone where others feel comfortable to speak openly. We’ve all been in the meeting where there is a silence beyond the “thinking silence” and finally someone says: “can you repeat the question?” This is a gentle form of being candid.

Candor creates an environment where healthy debate occurs and people discuss differing ideas freely without fear of repercussion. When leaders create an environment that balances candor and care problems are solved quicker. Axtell defines candor this way:

“Being authentic – saying what you mean and meaning what you say.”

Commitment

Once everyone has clarity and freedom to be candid, an environment conducive to commitment exists. A meeting without action steps is often not a productive meeting. To continue moving toward accomplishing the vision people must commit to action.

I have been in meetings that dump information, but no actionable steps are set. I have also been in meetings where an action step was mentioned, but no one was assigned responsibility nor was a deadline provided. As the leader your job is to bring individuals to a point of committing to actionable items to move the initiative forward. We all have a procrastination monster lurking and deadlines help tame that monster. This leads to the last piece of the communication puzzle.

Completion

Whether in a meeting or following up on an action step, the communication loop will not close without completion. I was leading a meeting recently and I proposed an idea. The group discussed the idea and my job was to make sure all people had shared and then come to a conclusion. Once I was confident everyone shared what they needed I summarized possible action steps which were different than I originally anticipated. No action for now was the best step because we needed clarity on another topic before moving forward.

This conversation was not complete until a decision for action, continued thought, or further discussion later was made. At that point we knew we could move on.

Now that I’ve covered these four phases of communication, where do you get stuck? How can you improve in that area when you communicate one on one or lead a meeting? Do you or your team need help in meeting facilitation skills? Contact me to discuss our Maxwell Leadership Leading Productive Meetings workshop. In the meantime lead well!