Phillip Van Hooser's Blog: Build Performance Blog, page 12

Intentional Leaders Steer Where They Stare

Several years ago, I took a motorcycle safety class. During the course, the instructor made a statement that applies not only to successfully riding a bike but also to successfully leading. The instructor said, “When you get on the bike, remember this: you will steer where you stare.” The same is true for intentional leaders. What you focus on will either keep you and your team on course or take you and everyone you lead into potentially dangerous territory. As a leader, do you have an intentional mindset? It’s critical, let’s talk about why.

Intentional Leaders Steer Where They Stare

Recently, Ricky Kalmon interviewed me on his Amplify Your Mindset podcast. We had a fun conversation and he had some great questions on how an intentional leaders mindset affects success for individuals and organizations.

Ricky got right to the heart of it with his first question: “How do you manage a situation where a leader doesn’t think s/he needs to change?”

When Intentional Leaders are Lacking this Happens

This a common symptom in organizations lacking intentional leaders. Too often, leaders get comfortable with the way they think and act. They feel secure and just want to stay in their comfort zone. So anytime they are challenged to change, (think “lead more intentionally”) they typically pushback.

In my consulting and leadership training work with leaders who don’t want to change, I often pose this question. “Would you like to develop a particular leadership style, and maintain that for the balance of your career?” Usually most are heartily in favor of this.

Then I follow with a second question. “Have you seen your employees change?” The response is usually something like, “Well, of course. New generations — new mindsets — new employees — they are always changing.”

To which I reply, “That is the reason you must be willing to change as a leader.”

Most leaders who’ve gotten comfortable expect their people to adapt, adjust, and change to fit the leader’s style. But quite often people won’t. They will look for another path, transfer to a different department, even move to a different company, if necessary.

So I remind leaders that as long as their people are changing, they need to change as well. Leadership styles change because people change. I’m not suggesting leaders change their leadership philosophy to match some new theory. Rather, I’m suggesting leaders must intentionally adapt and change to ensure they are in step with the needs of their people.

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

Intentional Leaders Have This Mindset

Hand in hand with the first question, is this: “How do you engage the ‘unengaged’?”

Unengaged people is another predictable by-product in groups lacking intentional leaders. So sometimes people in leadership roles just need help being better. I start by reminding leaders what leadership is really all about. In my view, leadership is a two-part process.

First, leadership is the ability to offer service — to employees, team members, customers, community, family. It isn’t about a formal position, title or seniority. Rather, you are a leader if you are in a position to help them somehow.

The second part of leadership is a willingness to take action on behalf of those you lead. That requires an intentional leadership mindset. Everyday. No two days will be alike because those you lead will have different needs. Everyday. The intentional leader wakes up not only fully focused on their ability to serve others but also fully committed to take action to help those they lead.

Keeping an Intentional Mindset

It’s always a good time to commit (or recommit) to leading intentionally. Reviewing our goals — reflecting on our purpose — redoubling our efforts. All these are great ways to refocus.

What are some ways you retain and reignite your leadership intent? Whatever your share will help all of us stay on course and out of dangerous territory — thanks for commenting below!

Create Your Intentional Mindset Now, Here’s THE Guide.

#steerwhereyoustare #intentionalleaders #intentionalleadership #intentionalmindset #leadership #levelup #focusedmindset #intentionalleadershipmindset #ownershipmindset #rickykalmon #alysonvanhooser

The post Intentional Leaders Steer Where They Stare appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Talk Business To Me, Baby! — Communication Tip for Leaders

Talk Business To Me, Baby! — Communication Tip for Leaders
One-on-one time with my husband the other night didn’t quite turn out the way I originally thought it would.



Joe and I have four kids, including a newborn, so sleep is often hard to come by. And adult alone time? Well, we’re in this wild season of life where we reminisce about past memories alone together where we did really crazy things… like eating our food while it was still hot!



Baby Holt still wakes up multiple times during the night so usually, when she goes down around 9:00 p.m., I do too. Every extra minute of sleep is priceless at this stage, right?! But Joe and I are missing each other so we’re both making an effort to make time for each other.



A few nights ago, after laying Holt down then crawling out of the room like a ninja (Parents, you know what I am talking about!), I gently shut the door, ran quietly on my tiptoes to the living room and found my husband working on his laptop.



As I came in the room he shut the computer as if to signal that he was shifting from working to date-night. This was our time – we both agreed. As he closed his computer, I casually asked what he was working on. After a minute or two of intently listening to him discuss a project at work, I jumped up and said, “Hold on! Pause! I want to hear this. But let me get a snack!”



Opened the fridge. Checked the pantry. With arms full of all the good stuff, I walked back into the living room, offered him a snack, sat down close to him, and said with a slick smile on my face, “Talk business to me, baby!”


People Change




“Did I really just say that?” I thought to myself. I did. And I meant it…even if it was dorky. We both laughed. You see, it’s funny because I never pictured myself being the type of person who’d prefer a conversation on leadership, finances, strategic planning, etc. versus playing a game, watching a movie, etc.



But, 15 years have passed since we’ve been together. I’ve changed…what I enjoy has changed, what inspires me and refuels me has changed. Because of that, mine and Joe’s goals have changed, how we enjoy spending time together has changed, what we do for fun has changed, and so on. Joe and I intentionally often talk about how we’ve evolved individually and collectively. Those intentional discussions allow us to interact and connect with each other on a deeper level – our relationship is stronger because of it.



Innocent, Incorrect Assumptions


It’s not just me that has changed over time — we all do. Think about your team. They’ve likely individually and collectively changed over time. Whether it’s a person’s goals, wants, needs, motivations, or skills…over time, people change.



The challenge at work comes from the assumption that because you’ve worked with someone for so long, you innocently assume you know who they are and where they stand.



Is it possible that changes have occurred that not everyone is aware of? Maybe an employee or co-worker has changed in a way you don’t know yet. Who knows, maybe you’re the one who has changed?



Either way, neither of you may realize changes have occurred until it’s too late…when one day you wake up and two really great people are just not doing it for each other so you decide to go your separate ways — unless you have intentional discussions.



New Year, New Conversations


If there ever was a time for changes to occur, 2020 would be it! As 2020 comes to an end, this is a great time to schedule a conversation with your people to discuss changes over the past year.



Here are some questions to help kickstart the conversation:

-How have your priorities changed over the past year?

-Have you found any new ways to relieve stress or have fun this year?

-What did you enjoy most about your work this year?



-What do you wish you had more time to work on?



-How can I help you be more successful in accomplishing what you want in 2021?



There must be a purpose behind the questions. It’s beneficial to understand the “what and why” behind employee’s goals and motivations, especially as they change. This knowledge helps you correctly delegate responsibility, evaluate performance, and put the right people in the right places.


Intentional communication with employees and coworkers focused on creating and maintaining a mutual understanding of each other allows leaders to lead better. So, get to talking. More importantly, get to listening.


So how have you changed in your professional life over time? Comment below!



Learn more about our Transformational Leadership Development Training that helps leaders and teams ELEVATE PRODUCTIVITY and PROFITS through engaged leadership here: www.vanhooser.com !

The post Talk Business To Me, Baby! — Communication Tip for Leaders appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Empowering People: How Far is Too Far?

I get this question a lot… So Phil, when you talk about empowering people, aren’t you really suggesting we’re giving them free rein? The short answer is “no,” — I’m not saying that at all. In fact, I don’t think most organizations ever have to worry about going too far when empowering people. Early in my career, I lived through a situation that showed me empowered employees can lead much further than we imagine — if and only if — we give them the chance. Let me explain.

Empowering People: How Far is Too Far?

While working as an HR Manager, I was given the task of hiring 125 new people for a new product line startup. I had 10 months to do it. And management wanted me to do it using participative team activities. In other words, by empowering our people with the some of the responsibility. It was a great challenge. And something we had never done before.

So I instituted a team interviewing plan. Four people interviewed every candidate. And the makeup of that team was very important: the HR manager, the supervisor of the individual to be hired and two interviewers with practical knowledge of the job being filled. So in other words, welders participated in the hiring of other welders; material handlers hired material handlers and so on.

The whole concept was wonderful on paper. But it was taking me, on average, three interviews for every one hire. So when I introduced the team interviewing concept, I went to people I thought would be good at the process. One such employee was Darnell.

Empowering People May Sound Easy But…

“Hey Darnell, have you heard about the interviewing process? Yeah? Well, I’d like to get you involved.”

Surprisingly, Darnell said, “I’m in!”

I mean, it was just that quick. And I thought, “this is going to be easy!”

After a little training, Darnell and the other three of us started the team interviewing. To make a long story short, we interviewed 14 or 15 people — without one hire! So much for “easy!”

Now remember, I’m expecting three interviews for one hire — we’re four times that and no hire! And Darnell was the hold-out. He just kept saying, “I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”

Are You Ready to Take Empowered People Seriously

Finally, I thought, I’m going to have to pull Darnell aside and have a conversation. I said to Darnell, “Is it possible that your standards are too high?”

Listen to that question… This is coming from the HR guy! I will never forget what Darnell said to me. He looked me square in the eye and said,

“Phil, do you remember the day you asked me to participate in this process? Do you remember how quickly I accepted your invitation?  Well, you didn’t know this. But I’ve been standing on this line doing my job, trying to understand why you and others did your job so poorly.

“I always said, ‘if I ever got the opportunity to make a difference in this organization, I am going to seize that opportunity.’

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

This is the Goal of Empowering People

And he finished with, “I don’t think we should hire one person that can’t make this organization better. And personally, I’m going to hold out until we find the right ones.”

I stepped back, took a long hard look at myself and said to Darnell,

“I’m sorry. You are absolutely right. Our job should not be to fill holes. Our job is to build businesses. Let’s go back in there and continue the process until we get it right.”

We hired 125 people over the next 10 months and we had a turnover of only two! And it’s interesting — I still remember those two interviews. We had interviewed late into the evening and we were tired. The team said,  “Oh, let’s just hire them.”

We let our standards fall.

The Results of Empowering People

One more thing about the employee Darnell hired…

I was out on the floor touching base with all the new hires and Darnell called out to me, “Hey Phil, come here.”

I walked over to Darnell and as I motioned to his hire, I said, “What do you think about our guy?”

Darnell quickly replied, “He is the best employee we’ve ever had!

I said, “Really? Why do you say that?”

He said, “…because I used to be the best employee — now he is. And I hired him!”

And when Darnell said that, I knew he had taken full ownership, responsibility and great pride, not only in hiring, but in making sure that this young employee developed in a way to keep the organization growing stronger!

My response to the question, “How far is too far when empowering employees?” is this. I don’t think most organizations ever have to worry about going too far. Most of them won’t go nearly far enough.

The experience with empowering Darnell and the interviewing team showed me empowered people can lead much further than we imagine — if and only if — we give them the chance.

How to Empower People

So Phil, how do I know an employee is ready for increasing levels of empowerment? I’m glad you asked! And it’s a great question for organizations wanting to ensure a steady stream of ready talent. Using these 6 progressive stages for empowering people is a good way to get started.

I’ll never forget Darnell and what he taught a young HR manager about empowering employees.

So what have you learned from empowering people? I would love to hear — the good and the bad! Please share below.

Give Your Employees the Chance to Lead — We’ll Show Them How

#empoweringpeople #empoweringemployees #empowerment #levelsofempowerment #giveemployeesachance #employeestakeownership #makingorganizationsbetter

The post Empowering People: How Far is Too Far? appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

What, How & Who to Share Your Gratitude

When you share your gratitude with someone, you strengthen the connection with them. When leaders connect with employees, the deeper connection leads to more trust, respect, and loyalty to one another. The key to sharing your gratitude with your people is simple — be sincere and be specific. Here’s the what, how & who when it comes to sharing your gratitude.

Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions

What’s not to love about a long autumn weekend like Thanksgiving? I’m always down for another round of sweet potato casserole or repeat viewing of the Macy’s parade. 

But my all-time favorite tradition this time of year is going around the room and everyone in our huge family sharing one thing they’re thankful for!

It’s a momentary pause — in the middle of all the chaos — to not only remember what (and who) is most important — but to make sure those around us know it.

Best 2020 Thanksgiving Recipe

2020 is a year unlike any we have experienced. And while we’re all feeling battered from the COVID19 struggle, the best Thanksgiving “recipe” may be trying a generous portion of reflection and gratitude! 

Going with my favorite tradition of sharing our thanks with the people around us, we’ll go first!

Here at Van Hooser Associates, this Thanksgiving season we are deeply thankful for all the organizations that have boldly pivoted in 2020 and trusted us to do the same. We so appreciate the leaders we work with who understand the value of and commit to investing in the success of their people — most especially during hard times. 

Our hearts go out to each of you who have chosen to show a more vulnerable side of yourself and humbly serve others at a greater level in 2020. Because we’ve come together as human beings, not just leaders and employees, during one of the most challenging seasons of our generation, that we can all stand stronger together as partners, teammates, and entire organizations.

We are humbled that you continue to trust us to help you connect teams, improve communication, elevate performance, and transform the culture within your organization. Our heart is to see you succeed and we’re so thankful that we can help you do just that. We’re looking forward to all the good work we will do together in 2021!

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

As always, we want to provide you with practical ideas to be more successful. This Thanksgiving season is no different. Here are some simple, sincere ways you can show gratitude to your people… and the what and how to do it well…

—

What, How & Who to Share Your Gratitude

When you share your gratitude with someone, you strengthen the connection with them. When leaders connect with employees, the deeper connection leads to more trust, respect, and loyalty to one another. The key to sharing your gratitude with your people is simple — be sincere and be specific. Here’s the what, how & who when it comes to sharing your gratitude.

What…

Be specific. 

Leaders often make blanket statements to the people. Statements such as “thank you for your hard work, service, performance” are all well and good. But those words probably aren’t very meaningful or memorable. In fact, your people may find them cliche`. And the impact of your effort may not be as you hoped. 

Instead, be very specific about the reason you’re thankful for them. When you do that, your words may hang around in their hearts for decades. 

Here’s an example. Instead of saying “thank you for all you do,” try saying “thank you for being a shining example of resilience in a time where I know you are juggling so much. With virtual schooling your kids, taking care of your mom, and still showing up here with a positive attitude that lifts the entire team — we’re better because of you.”
Feel like you don’t know something specific about your employees, here are 5 questions to help you get to know your team.

How…

Have a one-on-one conversation.

Making time for a one-on-one conversation with each person you’re going to thank this season is a smart investment of time. A focused conversation versus a passing, fleeting comment goes a long way in building a lasting connection. A strong connection between leaders and employees is what keeps turnover low and performance high — even during a pandemic.

Deliver a handwritten note.

A handwritten note is something people can hang on to, refer back to, and remember the sentiment forever. None of us receive handwritten notes very often, but when we do, it’s special! Make your thanks extra special this year with a handwritten note of sincere, specific gratitude.

Public praise.

If you can’t reach out personally with a one-on-one conversation or a handwritten note, praising in public is the next best thing. Whether you’re giving a shout out on social media, a call out in a team meeting, or internal email, don’t forget to be specific about what and who you’re thankful for. It’s much more meaningful to call people by name versus saying something like “the Operations department.” And when you’re specific about exactly why you’re thankful for them, they’ll be more likely to keep doing what it is you’re thankful for! 

When you share publicly how much you appreciate someone, the person will feel your pride in them and it allows other people to chime in and elevate the gratitude sentiment.

Who…

Direct Reports.

You may have 100+ people in your organization. It very well may be far-fetched for you to be able to find the time to meet with each one. Be sure to sincerely thank everyone under you in your organization, and be sure to have a one-on-one conversation or send a handwritten note to your direct reports. They know you best and expect that you know them best, too. 

Stand Outs.

In addition to your direct reports, who else in the organization has caught your attention over the past year? Maybe these questions will spur some ideas:

Is there someone who speaks up and adds value to your processes? 
Who has been the heart of the team during COVID?
Has a coworker gone out of their way to help you this past year?
Is there a vendor that has made exceptions for you or the organization during the pandemic?

When you have standouts in the organization, leaders should make a point to recognize them and share your gratitude.

While leaders should express their gratitude year-round, this season is especially important. There are only a few days left before Thanksgiving. Don’t let the opportunity to build stronger connections throughout your organization pass by. Take action today!

Your Turn

Do you have a unique idea or an experience where someone left you speechless with their expression of gratitude? Please share in the comments below — we’d love to hear your ideas!

—

From all of us at Van Hooser Associates, Inc., we’re wishing you, your organization, and all who are special to you a very happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

#thanksgiving2020 #showyourgratitude #thankemployees #waystothankemployees #leadershipdevelopment #thankfulleaders

The post What, How & Who to Share Your Gratitude appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Motivate or Terminate Poor Performing Employees? 7 Questions for Leaders

Do you have a poor performing employee? These 7 questions will help you know if it’s time to motivate or terminate the employee. Let’s dig in!

7 Questions for Leaders on Whether to Motivate or Terminate Poor Performing Employees

Sometimes it’s difficult to know if, as a leader, you should work to continue to motivate your employees or if it’s finally time to terminate them. At times, you may legally be required to terminate an employee. Other times, it’s an intangible test of the leadership…a test of your communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

Are these all the questions you should consider? No. However, these are the questions that will help you become a better leader to both the best and the worst performing employees.

1-Why did you hire them?

When you’re in the trenches with a poor performing employee, it’s easy to forget the magic that was there when you were in the interview process with them. Something had to make them stand out — that’s why you hired them! Remind yourself to view them through the positive lens you first saw them through. Doing this may shed new light on the performance issue at hand and help you find the energy to work to motivate them to better performance.

Get our leadership blog (with even more tips!) by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

2-How was their last performance appraisal?

First, hopefully, their last official performance appraisal wasn’t a year ago. Annual performance reviews aren’t the best…semi or quarterly performance reviews are better. With that being said, how was their last one? Did you discuss the issue at hand? If you didn’t discuss the issue in the last review, now’s the time to make the conversation official. It’s hard to know whether to motivate or terminate a poor performing employee if you aren’t both on the same page about their performance.

During a pandemic, should you still be doing performance appraisals? For the answer, check this out!

 

3-How much influence does the poor performing employee have in the organization?

If you’re dealing with someone whose word and performance carry a lot of weight, it’s even more important that you handle this situation correctly. An employee with big influence has the power to positively impact or negatively infect your entire organization — especially if everyone else is being affected by their poor performance. Leaders must communicate with the team — in a very calculated way — how the situation is being handled.

 

4-Should you consult a higher leader in a conversation with the employee?

Are you exhausted with the situation, maybe you feel like you don’t know what else to do? It’s probably a good idea to get a second opinion. Make sure you consult up the organizational chart, not down.

 

5-Do you know the poor performing employee’s strengths?

A leader should understand their direct report’s strengths. In order to earn the best performance from your employees, make sure you have them in a role that plays to their strengths. It’s possible that you don’t need to terminate them, instead, you need to move them.

 

6-What are their goals within your organization?

Do you know where your employee wants to be in the next 1, 5, 10 years, etc.? Does their current role help them achieve their goals? Do they understand how their role fits into preparing them for the future they want? If you answered no to any of these questions, it’s time to get talking…more importantly, it’s time to start listening.

 

7-Have you asked the employee to evaluate their own performance?

Does the employee see what is going wrong and how it affects them, their coworkers, and the organization? I’ll take that a step further…they may see the effects, but do they truly understand them? Ask the poor performing employee to answer those questions for you so you can make sure they actually understand the issue at hand.

 

I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning — these are not ALL the questions leaders should be asking when it comes to poor performing employees. I’d love to hear from you! What questions do you typically ask when you’re dealing with performance issues? Leave your answer in the comments below!

 

Empower your employees to level up their performance. Get your tool today!

#poorperformance #empoweremployees #motivateemployees #terminateemployees #leadershipdevelopment #improveperformance

 

The post Motivate or Terminate Poor Performing Employees? 7 Questions for Leaders appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Consider Leadership from Two Viewpoints

To be the best, leaders shouldn’t think they’ve arrived. Instead, they should evaluate their leadership effectiveness from where their people want them to be. Let’s consider leadership from two different viewpoints.

Consider Leadership from Two Viewpoints

It was a leadership training session with the top executives for a major U.S. corporation. I had asked for a one-word description of the greatest leader the participants had ever had. Following a momentary pause, people start offering observations. “The leader I’m thinking about had vision.” So I wrote vision on the flip chart. Somebody else said, “The person I’m thinking about had great charisma.” And so I would write down charisma. And with that opening, the characteristics of leadership started to flow.

And from my estimation, it was going very well. The CEO had been doing a wonderful job of setting the tone for being open to learning. And we all know how important that is. If the top man or the top woman in the organization is participating and giving it their vote of confidence, others follow along. That’s the whole concept of leadership.

Is This How You Consider Your Leadership?

It was about ten minutes into this activity when I noticed the CEO do something. No exaggeration whatsoever. In the course of this activity, I saw him lay his pen on a pad of paper and then scoot himself away from the table. And when he had cleared the table, he crossed his arms and he reared back, then he said these words — audibly.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do all those things.”

And immediately — immediately — seventy-five percent of the eyes went down. Seventy-five percent of the people in that room immediately chose to look at the table at the same moment.

Now most of the people in the room would not have seen that because of where they were sitting. But because of where I was standing, I could see the whole panorama. And I saw three-fourths of the eyes go down.

This was as if to say, “I can’t look at my friend. I can’t look at my neighbor. They might find me out. I might get tickled and laugh. I might get in trouble.”

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

Do People Consider Your Leadership Laughable?

Now, I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. And I can tell when a program is going well and I can tell when a program, quite frankly, is on the rocks. This one had the potential to be on the rocks. Why? Because one leader’s comment had a fundamental change on the feeling in the room.

Even though we had only been going for a relatively short period of time, I knew I had to do something to change the flow. So I suggested,

“Guys, I tell you what, let’s take a quick stretch break. I have to get a couple things together, and if you’ll help me out, I’d appreciate it.”

You know you never have to tell people twice to take a break! Everybody stood up, started moving around, and moving toward the back of the room.

How Others Consider Your Leadership

Everybody that is, except one person, and I noticed him immediately. This relatively young guy had his hands in his pockets and he was turned profile to me. He really wasn’t engaged in any conversation at all. It seemed like he was talking to himself. It looked like he was even doing battle, arguing with himself.

And I became intrigued. So I walked toward him and got in close proximity as I tried to mimic his behavior. I don’t know why, but it apparently worked. Because the young man walked by me. And as he walked by me, he delivered his message and then was on his way. He walked up to me, leaned in as he was passing and he said these words.

“I hope the old man is getting some of this.”

I hope the old man is getting some of this… And with his message delivered, he was gone.

This Is What People Consider Real Leadership

I want you to think about those words for a moment — I hope the old man is getting some of this.

What this young man was really saying was this.

“The old man, the person in charge, the authority — the leader — says he does all those things, but I, the follower, am aware that he doesn’t. I hope he can get some of these things.”

Why do people go to conferences? Why do organizations offer skills-based educational opportunities? People want to have their parameters stretched. They want to know what the leadership possibilities are. And organizations need real leadership.

To be the best, leaders shouldn’t think they’ve arrived. They should consider leadership from beyond where they “think they are” and instead, consider leadership from where their people want and need them to be.

When You Consider Great Leadership…

I’ll wrap this up where I began by asking you to think about the greatest leader you’ve known. What one word would you use to describe them? I’ll be eager to hear what you think!

Please comment below. Thanks!

Discover the “Ground Rules” Great Leaders Practice…

#leadersdontarrive #consideryourleadership #theoldman #thebestleaders #leadershipskills #leadershipflaws #leadershipfaults #leadershiptraining #leadershipdevelopment

The post Consider Leadership from Two Viewpoints appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Most Important Question a Leader Can Ask

Leadership credibility is hard enough to come by. And an indifferent attitude toward employees can be the kiss of death. So how can leaders counteract indifference? Here’s an example to illustrate what I believe is the most important question a leader can ask to combat indifference and build employee engagement.

The Most Important Question a Leader Can Ask

I cut my professional teeth in a heavy manufacturing environment — plant floor stuff. I was the HR conduit between labor and management so I was on the floor quite a bit.

On this particular day, we had a machine failure. An extruder went down. And if a key piece of equipment stays down too long, it can be devastating to output, performance and profitability. It just creates bedlam.

The Most Important Person to Ask

So, all hands were on deck. Engineers, operations managers, supervisors, maintenance technicians and employees were called to work on the problem. In my role as HR Manager, I was called in the event employees had to be informed of a line shut down.

As I walked up to the machine, everyone was gathered around.  The engineers, the supervisors, managers, the maintenance people — they were all right there. Except for one person…can you guess who that one person was?

The machine’s operator. He was standing off to the side — by himself, with his arms crossed. I was a couple feet from him as I observed the others focused on the machine. So I took a step or two over to him and crossed my arms like him.

The Most Important Question

I turned to him and asked a simple question. “So what do you think?”

In all fairness, the question was a throwaway line. The equivalent of “nice day” or “think we’ll get any rain.” I wasn’t really concerned about his response. I was just trying to break the ice to start a conversation.  But that’s not how the operator viewed my question.

Arms crossed, standing next to each other, when I turned to him and said, “So what do you think?” — that was all he needed. The floodgates opened.

He immediately starting telling me what he thought.

He said, “Well, I’ll tell you what I think. What I think is that machine has been going down for some time. I have reported it two or three times over the last few weeks. And I feel like there is always a little vibration when we first gear up. And then I sometimes notice the tolerances and quality are out of range. I’ve shared this with several people.”

It is obvious this is not something he is just saying in the moment. This is something he’s spent a lot of time not only thinking about but also analyzing.

It was so striking to me that I was overwhelmed and I didn’t understand anything he was saying. So I stopped him. And when I stopped him, he looked at me as if to say, “Oh, you too!”

So I said, “No, no, hold on.”

And I stepped toward the action — where the others were huddled around the machine.

The Wrong Way to Ask the Question

I tapped my colleague — the engineering manager — on the shoulder.

Perturbed, he turned around, looked at me and said, “What?!”

I said, “Come here.”

He said, “What?!!”

I said “Just come here.”

He got up — in a huff — and walked over to me and the machine operator.

I said to the operator, “Tell him what you were just telling me you’ve noticed about the machine.”

And just before the operator spoke, the engineering manager said, “Yeah, go ahead. Tell me what you know.”

He said it in a such dismissive manner with sarcasm dripping from every word that neither I nor the operator mistook what he was doing.

With that, the machine operator recrossed his arms and said, “No, I don’t have anything to say. You just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. You guys figure it out.”

And with that, there was no more opportunity to learn from one another. There was no more opportunity for conversation, discussion or discourse. The opportunity for engaged leadership was all over.

It was over because of the engineering manager’s indifferent attitude toward an employee.

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

Never Ask the Question Unless…

I’ve thought about that experience many times since. And I have realized the single most important question a leader can ask a follower is…

“What do you think?”

But… A leader should never ask that question — NEVER ASK THAT QUESTION — unless he or she is fully prepared to listen to the answer with an open mind and a considerate spirit.

For organizations to grow, everyone in a working relationship — follower…leader…leader…follower — has to have an opportunity to be heard and to share what they think.

What’s Your Question?

I have to be honest. That day, in that situation, I stumbled upon what I consider to be the most important question a leader can ask to engage with employees. In reality, there are likely many more equally good, or even better, questions to be asked.

So I would like to know…

What question do you consider to be the most important for overcoming an indifferent attitude toward employees? What questions do you use to engage those you lead?

Please comment.

Here’s How We Help Leaders Build Engagement and Credibility

#mostimportantquestionaleadercanask #indifference #whatdoyouthink #leadershipcredibility #employeeengagement #engagedleadership

The post Most Important Question a Leader Can Ask appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

3 Leadership Skills to Bring Out the Best

Leaders in most every industry want to know what they can do to bring out the best in their people. Here are three distinct leadership skills to help any leader, at any time create an environment where people and performance flourish.

3 Leadership Skills to Bring Out the Best

A major distribution group for the electrical/utility, HVAC/R, and plumbing industries recently interviewed me for a roundtable on leadership performance during great uncertainty. Central to the discussion was this question: what leadership skills or organizational elements bring out the best in people?

The organizations most capable of weathering any difficult situation are populated with highly engaged, well-trained leaders. In 2012, Gallup reported that “companies that increase their number of talented managers and engaged employees achieve higher earnings per share than their competitors.”

So what are the most important skills and attributes contributing to strong leadership? Leaders in high performance organizations are invariably proficient in three critical leadership skills:

Planning
Communicating
Executing

Intentional Planning

Admittedly, long term organizational planning is exceptionally challenging at this moment in time.  But the need for solid, foundational short term planning has never been greater.  Leaders and followers alike must know that every activity they are involved in — day in, day out — is specifically intended to strengthen the organization in some highly intentional and purposeful way.

Communication: The Leader’s Super Power

The best led organizations have always used effective leadership communication as their super power. Effective communication is a key factor differentiating apart from underperforming competitors. And today more than ever, purposeful communication at every organizational level is critical. Using clear, concise, intentional communication, the best leaders share immediate plans and tactics. In so doing, they eliminate the nagging concerns of “what is going to happen next?”

Execution is Essential

In the end, effective planning and stellar communication are only as good as the actions we take and the skillful execution of those communicated plans.  Opportunities don’t normally “appear” out of thin air, rather they are “discovered.”  Discovered by those out working to make something happen and in the process, discover other existing opportunities.  Most of us want to work for leaders who know where they’re going and are anxious to get started.  Frankly, a lot of us follow such leaders for fear of missing out on something great. Otherwise, working with out executing the plan is just work. Monotonous, dull and unrewarding.

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

Leadership Proven by Fire

Final thought… It has always been my opinion leaders don’t really know how good or capable they are until tested.  Education, experience and desire are wonderful. But leadership “under fire” proves the worth. Testing and “proving” leadership skills establishes a new foundation for future performance. It fuels the leader’s confidence to undertake new challenges — even the difficult, most unexpected ones.

No leader would ask for uncertain, unstable circumstances. But could it be that unpredictable times such as these actually bring out the very best for those leaders who plan, communicate and execute? I think so.

Bringing Out the Best in Your Leaders… Here’s Our Plan.

#strategicplanning #effectivecommunication #execution #bringoutthebest #greatleadership #leadershipskills #leadership #greatleaders #executionisessential #leadershipsuperpowers

The post 3 Leadership Skills to Bring Out the Best appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Dirty Dishes, 16-Year Olds & Communicating to Connect

It’s no joke. In the best of circumstances, communicating to connect and build engagement with your team is hard enough. But our socially distanced, work from home reality has added a whole new layer of difficulty to this part of a leader’s job. So how do you overcome this hurdle? Here are 6 tips for communicating and connecting with your people in person or while working virtually.

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

This experience clearly falls into the “I thought I’d seen everything…” category.

For the past four decades, I’ve made my living by communicating and connecting. Hundreds of organizations have hired me to show up, stand up and speak up to in-person audiences around the world.  On six continents, 12 countries and in 48 of the United States, I’ve connected with audiences.  (Come on Alaska and Maine — I’m still waiting for my invitation!)

Large audiences in huge ballrooms and small audiences in secluded basements. Iconic stages and flatbed trailers. I’ve watched men and women stand and cheer. And yes, watched them sit and sleep! In professional speaking, I thought I’d seen just about everything.  And I thought I could manage almost anything.

Connecting Got Easier, Communicating Is Still Hard

Then out of nowhere came COVID-19.  In no time, the pandemic distanced us from one another.  Virtually (pun intended!) overnight the way people met and communicated changed.  Speakers with years of experience and thousands of hours of stage time, are now being asked, “Can you keep the attention of my virtual team for 90-minutes?”

Hey, I’m a professional speaker and trainer —  skilled and experienced in developing and sharing content.  I know how to anticipate audience member reaction.  It’s what I do.   An audience is an audience, right?

Communicating to Connect in a Virtual World

Then came last Thursday morning!

7:18 am CST.  I was about 3-minutes into a 90-minute, Zoom leadership training session with thirteen corporate managers.  Everyone was live, front and center on a shared screen.  Some were participating from their offices and others in seclusion from their homes.  The topic: “Communicating for Positive Leadership Effect.”

Just as I stressed the importance of “connection” for effective leadership communication, one of the participants suddenly blurted something out, rose quickly and darted away.

We all heard and saw it.  In real time.  It couldn’t just be ignored.

Realizing my role as the session leader, I spoke up.

“Let me remind each of you to ‘mute’ yourself in consideration of others on this call,” I said simply before moving on.

Seconds later the participant in question returned.  There were no further interruptions.  Our session concluded about 85-minutes later.  From my perspective the distraction was almost immediately forgotten.

Dirty Dishes and 16-Year Olds

That is, until I checked my email soon after the session’s end. 9:23 am … an email from “Stacy” arrived in my inbox:

“I apologize for yelling during your presentation this morning.  I’m working from home to make sure my two boys are on track with virtual learning. I was waking my 16-year old who overslept and his room had a horrible odor (maybe rotten food….I saw lots of dirty dishes).  You witnessed my reaction to him oversleeping and to the horrible smell.  Unfortunately, my muted cell phone un-muted at that moment as I had it in my hand.  So sorry.  I wanted to confess and explain.

As I read, I began to laugh!  I quickly shared the content of the email with my wife.  She laughed, too!  For the next couple of minutes we empathized with Stacy’s situation.  Once up on a time we too had 16-year olds.  Now those children have children of their own.  And in their roles as working professionals, we could easily imagine them juggling the competing demands and responsibilities of work and home in much the same way as Stacy.

9:39 am … my email response to Stacy:

Stacy,

You made my day!!  ;-)  We’re all suddenly dealing with distractions and unusual situations unlike anything any of us could have imagined just a few months ago.  So you were just dealing with life as it came to you. No problem at all!  Don’t think another thing about.  In fact, your apology/explanation has already become a highlight of my day.  Thanks!  I hope the content of our session this morning is something you’ll be able to build on.  Good luck!

All the best!  Phil

9:43 am … Stacy’s email response to my email:

Thank you for understanding.  I took notes on the content and I always enjoy your sessions.

6 Tips for Communicating to Connect

Well guess what, Stacy?  I took notes on your actions and reactions as a leader under pressure, too.  And as far as I’m concerned you were tremendous! Here are six takeaways for communicating to connect:

Manage Multiple Priorities:  While working diligently to proactively juggle multiple priorities — both of which had significant potential consequences — an emotional reaction momentarily overtook Stacy.  Let’s be honest — It happens.
Prioritize and Act:  Stacy dealt appropriately with BOTH situations, but not concurrently.  She addressed her son’s education and her own professional education in the prioritized order of importance in which they came to her.
Reset and Refocus:  Having sufficiently dealt with her son’s immediate situation, Stacy returned and refocused attention and effort on her own educational opportunity at hand.
“Fess Up” When You “Mess Up”:  Though not expected to do so, Stacy wasted no time in “confessing and explaining” once our session was over. She reached out to me to ensure that our professional relationship had not been damaged by her actions.  She was simply unwilling to risk leave my interpretation of her actions to chance.
Don’t Be Afraid to Laugh at Yourself: Thankfully, Stacy didn’t take herself too seriously.  She was able to see the humor in her situation.  She aired it all out — dirty, stinking dishes and all.
Connect through Honest, Authentic Effort:  In so doing, the connection between the two of us was cemented in a way which would have been difficult, if not completely impossible, between two people attempting to communicate virtually.

Stacy delivered an unforgettable object lesson in communicating to connect!

Even in a pandemic, we’re helping companies improve leadership engagement and performance. If you’re wrestling with this challenge, we have some ideas to help. Let’s talk.

#communicatingtoconnect #workfromhome #communicationskills #virtualleadershiptraining #virtualmanagementtraining #communicationskillstips #howtoconnectwithemployees #ithoughtidseeneverything #engagedleadership

The post Dirty Dishes, 16-Year Olds & Communicating to Connect appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

Performance Evaluations: Cut or Keep During the Pandemic?

For many companies, when times get tough, things get lean. Regardless of what difficult cuts leadership has made during this pandemic season of life, one thing is for sure – performance evaluations must be kept, not cut. Let’s talk about why…

Performance Evaluations – Cut or Keep During the Pandemic?

Employee engagement rates highly correlate with the level of clear, consistent performance feedback an employee receives. Very engaged employees typically perform better and stay longer. Here are three considerations for leaders when it comes to the choice of tackling performance evaluations amidst the pandemic.

Performance Evaluations Cause & Relieve Stress

No one needs more stress added to their plates right now. Obviously. For many people, the idea of an upcoming performance evaluation brings on stress. However, for high performing employees, once they’ve received a legit – clear, direct, accurate – performance evaluation, stress levels go down! Why? Gone are the days where anxious questions such as these fill their minds:

Am I doing everything they want?
Am I doing it right?
What do I do next?
Actually, what am I even doing right now?
Is there even a future here for me now?

…and so on!

These are questions that only an employee’s leader can fully answer.

So, leaders… regardless of whether or not you want to embark on performance evaluations in the midst of a chaotic pandemic environment – do it. Because, especially in turbulent times, your employees need the feedback in order to thrive.

Get our leadership blog by email  + get a bonus welcome gift.

Are You on the Same Page?

Leaders and employees must be on the same page in order to be an effective team.

Here are some questions for leaders to consider:

First:

What has changed for you and your team since this spring?
Are you working in the same place?
Are you serving customers differently?
Have you implemented new processes and procedures?

Then: How did you communicate all the changes to your team?

Finally: Have you followed up to make sure each team member understands the new expectations and is performing at their best?

If your answers to these questions are not black and white, know that it’s the leader’s responsibility to make this right. How do you do that? Performance evaluations are a great place to set, reinforce and discuss expectations in order to get on the same page. When changes increase, the need for improved communication increases, too. Don’t cut performance evaluations – keep them.

Performance evaluations are even more stressful when you have to discuss poor performance. Here are some tips for those difficult conversations.

Cut or Keep Your Leadership Influence?

Employees want and need to directly hear from their leader – especially during a pandemic. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you should take it easy and not do performance evals this year because everything has been nuts – that’s a mistake. And, straight up, even if you can’t give raises this year…still give a solid performance evaluation. Those are invaluable!

Communicating well with your team is fundamental to your leadership success. Your choice of whether or not to do that during this pandemic is a choice to cut or keep your leadership influence.

Are your managers effective at conducting performance evaluations? If not, let’s talk about some ideas to help them.

 

#performanceevaluations #leadershipinfluence #performanceappraisals #leadershipsuccess #giveemployeefeedback #employeeswantfeedback

 

The post Performance Evaluations: Cut or Keep During the Pandemic? appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..