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5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 29, 2016

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

How Can I Help You Do Your Job Better by John Baldoni at SmartBriefs on Leadership

A question employees love to hear: How can I help you do your job better?

That is one of the most potent questions in management for a senior executive to put to an employee. Offering such assistance is recognition by the executive that his job is to help others do their jobs better.

When you hire people who are motivated to stretch themselves to reach goals for themselves and their teams, providing support for them stokes the fire of their engines.

My Comment: Yes!

And once you ask, listen. Without judgment. Just listen – be on the lookout for ways you can remove barriers, get them additional training or equipping they might need, help them reason through a problem, or even ‘just’ encourage them to stay the course with the track their on. Such a powerful question!

Leaders, How Do You Begin Your Conversations? Nine Phrases NOT to Use by John Stoker

I really believe that what begins well ends well. It is important to begin a conversation in such a way that allows the other person to hear and think about your message. Recently, I sat and observed a senior leader begin his conversation with two directors by stating, “As you are probably already thinking….” One director looked at the other and then at their leader and said courageously, “You know when you say that it scares me to death?” The other director chimed in by saying, “Yes, it just makes me hope that I am thinking the same as you, and if I’m not, I really wouldn’t be inclined to tell you.” Their candid feedback really helped this leader recognize how important it is to begin a conversation in a way that doesn’t make it difficult for the person to respond, disagree, or add their perspective

As a leader, it is important to think about what kind of information you want to give or receive from your listener. The way you begin a conversation, particularly a potentially difficult conversation, will have everything to do with how the other person responds. In an attempt to be a more collaborative leader, some will employ what they think is a softer approach which can end up feeling somewhat manipulative.

Here are a number of phrases or words that any leader would do best not to employ in beginning a conversation…

My Comment: This is a fantastic list – I definitely recommend it. The essence of so many of these ineffective conversation starters is that they shut down dialogue before it even starts – often because you’ve assumed your way into another person’s thinking and not left them any room to do their own.

10 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking for Leaders by Dante Munnis

If you are a leader or want to become one, you probably know the importance of critical thinking. You need to be able to look at any issue objectively and address it in a way that allows you to evaluate it and form a judgment. This is the base of any piece of advice that you might want to give away to your team, so you should make sure that you can get it right.

Unfortunately, not everybody has critical thinking as one of their strengths. It requires a lot of exercising since childhood, and you might have been lucky enough to be in an environment that stimulate it in you well enough. Good news is that, no matter how old are you, you still can develop your critical thinking by following one of our tips below.

My Comment: We live in an age where you can look up the answer to many questions just by asking Siri or Google. Unfortunately, that ability to look up answers is also curtailing the practice of critical thinking. If you’re serious about leading well, you can’t outsource your critical thinking. Work on your problem solving and critical thinking abilities with Munnis’ suggestions.

3 Cs Can Boost Accountability in Your Workplace by S. Chris Edmonds

How accountable are leaders and team members in your organization? How strong are players’ “commitments to their commitments”?

Accountability seems like it should be simple. People commit to goals, projects, results, service activities, values and behaviors, etc., then do what they’ve promised to do, the way they’ve promised to do it. Easy, right?

Not so easy.

My Comment: Accountability is one of those words that most people have negative associations about. That’s unfortunate – the ability to hold yourself accountable as an individual, team, or organization is a hallmark of healthy, fulfilling, and productive life. Edmonds’ suggestions can help foster more of this vital attribute. I would stress communication – in particular, the mutually shared commitments up front. Check for understanding to make sure they’re thinking what you thought you communicated.

5 Ways Pokémon Go Will Make You a Better Leader

Easily, the most popular article I shared this week was my own – focused on how you can use the same strategies video games use to get people doing things they don’t ordinarily do…because they want to. If you missed it, here it is again – enjoy!

 

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Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Ways Pokémon Go Will Make You a Better Leader | David Dye’s Engage! | August 2016

My mom playing Pokemon Go on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

5 Ways Pokémon Go Will Make You a Better Leader
3 Billion

“There’s one over there!” my niece led me to an ornate fountain where we were able to find a cute Pigey waiting to be collected.

At a recent family gathering, my nephews introduced me to Pokémon Go. In the previous few weeks I’d heard so many negative things about the game that I had to see what all the fuss was about.

It was fascinating…we played at an outdoor mall and there were dozens of people roaming about, chasing imaginary critters, and seeking power-ups. Now that I know what to look for, I’ve seen hundreds of people across the country laughing, getting mild exercise, and building relationships as they play.

As a planet, we spend an astonishing 3 Billion hours a week playing video games. That’s voluntary time – an incredible amount of voluntary time. And Pokémon Go has single-handedly done more to get many people outdoors and walking than countless public service announcements.

Clearly we can learn a lot about motivation from video games. Here are 5 ways Pokémon Go and video games can make you a better leader:

 

1. Feedback is Vital

Video games are filled with ongoing feedback for the player. Pokémon Go does it with fun graphics, yellow stars, points, and cute noises. They let you know when you’ve done well and when you’ve missed the mark.

Whether it’s a score, sound effects, or animations, players receive ongoing feedback about their performance.

Video games never ignore you when you do something correctly, but punishes when you screw up. Unfortunately, that’s an all-to-common profile for many managers.

Model your feedback on video games – you get more of what you encourage and celebrate, less of what you criticize or ignore.

 

2. Failure Isn’t Fatal

Video games reward risk-taking and experimentation. If one approach doesn’t work – no problem. Try it, learn from it, and try again. One failure doesn’t send you back to the beginning or mean you can never advance again.

Not coincidentally, managers who punish failed experiments or don’t allow their teams to take healthy risks typically have unmotivated teams.

Effective managerial leaders value experimentation, treat mistakes as learning experiences, and encourage healthy risk-taking.

 

3. Growth Matters

The most addictive games tap into our human desire to grow. In these games there is always a new skill to be learned, a new level to explore, or a new puzzle to solve.

With a little work, creativity, or newly acquired skill, players get the satisfaction of increasing their ability. Pokémon Go gives the player new abilities as you grow, the opportunity to catch more and varied creatures, and the chance to compete against other players.

Effective managerial leaders understand that people like to grow. They create avenues for their team members to acquire new skills, to expand their capacity, and to take on new responsibilities.

Growth doesn’t always mean role promotions – but it does mean a pronounced sense of progress.

 

4. Goals are Challenging, but Not Too Much

Video games sit somewhere in the middle of a continuum between bored and frustrated.

They provide ongoing challenges that require the player to stretch – but not too much. A player confronted with challenges that are impossible to solve will grow frustrated and stop playing. Likewise, if the challenges are too easy, the player grows bored and stops playing.

In Pokémon Go, once you master the basics, you encounter more challenging and interesting monsters and have the chance (but are not forced) to test your skills against other players.

Effective leaders provide the same level of challenge – goals that are within their team’s ability, but require some effort and learning. For particularly challenging tasks, the leader may help with the video game equivalent of “hints”, but still allow the team to make the decision and solve the problem.

 

5. Games are Fun

We play for many reasons, but on some level, play is simply fun.

A sense of teamwork, accomplishment, camaraderie, mutual support, and enjoyment are possible for every team. Even in the most serious work, it is possible to find enjoyment in working together and producing more than any one person could do individually.

I know there are some Pokémon grumps out there – but it’s hard to argue with the new relationships, teamwork, and exercise I’ve seen so many people have as a result of their play.

There is little as rewarding as working on a team that is able to accomplish awesome results and have a good time along the way.

Life – and work – can be fun when we bring a Pokémon perspective. How can you cultivate your team with feedback, support for risk-taking, opportunities to grow, healthy challenge, and fun?

Be the leader you want your boss to be,

David Dye

 

The post 5 Ways Pokémon Go Will Make You a Better Leader | David Dye’s Engage! | August 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 15, 2016

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

A 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Leaders by Paul LaRue at Lead Change Group

Leaders new to a team have the unenviable task of getting results, building trust and establishing credibility. All the while they are learning their new role, and possibly even a new company.

For some leaders, doing one or the other is attainable, but doing all simultaneously can be a daunting task. It can be a delicate balance at times, and giving attention to everything at once can be a bit overwhelming.

My Comment: LaRue offers a great month-by-month guide for leaders who are new to their team and his suggestions will definitely help you be effective. Even if you’ve been leading a team for quite some time, these are worthwhile suggestions to revisit and reintegrate if you’ve let them lapse (or never really did it).

The One Thing You’re Sure to Struggle With As a Leader by Lolly Daskal

Leaders face a lot of issues but one thing they will struggle with is sometimes staying positive.

Being a leader is all about balance. You have to be mindful and quick, slow and steady, take risks, have vision, listen but speak, know but question—and do it all with grace.

It goes without saying that challenges come with the territory. One of the most overwhelming, for many leaders, is the struggle to stay positive in the face of a demanding position. Fighting negativity is a distraction that keeps lots of leaders from their best work.

How can you stay positive in a negative world?

My Comment: Whether you naturally tend to focus on results or focus on relationships, it’s easy to lose your perspective and get sucked into ‘life in the bubble’ of your organization’s politics, challenges, and personalities. Daskal’s suggestions are on point and will help you stay positive (not falsely cheery…but with a healthy perspective). The final suggestion she offers is so often overlooked: you don’t have to lead alone. Get the help and support you need.

Three Critical Steps to Developing Your Millennial Leadership Talent by Elisha Yeoh at Let’s Grow Leaders

You’ve seen them, you’ve heard of them, and some of you may even be working with them. These them I’m referring to is the Gen-Ys. Regardless of what you may currently think of them, the presence of these young individuals have definitely changed the realities of workplace dynamics, especially now that Gen-Ys are slowly being reviewed to fill in managerial positions.

More and more organizations are beginning to tear down walls (both metaphorically and literally) to keep up to date with the current trends of building up great young leaders who will one day assume more responsibilities. However are these young people in your organization ready to make the hard decisions and lead a team?

My Comment: Elisha Yeoh is part of Michael Teoh in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They work with companies like Microsoft, GE, and Intel to develop their young talent. Join Karin Hurt, Michael, and me this Friday for a great conversation to help you avoid all the bad advice out there and cultivate your millennials for lasting results!

What 2 Best Selling Researchers Say Are the 10 Biggest Truths About Leadership by Marcel Schwantes at Inc.com

Imagine you’re sitting in a meeting with your colleagues at work, and in walks someone you’ve never met before. This person says, “Hi, I’m your new leader.” What questions immediately come to mind that you would want to ask this person?

As it turns out, best-selling authors and prolific leadership educators, Barry Posner and James Kouzes, spent 30 years pouring over their research data from over a million respondents to discover what has been consistently true about leadership over the years.

In The Truth About Leadership, the formula for exceptional leadership — across generational lines (these time-tested truths are effective on Millennials, Gen Xers nad Boomers alike) — is finally revealed for us all.

My Comment: I’ve owned every edition of The Leadership Challenge – along with most of the ancillary books that accompany it. Kouzes and Posner created a phenomenal resource for every aspiring leader because they focus on behaviors – not personality. The behaviors will make you influential and they’ve got the research to back it up. If The Leadership Challenge isn’t part of your leadership library, follow this link and take care of that today!

Why Leaders Must Develop An Outward Mindset by Skip Prichard

Your mindset is the key to your success, your happiness, and your ability to perform at exceptional levels. Your mindset is how you look at yourself and the world around you. An internal mindset is one blind to others, what they need, and how to create collective results.

My Comment: Through an interview of author Jim Ferrell about his book The Outward Mindset, Prichard explores the transformation that happens when you get the focus off yourself and onto others. Just one benefit – you connect and build the healthy relationships that move you from User or Pleaser tendencies to Winning Well leadership – is invaluable! An outward mindset doesn’t just improve your leadership – it will improve your life.

The post 5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 15, 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 8, 2016

“I can give Winning Well to any of my business clients and, if they read it and do what it tells them, they will be a success!” –Peter Stark, San Diego, CA

Get Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul and help to spread the word!

Buy the book (click here for Amazon) from your favorite bookseller
Review the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Share the Winning Well website and book with the leaders and managers in your life: WinningWellBook.com

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

A Prescription for Empowering Employees to Succeed and Grow by Tanveer Naseer

It was the first time that I worked for a leader who didn’t want me to limit what I could contribute based on my role or title in that company. Instead, he encouraged me to invest myself in the overall purpose behind why we do what we do; of finding ways to do and make things better by looking for opportunities where I could make a difference.

It was the first time I ever felt like the work I did wasn’t simply a job because I could see that what I could offer mattered. And that sense of value and purpose behind what I did in that summer job fuelled my motivation to not only give my best to the work I did, but it also made me look forward to going to work each and every day. In fact, I remember how happy I was on Sunday nights knowing I was starting a new work week the next day…

My Comment: One of the most common questions managers ask me is how to energize their people and inspire their team to solve problems on their own. Naseer shares a fantastic personal story when a business leader did this for him – by challenging to go farther than simply catching a problem. It’s not just about giving your best, but becoming your best.

Why I Don’t Always Win Well: My Struggle With Being a Pleaser by Karin Hurt

David Dye and I are on a mission to rid the world of soul-crushing leadership behaviors. I’m confident in our vision and our approach. I know it’s what I’ve been put on this planet to do, and that I’ve partnered with the right person to make it happen.

And yet, despite my passionate desire to make an impact, I sometimes let my own fears get in the way of asking for what I need. When someone tells me our approach has turned their results around, or how our book was the first time they saw lightbulbs going off in someone they are mentoring, or when someone shares the impact our keynote speech or workshop made on their association or company, I get suddenly shy. “Err… thank you.”

When what I should be saying is “Thank you! Can you please help us spread the word so we can make bigger impact? Who else needs this message? Would you help with an introduction? Would you mind saying that in an Amazon review? We’re taking Winning Well to Asia this Spring, do you know companies over there that could benefit from Winning Well?”

My Comment: My co-author’s transparent message about her Please tendencies struck a nerve with many readers this week. We all have tendencies that don’t serve us as well as we would like. We developed those habits to survive, but they don’t always help us be effective leaders.

(So far of the many people taking our Winning Well assessment, the most frequent profile is the “Pleaser” type by a landslide. Click here to complete this FREE self-assessment and receive your free profile and recommendations.)

7 Ways Managers Can Build Trust in the Workplace by Steffen Maier

How many people trust their managers? A recent study by Edelman found that one in three employees don’t trust their employer. Another study by EY found that number to be even lower, with only 46% having trust in their organization, and 49% in their boss/team. Trust is one of the most important things you need in the workplace. Without it you won’t have the environment you need for an effective feedback culture to grow. So how can you help close the trust gap between employees and managers?

My Comment: I recently worked with an Executive who did not have the trust of his people. He wanted to be influential, was frustrated when they wouldn’t perform, but then became enraged that they expressed their distrust to someone other than him. We see this quite a bit in the Winning Well User Manager type. If you’re struggling with your people’s trust in you – the essential leadership currency – Maier’s list is an excellent place to start.

Six Boss Behaviors that Drive Your Team Members Bonkers by Art Petty

The senior leader I worked for was a brilliant engineer with dozens of patents to his credit for life saving products. If there was a Hall of Fame for people we don’t know who have saved scores of lives with their inventions, his picture would be near the entrance. He also had some interesting management habits that stretched our deep admiration and respect to the breaking point.

He preferred the open outcry form of summoning his minions to his office. Instead of using the phone or getting up himself and walking over to our workspaces, he would let go with an ear-piercing cry of, “ARRRRTTT!!!!” or “SUUUUUUZZZZZAANN!!!” guaranteed to create an adrenaline surge for everyone in the office, particularly the intended victim. More than a few cups of coffee were spilled in the surge of energy that followed this aggressive summons to the office of the great leader.

Another fascinating habit of this bona fide genius was to suppress staff member contributions to his divisional meetings with the admonishment, “Don’t talk when it’s my meeting.” This would be invariably followed by the feedback a few days later of, “You sure didn’t have much to say the other day.” The unwitting recipient of this feedback was left speechless yet again, for lack of any way to intelligently respond to the contradictory guidance.

My Comment: You can probably add some classic supervisory gaffes to Petty’s examples – these are the kind of things that drive people mad. (And in case it needs saying again…people who are living at that level of fear or irritation are NOT performing at their best.)

Petty’s list of behaviors is worth reading – most business leaders I’ve worked with (including me!) have committed one or more of these six bonkers-behaviors. Fortunately, Petty gives you some ways to overcome the behavior as well.

5 Ways the Best Leaders Attract and Retain the Best Talent by Ben Peterson at Inc.com

A car with a flat or missing tire won’t get very far. Like any machine with missing or ineffective parts, it simply won’t operate properly. And the same is true of organizations. Organizations are only as successful as their employees are, so attracting and retaining top talent is vital to success. These five things will help you get and keep your best employees.

My Comment: I’m always fascinated when I meet managers who bemoan the difficulty in finding and retaining talent – and who then turns around and consistently does everything in their power to drive away talented, motivated, productive people. Peterson’s suggestions are fundamental to cultivating an environment where people feel productive and want to stay. Many of these are things you can directly influence, whether or not you have budget authority.

The post 5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 8, 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 1, 2016

I can give Winning Well to any of my business clients and, if they read it and do what it tells them, they will be a success! –Peter Stark, San Diego, CA

Get Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul and help to spread the word!

Buy the book (click here for Amazon) from your favorite bookseller
Review the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Share the Winning Well website and book with the leaders and managers in your life: WinningWellBook.com

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

Why Failure is the Key to Workplace Culture Success by Simon Casuto

What do potato chips, Post-It Notes, pacemakers, penicillin and Silly Putty all have in common?

They were all created by making mistakes. In fact, in each case, the inventor was attempting to create something completely different and thought that he had failed with the final product. Of course, as decades have gone by and profits have been made, the benefit of hindsight tells us that these so-called failures were actually triumphs. It’s like that old adage about Thomas Edison and the light bulb: When questioned on his many failures, he retorted that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but succeeded in finding 10,000 methods that wouldn’t work.

My Comment: I often share with audiences the need to make it safe for new ideas. That means you reward healthy-risk-taking behaviors, not just success. Casuto provides a good overview of why failure can hold the seeds of innovation and success along with some practical ways to encourage healthy failures.

25 Reasons Your Employees Are Fed Up by Liz Ryan at Forbes

Employee Engagement Surveys are cynical attempts on the part of an HR team or leadership group to say “Look, we’re doing our jobs!” when in fact they are not doing their jobs at all. Obviously, in a “confidential” survey your employees can’t give you detailed feedback about their individual or department-level concerns — not in a way that would allow you to address those concerns directly.

So what good is the survey? It’s just a way to give the company’s leadership a fake report card that says “Our team is doing fine.” If you really want to know how people are feeling, you have to listen to them.

My Comment: Ryan begins this firecracker article by responding to a writer who is concerned about her employer’s attempt to respond to unrest with a survey. I love the response (In my experience, I agree – most of these surveys are a waste of time because survey-minded leaders are not committed to recognizing or changing their own behaviors. They want band aids that paper over the real issues.)

The 25 reasons Ryan identifies are a great read – you’ll certainly nod enthusiastically at some of them. Even more importantly: which of these frustrations do YOUR employees face. How can you help alleviate these issues and create a more productive environment for your team?

4 Characteristics That Set Successful People Apart by LaRae Quy at SmartBrief

As an FBI agent, being successful was not an option — it was a requirement. The FBI only hires successful people because investigations often involve life and death situations where our mindset dictated the choices we make every day.

As successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners, your ability to make decisions and execute is the lifeblood of your organization. As such, you need a mindset that says, “Grit up and make it happen.” You need to have intense focus under pressure.

Research suggests that it takes just the right mix of innate talent, personality traits, and life experiences to be successful and reach the top of the ladder. Here are four characteristics that set successful people apart…

My Comment: Quy’s balances researched findings with real world experience that most of us will never have. Her suggestions for developing characteristics that will help you succeed in every aspect of life include: find your grit, take responsibility, find the flow, and realize – as we say in Winning Well – your competition is not the group across town. Your real competition is mediocrity.

Here’s What Great Companies to Work for Have In Common by S. Chris Edmonds

What are the best companies to work for in the US? Write down what you think are the top 10.

Look at your list. If it includes Google and Apple, you’re right on it. Salesforce and Southwest Airlines? Yup. However, I’ll wager your list doesn’t include Smucker’s or Eli Lily — companies founded in the late 1800’s. They placed seventh and eighth, respectively…

My Comment: Edmonds identifies several things these companies do that make them great to work for. One of my favorites on his list is: “constantly trying out new ways to remove employee frustrations.” When you hire the right people, they want to do meaningful work and achieve results. Often, great leaders and managers simply pave the way for their talent to use their strengths, talents, and energy.

How to Create a Company Culture of Communication by Dr. Michelle Rozen

Do people in your company feel heard? Are leaders within the company open to new ideas? Is it acceptable for everyone within the company to come up with ideas, no matter what their position is? Is management transparent, open, and honest with all employees? Workplace communication is the transmission of information from one person or group to another person or group in an organization. It can include face-to-face communication, e-mails, text messages, voicemails, notes, and so on.

My Comment: I’m always fascinated (in a morbid way) by business leaders who don’t understand the need for consistent, healthy, communication. Rozen gives you specific places where communication often languishes. Pay attention to these areas and help your team increase productivity, job satisfaction, and decrease turnover.

The post 5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of August 1, 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of July 18, 2016

Get Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul and help to spread the word!

Buy the book (click here for Amazon) from your favorite bookseller
Review the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Share the Winning Well website and book with the leaders and managers in your life: WinningWellBook.com

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

Questions That Actually Lead to Good Answers by James daSilva at SmartBrief

Leading others, in whatever form it takes, is rarely about anything particularly exciting. It’s often about being clear about the task and expectations, about listening, and about feedback that acknowledges what must improve going forward.

That’s not everything, but that portion of it is not insurmountable for most leaders. Unfortunately, the natural tendency for many of us is to assume everyone has the same mental picture of the work and the goal, to delight in the sound of our own voice, and to be uncomfortable or really bad at giving feedback.

So what’s the good news about this good news/bad news scenario? Well, it’s most of us have good intentions. We want to be good leaders, good coaches, good listeners. But we’re struggling to do so.

My Comment: My experience echoes daSilva’s – many business leaders know they need to coach their team members. The problem is that the act of coaching is a specific skill that isn’t often taught. When I share coaching questions to help people develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills, it’s often one of the most popular parts of the program. In this post daSilva breaks down the coaching process to help focus on how to ask questions, not just give answers, in a way that supports and helps your employees grow.

What Employees Are Saying When They Say They Don’t Trust Leaders by Thuy Sindell and Milo Sindell

Leaders have a big problem in the workplace — employees don’t trust them. A 2015 survey of North American workers, conducted by Achievers, showed that just 45 percent of employees trust the leadership at their company. Leaders, are you listening? I know this might be a hard pill to swallow.

Why don’t employees trust leaders? Well, that’s a tricky question to answer. Trust is a combination of six well-established factors. But how trust is built or eroded is subjective based upon the individual, experiences and relationships.

Here’s a look at what employees mean when they say they don’t trust leaders and what leaders can do to establish more trusting relationships…

My Comment: When your people don’t trust you, you’re finished. This is a great article because Sindell & Sindell focus not only on six uncomfortably common reasons people don’t trust business leaders, but it also gives you the ‘how to’ fix these issues. If you want to have influence and build your credibility, don’t miss this one.

Are Millennials So Different? This research suggests they aren’t by Julie Winkle Giulioni

For some time, leaders have struggled to understand the differences among generations in the workplace. It’s been daunting for many to figure out how to respond differently to four generations all working side-by-side. And, as a result of this seemingly impossible management conundrum, many have thrown their hands up and done nothing.

It’s unfortunate that in an attempt to simplify the landscape, the different age groups have been reduced to caricatures with incomplete generalizations. Because the reality of this situation and the path forward for leaders who want to meet the needs of each generation is actually much simpler than we’ve realized.

My Comment: I applaud every time I come across an article that tries to build on our common needs, rather than divide us according to statistical variations. Recently I wrote about how you might want to listen to your ‘pesky millennials’ and last week I came across another piece of research that supports Giulioni’s position. It suggested that 58% of Millennials want a job that helps them grow. The interesting thing about that research… 41% of Boomers said the same thing.

Human beings generally want the same things – but we do want them in varying proportions, different flavors, and more or less frequently: purpose, growth, encouragement, and influence. Provide these basic ingredients and you’ll find yourself with motivated people – regardless of their generation.

How to Become a Brain-Friendly Leader by Michelle Smith

When we’re in supportive, nurturing environments we grow and adapt to change more easily and much more effectively. Brain science suggests the most effective actions leaders can take is to engage employees and increase their professional development is to reduce their perceived threats and to help them come to insights and conclusions on their own.

This is especially challenging for leaders who have the near impossible task of being both coach and judge…

My Comment: Leaders are often frustrated by their team members’ behaviors. One of the best ways to overcome that frustration and have a more productive team is to understand why it happens. More important still: to understand why the behaviors you desire and need will happen. When you understand why people do what they do, it becomes much easier to work with them to cultivate a productive environment. Smith offers great suggestions to help you get started being a brain-friendly leader (and, I would add…a less frustrated, more productive leader!)

Truth-Telling In the Trenches of Leadership by Scott Cochrane

“We have just hit our goal and we’re still going strong!”

That is leadership truth-telling at its easiest.

“It appears we will miss the mark, and my own miscalculation is partially responsible.”

That’s leadership truth-telling at its toughest, and at its most important. Because it’s when things are not going well that leaders find themselves in the trenches of leadership. And it is the ability to tell the truth from that place that sets the great leaders apart…

My Comment: This is a challenging (and truthful) article from Cochrane. Taking responsibility, communicating bad news, and sharing truths that don’t put you in the best light are some of the most challenging leadership tasks. But – when you do it well, your credibility soars. You also come across as someone strong enough to handle the truth. People know they can trust you.

David works with leaders to get results without losing their soul (or mind) in the process. Have David keynote your next event or deliver corporate training: Email today or call 303.898.7018!

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Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

Lead Like a Skydiver – 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Team is Ready to Jump | David Dye’s Engage! | July 2016

“Let’s go over the jump again…”

Caleb spoke into my left year, above the hum of the small plane engine. I was strapped into a tandem harness as we neared an altitude of 14,500 feet.

We were about to jump out of an airplane.

 

Ready to Jump?

This was the first time I’d ever skydived. (It was as wonderful, breathtaking, and awesome as you might imagine, but that’s not why I bring it up…)

I was very interested in the preparation for the dive. In a tandem dive, you are connected to the expert who operates the parachute. A successful dive requires you to do certain things (and not do others).

In fact, when we were discussing the experience afterwards, my daughter Averie asked me, “How much training did you get before you went?”

The answer might surprise you – but it also has a great message for leaders who want to align their team with results.

How much training did we get? Very little – just six instructions really.

Do not grab the instructor in any way at any time.
Hold your shoulder straps to begin…and at any time when you feel the need to grab something.
Head back.
When prompted, spread your arms wide. Curl your legs back.
When the chute opens, have fun, play for the camera.
For landing, lift your legs parallel to the ground for a seated landing.

But the key wasn’t the number of instructions: it was in the repetition.

Caleb went over those instructions with me four times before we stepped into the airplane. As we took off and ascended to the jump elevation he reviewed the instructions six more times. That was a total of ten repetitions in the course of 90 minutes.

 

How to Get Your Team Parachute Ready

Five things stood out to me in this process:

Less is More – Fewer directions that focus on critical behaviors are much more likely to be followed. What behaviors are vital for the success of your team? Focus on those.
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition – As a leader, imagine yourself as the drummer for the “band” that is your team. You set the beat. You can’t set the beat for a moment then never do it again. Consistency about key behaviors, values, and what success looks like are essential. If its vital to your team’s success, they should hear it at least every 28 days (and probably more).
Check for Understanding – Caleb didn’t say, “Okay, you got all that?” He asked me to repeat the instructions. He prompted for next steps. And he wasn’t satisfied until he heard me say what I was doing. One of the most effective phrases in your leadership playbook is: “Let’s make sure we’re on the same page…” Then ask your team or employee to tell you what they understand. This saves so much frustration and friction down the road.
Connect the What to Why – “Don’t grab me – if you do that can interfere with me operating the chute and we can die.” Okay – got it! “When we land, keep your legs parallel to the ground or you can break a bone. This is where the greatest number of injuries happen.” Yes sir! Be clear about the reason for your requests. Help your team understand the purpose and meaning behind their work.
Celebrate – Every time we reviewed the procedures and I got it right, Caleb was right there with a heartfelt “Awesome!” When we completed the jump, he cheered and celebrated my experience and success. This was his 1,473rd jump…but he still celebrated each step with me. That helped lock in the behaviors.

Your Turn

Remember: clear, mutually shared commitments are the foundation for your team’s success. To ensure the team is aligned and on the same page, focus on the minimum number of key behaviors, consistently review the behaviors, check for understanding, and celebrate success along the way.

 

Hit reply or leave us a comment and share:

How do you ensure your team is aligned and “ready to jump?”

Be the leader you want your boss to be,

David Dye

The post Lead Like a Skydiver – 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Team is Ready to Jump | David Dye’s Engage! | July 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

The Problem with Motivating People | David Dye’s Engage! | TEST 2016

The Problem with Motivating People
Are the Carrot and Stick Dead?

Recently I delivered a Winning Well program to an audience in Saudi Arabia.

In the Q & A following the program, one audience member asked an important question: “David, what you say about Winning Well makes sense and it is a different way to think. I have a question about motivating people: are the ‘carrot and stick’ dead?”

If you’re not familiar with the carrot and stick, they are images that represent two ways people have traditionally tried to motivate others.

The carrot represents incentives. Give people something to pursue…a bonus, a piece of candy, a corner office, and they will perform.

The stick represents pain. When people don’t perform, punish them until they do.

I loved this question because it is both honest and insightful. These styles of  ‘motivation’ come naturally to most people. And they do get results…

The Problem With the Carrot and Stick

I discovered the problem with ‘carrot and stick’ motivation early in my career as a high school teacher. You may have seen movies where teachers try to incentivize students to learn by giving them candy for correct answers.

The problem of course, is that when the candy disappears, so does the student’s motivation to try.

And if you ever had a punishment-oriented teacher, you know the problem there: fear, power, and control don’t help you learn. You just do the least amount needed to avoid being punished and you can’t wait to get out of there.

You can get results from carrot and stick motivation, but it’s pretty limited. People do the least amount to get the incentive or avoid the punishment…and that’s about all they do.

I work with thousands of leaders in all different industries and I’ve never met anyone who said, “If I could just get the least amount of effort from my team, we’d be a success!”

That’s the first problem with carrot and stick techniques – they only get you the minimum effort, and that’s not what you need.

The second problem with both of these strategies is that they require constant energy to sustain. You have to keep rewarding people with treats that aren’t directly related to the work or you have to keep punishing or replacing people. Either option is exhausting and isolates you from your people.

Winning Well

The carrot and stick aren’t dead – they’re just not as effective.

Remember, you don’t actually motivate people. Their motivations are internal. Build an environment that releases people’s internal motivations, talents, and strengths toward the work.

When you lead from a place of confidence and humility while staying focused on both results and relationships, you create a foundation where you can begin to cultivate people’s internal motivations.

You don’t have to push and you don’t have to plead. You’ll achieve excellent results time and again – and that’s Winning Well!

Be the leader you want your boss to be,

David Dye

Creative Commons Alan O’Rourke

The post The Problem with Motivating People | David Dye’s Engage! | TEST 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of July 11, 2016 and Bonus Video

 

Check out the bonus video at the end of today’s articles:  Winning Well When Your Boss is a Jerk

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

The Computer, the Network, and the Economy by Seth Godin

Where did all the good jobs go?

They didn’t head to other countries or even down the street.

The good jobs I’m talking about are the ones that our parents were used to. Steady, consistent factory work. The sort of middle class job you could build a life around. Jobs where you do what you’re told, an honest day’s work, and get rewarded for it.

Those jobs. Where did they go?

The computer ate them…

My Comment: This is the first of several articles this week that aren’t directly about leadership or employee engagement – and yet, they certainly address issues you confront every day.

Godin addresses the seismic shift we are all experiencing in what work means, what it looks like, and how we educate and equip ourselves for the future. His remarks on coding, selling, having something interesting to say, and making a difference in the world are particularly apropos.

Millennials Want Jobs to Be Development Opportunities by Amy Adkins and J. Brandon Rigoni at Gallup

Millennials fundamentally think about jobs as opportunities to learn and grow. Their strong desire for development is, perhaps, the greatest differentiator between them and all other generations in the workplace.

Gallup’s latest report, How Millennials Want to Work and Live, reveals that 59% of millennials say opportunities to learn and grow are extremely important to them when applying for a job. Comparatively, 44% of Gen Xers and 41% of baby boomers say the same…

My Comment: When confronted with these realities, many managers and team leaders throw up their hands and say, “But that’s not my job.”

Maybe it wasn’t in the job description– maybe it’s not why you accepted this role. Maybe its not a skillset you’ve mastered. And yet…you have a choice. Do you want to be effective – or do you want to be ‘right’. You can learn how to help your people grow. What strikes me about this survey is not that Millennials want to grow and develop, but that even 41% of boomers say its extremely important. That means its important. Period.

Get Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul and help to spread the word!

Buy the book (click here for Amazon) from your favorite bookseller
Review the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Share the Winning Well website and book with the leaders and managers in your life: WinningWellBook.com


7 Ways to Find Meaning at Work by David Brooks and Arthur Brooks at Atlantic

Often the answer to the question of why you do what you do is as unvarnished and unromantic as “I need the paycheck. … I need to pay the bills.”

But they (Brooks & Brooks) also pushed back against the notion that the discussion was only relevant to a privileged few. “Loving your job … is not predicted by having a college degree and is not predicted by having above or below average income,” Arthur Brooks said. “You’re just as likely to love your job if you’re making $30,000 a year as if you’re making $300,000 a year.”

“There is no income level at which people are not desperate for meaning,” David Brooks added. “The churches, synagogues, and mosques of the world are filled with people who need moral purpose in their life.”

Below are some of their tips for turning a job into a vocation…

My Comment: This is another one of those areas that trips up many managers… eg: “I just want them to do their work – it’s not my job to provide meaning.”

The problem with this attitude (as with the previous article about growth and development) is that if you overlook meaning and purpose, you’ve overlooked the greatest contributor to people actually doing their work. If you’re still caught in the illusion that you can tell people what to do and they’ll actually do it – it’s time to let that belief go. You’re job isn’t to motivate, it’s to cultivate. Release people strengths, talents, and energy toward the work.

Four Important Toasts to Improve the FATE of Your Team by Sean Glaze at Lead Change Group

The release date of this article was strategically planned – because toasts should not be reserved for New Year’s Eve only. Toasts should not be unspoken until the end of your season or project.

Team celebrations and personal reflections should, like feedback, be shared and encouraged on a consistent basis. It is always a good time to remind ourselves of what is important moving forward and to celebrate the small successes of our recent past.

My Comment: You get more of what you encourage and celebrate; you get less of what you criticize or ignore. Glaze gives us a great list of what you can recognize throughout the year – including, notably, team failures. Read this one to learn why…

The Myth of Life Balance by Dom Testa

An article recently caught my eye, and not because it involved a celebrity. (I personally find stories on celebrities to be mind-draining and borderline painful, but I suppose there are people who can’t go a day without reading about Taylor’s current love. People are different.)

This piece focused on a comment Reese Witherspoon made regarding life balance. Or, to be accurate, the lack of life balance when you choose to work while raising a family. The interview in the magazine Southern Living quoted her on work/home balance: “No one’s really doing it perfectly.”

I suspect she’s right, but I’ll go a step farther: I don’t think it’s even possible to have balance. When we choose to do more than one thing – and I think you should be doing multiple things in your life, but that’s another post – we have no choice but to make one a higher priority.

My Comment: This is an important concept for every business leader to grasp. Balance, in the sense of ‘doing everything’ just isn’t possible. In fact, you get to do one thing at a time. That’s it.

Productivity, peace, health, and a life well-lived result from choosing the most important thing at any given moment (and yes, sleep, recreation, play, and relationships are all the most important thing at some time).

Click here to watch Winning Well When Your Boss is a Jerk

David works with leaders to get results without losing their soul (or mind) in the process. Have David keynote your next event or deliver corporate training: Email today or call 303.898.7018!

The post 5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of July 11, 2016 and Bonus Video appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582

5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of July 4, 2016

Happy Independence Day to my US readers!

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

4 Soft Skills You Need to Work On and Why by David Sturt & Todd Nordstrom

Would you rather have a co-worker or manager who’s a leader in your field, a true expert with great amounts of knowledge and experience—but isn’t much of a people person, and doesn’t get along with the team very well? Or would you rather work side by side with an inexperienced colleague or leader who’s collaborative, curious, friendly, and pleasant? For most people, the answer is a no-brainer: “Give me someone I can work with! The knowledge and skills will come.”

My Comment: I wish we could come up with some other language than “hard” and “soft” to describe skills. The very language itself undermines the perceived value of these vital characteristics. Your technical knowledge is leveraged and made even more valuable by your ability to communicate and collaborate. Sturt and Nordstrom briefly examine four valuable practices you’ll want to make sure you master.

Saving Superman by Alaina Love at SmartBrief on Leadership

Max was the corporate equivalent of a superhero.

While he didn’t don a mask and cape everyday, he did successfully establish new divisions of a multinational company in four different emerging-market countries during a frenzied 36-month period. He worked around the clock from his base in Asia, running on adrenaline and catching a few hours of sleep each night on the couch in his office. He often stayed at work into the wee hours so he could manage calls with US headquarters colleagues during their normal business day….

Fourteen months into his latest assignment, I received a call from his company’s HR vice president. She was beside herself with frustration and in a bit of a panic about what was happening with Max…

My Comment: This is a great look at what happens when you don’t understand a person’s internal motivations. In Winning Well we share the principle that when you ‘walk with them – they’ll walk with you.’ Love uses Max as a textbook example of how the leaders in this company didn’t understand what made Max tick and, consequently, gave him an assignment that would leach the energy out of him and ultimately drive him away. Remember: motivation always comes from inside a person. How can you cultivate an environment to release that passion?

Get Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul and help to spread the word!

Buy the book (click here for Amazon) from your favorite bookseller
Review the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Share the Winning Wellwebsite and book with the leaders and managers in your life: WinningWellBook.com


10 Common Excuses That Silently Damage Managers’ Careers by Karin Hurt & David Dye at Fast Company

You’re working hard to build a good reputation as a manager. So you’re taking on new projects and delegating certain tasks to others. You think you’re getting the hang of it, but then you make a remark that seems to rub someone the wrong way—and you aren’t sure why.

Being decisive and knowing how to say no are important leadership skills, but handled the wrong way, they can come off as excuses that can damage your career. Managers need to lead with confidence, humility, and a long-term focus on building relationships. That means being vigilant about avoiding these statements or anything that sounds like them.

My Comment: This week’s top articles featured a couple of Winning Well related items including this one in Fast Company. We’ve heard all of these (and said a few of them ourselves) – make sure you’re practicing real delegation and not shirking responsibility with these excuses.

A Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day: How to work with a coworker who always has to be right by Kevin Sheridan

Ever worked with a coworker who consistently needed to be right? Even when shown clear evidence to the contrary, some people cannot admit when they’re wrong. Simply put, working with that type of person is not fun.

Unfortunately, a stubborn attitude can create conflict in the workplace and threaten coworker comradery. Instead of letting yourself get pulled into an argument, try these 4 surefire strategies to successfully work with these know-it-alls…

My Comment: There are many reasons a person my ‘always have to be right.’ Sheridan offers four sound strategies for responding in these situations. I would add a fifth response: listen. When someone insists on their point of view it’s often the case that they don’t feel heard. A little reflective listening (eg: Bob, what I hear you saying is…) to ensure that you’ve fully heard the other person can help them feel understood. This increases the likelihood that you can share some alternate perspectives.

Winning Well Gamer Rap by David Dye

While technically not an article, this video did have a renaissance this week on social media – it’s a fun look at the ‘Gamer’ Manager – one of the four types you’ll find in Winning Well – along with useful tips to avoid becoming that manager and be a leader who gets results that last (and that people want to follow)!  This video and more like are available in the Winning Well eCourse – click here to find out more.

My Comment: Who knew, right?

David works with leaders to get results without losing their soul (or mind) in the process. Have David keynote your next event or deliver corporate training: Email today or call 303.898.7018!

The post 5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of July 4, 2016 appeared first on Leadership Speaker David Dye.

Book David today for your event, workshop, or training: david@trailblazeinc.com or 1.800.972.582