Joel Garfinkle's Blog, page 3

Time Management Strategies & Prioritizing

“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”

– Henry David Thoreau

Miguel had an enormous list of tasks on his to-do list. He’d been working to increase his responsibilities to prove he could handle a leadership role, but now he was having a hard time keeping up with it all. He found himself coming in early and working through lunch in an effort to make it look like he had it all together. He couldn’t just shrug off his existing responsibilities, but he didn’t want to give up the exciting new projects he’d taken on. He simply didn’t seem to have the bandwidth for it all. What was he to do?

I’ve worked with countless clients like Miguel, helping them to reprioritize their work their seemingly endless to-do lists. I begin by reassuring them that time-management strategies like these ones can relieve a lot of their stress.

Weed out the nonessential tasks.

Go through your to-do list with a fine-tooth comb, asking yourself if anything simply isn’t necessary or if you’re spending far too much time on it (think about email time management ). Have practices changed since you first took on a particular responsibility? If you’re not sure whether something is really necessary, ask your boss.
Delegate work that your subordinates are ready to perform.

Just as you’re working to step into a higher-level career, some of your subordinates might be itching to take on new responsibilities, too. Give them a chance to do so by delegating some of the tasks on your to-do list to them. Make sure they align with your employees’ interests and skills. By assigning them appropriate higher-level tasks, you’ll show your confidence in their abilities.
Set realistic deadlines.

If you’re swamped to the point that it’s likely to affect the quality of work you can produce, consider whether you could ask for an extension on a deadline. If a deadline you’ve set was arbitrary, you might ask your boss or client if you can change it to something that feels more manageable. And let this be a lesson to set more realistic deadlines in the future! You can still aim for a shorter turnaround—if you finish ahead of schedule, that will only make you look more competent.
Abstain from pointless meetings.

Do you really need a meeting, or do you need task-management software to keep everyone on the same page? That’s the type of question you should be posing whenever you suspect a meeting is lacking productivity. If the meeting is more of a group check-in about project status and updates, there are plenty of software programs that can help you do that more efficiently. Of course, sometimes you may not have a choice. However, you can certainly push back against the idea that anyone should be able to summon the whole team for an ineffective meeting without any rhyme or reason for it. Saying no is a key time-management strategy, especially when it comes to meetings.
Tackle your passion projects at times of peak energy.

When do you do your best thinking, and when do you have the most energy to tackle the projects you’re most invested in? Do that kind of work when you’re truly excited to do it, not when your energy is low. Otherwise, it will start feeling like a burden rather than bringing you joy and purpose.

As he used these strategies for time management, Miguel soon saw a dramatic improvement. He began diving into his passion projects in the morning, when he felt most energized and creative. He did his most innovative thinking during those hours, and he kept a log of ideas for future projects that arose during that time. As he weeded out unnecessary tasks and other time traps, he found himself less frazzled. And as he talked with his boss about deadlines, he felt more like they were on the same team. After a month of creating new time-management habits, Miguel hardly recognized the stressed-out person he used to be. He eagerly looked forward to coming in to work each morning to delve into projects that challenged and recharged him!

Need expert insight on how to propel yourself to the next level of your career? As one of the top 50 motivational coaches in the U.S., Joel has been doing that for more than 20 years. Contact Joel for coaching today to get started.

Promote Yourself to the Job of your Dreams

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” ~ Alan Kay

Agnes asks: My day job has become so monotonous and predictable. I’m ready for greater challenges, but I’m not clear on when the next promotion opportunity will arise. I want to be prepared to seize the moment when it does, since I’m eager for a change. How can I do that?

Joel answers: It sounds to me like it’s time to promote yourself to the job you wish you had. The best way to set yourself up for a promotion to your dream job is to show that you’re already excelling at the work. If you find your current responsibilities boring, bigger challenges are definitely in order.

Increasing your responsibilities is all about good time management, whether you’re accepting a promotion or trying to prove you’re ready for one. Here’s a sobering fact: The 72-hour workweek is fast becoming the new norm, according to the Harvard Business Review. Here’s how you can prevent that from becoming your reality as you prepare to step into your new role.

List all the things that need to get done in your current job.

Make a list of everything you absolutely must continue doing in your current role. These are the things that have value and require a skilled individual to complete them. If you follow through on these essential tasks, you’re free to take on additional projects.
Create new systems for handling routine or low-priority tasks.

Many of us are spending a third or more of our time on tasks of lower importance. You might be able to stop doing some of these things altogether. They may no longer have value for the company, or a more efficient way of doing them may have emerged.Speaking of which: When it comes to those mundane tasks, it’s time to consider the merits of automation. By automating repetitive tasks, companies can free up their employees to spend more time on higher-level, creative responsibilities. Look for opportunities to adopt systems that can handle some of the routine tasks that don’t use your full potential, like scheduling meetings or replying to emails from new leads. Prepare to explain to your boss what you would do with your newfound free time. A smart boss will probably be excited about such solutions, and taking initiative to make processes more efficient demonstrates real leadership.If you can’t automate a task, outline your own system for how to do it. Block those lower-priority tasks into your schedule to make sure they don’t eat up undue time. When the moment comes, you can hand off your system to someone else!
Prepare to pitch the high-profile projects you want to take on.

What got you here won’t get you to the job of your dreams. What high-visibility projects do you want to pursue in the new role you’re assigning yourself? Outline one high-profile project that excites you, and why you’re qualified to take it on. Pitch your idea to your boss with confidence. Starting with one will allow you to really shine, but soon you’ll be taking on more. Find out if your boss can invite you to a meeting with top leaders so you can sell your idea to them directly.

Enlist a team to carry out your project, if it’s going to take more than just you. Instead of waiting for your boss to assign people to it, talk with coworkers whose work you admire in advance. Ask if they’d like to jump on board. Soon you could be the leader of a crew of trusted colleagues who are most equipped to carry out the project together.

Take your ideas seriously. Schedule in time to reflect and hash them out on paper. As you gain visibility through high-profile projects, you’ll have more opportunities to pitch your ideas to leaders. Don’t miss an opportunity because you weren’t ready to present your idea to the world! And don’t be afraid to toot your own horn when you succeed.

Agnes worked to prove her capabilities by initiating one major project. About two months into it, her boss invited her to a meeting of executives so she could update them on its progress. She took the opportunity to pitch another idea she’d been preparing to unveil, and they loved it. A third project didn’t fare as well, but she kept moving forward so people wouldn’t associate her with that failure. She continued taking smart risks, and it paid off. She’s since been promoted to her dream job, a leadership position that lets her focus on projects that grow the company and positively influence its direction.

Stumped on how to reach the next level of your career? Contact Joel for more expert insight on how to unleash your leadership skills and get the promotion of your dreams.

Get Promoted at Work | Your 10-Point Plan

“When there are hiring decisions and promotion decisions to be made, people are hungry for data.” ~Oren Etzioni

Gary had been with his media company for a little less than a year. He recently had a very positive performance review in which he’d voiced his ability to handle greater responsibility. His boss had agreed. However, just after that review, a coworker in the same type of role received a promotion, only a year from her last one.

What had she done better than him? he wondered. Should he have been more assertive in his review? He knew she’d earned the promotion, and he didn’t want to come across as being jealous. However, he did want to take steps to get promoted at the next available opportunity.

Gary reached out for some expert advice on what steps to take to get promoted at work, and here’s what he learned.

Share your professional development goals for work with your boss.

Make it clear that you want a promotion. Don’t be shy. Ask your boss what it will take to get promoted.
Discuss the workload you believe you can handle.

Be a specific as possible about the types of tasks you’re eager to take on, and why you’re equipped to handle them.
Ask your boss these questions:

Why kind of data or information can I provide to document my progress?
What do I need to be doing over the next 3–6 months in my work to get the promotion?
What larger-scale projects can I own right now?
How does the promotion process work?
Which other key decision-makers could I increase my visibility with to improve my chances for promotion?


Keep a log of your accomplishments.

Jot down data about every success, even small ones, so you can share exactly how they benefited the company. Tracking your achievements will allow you to promote your work anywhere, any time.
Create an elevator pitch for every large-scale project you’ve been working on.

Make sure to add in evidence about how they’ve benefited the company! (Tip: Talk about what a great job other contributors did to share the credit around, which will make your successes much easier to brag about.)
Highlight your project manager competencies.

Chances are, you didn’t complete that big project alone. Underscore ways that you delegated responsibilities, supervised others’ work, and made sure it all came together on time. If you’ve been quietly demonstrating leadership behind the scenes, let others know!
Become known as the one who remains calm in a storm.

The best leaders don’t let their anxiety get the better of them. If you want to present yourself as capable and ready for more responsibility, show that you trust your ability to navigate any situation. Find rituals for lowering your stress that work for you.
Devise a plan for getting to know key decision-makers who determine who gets a promotion.

Ask your boss for an introduction.
Reevaluate how you manage your time.

If you have a tough time managing all your responsibilities now, how will that look once you’re promoted? Take the time to weed out or reassign low-level tasks and get rid of common time traps now, like frequently checking email. Focusing on big-picture tasks will prime you for a leadership position.
Discuss your progress with your boss.

Over the next three to six months, schedule time every 2–4 weeks to discuss your progress. Be aggressive in following up, making sure these meetings happen and sharing what you’ve been doing.

The more clarity you have on the specific steps to get promoted, the easier it will be for you to take action and achieve your goals for your work. Getting promoted will only happen with perseverance and belief in yourself. Once your boss gets on board, you’ll see that there’s no reason to feel anxious about starting the conversation!

If you want to inspire your employees to take the reins in their careers, a motivational speech on proven strategies for getting ahead at work can help them reach the next level. They’ll achieve a more fulfilling career, and you’ll have a new generation of star leaders.

Want to revamp your own plan for promotion—or need some guidance on getting started? Hire leadership coach Joel Garfinkle to help you devise and implement ideas that propel you along the career path of your dreams.

16 New Year’s Resolutions to Improve Your Work Performance.

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.”

~Tom Peters

Simon wanted to have an extremely productive upcoming year. He reached out for executive coaching so he could take the necessary steps to help him improve his work performance. With advanced planning, he knew he would be prepared to start the New Year with a significant advantage.

This is the plan that I completed with Simon and other clients over the years.

STEP 1 – CLOSE OUT THE OLD YEAR.

Close out the year in an effective way so you are ready to charge forward in the New Year.

1. Wrap up loose ends. Close out those small nagging projects you’ve been meaning to do. Make the phone calls, answer those emails, and turn in expense reports. Essentially you want to clear out dated projects so you can start fresh.

2. Organize your work area. Clean up your desk, put away old papers, toss dated files and generally straighten your physical area. Then you’ll come back to a clean organized office for less stress.

3. List your accomplishments for the year. Take the time to review your accomplishments. Quantify all that you can. How did it benefit the company? What value have you brought? Keep this in a file for your next review.

4. Keep in contact. Before you leave for vacation turn on voice mail and email autoresponders with a message you are away. Make sure the office has a contact for you in case of urgent matters. You don’t want to return from vacation to unpleasant surprises.

5. Check employee benefits. Businesses often have changes to their employee benefits that happen with the changing year. Take a look. Do they affect you? Or have your circumstances changed and you need to update beneficiaries, withholding amounts, or providers?

STEP 2 – TAKE A YEAR-END BREAK.

Be sure to take a well-deserved year end break. This is a time for relaxation and renewal. You will return to work more vitalized and energized than if you just keep on working without a break.

6. Unplug. Disconnecting from typical social media and technology gives your brain a chance to recharge. It calls on new neuron paths and creates new ways of thinking. When you return to work, your performance will improve.

7. Connect with family and friends. Personal interaction is another way to recharge your life. Pick up hobbies and activities. Have fun. Enjoy.

8. Strengthen your network. The holidays are a great time to send greetings to those you want to keep in your network.

9. Gratitude. Life feels fuller and more enjoyable when we have gratitude. Take time to thank others and express appreciation. Be grateful for what you have.

10. Reflect on your personal and professional life. What changes do you want to make to have a more fulfilling life?

STEP 3 – PREPARE FOR A FRESH START.

As you start the new year you will be prepared for a fresh start. Think of it as a new beginning. The old is behind you and the New Year is a blank page for you to write on. Jump in with enthusiasm.

11. Goal Set. Take stock of where you are and where you want to go. Are there projects or tasks you want to be a part of? Do you want to join a class or professional association? What steps do you need to take to get there? Write down the process and calendar it.

12. Update LinkedIn profile. Review it for needed changes. Use your goals to focus the content and attract the connections that will help you achieve them.

13. Organize your priorities. What is most important? Why? How will you keep that in focus? Learn how to use your time in the most productive way possible.

14. Choose your attitude. Make the New Year one of optimism, gratitude, focus, energy. Use this to create a brand and an expectation that you will produce great work.

15. Focus on the positive. Look at each negative with “What can I learn from this that will make me sharper, stronger, more resilient?” Don’t drag others down, lift them.

16. Capture your accomplishments. Going forward, track your successes. Make an email folder to hold records of your accomplishments. Quantify them and remember how they added value to the company.

When you apply these 16 principles, you’ll find that you naturally improve your work performance. You’re focused, organized, refreshed and connected. You know where you’ve been and where you want to go. Get set for a rewarding new year!

Need help rejuvenating, organizing, or planning for your future? An executive coach can cut through the fog to clear answers.

6 Biggest Time Wasters at Work and How to Fight Them

“When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.”

― A.W. Tozer

By Molly Barnes, Digital Nomad Life

It can be hard to avoid time wasters at work, especially in the digital world we live in. But if you can identify where you’re wasting your time, it’s easier to eliminate the time wasters and fully take advantage of your time at work. Here are six ways

1. Delegate Tasks

We often get caught up in completing menial, time-consuming tasks. While these tasks are certainly important, they have a tendency to pull us away from projects that really matter. One of the easiest ways to free up some time at work is to identify tasks that can be delegated to others.

Finding someone to help perform monotonous tasks, like data entry or account maintenance, can help keep you available for the necessary tasks. Delegation can end up helping other employees improve because they’ll be tackling new endeavors and learning new skills. Plus, practicing delegation allows you to become a better leader, so you can focus on the things that really matter. It’s a win-win!

2. Utilize the Cloud

If your desktop is anything like mine, it can be a scary place. Half the time I can’t find the files I am looking for, and when I do find the file, it isn’t the right version. Utilizing cloud storage is an excellent way to reduce time spent searching for files, especially from the road. Online cloud storage allows you to organize and sort important documents, so they can be found in moments. Plus, the cloud allows you to access your files from anywhere, at any time, via a regular internet connection. You can grant multiple people access to your cloud documents, if necessary, so that several people can view the most current version of a document in real time. By avoiding the shuffle of various files (and the disastrous desktop that results), you can save time at work.

3. Embrace the Headphones

It can be very tempting to listen to or participate in your co-workers’ conversations happening around you. Who wouldn’t want to hear about Katie’s killer party over the weekend? But constantly hearing background chatter can become incredibly distracting throughout the day.

If you work in an environment with several people surrounding you, headphones may be your new best friend. Popping on a pair of headphones with some light background music is a great way to drown out unwanted distractions. Plus, listening to music at work has been known to reduce stress and boost productivity. Sometimes, simply using noise-canceling headphones without any music at all is enough to do the trick.

4. Make a To-Do List

When you don’t have an organized plan for the day, it’s easy to get pulled in a million directions. Without a precise objective for what you need to accomplish, time can go by unchecked, and before you know it, the day is over with nothing accomplished.

A good practice to combat this is to create a to-do list for the day. It can be helpful to create the list the day prior, right before you leave work. That way, you can still include the objectives that you didn’t get finished, so you can start them first thing in the morning. As the day progresses, add new items to your to-do list. This will keep you organized and productive, and can even help eliminate stress.

5. Manage Your Email

Managing your email effectively is vital for improved productivity. When your email appears in one big wall, it can be difficult to do anything about it. Finding the important emails to reply to, the right name to contact, or even that one specific email with the details you need can be tough. Try sorting your email and taking advantage of separate filters and folders to stay organized. Dedicate separate folders for different job duties to help keep you on track. This will allow you to effectively prioritize, find and respond to the right emails quickly.

6. Eliminate Social Distractions

This one is probably the hardest part of eliminating time wasters at work. Our mobile phones and social media presence have become such a large part of our day-to-day lives, it can be hard to separate, even just for a bit. Try putting your cell phone on silent to avoid constant distractions and limit the amount of time you spend browsing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you aren’t ready to completely eliminate social media from the workday, try blocking off a short window of time during the day that is allocated to social media. Set a timer on your computer desktop if you have to.

The flipside of that “nothing got done today” feeling is when you finish the day with your entire to-do list checked off. By implementing some planning, delegating, and discipline, you can get there more easily than you think.

How to Become a Better Mentor

“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” — John C. Maxwell

Tamra asks: When I asked my direct reports for feedback on my own performance recently, I was surprised by the answer one of them gave. He said he’d love more mentoring to help him get to the next level in his career. I feel like I always take time to check in about how my staff can improve. We have frequent one-on-ones, and I’m told I’m very approachable. How can I become a better mentor? What am I missing when it comes to mentoring them to the next level?

Joel answers: Mentoring has many dimensions, so it’s really not surprising that you’re excelling in some key ways but have room to improve in others.

Here’s what it sounds like the core issue is: It’s time to take the mystery out of the promotion process. Your people are getting a lot of support from you in their growth, but they need to know how to channel that growth into new opportunities. To become a better mentor, focus on how to provide that guidance.

Have you ever had a job in which you had no real idea of what it would take to get to the next level? If you’re now a boss, some of your people may be feeling the exact same way. Now that the tables have turned, it’s time to give them the clarity about the career advancement process that you always wanted from your own boss.

Here are three steps you can take to promote your star performers:

Tell your employees exactly what you plan to do in order to help them get promoted.Give them action steps, and follow up on their progress in weekly or biweekly check-ins.Get proactive about promoting your people to your peers and those above you in the organization.Know your messaging strategy around the promotion of your employees.
To proactively share positive messages about your employees, clarify your messaging strategy. What three key traits do you want them to associate with the employee you’re promoting? Ask for her input on this, helping her to create a clear brand for herself. Consider the areas in which that person excels, as well as her goals. Consistent messaging about that employee’s brand will help her develop a strong reputation for those qualities.Share impactful stories showing the value of that employee to the company.
Think of examples of situations in which that individual has demonstrated those key qualities. Think of your favorite stories of how she saved the day or made your own life easier. Being able to tell a vivid story when you introduce her to a higher-level leader will make the intro far more memorable than “This is Jane from accounting. She does great work.” Jot down a list of favorite stories that put a spotlight on each employee’s best qualities, and keep it in the employee’s file for quick reference. If you’re sitting around the board room discussing that person’s qualifications, you’ll be prepared to eloquently explain why she’s the best candidate for promotion.Set work performance goals with your employee.
Make sure you prioritized setting work performance goals with your employees. Now, raise awareness about what your people have accomplished. Send out a monthly update to other leaders on what your team has achieved, describing what star performers have done to reach their goals. If they’ve taken important steps toward self-improvement, mention that too!Introduce your employee to the key stakeholders.
In regard to their own action steps, networking is a major priority. Come up with a list of key players across the organization for your employee to develop a rapport with. Give tips on how to approach them and where.Give them detailed action steps to help improve their reputation.
Give them homework, too, like creating a compelling elevator speech about their accomplishments. Have them rehearse it with you. Encourage them to take steps to promote their personal brand. Ask them to send you a succinct and persuasive list of major accomplishments they’ve achieved over the past year. Give them tips on how to take credit for their work, too, so it never goes unseen.Find additional mentors to help them get to where they want to go.
Employees may also need additional mentors to get to where they want to go. Connect them with mentors who can give them more guidance on their chosen path.

Even if you’re already doing some of these things, your people need to know it. When they know the specific steps you’re taking to promote them to other leaders, they’ll feel you’re part of a team that’s committed to their growth. As you learn how to be a better mentor, you’ll become a stronger leader who will motivate your people to go the extra mile to promote themselves, too.

Joel is an expert in helping bosses become better leaders who provide quality mentoring for their people. Contact him today to improve both relationships and results.

Stop Procrastination Overcome the Career-Limiting Habit

“Following-through is the only thing that separates dreamers from people that accomplish great things.” – Gene Hayden

César had just accepted a promotion, and somehow he was always rushing when it came to finishing important projects. He decided to reevaluate his time-management skills. He started keeping a log of his work, and when he forced himself to specify exactly how he spent his time, the results were shocking. He spent the majority of his time on tasks of lower importance, consistently shoving the most crucial ones to the back burner.

He knew he needed to overcome the insidious habit of procrastination if he wanted to succeed in his new role.

Is procrastination negatively affecting your own life and career in these ways?

Robbing you of valuable time.Increasing your anxiety.Causing you to rush on important projects.Decreasing your self-confidence.

The habit of procrastination deserves special attention because it is so widespread and costly. In addition to robbing us of time, procrastination causes us to question our own value and abilities. It makes us feel inadequate because we can’t get everything done, or done well.

When you’re procrastinating, you’re not managing time well. You might be staying late but still not getting everything done. You might be wasting time multitasking rather than devoting the necessary focus to those tough tasks. You’re also not producing your best work.

How can you overcome the pervasive habit of procrastination?
Stop procrastination in its tracks with this success formula: Motivation + Energy + Action = Results.

Motivation generates energy. Energy cultivates action. And action over time will always produce results.
Any action you take will generate energy and take you from a place of stagnation into movement. Start with something inspirational to motivate you. Then take steps to increase your energy so you can take action. If you do these things, you can’t help but produce results.

One powerful form of motivation is having someone else to hold you accountable. It doesn’t have to be a boss. Tell one of your coworkers what you plan to work on that day. Check in later that afternoon about what you’ve accomplished. Ideally, find someone who also wants to overcome the habit of procrastinating, so you can support each other with regular check-ins!

Consider why you’re procrastinating, too. Do you typically find the tasks you’re procrastinating on challenging, boring, or confusing? Break them into manageable steps so they won’t feel so daunting. Maybe an hour of that boring task is actually the perfect activity after a high-energy morning of meetings. If you’re feeling confused about how to carry out the task, outline all the steps involved. It will be much easier to jump in when you can envision how it will all come together. Overcoming self-defeating behavior will decrease the mental energy it actually takes to get started, giving you more energy to fuel your efforts.
Try to do the task you dread most first thing in the morning instead of procrastinating on it. Stop wasting mental energy stewing about those tough tasks for the rest of the day. Plus, accomplishing a challenging task will give you a powerful dose of motivation to carry you through the day!

Give yourself a reward for taking action on tough tasks, too. Treat yourself to lunch at your favorite restaurant, or order that book you’ve been dying to read. All this will continue the cycle of motivation, energy, and action.

If you need more guidance and inspiration, a leadership coach can help you learn to prioritize your work for maximum impact. Having expert insight will help you to see and address patterns and issues you may not have spotted on your own.

César realized that as he stopped procrastinating, he became more productive and accomplished. His confidence increased and his leadership abilities shone. He felt calmer and more in control, ready to take on new challenges.

As one of the top 50 motivational speakers and coaches in the U.S., Joel is a pro at helping clients to overcome self-defeating behaviors and step into their full potential. Contact him today for expert insight on the key changes you need to make to advance in your career.

Talent Identification and Management

“Talent management deserves as much focus as financial capital management in corporations.”
~ Jack Welch

One of the best ways to strengthen your company as a whole is to devote attention to developing your employee talent. If your staff isn’t given the proper encouragement or assistance needed to help them move forward within your company, it can be more challenging for the company itself to continue growing in its capabilities. There are several ways that you, as a leader, can help to develop the talent at your company. Talent identification and management begin with The Four P’s.

Pinpoint individual strengths
While specific roles at any company often require a specific set of skills, your employees will likely have additional strengths within those skill sets that can be utilized and honed whenever possible. Assess your staff in order to pinpoint each employee’s individual talents and areas of expertise, then find ways to incorporate those abilities into their daily workflow. This will not only make employees stronger contributors to your team, but will also likely provide them with greater job satisfaction, as they’ll be performing tasks using skills that can bring greater value to their team’s output.Practice engaging leadership
Truly great leaders possess characteristics that encourage and inspire their staff. In order to bring yourself to a higher level of greatness as a leader, explore your existing strengths and see how you might be able to improve upon them and add new motivational elements into your leadership style. Above all, be a leader who provides adequate support for your team. Regularly engage with each of your employees and ensure their needs are being met so they can be better equipped to perform their jobs at an optimized level.Prioritize talent management
Another way to ensure the continued development of your staff is to incorporate effective talent identification and management tools and practices into your business structure. A human capital management solution, for example, can have modules specifically geared toward optimizing your talent management practices. These kinds of software services can simplify the creation of career development plans for your current talent and improve your ability to monitor their progress throughout them. These tools can also automate components of your recruiting operations, like sending out application notifications, in order to speed up the process of cultivating and developing new talent alongside seasoned employees. By improving your company’s talent management practices, you may find it easier to determine what additional steps you can take to aid your employees in continuing to grow.Provide opportunities for growth
In order to truly develop into more skilled and knowledgeable employees, your staff must be provided with opportunities to exercise their own leadership and to strengthen skills that might be important in the roles they aspire to. Sit down with individual team members and help them set work performance goals for themselves. Once they’ve established concrete, attainable goals for both the short and long terms, do what you can to aid them in achieving their objectives each step of the way.

For instance, if one of their goals is to expand their understanding of the daily responsibilities of your company’s executive team, create an opportunity for them to shadow you or another company leader so they can gain insight into whether an executive career path could be a good fit for them. The more your employees are able to broaden their comprehension of your company’s functionality beyond their own duties, the greater the likelihood that they’ll be able to develop into well-informed and well-rounded contributors.

The Four P’s of Talent Identification and Management at Your Company

 “Talent management deserves as much focus as financial capital management in corporations.”

– Jack Welch

One of the best ways to strengthen your company as a whole is to devote attention to developing your employee talent. If your staff isn’t given the proper encouragement or assistance needed to help them move forward within your company, it can be more challenging for the company itself to continue growing in its capabilities. There are several ways that you, as a leader, can help to develop the talent at your company. Talent identification and management begin with The Four P’s.

1. Pinpoint individual strengths

While specific roles at any company often require a specific set of skills, your employees will likely have additional strengths within those skill sets that can be utilized and honed whenever possible. Assess your staff in order to pinpoint each employee’s individual talents and areas of expertise, then find ways to incorporate those abilities into their daily workflow. This will not only make employees stronger contributors to your team, but will also likely provide them with greater job satisfaction, as they’ll be performing tasks using skills that can bring greater value to their team’s output.

2. Practice engaging leadership

Truly great leaders possess characteristics that encourage and inspire their staff. In order to bring yourself to a higher level of greatness as a leader, explore your existing strengths and see how you might be able to improve upon them and add new motivational elements into your leadership style. Above all, be a leader who provides adequate support for your team. Regularly engage with each of your employees and ensure their needs are being met so they can be better equipped to perform their jobs at an optimized level.

3. Prioritize talent management

Another way to ensure the continued development of your staff is to incorporate effective talent identification and management tools and practices into your business structure. A human capital management solution, for example, can have modules specifically geared toward optimizing your talent management practices. These kinds of software services can simplify the creation of career development plans for your current talent and improve your ability to monitor their progress throughout them. These tools can also automate components of your recruiting operations, like sending out application notifications, in order to speed up the process of cultivating and developing new talent alongside seasoned employees. By improving your company’s talent management practices, you may find it easier to determine what additional steps you can take to aid your employees in continuing to grow.

4. Provide opportunities for growth

In order to truly develop into more skilled and knowledgeable employees, your staff must be provided with opportunities to exercise their own leadership and to strengthen skills that might be important in the roles they aspire to. Sit down with individual team members and help them set work performance goals for themselves. Once they’ve established concrete, attainable goals for both the short and long terms, do what you can to aid them in achieving their objectives each step of the way.

For instance, if one of their goals is to expand their understanding of the daily responsibilities of your company’s executive team, create an opportunity for them to shadow you or another company leader so they can gain insight into whether an executive career path could be a good fit for them. The more your employees are able to broaden their comprehension of your company’s functionality beyond their own duties, the greater the likelihood that they’ll be able to develop into well-informed and well-rounded contributors.

Great Leadership Trains

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

~Jack Welch

Dianne had always felt like more of a wallflower than a leader. However, she had mastered her current role in her publishing company and really wanted to get promoted to a higher-level position.

To get there, she knew she had to focus on growing her leadership skills. She began working with an executive coach who gave her weekly exercises to do in order to hone those abilities. Within a couple of months, her boss had remarked about her growing leadership competencies and suggested she might be a prime candidate for a directorial position one day.

What do great leaders do? They instill feelings of confidence and motivate their workers. Many people struggle to understand how they can achieve the same results.

Here’s the good news: If you have the motivation, you absolutely can master the necessary skills to become a star leader.

Some people are born with an inherent ability to get others to follow them. However, charisma isn’t the only trait of a great leader. A lot of the personality traits that make for highly effective leaders are built on a solid foundation of emotional maturity and drive.

Here are the most essential traits that great leaders have. If you want to aspire toward a career in leadership, work toward building and developing these characteristics.

Great leaders have Integrity.

Leaders’ honesty and ability to follow a set of ethics in all of their work affects their ability to influence their followers. Demonstrate your integrity by keeping your word and showing that the human element of what you do matters more than anything else. Set and maintain strong corporate responsibility guidelines, if you’re in a position to make such decisions. Your employees will be proud to work at a firm that takes social responsibility seriously.
Great leaders have Intelligence.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but great leaders should be able to think critically and solve problems. Emotional intelligence is an important trait, too. Great leaders get results by working effectively with others and building strong relationships with the people they supervise. Keep an open mind when it comes to problem-solving. Seeking a range of input will increase the overall intelligence you have to work with.
Great leaders have high energy.

Leadership requires enormous drive, hard work, good stress-management skills, and enthusiasm. Find ways to recharge during your downtime and destress your life, so you can maintain the optimistic outlook and drive it takes to succeed as a leader.
Great leaders bring stability.

Being in control of emotions that are disruptive to others is another critical component of being a great leader. Find a relaxation technique that helps you maintain calm within the storm when difficult situations arise. If you tend to get anxious or angry easily, make a habit of not responding immediately to emails or phone calls that spark those emotions. Take a few moments to re-center first.
Great leaders have high standards.

Great leaders set high professional standards for themselves as well as their employees. They remind themselves of the standards they want to meet and the image they want to create on a daily basis. The needs of the organization and its employees are their top priority. In many ways, a great leader is self-sacrificing. They’re willing to have tough conversations and take on demanding work for the sake of the greater good.
Great leaders have a strong inner voice.

Using gut instincts and reasoning, great leaders are able to quickly assimilate information and arrive at a conclusion. They trust their intuition and allow it to guide their decisions. While they often seek additional input, they’re not usually starting at square one.
Great leaders are confident in their decisions.

Great leaders know that the choices they make are the best ones, and they don’t hesitate to make tough decisions, even if that means having to fire someone. They can confidently explain the rationale behind their choices, maintaining transparency. They are also capable of mitigating damage in the event of a bad choice, knowing they’re not infallible.
Great leaders invest in their own growth.

By keeping abreast of new developments in leadership methods, great leaders can ensure that they will continue to serve as a valuable resource to their company. They strive to read up on new techniques and approaches, and to brush up on them with leadership skills trainings.

Knowing what makes a boss or leader great is not enough. You must also take steps to put your knowledge into action. For instance, you can grow your confidence by building a support team and challenging yourself to take smaller risks. If you’re an aspiring leader, take a few minutes right now to list the steps you will take this week to become a stronger leader. Or, if you’re a manager working to grow your people’s leadership qualities, prompt them to list those steps for themselves.

As an executive coach, Joel Garfinkle is an expert at helping promising employees develop leadership qualities. Contact him to learn more about his executive coaching services.