Phillip Van Hooser's Blog: Build Performance Blog, page 8

How to Manage Your Manager

Too often good employees and good leaders have good intentions, yet they find themselves at a disconnect. So what can you do when you find you need to manage your manager?

One of our viewers shared this scenario and asked this question…

“I'm a very goal-driven person, and I have things I want to accomplish in my career. I want to know exactly what I'm doing wrong or where I need to improve so that I can move up and grow. My manager comes around often and offers feedback. But the only support my manager offers is by asking, 'How are things going? How can I help you?' How can I get the kind of feedback from my manager I need?"

In this situation, we have a goal-driven employee with a supportive manager or leader with good intentions. Yet the employee is conflicted.

On the surface, the manager’s questions may seem helpful. The supervisor might even be thinking, “this employee is doing such a great job, they don't have to do anymore to impress me, I just want to support them."

Is It Time to Manage Your Manager?

But it's not necessarily impressive or satisfying to the employee when something different is wanted or needed. Specifically, this employee wants to know any areas of low performance, and where improvements can be made that will accelerate growth and advancement.

So how can managers and employees unearth the information needed to continue elevating motivation and performance?

Start with Empathy

Today, if you Googled, “what are the top leadership skills needed after the pandemic,” you would see study after study saying that empathy is one of the top leadership skills needed.

Empathy, as a leadership skill, is not necessarily compassion. By definition, empathy is feeling as the other person feels. And when you feel as the person feels, you can think more as they think.

Using empathy, a manager or leader can work backward to connect the dots… “if my employee is feeling this way, are my actions lending support and service or causing conflict and a disconnect?”

In our leadership development training programs, we often talk about getting to know followers. Employees can be exceptionally frustrated if you're only focused on superficially knowing them. And that is especially true of performance-driven employees.

Employees, it may become incumbent upon you to manage your manager. So let's explore some practical steps an employee can take if they are struggling with a similar situation.

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Build a Connection

In our management training programs, on our live show, The Man & The Millennial, and when we’re consulting and coaching clients, we often discuss the importance of building a connection. Usually, we’re talking to managers and leaders about this. But sometimes employees have to take the initiative to build that connection to accomplish what they want. We can call it the "manage your manager" approach.

That is not meant to be manipulative. It simply means managers and leaders don’t always understand what is needed.

When this happens, don't stop communicating. Frustration can often result in an attitude like, “my boss doesn't understand me, so I'm done.” That's an emotional response to a circumstance and the last thing you need to do is to forego or cut off communication.

An employee may need to share their need with the manager. If an employee takes the first step, manages up, and the outcome is positive, that can be a win-win situation.

So how is that done?

Ask Job-Related Questions

What questions can an employee ask to get better insights from a well-meaning leader who isn't asking the right things?

Every job has three primary components to it. Try asking questions about these job aspects and framing them in a way to support the goals of not only yourself as the employee, but also the manager, and the organization. That's a win-win-win strategy!

Technical Question — What should I know that I don’t know yet?Performance Question — What should I be able to do that I can’t do yet?People Question — What can I do to be a better team player?

The original question was "how can I get the kind of feedback from my manager I need?" The bottom line is an ownership mindset. Take ownership of the situation by:

Using empathy to better understand your managerBuilding a stronger connection with your leader andAsking questions that go deeper.

When you do that, you'll be many steps closer to achieving your individual goals, the goals of your manager, and helping your organization achieve its mission.

Win. Win. Win!

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Setting Better Expectations with Your Team

Could you be setting better expectations with your team? If you're looking to improve performance, starting with baseline expectations may be the next right step for you.

In Episode 10 of The Man & The Millennial Show, we offer you five questions to help you get better results by setting better expectations.

https://youtu.be/4vinpK3JKUcEp. 10 | How to Set Expectations Among Teams | The Man & The Millennial Show

#settingexpectations #betterexpectations #employeeengagement #performanceimprovement #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipdevelopmenttraining #manandthemillennial #generationaldifferences #teamexpectations

World-Class Service & The Masters Who Create It

During my 30+ year professional speaking career, I’ve enjoyed a number of incredible, world-class service experiences.  But my experience from twenty years ago this week is hard to top. In 2002, I spent 10 days working as a “paid volunteer” at The Masters Championship at Augusta National Golf Club. A tough job, but somebody’s got to do it, right?

4 Actions for World-Class Service and Performance

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, I led many training sessions on leadership and customer service for CMAA (Club Managers Association of America) and their member organizations. CMAA chapters in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York, Nevada, and Virginia, as well as individual golf clubs across North America offered their members and employees the tools they needed to deliver high performance and world-class service. It was my high honor to help them do just that.

During that time, I was introduced to Augusta National Golf Club. In the estimation of most, Augusta National is a world-class service organization. Of course, the very best service and leadership organizations in any industry are constantly driven to be better still. How do they create the magic? Four actions are constant. They consistently:

#1. identify great internal leaders and service professionals
#2. establish standards of performance excellence
#3. intentionally create unforgettable customer ("patron") experiences and
#4. methodically invest in the training and development of the professionals who represent them.

Masters Out Front and Behind the Scenes

Masters tournament buffs will probably remember 2002 as the year 26-year old Tiger Woods won his 3rd overall and 2nd consecutive Masters title. Since 2002, he has won two more and is vying for yet another this weekend.

The world will certainly be watching Tiger. Along the way, they are sure to see the best golfers in the world competing for that coveted green jacket.

But, unfortunately, what the world will probably not see are the countless world-class service professionals working behind the scenes to deliver this major sporting spectacle, on the loftiest of stages, while the entire world watches. And, yes, I will be watching, too, and I will remember those un-sung pros I met in 2002.

The Green Jacket Ceremony

Part of the magic of the Masters is the ceremonial bestowing of the green jacket -- that moment when the full weight and recognition of high achievement is placed on the shoulders of the winner -- for all the world to see!

If your organization were to recognize and celebrate high performance in a similar fashion, who would be deserving of the "green jacket" award?

Now, with those people firmly in mind, why not call special attention to these "masters" who create the magic within your organization and for your customers.

And if you get a minute, watch a few rounds from the course they say 'is perfection, and asks for perfection!'

Enjoy!

#themasterschampionship2022 #augustanational #greenjacket #worldclasservice

Your Leadership Is Measured Against This…

Leadership performance is constantly being evaluated by employees today. It's important that you know how you measure up because it could be that you need to start choosing different actions in order to be more effective. Today I am sharing a story to shed light on a step you can take to elevate your leadership the moment you finish this blog.

Expectations Were Already In Place

I was in San Antonio recently and needed a ride to the airport at 4:30 in the morning. I wasn’t sure if I could get an Uber or Lyft at that time so I went down to the hotel concierge and asked if they had a shuttle available.

The lady was so kind as she explained to me that they didn’t have a shuttle service available at that time, but that she would be happy to arrange a taxi for me. She, too, wasn’t sure if there would be any ride-sharing app employees available. Rather than risk missing my flight, I decided to take her up on the offer to schedule a taxi for me. 

As I lay in my hotel bed that night playing through how the morning would go, I had a few questions.

How would I know if the taxi had arrived? When I use a ride-share service, I could look on the app and see where my ride was.

Who would my driver be? I didn’t have any idea if it would be a male or female, what color hair they’d have, or whether or not they had a proven track record for being a safe, friendly driver with a clean car.

For the past several years I have been able to open my phone and read reviews on a driver, see their picture, see exactly what kind of car they drove. I lay in bed looking at the ceiling feeling like there were a lot of unknowns. I guess this is how people must have felt back in the 1900s before ride-sharing apps. What a crazy time that must have been!

Evaluation Is Constant

The next morning, I am up before the sun and ready to head home. I get down to the lobby and walk over to the concierge again. I told them that the employee last night said she would have a taxi for me and asked if they knew anything about that. The employee came from behind the counter and walked me outside where I saw something that felt like a movie – a yellow cab! Now, you may have seen or ridden in many yellow cabs in your life, but this was new to me! I’m sure I have seen these cabs on the road before, but never one pulled up just for me. 

My first thought was “Ah, a male driver.” He sat in his car while I put my bag in – which I am totally cool with. It just popped in my head how this was different than what I’d known otherwise. In my experience with Uber or Lyft, the driver pulls up and at least offers to help with my luggage. While I typically decline the help, I appreciate the gesture nonetheless. This taxi driver didn’t offer help, he just waited for me to get in. Cool.

When I got in the car, there is a big, really thick piece of plexiglass between the front and back seats. We live in a COVID world, so I somewhat expected something like that. However, it was the metal grate that the plexiglass was attached to that threw me. Typically with Uber or Lyft, there is no such contraption. It felt a little bit like a police car, honestly.  

I’m a pretty curious person. If I want to know something, I just ask. So, naturally, after the usual pleasantries, we’re pulling out of the hotel and I asked him what was up with the metal separation between the front and back seats. In my mind, I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a taxi driver turned serial killer who lures his victims in by thinking they're innocently taking a cab somewhere. But when they realize they’re about to be killed, he has put up a caged wall so they can’t try to get in the front to wreck the car to try to escape! After he told me about all the drunk people he picks up in the middle of the night, I understood that there was no danger here, just a man trying to protect himself from crazy people.

As we neared the airport, I began wondering how I was going to pay. Did he want cash? I didn’t have cash! Ride-sharing apps let me use my ApplePay. I started to panic internally a bit. I looked all around the front of the car, as far as the cage would let me, and I didn’t see anywhere to swipe a card. All I could see was the numbers rolling higher and higher telling me how much my bill would be. As we’re pulling in, I ask him how I was supposed to pay him. He kindly responded that he uses Square and I’ll be able to swipe my card on his phone. Whew! Dodged a bullet. The unknowns, the anxiety.

I paid. I shut the door behind me. And as I am walking to my gate, I’m thinking about just how nice the driver was. I told him it was my first time in a cab. He talked with me about his family, where he grew up, how much he loved his job, and how he dreamt of retirement with his grandchildren one day. He was wonderful!

But now I am not able to share that with anyone. I can’t log into my app and give him a 5-star review and tell people to use him and ask him about his favorite annual festival back home! I hated that. I liked him. I wanted to give him more business.

From the moment I found out I was going to take a real-life yellow taxi to the airport, I had questions and expectations based on all my past experiences with all the ride-share apps I have used. You may be wondering which I would prefer now. Hands down, I’ll still use the app every time I can. Not because it’s “what I’ve always done,” but because they answer my questions and meet my needs better. I can pick my driver based on other people’s reviews, decide how long I want to wait, choose what type of car I want. Plus paying them is easier, and keeping up with receipts is more convenient, too.

Make Your Leadership More Effective

On the plane home, I thought about human nature. We all do it -- we compare the people we interact with, the services we use -- to our past experiences. I compared my yellow cab ride to my experiences with Uber and Lyft.

Let’s apply the same line of thinking to work. As you bring on new employees, they are comparing leaders in your organization to leaders they have in the past. They have certain expectations of the leader based on their personal past experience. They may have had a leader that gave feedback more often than you, was more hands-off than you, held their hand more than you, was harder on them than you, and so on.

Here's the question: do you know their expectations of you so you can make sure they still want to stay with you in the future? If you don't, you may show up with good intentions, but you can’t compete with their idea of who they deserve to have as a great leader because you don’t know the standard you’re competing against.

Could it be that you could keep great employees longer if you understood more of what they expected from your leadership? It’s absolutely possible. So, today, why don’t you go ask them a question like “Tell me about the best leader you ever had.” You never know, you may get an answer that gives you insight into how to adapt your leadership to win their loyalty.

I’m wishing you huge success!

The Secret to Motivating Your People

How do I motivate my people?

It’s the single most frequently asked question I get when training supervisors and managers.

Leaders are desperate for a definitive answer to this common leadership problem. But honesty dictates that I tell them the truth. So my response is this:

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how to motivate your employees. I can’t and neither can anyone else.

The Truth About Motivating Your People

The truth of motivation is this: You can’t, I can’t, no one can motivate someone to do something they don’t want to do.

As that fact settles in, I’ve watched many anxious managers process my words and I’ve seen the disappointment register on their perplexed faces.

Coming to the realization that they have little or no direct control over the motivation of another person can be very discouraging for even the most committed leader. They start to worry, how will I ever get MY job done with unmotivated employees?

It’s a legitimate concern.

When I’m engaged with a group of leaders, I often start the interaction by asking them: If you could gain one thing from our work together, what would it be?

The intent of my question should be obvious. When I know upfront what my clients want or need, I can focus my interactions with them to specifically address those individual needs. Once I’ve successfully helped them get what they want, they’re almost always more positive, receptive, engaged — motivated — as a result.

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The Essence of a Motivated Workforce

So let’s apply that thinking and that question to your work as a leader needing a motivated team.

If you know upfront what your people want or need, your focus should be on shaping your interaction with them to specifically address their individual needs. Once you’ve successfully helped them satisfy their needs, you can expect your people to be more positive, receptive, engaged — motivated.

Doesn’t that sound like the essence of a motivated workforce? It does to me.

The Secret to Motivating Your People

The needs of your team will be as varied as each member. Some want to grow. Others want to contribute to solving problems. One person may want to “be heard,” while another wants to invest in others.

But you'll only learn the secret to motivating your people when you take the time to engage with each one.

Leaders don’t motivate people. Leaders discover what drives people to motivate themselves.

The leader who spends time getting to know their people is the leader who is well on the way to knowing the secret to motivating each one of them.

What's Your Secret?

In your experience, what has been the best approach for discovering what motivates someone? Please share your comments -- it will help all of us improve the way we lead. Thanks!

Avoid Communication Issues Using These 11 Questions

Every big decision generates obstacles and opportunities. How can leaders avoid backlash from a decision? Elevating your communication is certain to help and is a critical initial step in the process.

From my experience, hands down, communication issues are THE. MOST. COMMON. challenge plaguing the majority of today’s organizations and hindering greater success. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone! 

Maybe you were promoted based on technical skills and your need to develop your communication skills is very apparent. On the other hand, you may believe your communication skills are proficient, even distinguished! Regardless, let’s pump the brakes for just a moment. For a very poignant evaluation, we must concern ourselves with the distance between leaders who believe they’re communicating well and followers who find themselves on the opposite end of that belief. Take a moment to consider where you find yourself.

Communication issues are most often not caused by a flaw in someone’s character. Ineffective communicators are not bad people. Instead, they’re just someone who needs to develop a skill. (Don’t we all have something we need to work on?!) 

Communication issues often begin by missing a step in the communication process. Admittedly, missed steps can either be a conscious or subconscious decision, but either way, a missed step is something that can be corrected going forward!

11 Questions to Guide Communication Regarding Decision Making

Asking the right questions from the beginning is a step in the communication process that will alleviate the burden of future team issues. Here are questions great leaders should consider in order to uncover who, when, and why to communicate with your team regarding a strategic direction, initiative, or decision:

1- What is the problem I’m solving?

The problem you’re solving may be declining revenue, customer or employee retention issues, regulatory concerns, loss of market share, unmet expectations, etc. Get crystal clear on the problem you’re solving so you and other leaders in the organization can communicate the problem effectively. 

Train your leaders on how to best communicate the issue and evaluate their ability to do so. Trust and verify this can be done well. It may even mean the dreaded “role-play” technique is to be used. It’s better to deal with any nerves from leaders on the front end, rather than dealing with frustration from employees on the back end. Ensure leaders at all levels are supporting decisions and doing it correctly.

2- What is the solution to the problem?

Maybe you have a solution, maybe you don’t yet. Either way, it’s important to communicate where you’re at in the process and how you got there. Show your work. When you do that, employees will learn from your decision-making process, as well as increase their understanding of organizational initiatives which likely leads to higher engagement.

3- How do you want the employee to feel/not feel? 

It’s important to note that for many people, their feelings drive their actions. This means that If employees feel decisions throughout the organization are not communicated well – whether they are or not in reality – then you can expect a negative effect on their performance.  When exploring this question, consider how a certain feeling might affect employee performance and work backwards to take action to inspire the feeling/action you desire from the employee. 

Blindsighted Left Out Suspicious Misunderstood PowerlessIncluded Valued Trusting Optimistic Empowered Engaged4- Can you trust your team with confidential information?

If you confidently can trust your team, this makes sharing information much easier. If you cannot, realize that it’s your job to weigh the risk of sharing information to gain engagement versus the negative repercussions of information being leaked.

5- How likely is it that someone on your team could hear the news from an outside source?

The “grapevine” and “water-cooler” are alive and well in the workplace today – even within organizations working remotely. Additionally, especially in small towns and tight-knit communities, news travels fast. With that in mind, even if the news unintentionally gets out, leaders must weigh the risk of not communicating right now versus a team member losing trust and engagement if they hear it from an outside source.

6- Why not tell them?

For some, having information that others don’t – makes them feel better or above other people...they like it! This should not be the case for leaders today. Make sure you’re not looking to check your ‘status box’ or placing your value in how much more information you have than others on your team. You could be doing yourself a huge disservice, potentially negatively impacting employees and throwing away the opportunity to gain greater insight, ideas, and engagement you wouldn’t have otherwise. As appropriate, share information. You may find that you become even more valuable that way!

7- Is there someone we should specifically leave out?

Rarely will the answer to this question be a yes. Typically, the only reason you’d list someone here is if there is a legal, moral, or ethical issue regarding the specific person and there is an investigation or something along those lines going on. Other than that, the answer to this question should show you just how many people you should be communicating with. As a leader in an organization, you are responsible for your entire organization. Be sure that you’re including everyone that should be included. Never pit one department against the other through dispensing or withholding information.

8- Who do I know that would like to be involved in this?

Make sure you and your leaders are very in-tune with evolving employee needs, wants, and goals. You might have an emerging leader looking for opportunities to learn and grow who would benefit from the information or a peek behind the decision-making curtain. Leaders are constantly looking to develop others.

9- Do I have a definite answer or decision?

You may be wondering when to begin the communication process. This is not black and white. Evaluate where you’re at today. Maybe you have a decision, and maybe you’re not there yet. That’s okay! Don’t miss the opportunity to share with your people what you’re exploring. They may give you insight, shed light on something you don’t know, uncover an unmet need they have, etc. 

You must be careful not to share information you’re not allowed to share yet, of course. And you must be intentional about what levels of the organization have access to the information you’re privy to. Don’t share beyond your authority. If all of that is in check, don’t be hesitant to communicate with them where you’re at in the process, throughout the entire process.

10- What is the best way to deploy the information?

Depending on the magnitude of the decision, how you deploy information is key to avoiding communication issues. 

For decisions that affect a large number of employees and/or the business, consider a large group meeting with immediate follow-up meetings with smaller teams for concerns to be addressed. Don’t leave time and room for incorrect assumptions and emotional overflow. 

11- How successful was this communication strategy?

Very few leaders do a debrief post-decision. However, it’s key to learning and growing. Here are five questions to evaluate your decisions…and even the communication strategy you’re using!

What did we do well?What did we do poorly?Who should be praised publicly?Who should be redirected privately?What must we change before the next time?Eradicate Communication Issues

Communicating well is a skill. People are not born with skills, they develop them. In order to avoid dissension and division and invite encouragement and engagement, choose to develop your communication skills. It’s not difficult, but it does require discipline. The very best leaders are those who take action that others could – even should – but don’t. Will you choose to be among the best? It’s my hope that you do!

Vision: Do You Know Where You’re Goin’ To?

Forgive the incorrect grammar, but superstar singer, Diana Ross made famous the following lyrics:

Do you know where you're goin' to?
Do you like the things that life is showin' you?
Where are you goin' to?
Do you know?

You see, being crystal clear about your destination is absolutely critical for long-term success in any venture. If we lack a clear vision, we’re easily distracted and have no ultimate destination.

So I ask you -- do you know?

Have you firmly set your sights on where you're 'goin' to'?

If you have, you're better prepared to choose the right road to get you there. If you haven't, choosing just any road will get you to nowhere.

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In later lines from the song, Ross reminds us of the reality of not knowing:

Now looking back at all we've planned
We let so many dreams just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long before we see
How sad the answers to those questions can be

I encourage you to spend some time deciding where you're going. When you crystallize your dreams into destinations and maintain a strong desire to exceed, I think you’ll soon find yourself on the road to where you want to be!

Start achieving your dreams with these high-performance secrets.

Tornados, Turnover, & To-Do Lists

On the night of December 10th, 2021, primal instinct came over me. We had no more time – the F4 tornado was here. While it ripped through the field beside us, with all 5’3", 115 pounds of my body, I desperately shielded and white-knuckled the bodies of my three children on the back floorboard of our SUV while my husband covered our daughter in the front. With the vehicle rocking back and forth and the horror of a roof flying overhead, it was at that moment – when there was nothing I could do to stop the destruction – that I recognized that I am a leader in this family, I should have seen this coming, and I should have better prepared everyone for it.

My question to you today is: As a leader of your organization, could there be destruction coming in your future that you should be preparing for, too?

The Reality & Risk of Losing Top Talent

I’ll remember December 10th, 2021 for the rest of my life. All day I had heard warnings about the storms that were coming to our area that night – regional and local news stations issuing Storm Watches, my Sonic carhop eerily cautioned me to "Stay safe out there, tonight…" as she handed me my late-night ice cream snack, and my weather aficionado best friend had texted me several times with warnings about the storms that were coming. Honestly, all of it fell on deaf ears. I heard the warnings, I did not heed the warnings. We are good, it won’t happen here, they’re blowing this way out of proportion…all the thoughts that crossed my mind earlier that day.

In all reality, I’m still processing the events of the experience that day. However, because my professional expertise is in developing leaders, I cannot ignore the leadership lesson that is emerging from it all.

You may not have been in the wake of the tornado I'm referencing in this blog. However, there are two specific potential "disasters" many organizations are being warned about right now. What is interesting is that although the warnings are being sent out, few are working on or preparing to mitigate the risk. My fear is that you may hear the warnings, but not heed the warnings...then find yourself white-knuckling your past success as unstoppable destruction happens among your organization.

Here are the two potential "disasters" I encourage you to take notice of today:

#TheGreatResignation

In large part due to the pandemic, many organizations are rapidly losing top-performing talent for opportunities that better serve the individual employee's needs. #TheGreatResignation is the trending term for this issue, and one quick Google search will provide you with numerous reputable studies as proof.  

For some organizations, you've lost top talent. Mass turnover has already happened in the last year or so and you're already working to rebuild.

For others, you’re in the middle of the storm, losing top talent, and you're working to stop further destruction.

And then there are those who are just now hearing the warnings of the potential destruction headed their way and are wondering if this will really happen to their team.

With that in mind, where do you find yourself, your organization, today?

#TheUltimateRedefining

The other potential disaster you should be aware of is the #TheUltimateRedefining. Again, largely due to the effects of the pandemic, many employees now have new, different expectations inside the workplace.

Many of my own clients have multiple positions, performance expectations, and goals in their organization that must be ultimately redefined in order to combat low employee engagement, burnout, turnover, and overall poor performance that is happening recently.

Is that true for your organization?

Start With Your Culture

Here's is what we know:

1- When the organization does not have a culture that is helping them grow personally and professionally, employees may: 1) ‘quit and leave’ (#TheGreatResignation) or 2) ‘quit and stay’ (Hence the need for #TheUltimateRedefining).

2- The Contagion Effect. As others in the organization choose to perform poorly or even quit, other top performers start wondering if they can/should do the same – it can become a nightmare on multiple levels.

To avoid mass destruction of your workforce and bottom-line – leadership is critical.  Leadership drives organizational culture, and "culture" is at the heart of the solution to these challenges.

An organization's culture must be crystal clear, mutually understood, and expertly executed among all levels of employees to reap economical and purpose-driven benefits in today’s business environment.

"To avoid mass destruction of your workforce and bottom-line – leadership is critical."

The reality is that an organization's culture drives everything the team does and does not do – from strategic planning, to side conversations around the office, to serving customers, to personal and professional development opportunities – and everything in between, every word, every decision.

With that firm realization in mind, I have questions for you to consider: Can every one of your employees easily and correctly define the culture of your organization? Have you asked them? Do you like their answers?

More importantly, is everyone in the organization consistently living out the intended culture in today's chaotic work world? Have you observed them doing so?

If you’re uncertain or you answer "no" to those questions, it’s time to take action. I’m not one to sit around and pontificate about an idea – I am fueled by action. Even more than that, I’m fueled by you achieving success through action! So what’s the next right step if resigning or redefining disasters are looming or have already hit your workforce? Start planning to intentionally transform and reinforce your culture.

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Triage Your To-Do List

Let’s get your mindset right before we touch on the to-do list for culture transformation.

Time is money, right? For many successful professionals, this concept runs deep through their veins. Many in management positions are task-oriented, list makers, and serotonin producers when it comes to checking tasks off the to-do list. And here lies a challenge for leaders when it comes to culture development – it will never be checked off your list. Your team, your market, your competitors, and your customers will evolve. Your culture must, too. Therefore, your to-do list should follow suit, year after year.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and I went with a church group to ground zero to help clean up soon after. Victims of the storm were triaged by professionals before resources were deployed. I saw it first hand. Now, the same triage strategy is fueling the clean-up efforts from the tornado in my community even as I write this. As organizational leaders, the same must be done for a culture-transformation initiative in your organization – whether you’re prepping for disaster or recovering from it.

Here are two foundational considerations to begin strategizing transformation goals and tasks.

360 Onboarding, Re-Onboarding, & Awakening.

Think about new hires, those who’ve lost a co-worker, and all you wish to impact through culture transformation. Consider how current employees may have evolved through experiencing a pandemic. Everyone needs to fully understand the organization’s purpose and the role their individual success plays in the big picture.. And if the organization's new goals don’t line up with an employee’s current and/or future goals, it is time for a difficult conversation to be had so both parties can move forward, better.

Comprehensively Developing Leaders at All Levels of the Organization

Culture is effectively transformed through simple, practical processes that can be scaled and followed by employees at all levels of the organization. Imagine all the incredibly positive effects of your employees operating off a standard process for empowerment, delegating, handling conflict, goal setting, performance evaluations, decision making, running meetings, and more.

The to-do list arising from strategically planning culture transformation, beginning with these two considerations, will reflect just how complex this ongoing process is – which is why you must triage your to-do list. Answer the questions: What's most important and when will we address all items on the list?

With a clear vision (#1) and fully equipped employees (#2), leaders can unleash their teams to achieve mind-blowing success.

Focus Your Actions, Fuel Your Future

You may be wondering what happened to my family, our home, and our community that night. It feels so strange to answer this concern because our story is unlike so many we love. Our family suffered zero physical damage that night. However, almost 100 lives were lost in KY. Many of our neighbors and friends lost everything.

Don’t let the headlines fool you though, there is an incredible bright side to all of this! Every single person I have talked to that has lost so much emphatically claims how thankful they are to be alive, how appreciative they are of the support from friends and strangers from across the world, and how they’re inspired to move into the future with more of a servant’s heart to repay the kindness shown to them.

With all the prep in the world, an F4 tornado can wreak unimaginable havoc. However, the same is not true when it comes to disasters or challenges that may strike your team this year.

You are responsible for your success – own it. Whether you’re leading up, down, or both – you have the power to influence the culture of your organization which means you have the ability to prepare for a disaster and minimize the damage.

Culture that breeds success personally and professionally – it’s what works in today’s world. And in a world where there’s more than enough destruction, we need more people stepping up to lead the way into a better, brighter, stronger future. That’s worth getting out of bed, prepping, and tackling in 2022, right?

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How to Be Heard: Is It Passion or Rationale?

A few years back, a young woman heard me share the “earning the right to be heard” process in a communication skills course. Later she told me how she used the approach to successfully pitch an idea to her senior management team. 

Her idea? Eliminate her current — but unnecessary — management position, and create a more strategic role to help the company shore up weaknesses and seize opportunities for greater growth. A position that matched her unique skill set and increased her value to the organization. 

Bold and risky? Maybe. But she is certain knowing the questions decision-makers would ask and knowing how to respond to them made all the difference. It not only earned her the position, but it also earned her greater influence and opportunities for growth.

Fast Tracking or Frustrated?

But perhaps you’re not having the same experience this young woman had. Could be you’re feeling the way I did early in my career. Frustrated… VERY FRUSTRATED.

Try as I might, I just couldn’t seem to get my boss and other decision-makers to listen to me — or to take me and my ideas seriously.  I had LOTS of great ideas.  (In my humble opinion, of course!)  Yet, despite my off-the-charts enthusiasm and passion, I generally came away from presenting those ideas feeling disappointed, discouraged, and like I wasn’t being heard.

Can you relate?

Despite my best efforts, decision-makers didn’t mirror my enthusiasm.  Instead, they peppered me with questions. The same questions, again and again, with every new idea I presented.

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How to Be Heard by Decision-Makers

That is what my law enforcement friends would call a clue.  I was presenting my ideas with all the passion and emotion I could muster.  But decision-makers weren’t buying.  They weren’t influenced by my passion and emotion.  They were far more interested in whether or not the idea made logical, rational business sense.  

It took me far too long to catch on — it’s embarrassing to admit. But once I figured out the right process, everything changed for me. My results improved and my professional horizons became brighter and more hopeful. 

Did every idea I pitched win approval? No. But learning how to “earn the right to be heard” won me so much more.

And it can work for you too. 

At the encouragement of so many who’ve experienced great results using the process, I’m excited to announce Earning the Right To Be Heard: Sell Your Ideas, Build Your Influence, Grow Your Opportunities is now available. 

In it, I document -- step by step -- the process that captivates the attention of decision-makers, and in so doing, builds greater influence, and earns you bigger and better opportunities.

If you need help winning over decision-makers and gaining greater influence, the "be heard" process can help. If you asked the young woman in the story, I believe she would recommend it. Learn more about the book, the process, and how it can help you here.

What’s Your Version of “Veterans Day”?

I witnessed a make-or-break moment recently.

As I sat across the table from Jim, a manager poked his head into Jim's office and asked, “Hey, can I ask you a question real quick?” 

With a smile on his face and a quick motion of his hand signaling the employee into the office, Jim said, “Of course.”

After a brief introduction between me and the manager, the manager got down to business. “Jim, I’ve got an employee. He’s a veteran…” 

By the inflection in his voice, the direct eye contact with Jim, the way he tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows as he said those last three words, there appeared to be a mutual understanding of the importance of that statement. My ears perked up even more.

“Jim, he is asking if he gets Veterans Day off. Can he?”

I could tell by Jim’s demeanor that he was taken off guard and felt pressure at the moment. As someone who is always studying leader/employee interactions, I sat quietly, watched, and waited to hear what Jim would say.

Jim responded, “When is Veterans Day this year?”

The manager didn’t hesitate, although seemingly surprised that Jim didn't already know, he responded very matter of fact, “It’s Thursday.”, he said.

After a deep breath, Jim asked for a little time so he could check with HR for approval on a final decision. The manager was satisfied at the moment and went on his way.

I sat there thinking, this is a decision that could have long-lasting effects — positive or negative  — on so much more than just one employee. I hoped that the right decision would be made.

Employee Mindset

Immediately after the manager left, Jim shared with me how their organization makes a concerted effort to hire veterans. He shared that if two candidates are equally qualified, the company will choose the veteran. And I love that! Good on the company for choosing the veteran, although, that decision requires no sacrifice from the company since they appear to have equally qualified candidates.

In this situation, all employees know that the company says they value veterans and that they prioritize them in the hiring process when all other qualifications are equal. But this question may arise when a veteran employee has a need, “The company cares about veterans enough to hire them when it makes sense for them, but what about when the company might lose a little...do they value veterans enough to give a little?”

I wondered what type of disconnect a “no” decision might cause between the employees, leaders, and the organization…and what repercussions could come of it.

Decision-Maker Mindset

I’m not oblivious to this fact: just like every other day of the year, if someone does not come to work, the rest of the team has to pick up the extra work or delay results until the employee returns. The effects of that for one day could be insignificant or potentially sizable from a financial and human resources perspective. And as a manager and the decision-maker, you must understand and minimize the risk accordingly.

At the moment that Jim hesitated to give an answer to the manager’s question, the employee’s mindset seized my thinking.

For years I worked with front-line employees while simultaneously participating in executive management decisions. The disconnect between decision-makers and other employees was often so obvious to me because I had a front-row seat to both sides of the organization. As managers, we have to take care of the business. As leaders, we have to make decisions in a way that benefits both the company and the employees. That’s not always easy, and often it’s extremely difficult. But there are some small sacrifices that can pay off big time in reduced employee turnover, improved candidate pool, and team culture that gives back way more than is received. 

Mixed Opportunity

A natural reaction for decision-makers might be to refer to the organization’s policy. And that’s a good first step. However, we must never forget that humans make policies and policies can be flawed. 

Remember this…

In all reality, what we have here is an opportunity for the organization that could be really great or really bad from a human perspective. 

A “YES” decision could lead employees to:

Deeper trust in the organization to say what they mean and mean what they say
Feel more valued because they understand the organization’s concern for both their personal and professional well-being

A “NO” decision could lead employees to:

Distrust
Frustration
Doubt

It’s important that when you’re making decisions, that you’re seeing all sides of the situation. It’s only then, with a full view, that you can make the best decision for the entire organization. Sometimes that might mean you have to answer no and sometimes it might mean you get to answer yes. At least with all the information, you can develop a defensible decision.

What’s Your Version of “Veterans Day”

Although this situation happened days ago, you may not be struggling with the same challenge this week. However, there are many other decisions leaders face every day that result in you strengthening or weakening your team. And if you’re only seeing one side of the equation, it might equal your team’s demise.

Next time you’re faced with a decision regarding employees, be sure you make time to understand their mindset fully and correctly. Ask yourself:

-What’s most important to them in the short term and long term?

-Do they understand how their wants/needs play into the entire organization?

-How will my decision -- either way --  affect their emotions, thoughts, and actions going forward?

-What am I willing to lose in order to gain?

It’s by revealing those answers that you might discover a win-win solution never before explored. 

Not only on Veterans Day, but especially on Veteran's Day, we recognize that military veterans have put their lives on the line to give you and me the opportunity to live in the United States where we get to enjoy our freedom every day. We thank you, veterans, for the sacrifice you've made in dedicating your lives to our country. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."