Phillip Van Hooser's Blog: Build Performance Blog, page 17

13 Gen Z Statistics for Leaders

So much is and will be changing in the workplace over the next several years. Here are 13 Gen Z statistics to help you prepare!

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13 Gen Z Statistics for Leaders

It’s Friday the 13th so I’m giving you 13 Gen Z statistics! These stats will help you better understand your employees who are appx. 24 years old and younger. When you better understand your people, you can adjust what you do and say which will help you connect better with them. When leaders truly connect with their people, that’s how you level up your leadership in the 21st Century!

I’m digging into the latest information I’ve found on Gen Z and we’re looking at multiple aspects of their lives. I want to paint a full picture of them for you — from what they’re doing when they’re on their phone to what they are wanting when they walk in the break room to when they actually want to hear from you!

Alright leaders, let’s dig in!

13 Gen Z Statistics
Food

58% (compared to 47% of Millennials and Gen X) of all Gen Z eating occasions were prepared without using any kind of appliance at all. -The NPD Group/National Eating Trends®, 2 YE May 2017

That stat is saying that the majority of Gen Z’s surveyed choose ready to eat foods and meals versus anything that has to be prepared with a microwave, toaster, etc.

Here is what we know: Gen Z is still young — somewhere between appx. 7 and 24 years old. Many of their food choices are shaped by what their Gen X parents are buying for them, but with millions of Gen Z’s already on their own and making their way in the workforce, we’re starting to learn more and more about their personal food choices. Why should food choices matter to leaders? Do you provide food in your breakroom, during training, as gifts, etc.? Why not give the people what they really want?!

Gen Z’s Gen X parents (maybe because they’ve watched all the food documentaries on Netflix ;)) have instilled in them the value of nutrition, not just sustenance, from food. We are seeing that Gen Z (unlike Millennials) care less about supporting small, non-national brands. Instead, they care more about if the brand aligns with their own beliefs, where and how the ingredients were sourced, and equally as important — if it’s easy to eat! We’re also seeing Gen Z pick more “snack” foods vs. whole meals in order to make up the traditional 3 meals a day of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you’re having food in the break room at work, are you including more foods for Gen Z that require a toaster or microwave to prepare? Foods such as P3’s,   Core Bars, and even Oreos are just a few choices they might be looking for.

Here’s the thing, we all love food! When your people are craving something in particular and they find it in the break room…you can count that as a leadership win. No doubt they’ll have a surge of happiness as they walk back to their desk with the snacks you strategically placed. It’s the little things that make people feel seen, heard, and important. Time to go grocery shopping!

Work-Life Preference

65% think it’s acceptable to be contacted outside of office hours (that’s more than double the amount compared to baby boomers). – Talent Works International

72% agree that employees should be allowed to use their personal phone during work hours. -Talent Works International

We’re seeing that for many Gen Z, they put more importance on flexibility than salary and benefits.

In order to attract and retain the best-of-the-best Gen Z employees, think about ways you can change up schedules at work to give employees more options. Could employees work remotely? Can you change your performance evaluations to be more task-oriented? Maybe an in-depth conversation on vacation time needs to be discussed and evaluated with employees?

There are so many different legitimate options to create more flexibility in the workforce. It’s your responsibility/opportunity to lead the way for the next generation!

Work Ethic

32% of Gen Z say they are the hardest working generation to date. -Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated

Gen Zs have grown up in a world where they’ve seen Millennials struggle with debt and their parents struggle through the recession. Overall, Gen Zs seem to have a pretty realistic view of what it’s going to take to be successful in the real world — hard work. That’s good news to leaders, right? Absolutely! It’s easy to default to the negative attitude that bringing in another generation to the workforce is going to create more headaches. Choose a positive attitude. Lead with a positive attitude! Stats are showing there are good things to come from Gen Z!

University or Trade

89% of Gen Z have considered an education path that looks different from a four-year degree directly out of high school. -TD Ameritrade, 2017

What should this mean to you as a leader? Many things. However, my focus for today is for you to consider loosening the qualifications for a job in your company. If your job qualifications say a bachelor’s degree is required, you may miss out on really great talent. Additionally, you may miss out on more female talent. Studies have shown that females are less likely to even apply for a position if they don’t check all of the qualifications boxes versus males who will apply anyway.

Worried your employees won’t be prepared for the workforce without formal education? Think about this for a moment, how much of the knowledge you learned in college do you now use in your current role? Instead of the education you gained, are the skills you learned in the real world just as — or potentially even more — valuable? That could be the base for your best future employees, too. Leaders, it’s time to think outside the box more than ever before!

Preferred Communication Style

72% of Gen Z prefer face-to-face communication at work.

It’s easy to assume that because young people seem to always be on their phone that they would prefer to communicate through some sort of text electronically. Don’t be deceived! Several studies have come out and show that is simply not the case. As a leader, go talk to your Gen Z people face to face. They may seem hesitant at first, but they just need practice! Lead them to be a better communicator.

Social Media of Choice

TikTok & Instagram both have 1 billion+ users in 2020. The majority of their users are Gen Z.

The average TikTok user is on the app appx. 52 minutes per day.

The average Instagram user is on the app appx. 28 minutes a day.

If you’re wanting to attract Gen Z employees, my question to you is does your company have a presence on Instagram and/or TikTok? If not, you may be losing potential candidates to those companies that DO have a presence on those social media channels. Maybe now is the time to go have a conversation with your Marketing and HR Directors!

(As with everything you do, you must manage the risks that come along with using social media for your business. Be sure to mitigate the privacy and reputation risks that are associated with using these applications.)

Prominent Skill

73% (of Gen Z surveyed) rate their technology literacy as good or excellent. -Dell

I feel like this is not surprising…but Gen Z has only known a world where machines and people interact constantly and technology is changing constantly.

The fact of the matter is that technology is changing the way companies operate and will operate in the future. Gen Z is the first uniquely equipped generation to help lead the way right out of the gate! As a leader, find ways to involve Gen Z in the discussion on the future offerings of your company. You never know, they may surprise you with the best ideas out of anyone else on the team!

Prominent Weaknesses

60% (of hiring managers) said new grads lacked critical thinking skills. -PayScale

What’s surprising about this statistic is that the majority of Gen Z surveyed said they thought their skills were up to par. Obviously there’s a gap between self-awareness and leadership expectations. In a world where Google and calculators are at our fingertips — even during school — it’s no surprise that critical thinking skills are lacking in Gen Z. With all that Gen Z brings to the table in value, it’s important that leaders invest in developing the critical thinking skills of their youngest employees!

Job Market Expectations

72% of high school students and 64% of college students are eager to start their own business. -Future Workplace

If the majority of Gen Z want to be entrepreneurs, what is this going to mean for your company? The importance of great leadership is more important than ever!

The fact of the matter is that Gen Z has an incredible amount of job opportunities they could pursue. From building a multi-million dollar business making YouTube videos, to starting their own business that is crowd-funded, or even choosing multiple freelance jobs on UpWork…it seems that the possibilities are endless nowadays. Gen Z is not entitled, they just have more options! Be the leader that helps the employee achieve their own goals while achieving the company’s too–and you’ll be a top contender in the Gen Z job market!

Diversity

48% of Gen Z is non-caucasian. -Pew Research

Depending on where you’re from, Gen Z is likely only going to notice diversity in the workplace when it’s not there. If your company is largely one demographic, that’s going to be a red flag to many Gen Zs. Something will not seem right. Many have grown up in a world where all they see is diversity around them, on their phone, on TV, in the movies, in magazines, etc. Gen Z is a very inclusive generation. Does your workforce say the same thing?

Typical Household Makeup

The share of U.S. children living with an unmarried parent has more than doubled since 1968, jumping from 13% to 32% in 2017. -Pew Research

How a person is or is not parented is such a huge determining factor to how he or she will think, act, and feel. If someone grows up in a home where the father is very authoritarian and the mother is very timid, his/her viewpoint on male or female leaders in the workplace may be very different. Someone else may grow  up in a home with only a mother, one who is an incredibly hard worker and worthy of huge respect, the employee may prefer female leaders in the workplace. If someone grows up in a home where they were mistreated, they may bring their own set of walls into the workplace.

How you grow up will have an effect on determining who you are as an adult — good or bad. As a leader, you have to realize that your employees are each different and want to be treated that way. Make sure you’re getting to know your employees on an individual basis!

Teen Employment Rate

2018’s summer employment rate for 16- and 17-year-olds was 24.1%, up from 18.5% in 2010. For 18- and 19-year-olds, the summer employment rate last year was 46.2%, compared with 41.6% in 2010. -Pew Research

From the 1940’s-1980’s the data shows that you could expect anywhere from 46%-58% employment rate among teens. As you can see now, that number is in serious decline. However, the number is rising over the last decade.

So, while many employees were trying to enter into the corporate world without any prior work experience, we have good news for leaders! It looks like as Gen Z is getting older that many of them are getting on the job experience before they apply for your company. Most Gen Z are working in the foodservice industry which potentially helps them develop customer service, interpersonal communication, and adaptability skills. I am a fan of teens having jobs. Lots of lessons cannot be learned until you’ve thrown yourself into the real world!

Social Causes Interest

94% of Gen Z respondents said they believe companies should help address critical social issues. -Cone Communications

Whether your company is big or small, what are you doing to help address critical social issues? Additionally, how are you as a leader making sure your Gen Z potential new-hires and current employees know what you’re doing? There is a fine line to walk when it comes to bragging about what you’re doing and showing people what you’re doing to they’ll understand who they’re really doing business with. If your company is not doing anything in the way of addressing social issues, with Gen Z entering the workforce, now may be the time!

 

Gen Z Statistics AND Stories

If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a thousand times — today’s leaders must know both the statistics about AND the stories from their people. Not everyone is going to fit the statistics, but if you treat them like they do — you might risk losing your very best employees! People are shaped by their personal experiences, the stories that make up their lives. As a leader, make time to ask and listen to the stories about your people this week. Adapt your leadership style to meet them where they are and lead them to where you want them to be. That’s the incredible power of leadership!

 

Do your company leaders need help understanding their multi-generation workforce?

I can help!
Email me: alyson@vanhooser.com

 

#leadershipdevelopment #multigenerationemployees #multigenerationteam #diversity #diversityintheworkplace

 

 

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Dissatisfied Employees Will Do This, You Can Predict It

Life is not perfect. From time to time, every leader is going to have some dissatisfied employees. So leaders, you need to be fully aware of the predictable behaviors that will occur when one of your employees is dissatisfied. You won’t be able to predict with certainty the order in which these behaviors will surface. But you can predict one or more of these specific behaviors from dissatisfied employees. Here’s what to look for.

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3 Predictable Behaviors of Dissatisfied Employees
Dissatisfied Employees May Quit
1. Withdrawal

When employee needs are not met or satisfied, some of them will withdraw.

Withdrawal comes in two general forms: the most obvious form and the most common form. The most obvious form — physical withdrawal — simply means that your employees quit and leave. They decide to voluntarily remove themselves from a situation that doesn’t meet the needs they so desperately desire. They determine for themselves that it’s best to search elsewhere to have their needs met. In other words, they’ve given up that you, their leader, is willing or able to help them.

Some Employees Quit and Leave

The specific needs may vary as widely as your followers’ personalities. However, many followers experience needs for trust, respect, attention, direction, opportunity, patience. Or they may look for feedback, support, understanding, consistency, recognition, praise, compassion, empathy, caring, and… Well, you see what I mean.

If employee retention or turnover rates in your organization or department aren’t what you’d like them to be, it’s well worth your time to investigate. Ask what employee needs are not being met that are ultimately driving people away. Exit interviews are one method that organizations have historically used to get honest feedback from departing employees. However, as honest as they may be in an exit interview, it’s too little, too late for those employees. These dissatisfied employees have already been lost; they’ve decided to move on.

Proactive leaders recognize the need to talk with everyone of their existing followers frequently — while they’re still physically present. If such communication between leader and follower is lacking, the stage is set. Employees may move toward the other — and more common — type of withdrawal.

Other Employees Quit and Stay…

Dissatisfied employees that quit… and stay — that’s the more common type of withdrawal. And this kind of emotional withdrawal can be far more devastating to an organization than physical withdrawal over the long haul.

Followers are still physically present, however they are not mentally engaged. They go through the motions of their job every day but with no discernible commitment or passion for the organization, its goals or objectives. Productivity, morale, and teamwork suffer as employees wallow in their own unsatisfied needs.

This is precisely why leaders must engage in intentional, ongoing interaction with all employees in an attempt to recognize their needs proactively. It’s a task they should neither overlook nor delegate — and one they must view as time invested, not time wasted.

Dissatisfied Employees May Become Aggressive
2. Aggression

Some employees withdraw when faced with the reality of unsatisfied needs. But others become ever more aggressive in their attitude and behavior. If a leader knows her employees well, it’s not hard to recognize aggressive behavior in them.

Employees may balk when given certain work assignments. They may be quick to take exception to something someone said or did to them on the job, causing a seemingly unnecessary confrontation. Or the opposite may be true. Normally talkative, outspoken individuals may fall silent during discussions when their input would be expected.

How many times have you witnessed an employee behaving out of the ordinary, making  you wonder, “What’s gotten into him?” or “I’ve never seen her act that way before.”

If you witness a normally mild-mannered, subdued employee reacting in an unusually aggressive manner, don’t be surprised. You may find that they’re not only venting their frustration but also fighting to have some specific need met. The best leaders realize that investing some focused, one-on-one time with that individual — to find out what is driving such drastic behavior — is ultimately time well spent. Working together, you and your employee may be able to determine positive steps that specifically address and resolve the problem.

Do Not Neglect Unusually Aggressive Behavior

I do need to highlight one of the more uncomfortable aspects of our leadership responsibilities at this point. I’m referring to the leader’s need to be aware of the possibility of workplace violence. I readily admit that I’m not an expert on the topic. However, there is one thing I know and that every leader ought to recognize. If you witness the first signs of uncharacteristically aggressive behavior in the workplace, your observation demands your immediate attention before a situation gets out of hand.

The worst possible decision you can make in the face of such aggressive behavior is to ignore it hoping it will simply go away. If your employees have become unusually aggressive for any reason, you can’t predict what they will do next because they don’t know themselves. As their leader, you should do no less than attempt to offer your employee help, guidance and support during a difficult and troubling period for you both. It’s your professional and moral responsibility.

Dissatisfied Employees May Rationalize
3. Rationalize

The third predictable human response to the reality of unsatisfied needs is the act of rationalization. Employees may attempt to rationalize away situations once they sense no other way to satisfy their needs.

The best definition of rationalization I’ve ever heard is this: “To rationalize is to tell ‘rational lies.'”

Think about it:

Rational: logical, reasonable, sensible, acceptable.

Lies: fabrications, deceptions, falsehoods, untruths.

When someone engages in rationalization, they’ve intentionally creating and telling themselves logical, acceptable untruths. Then they choose to believe those self-created untruths and act on them as if they were the truth. In other words, these employees opt to create a fictionalized reality rather than search for real solutions to the challenges they face.

Withdrawal + Aggression + Rationalization = WAR

As humans, we all use defense mechanisms to help us cope with unsatisfied needs. I’m not a psychologist, but even I know that when an employee’s needs are not being satisfied, a psychological war is raging inside of them. And in the midst of any type of conflict, we all want to be able to clearly identify our enemies and our allies.

As a proactive leader, the quicker you identify these predictable behaviors of dissatisfied employees, the faster you’ll be able to respond and identify yourself as an ally in your employee’s personal WAR against unsatisfied needs. (Here are some ideas for determining exactly what those needs are.) And now that you know, you can move toward managing any negative effects to the satisfaction of your employee and for the success of your organization.

Increase Employee Satisfaction Rates Through Greater Employee Engagement. I Can Show Your Managers How It’s Done. Let’s Talk.

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Building Trust With Multi-Generation Teams

Building trust among your multi-generation team is absolutely necessary in order to be successful in today’s world. Here are 3 interactions to get started!

Building Trust With Multi-Generation Teams

Trust really is at the heart of both the issues and the successes you have with your team at work. If departments aren’t getting along, do they trust you enough to tell you the real issues? If they aren’t stepping up and taking responsibility the way you want them to, do they trust that you’ll still have their back if they make a mistake? The list could go on.

Teams can be complicated. It’s been said that today’s workforce is the most diverse to date. How do you build trust with people who don’t look like you, talk like you, think or act like you?

Although there are a lot of things that separate us, there’s one thing we can all agree on — we want to trust the people around us. It’s important that you realize that trust is not automatic for most people. Time and consistency are key to building trust between you and your people. Here are three interactions that will help you get started building trust with your most valuable asset — your people!

Ask Their Goals & Expectations

Think about the typical interaction that happens when people first come on board with companies.

Employees are told what time to be where, what they are going to be doing, and are given some sort of direction on how to do their job.

That’s a lot of telling!

It’s time to listen.

Sitting down and having an open conversation is a great first step to building trust. But hear me carefully, this isn’t just a first step, it’s a step that should be ongoing. What’s really interesting about this conversation is that as time goes on and trust between you and the employees builds…they will open up to you more and more about their own goals and expectations.

Why do you need to know your employee’s true goals and expectations?

A person’s goals and expectations determine how the operate on a day in and day out basis. If you want to know why your people do what they do, what’s motivating them, you need to know them. You need to know their goals and expectations so you can adapt your own leadership to help you both accomplish your goals.

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Define Your Goals & Expectations

The fact of the matter is that the employee works for you and the company. Ultimately, you’re the leader in this situation and it’s your responsibility to increase performance from your team. Understanding the employee’s goals and expectations allows you to adapt things like your communication style. But you have to take it a step further. The employee needs to clearly understand your goals and expectations. When they know that, they’ll likely be less stressed and have improved performance.

Let’s play out a scenario:

You as a leader give your people a goal of 500 calls per week. The employee wants to be really successful in their career so they never miss the goal. They always make the 500 calls ever week. But, you’re frustrated with them because although they always hit the 500 goal you put out, they never do anything more…even if they hit that goal on Thursday morning. Once the employee has finished the goal of 500 calls, they work on other tasks or low hanging fruit.

The employee is crushing their own goals and thinks they’re crushing yours, too. When it comes down to performance evaluation time, you give them average scores. The employee is confused. They wonder why you gave them average scores when they achieved the goal you put out every week. The employee leaves very frustrated with you and their trust in your leadership dwindles over time.

One of two things is likely to happen from here…in the words of Phil Van Hooser, the employee will either “quit and leave or quit and stay”. Either way, if they’re a high performer, that’s bad news for you!

You have to be crystal clear about your expectations of your people. Crystal clear. Even if you think you shouldn’t have to spell things out for your people, I encourage you to do it — in a respectful way, not a demeaning way. In most cases, people will rise to the expectations put on them. Make sure you communicate the expectation well. It’s a critical building block of trust in your leader/employee relationship.

Interact With Them On Purpose

In the leadership training we do with teams across the country, we teach what we call “PPEs.” PPE stands for Planned Positive Encounters. We teach leaders that every week they should have a PPE with their employees — interact with their employees on purpose for a purpose.

Each positive encounter is like a quarter dropped in the “trust” bank each of your employees has. When you congratulate them on their work anniversary, wish them a happy birthday, attend the funeral of their loved one, acknowledge their kid’s game win last night, etc. that means so much to your employees.

If you do those things once, it will be nice. If you have PPEs consistently, you’ll earn their trust. They will see and feel that you care about them as a person, not just as an employee. Today’s workforce is searching, even demanding, that they will only work for leaders who care both about their personal and professional well-being. That shouldn’t be a burden, but a blessing. The world needs more heart in the workplace! The leaders that go all in like that, they win.

Building Trust Starts With You

I always love to end with a charge–a call to action–because if you don’t take action then you can’t control your success. I encourage you to take a few minutes to schedule time with your employees in the next week to discuss their goals and expectations.

But, don’t forget, that’s just step 1! There will still be more work to do so plan the other conversations. Do your part to communicate, (that also means listening) to your employees. When you do that, you build trust! I can’t wait to hear about your success!

Does your leadership team need to build greater trust with employees?

I have a plan that can help. Let’s talk!

#buildtrust #trustiskey #leaderemployeerelations #employeerelations #employeeperformance #improveemployeeperformance #leadershipmatters #emergingleaders #leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptraining #buildingtrustonateam

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If You’re Not Doing These 3 Things, You’re Not Leading

Recently, I was contacted by an individual who asked me about the possibility doing some training. We did not get that worked out, but he asked me this. “Since we cannot have you come, can you share something with me that I can in turn share with my leaders that would help them be more effective?” Here are three things good leaders do to be most effective in their leadership roles. I firmly believe these are essential leadership skills. So much so, that I believe if you’re not doing these three things, you’re not leading. Let’s take a look.

3 Things Good Leaders Do… If You’re Not Doing Them,  You’re Not Leading

This is what I do. I talk about leadership. For the past 35 years at least, I’ve thought about leadership because I was a leader, a manager, a supervisor in organizations before I started my own business. I’ve thought about why leaders do what they do, how they could get better, what kind of an impact leaders are having and so on. That’s what I do.

And for the past 15 years or so, I’ve thought about how that leadership applies to banking, to financial services. Why? Because 15 plus years ago, I was invited to come on to a bank board, a community bank board specifically. So I’ve taken my leadership work for the last 35 years and I’m applying it in a banking environment.

Recently, I was contacted by an individual who asked me about the possibility doing some training. We did not get that worked out, but he asked me this. “Since we cannot have you come, can you share something with me that I then in turn can share with my leaders that would help them be more effective?”

3 Things Good Leaders Do

I shared with him these three things good leaders do — that every leader can and should do — whether they’re officially and formally trained or not… three things good leaders do to make their leadership more effective. I’m going to share these three things with you as well.

#1. Good Leaders Plan

One of the first things good leaders do — that you can do too — is plan. Plan. Too many leaders think that they can shoot from the hip or from “the lip” without planning what they are going to do or what they’re going to communicate.

Planning is essential to us effectively accomplishing longterm goals and objectives. Now when I talk about planning, I could talk about planning from two different areas.

I can talk about strategic planning, why we’re planning what we’re doing. Then, I can talk about functional planning, planning to accomplish something today. Strategic planning is what we’re going to play in the future. Functional planning is what am I going to do today that will lead me closer to my strategic plans.

Number one, leaders have to plan. A leader without a plan, frankly is not a leader. They’re confused and they’re creating confusion for those people who follow them. A leader must plan.

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#2. Good Leaders Communicate…Well

Here’s the second thing. In addition to planning, a leader must communicate. Now, I certainly am not the first one that said that to you. You have heard other people talking about the importance of communication, and frankly I don’t apologize for saying it again.

Why? Because some people just don’t do it. There’s a lot of leaders out there that are trying to lead effectively. They really want to be an effective leader. They try to lead effectively, but are horrible communicators.

Number one, you’re a horrible communicator if you don’t communicate. If you keep it all inside without letting people know what you’re thinking or feeling, the reality of it is you have not communicated.

The second is this — if you try to communicate what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling, but you do it poorly, you’re not a good communicator.

Listen to this. If you think the only way to communicate is by what comes out of your mouth as opposed to what goes into your ears, again you’re not a good communicator.

Now, if you have a plan, be it a strategic or functional plan, and you’re not communicating that plan effectively to others, you are not leading. I try to help people understand how to plan, but also try to help people understand how important it is to communicate.

#3. Good Leaders Execute

I said there were three things, how to plan, how to communicate, and thirdly, how to execute. Execute.

Anybody who’s read any of my books or any of my work, anybody who’s heard me speak, you’ve probably heard me share my definition of leadership. My definition of leadership is basically three things. One thing it is not, two things it is.

Leadership is not position. It’s not about the title that we hold or the office in which we reside. Leadership is not position itself.

Leadership is two things. The ability to offer service and the willingness to take action. The ability to offer service, to do something for someone else, that would be part of your plan.

That could also be part of your communication. The willingness to share information, the willingness to tell people where we’re going by way of the plan, the ability to do something, the ability to offer service, but the willingness to take action to do it. Execute.

There are so many people that talk about what they’re going to do, communicate, plan for what they’re going to do — and they never do it. Or they do it very poorly. They don’t execute well — or they don’t follow through well. And they don’t incorporate other people into the process.

The Basics of Leadership

For most people, now, I’m just talking about the basics. But the basics for most people oftentimes have not been covered. Read this article for some added ideas on strategically developing your leadership skills.

For most effective leaders to be more effective in what they do, they have to plan more effectively, both strategically and functionally. They have to communicate more effectively, both spoken word, listening in every kind of communication.

There’s a lot more that we could talk about there, but in the end, they’ve got to execute. They’ve got to take action and action that is again aligned with the functional or strategic plans that they’re working and that which they have communicated they would do.

These three things should get you thinking. And whether you’re a banker or whether you’re in some other sort of industry, the concept is still the same. Leaders must lead and the most effective leaders plan, communicate and execute.

Do your company leaders need to improve how they plan, communicate and execute? I can help you make that happen. Let’s connect! +1.270.365.1536 or phil@vanhooser.com.

#bankleadership #plancommunicateexecute #thingsgoodleadersdo #philvanhooser

 

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Building A Strong Team Through Relatable Leadership

Building a strong team starts with building strong leader and employee relationships. Once your people feel like they truly know you and can trust you, then your team’s communication, performance, and culture will improve. How do you make that happen? Let’s talk.

Building A Strong Team Through Relatable Leadership

Strong leader and employee relationships are the foundation of your team’s success. In today’s world, the line between work and personal life is increasingly blurred. Don’t misunderstand me, though. I’m not saying you should be building intimate relationships with your people, but what I am saying is that many employees in today’s workforce want to know the real you before they’ll give you their trust, their loyalty, and even their best performance. 

Building authentic relationships starts with you, the leader. Be careful though — don’t run out of your office right now and start spilling your innermost secrets to your newest employees in hopes for their immediate buy-in.  Before you initiate deeper leader / employee relationships, you have to be sure you first know yourself really well. If you don’t truly understand who you are and why, how could you expect anyone else to?

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Develop a Realistic Self Understanding

Have you taken time to really get to know who you’ve become at this point in your career, your life? Are you different than you were five years ago, ten years ago? How? Why? Are you more future-focused or slowly getting stuck in the past? 

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and end up spending little to no time reflecting on who we’re becoming…whether the result is intentional or unintentional.

Understanding yourself will help you help others understand how to work best with and for you.

DiSC, Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, Color personality tests, etc. are just a few of the tests being used by many companies to help improve job placement, communication, teamwork, etc. One of the most recent tests to come out that is similar to the previously mentioned options, is the Enneagram test. You can take the free test HERE. Regardless of your preference of test, these are great tools to help you understand who you are, how you process information, how other people may perceive you, etc. I encourage you to take a test so that you can start gaining a realistic understanding of yourself.

Once you have that understanding in place, it’s time to go a step deeper!

 

Discover the Why

Simply realizing who you are today and communicating that in a way that creates a mutual understanding of your preferences is good. However, it won’t really help you build anything more than an understanding. You need to build a relationship, not just an understanding.

Once you’ve hit the nail on the head with understanding who you are today, it’s time to peel back the layers and ask yourself, “How did I get here?”

Understanding why you like to work alone, why you are a people pleaser, why you are uncomfortable with change, why you’re blunt, [insert your characteristic here], will help you connect the dots. It’s in the place where you understand why you are the way you are, that you can make a hard decision about whether you want to change or embrace who you’ve become.

Maybe you realize you’re actually not a really great team player because you learned to be really independent growing up. Maybe you decide to change that now?

It’s possible that you always shoot people really straight…to the point of brutal honesty oftentimes. Did you learn to be that way because other leaders in your life did not tell you the truth when they should have? Maybe it’s time to adapt your communication style?

When I did the work to understand exactly why I had become the way I was, I really gained the ability to intentionally choose who I wanted to be going forward versus just accepting my default. Then and there is where I really gained control of my future success. You can do the same!

 

Share Stories With Your People

Here’s where the leader / employee relationships are initiated. You’ve developed a clear understanding of who you are and why. I want you to think about the why. What personal stories about your experiences would you be willing to share with your employees to help them truly understand you…who you are and the leader you want to be for them?

This part may not be easy at all for you. You may be someone who does not enjoy opening up to people, or you may have stories that are hard for you to tell. Either way, when the time is right, I encourage you to share your story regardless of your fear.

When you share stories with people, you create bonds in a way that nothing else can. It’s like you open up a part of your soul and give it away. A little piece of wisdom, insight, or just your heart it all it takes to break down walls and build a solid foundation for your team. When you tell personal stories to your people, you become a relatable leader. Your people will see your authenticity, they will feel your good intention, and they will learn about and from you.

There is power in the stories you have within you. Share them with your team. Start building a real relationship with them, start building trust, start increasing performance, start building a strong team!

 

Building A Strong Team Starts With You

Now it’s your turn. 3 steps: 

Get to know who you are
Understand why you are the way you are
Share stories with your people

Building a strong team takes a bold leader. Put in the work today to lead your people to a future you all are dreaming of!

 

Need a training plan for building a strong team? I can help! Let’s talk!

#leadershipdevelopment #connectthroughstories #learningfromeachother #leaderswhoteach #leaderemployeerelationships #employeerelations #strongteam #buildingateam #teamwork

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Lose Your Temper? This 1 Question Helps

Lose Your Temper? This 1 Question Helps

I’m often asked about what leaders need to do — or stop doing — in order to be most effective. That’s a broad subject with too many concepts to address here. So let’s talk about just one. And to me, it’s the single best way I know to lose your ability to lead. What is it? That’s right — lose your temper.

This is a struggle for and the downfall of many otherwise great leaders. But the tendency to lose your temper is not an unmanageable problem. When you feel your frustration and anger starting to build, this one question can change the flow and help you regain control. 

The Fastest Way to Lose Your Ability to Lead

People oftentimes wonder, what does it take to be an effective leader? I spent a lot of time talking and writing and developing concepts that will help people to become more effective in their leadership roles. But one of the things that we need to talk about occasionally is what you can do to lose your ability to lead. The best way I know, the single best way I know to lose your ability to lead is to lose your temper.

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Think about it. Most of us, because we’re emotional beings, have the opportunity to lose our temper on a fairly regular basis. Something may be frustrating to us. Something may be out of sorts. Somebody may say or do something that upsets us. But unfortunately, leaders do not have the leeway to say and do the things that maybe other people do. We’re in an elevated position and people expect leaders to perform, act, behave differently.

Lose Your Temper + A Whole Lot More

Therefore when you’re angry, frustrated, out of sorts and you end up saying something or doing something that lends itself to losing your temper, quite frankly, you not only lose your temper — you lose the ability to lead more effectively. People never forget. They never forget how you made them feel in that moment. If you’re in a leadership position, and you lost your temper, well, you’re going to make them feel less about you or concerning you than what you had intended.

What can we do? What can we do? Well, every circumstance and situation is different, and you have to treat it as such. But here’s one thing that I have practiced in the past and have had some success with. When I started to feel my anger build, when I started to feel frustration well up with inside me, and I feared that I might lose my temper, there’s one question that you might ask.

About to Lose Your Temper? This Question Can Help.

That question is this. “If you were in my situation, what would you do?” Just turning the tables, if you will, on the individual with whom you are engaged potentially in a conflict or confrontation, and you’re about to lose your temper, simply asking them the question. “If you were in my circumstance in my situation in my position, what would you do?”

Oftentimes it forces them to realize just how untenable their situation, their circumstance, their position is. But it also changes the process. It gives you a few more minutes to think. It gives you an opportunity to hear how reasonable, (and they may be reasonable) or unreasonable, their thinking is. But more important than anything, you’re not just caught up in the emotion. You’re actually able to think and act as opposed to not thinking and acting.

Losing one’s temper is not something we can afford to lose. We can’t afford to lose the credibility, the professionalism, the integrity that comes with a temper lost. The best thing we can do is do everything we can to control our temper and through that process, control the environment in which we work and live as leaders. 

Gain & Maintain Leadership Credibility

Gaining and maintaining leadership credibility is tough enough. Add in the complexity of conflict and our own personal deficiencies and it’s easy to see most of us need help from time to time.

If you want to be known as an effective leader and communicator, pick up a copy of We Need to Talk: Building Trust When Communicating Gets Critical for ideas to make that a reality.

#loseyourtemper #leadershipskills #dontloseyourabilitytolead #whenyouloseyourtemperyoulose #philvanhooser

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How To Lead Diverse Teams At Work

Incredible leaders of diverse teams at work need to understand the stories from their people, not just the statistics about them. There are answers in their stories that you’ll never get from statistics alone. Let’s dig into the information you need to make the best decisions when it comes to engaging your people.

How To Lead Diverse Teams At Work

I work with new leaders to develop them to achieve higher performance through education and training. During a session this week, the conversation turned in a direction I wasn’t planning for — but I’m glad it did!

A leader in the room raised their hand and said something to the extent of I have some employees that don’t like having conversations with people. That’s a generational problem, right?

The leader wasn’t wrong, but they weren’t right either.

With the most diverse workforce to date, understanding your people in a way that will help you lead them to achieve the best results is not easy. What is easy…is not gathering information from all the right sources and assuming or predicting incorrect root causes of issues.

Science Gives You A Starting Point

It’s very common for assumptions to be made about people. How could you not?! Everywhere you turn headlines are screaming information at you about your employees from work schedule preferences to communication preferences,  etc.

Research conducted on people can be extremely helpful in creating a solid starting point for leaders. The results can help you better recruit, assign roles, and establish a baseline for leadership within the organization.

However, when it comes to your employees, that same research can lead you the wrong way fast.

Science May Give You Incorrect Information

Here’s one example: Let’s say your organization does some form of personality testing to determine what position a person is best suited for. The results come back and say that Craig has a rugged personality and prefers to work independently.

Instead of placing Craig in a public-facing leadership role, you decide the best fit for him would be a role where he could work more independently and under a leader with a blunt communication style.

Six months into the newly assigned role that seemed perfect for Craig — he quits. Why? Because Craig answered the questions on the personality test based on his default. The test couldn’t tell you that Craig has learned, despite his default and through his experiences, to work best with others and under a very gentle leader.

Craig left your company to find a position where he could work closely on a team under a very gentle leader.

At this new company, Craig is killing it in every way! You missed out on a high performing employee because you only knew what statistics could tell you about Craig, not the real stories that have shaped Craig.

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Stories Give Accurate Clarity

More than ever before, incredible leaders need to understand the stories from their people, not just the statistics about them. There are answers in their stories that you’ll never get from statistics alone.

Research may have you believe that many young people don’t prefer face-to-face communication. However, you might be hiring a 21-year old that prefers face-to-face communication over any technological option. If you operate off of the statistics you’ve read, without learning about your people individually, then you potentially risk losing very high performing employees.

Statistics may have you believe that older generations prefer to work very independently. If you avoid working with them on projects because you think they want to work alone, you risk losing the opportunity to learn from them and help fulfill their desire to teach young leaders.

Research may have you believe that your Millennial candidate is entitled, but they’ve been the person who worked to raise themselves from the time they were a child.

Stories Can Be Hard to Learn

People are shaped by their experiences, regardless of what the statistical majority says a person should be like. This is why learning the real stories about your people is so important. You need to learn where they came from, how they were raised, nitty-gritty stories about their daily work-life experiences. But that can be difficult, right?

In order to learn those stories about your people, they have to trust you enough to open up and you have to put in the time and effort to listen and dissect what you learn. That’s not easy, but it is necessary if you want to learn how to motivate, engage, and ultimately lead your people to greater success.

Leaders of Diverse Teams At Work Need to Understand Statistics & Stories

Understanding the value of BOTH statistics and stories is the first step to action that leads to improved leadership results. Think about this today:

1. Can you block off more time on your calendar to spend with your employees in order to build trust and learn more about them individually? It may prove extremely valuable when it comes to employee retention issues!

2. What stories do you have about yourself that would help your employees understand and work with you better? It only takes one story to start breaking down walls and ceilings!

Leading today’s diverse teams at work may be more difficult than ever. Stories unlock answers for leading the best way. I can’t wait to hear how you use both science and stories to improve your leadership!

Need help leading diverse teams at work? I can help! Let’s talk!

#diversity #diverseteams #diverseworkforce #generations #ethnicities #geography #personalitytests #sciencebasedleadership #practicalleadership #greatleadership #futureofleadership

 

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You Know What I Mean: The 1 Assumption That Hurts Communication

“You Know What I Mean…” The Assumption That Hurts Communication

“While I didn’t actually explain that, I’m sure you know what I mean…”

How many times have you heard something like that statement? More importantly, how many times have you said or thought it? Unless you’re communicating with a certified mind reader, believing a person will know what you mean without making the effort to tell them is the same as believing you will win the lottery. It could happen — but unfortunately, it seldom does.

You Know What They Say About Assuming…

Let’s be clear. Assumptions are the mark of a careless communicator. “To assume” something provides evidence that a person hasn’t taken time to ask, verify and evaluate. Besides that, people who deal in unverified assumptions leave themselves open to a myriad of communication disconnects and breakdowns.

It’s never a question if making assumptions will get us into trouble. The real questions are: When will the troubles begin? Where might they crop up? With whom will we have problems? And how much will our errant assumptions actually cost in time, dollars and goodwill?

We should never believe “you know what I mean.” When communicating, we might think avoiding unnecessary explanations up front will save us time in the process. When in actuality, sooner or later, we have to explain the process anyway — what we did, how it was done and why we did it.

If the process is explained before action is taken, most people are still open to listening. However, if explanations are offered after action has been taken, many people will already be frustrated by what they see as our insufficient communication approach.

Explaining the Process Helps Us Communicate Better

Failure to communicate doesn’t have to happen. It can be avoided by purposefully explaining the process that is to follow. So what are we really trying to do when we “explain the process?”

Understand Your Objective

Understanding how to explain the process begins with understanding your overall communication objectives. The communication we undertake may focus on one or more of these objectives. But knowing what our objectives are before we begin lessens the chances we will fail in our communication efforts.

Is the objective to:

Convey: You are the messenger or conduit through which information passes.
Request: You are asking for something specific.
Educate: You are providing information to prove the value of a concept, idea or activity.
Defend: You are supporting a position on which you stand.
Question: You are seeking information.
Confirm: You are working to erase doubt and confusion.

What Others Sense

Communicating the process is not only a verbal experience, it is also sensory in nature. Many people pride themselves on their ability to “read” others. While other people analyze their “gut feel” regarding messages they receive. But to ensure the process is communicated effectively, take into consideration what others can sense from our words and the manner in which we deliver them.

How we feel: Are you excited, embarrassed, desperate, disgusted? Our words and our delivery give indication of all these and more.
If we like them or not: Words and demeanor can create connection or cause a chilling effect on relationships.
If we’re glad to be there: Do our words and non-verbal cues ring with authenticity or seem less than genuine?
If we’re lying: Most of us, thankfully, haven’t developed the ability to lie with the same non-verbal effect as telling the truth.
If we’re sincere: Sincerity is hard to fake. Forced words and overplayed actions are easier to spot that we may think.

Common Questions People Will Have

Many of us are suspicious by nature — you know what I mean… When someone starts explaining the process to us, we start trying to read between the lines. So until we have acceptable answers to questions that concern us, we won’t be able to fully accept the “process” as legitimate.

With that in mind, here are some common questions people have — questions to anticipate and prepare to answer when explaining the process.

Is this really going to do any good?
Is it possible that I could be hurt as a result of what happens?
Should I get involved personally or just wait to see what happens?
What is the real motivation behind what I am seeing and hearing?
Will this have a negative effect on my relationship with ______________?
Will this cause more problems than it is worth?

(Here are 4 more questions smart leaders will ask to build employee relationships.)

Communicating effectively is hard and has far-reaching implications on our ability to lead.

If you’re struggling with so-so communication skills,“We Need to Talk: Building Trust When Communicating Gets Critical” has the help you need to build solid relationships when results are riding on your abilities.

Get a copy today and get started being a better communicator!

#youknowwhatImean #explaintheprocess #dontmakeassumptions #communicationskills #softskillsdevelopment #leaderemployeerelationships #leadershipdevelopment #bestcommunicationbooks #emergingleaderdevelopment

 

 

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Should You Lay Down the Law with Employees?

To Lay Down the Law means to help dream and set goals with your people. Because today’s workforce is looking for leadership that helps them achieve their personal and professional goals, leaders who successfully do that experience engaged teams, great culture, high performance, and more. Leaders who don’t successfully don’t set goals with their employees and follow through? Well, their leadership is dead. Today I’ll give you my Lay Down the Law tool to help take your leadership to the next level!

Should You Lay Down the Law with Employees?

Great leadership is all about developing other leaders. In order to do that, you must make time to serve them individually. If you’re in a place where you’ve been going through the motions day-after-day, or are spending all your free-time fighting fires around the office, or are scrambling to try and keep your own head above water at work…then you’re not leading well. You haven’t made time. Instead, your leadership may be dead.

Can your leadership be revived?

Absolutely!

One of the best places to start — Leadership Dreams.

Dream ” Leadership Dreams “

At the leader’s core, your focus should be on developing your people. It’s a high responsibility, and when done well, leadership is one of the most rewarding responsibilities you’ll ever undertake.

One of the best ways you can serve your people is to dream with and for them. Dream leadership dreams. Leadership dreams are not about your goals, it’s about your people’s goals. When was the last time you sat down with your people individually and had an open, honest, fruitful conversation about their strengths, weaknesses, what they want, how they can achieve their goals?

If it’s been a while, or if your answer is “never,” then that right there is exposing leadership that is dying. However, you can revive your leadership! You can engage your people and still achieve greater success than ever before. It’s not too late! 

Game Plan: Lay Down the Law

Laying down the law is a dreaming/goal setting process I have been practicing for years. I gave the process that name because this is serious business! All of civilization is kept in order by laws. If you break the law, the consequences can ruin your life. In the same way, once you lay down the law with your team, if you all break the law then you risk never achieving your goals!

Laying down the law a simple and extremely effective process for you to use with your people. All you do is help your people answer these questions:

Who are you?
What are your goals?
How will you get there?

Who Are You?

As you work through this question with your employees (this process is different if you’re doing it for yourself), you’re trying to get to the heart of the person’s strengths and weaknesses. What do they bring to the table for the organization, what makes them stand out from their peers, what do they need additional training and guidance on?

When you BOTH have a really clear picture and are on the same page when it comes to the employee’s strengths and weaknesses, then you have a firm foundation to build upon.

What Are Your Goals?

This is the place to start making 1, 3, 5, 7-year concrete goals that you both are aware of.

With a mutually realistic understanding of the employee’s strengths and weaknesses, you can move on to goals. This is where you can start dreaming leadership dreams with and for your employees! On one hand, your employees may know exactly what they want to achieve personally and professionally by being a part of your company.

On the other hand, they may have no idea yet! It’s also possible that they don’t even realize their own potential. You can lead them to better, more fulfilling goals and dreams!

How Are You Going To Get There?

This is where the rubber meets the road, where you gain trust with your people, where you start earning their buy-in for the long haul. If you as a leader drop the ball here, your leadership might as well be dead. Your people will lose trust in you. A team that doesn’t trust each other has nothing.

You’re really answering the question here of how you as their leader are going to help them achieve their goals. What do they need to do. What do you need to do — can you provide additional training, civic involvement opportunities, increased responsibilities in their role, schedule more frequent feedback/coaching sessions with you, etc.

The possibilities are endless and must be tailored to their specific goals and what you are able to do. It’s important to be extremely nitty-gritty here. This is the place for exact steps, crystal clear expectations, things that need to go on the calendar, money that needs to be allocated, decisions that need to be made and so on.

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Empowering Leadership

As a leader, if you’re not dreaming, you’re dying.  Dream for yourself — what you want to achieve, the impact that you want to make. Dream for your people — what can they accomplish, how much better can they be, how can you help them.

When you help your people dream, you’re leading them to achieve their highest potential. THAT’S what leadership is all about! When your people crush their goals, achieve their dreams, then all the hard work you put in developing them becomes worth it. You’ve left a mark, made an impact, and have done your job as a leader! Also, your people will see and feel your investment in them and more often than not — they’ll give it back to you ten-fold. They’ll be more engaged, perform better, etc. This is a huge win for everyone!

So today, will you put your stake in the ground and start “laying down the law” with your people? Will you revive your leadership? Your people sure hope so and I hope so too. Wishing you huge success!

Need help to connect leaders & employees to get better performance? I can help! Let’s talk!

#leadershipdevelopmenttraining #goalsetting #performanceevaluations #empoweremployees #greatleadershiptools

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When Honest Leadership Goes Too Far

Honest Leader? Yes! Brutally Honest? Not So Much.

If you conducted a poll of average employees and asked them the essential traits they want in their leaders, what would the response be? Never mind their demographic data, the industry they work in or their level of experience. What would they say? I predict, overwhelmingly, employees would tell you they want their leaders to be honest. But there is also a warning note that leaders should hear. Brutally honest leadership goes too far. Here are some problems brutal honesty creates and tools to repair the damage.

How can I be so sure? Well, for several years now, I’ve conducted my own unofficial poll in my onsite training sessions. With thousands of individuals from hundreds of organizations, in all kinds of industries. And honest leadership is ALWAYS a top response. (Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman’s study of 300,000 leaders concur.)

But leaders must be careful. It would be unwise to simply underscore honesty as the most important characteristic of leadership and leave it at that.  Now, I certainly believe honesty in leadership is of utmost importance.  If you don’t have honest leadership at the heart of it, it’s hard to imagine how engaged employee relations could ever flourish. And let’s be honest (no pun intended), engaged employees are the secret weapon of high-performing organizations. 

Brutally Honest Leadership Goes Too Far

While honesty in leadership is clearly important, the brutally honest approach can be extremely hurtful. It can result in lasting, even permanent damage to the leader employee relationship.  On far too many occasions, I’ve seen men and women in significant leadership positions opt to use honesty like a chain saw instead of a scalpel. 

They rightfully (and too often, proudly) argue that they were just delivering the unassailable truth — a truth that others appeared unable or unwilling to deliver.  In the process, they casually, callously — and perhaps intentionally — ignore the subtleties of appropriate, follower-focused truth telling.  With the long term results meaning hurt feelings, fractured relationships, distrust and possibly even vindictive responses.  These undesirable outcomes of brutally honest leadership often begin like this.

How Brutally Honest Leadership Shows Up

A group of managers or supervisors sit around a conference room table discussing some organizational obstacle that must be overcome.  Often that obstacle involves a human element.  As the conversation continues to build, and the managers discuss the best way to deal with this particular individual, one in the group gets a belly full of the whole affair.

“I don’t understand why we’re wasting all this time!” he exclaims.  “We all know that Bonnie’s the problem.  But, apparently, you’re afraid to tell her the truth.  Well, someone needs to tell her and I’m not afraid!  I’ll go tell her right now.”

With that, the individual rises to leave.  But, unfortunately, no one raises a hand to stop him.  Off the person goes on a fool’s journey without a word of direction or caution. 

A few minutes later the same individual reappears in the door way.  Obviously, proud of himself, he puffs out his chest, hikes up his pants and announces defiantly, “That message has been delivered.  That problem has been fixed.  Now let’s move on to more important issues, like managing this business!”

Maybe you’ve seen this happen in your organization? And if so, how did it work long-term?

Our leadership training can help you communicate better so you can gain respect, build trust and engage confidently with your employees — ask us how to get started!

Brutally Honest Messages Create Added Problems

Well, the message may have been delivered; but are we absolutely sure the problem has been fixed?  Or is it possible — and actually, more realistic — that even more problems have been created?

A manager or supervisor who manages things — physical, financial or technical resources — might be able to make the bull-in-the-china-shop approach work.  But when leading people, discretion is the better part of valor.

Please understand that I’m not suggesting for even a moment, that leaders should avoid difficult conversations when necessary.  Leaders must communicate the truth, even during difficult circumstances. 

But how we communicate difficult truths can mean the long term difference between a positive, trusting leader employee relationship and a continuing struggle with follower interaction, engagement and motivation.  And valued employee engagement and motivation turn the wheels of our leadership performance and our organizational progress.

So, let’s pause and make our poll a little more personal. If your employees were polled and asked about your approach to honest leadership, what would they say? A little too soft? Afraid to honestly address difficult issues when necessary? A little too hard? Too free-wheeling with the brutally honest method? Or just right?

If you need to repair some employee relationships because you’ve been too brutally honest, an apology is a good place to start. It takes a big person — a selfless leader — to swallow their pride and make amends. Here are some practical steps to get you started with apologizing the right way.

If you’re just not currently comfortable handling hard conversations or unsure how to build employee trust when delivering a difficult message, my book, We Need to Talk, is a step by step guide to help you through the process.

Do yourself a favor — spend some time evaluating your approach to honesty in leadership. Then commit to make the improvements needed. In the long run, it will make your life as a leader much, much easier.

#brutallyhonest #honestyinleadership #communicatingdifficultmessages #buildingtrustwithemployees #dontgotoofar

 

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