David Dye's Blog, page 45
August 29, 2022
How to Help Your Team’s Performance Stand Out For Better Recognition
You care about your team and the work they’re doing. They’re working hard. And if they’re like so many teams we work with, they yearn for better recognition. They want to know their work matters and that you (and your boss) appreciate all they do.
So how do you help your team’s performance stand out? How do you ensure that they not only get the recognition they crave, but their performance shines so strong it’s difficult to ignore? Better recognition does more than improve morale, it leads to better creativity, innovation, and courage.
For Better Recognition: Start By Differentiating Your Team’s Performance and then Bring on the SpotlightFocus their efforts on what matters mostEncourage them to fix something brokenHelp them build deeper cross-functional relationshipsKeep them growingEncourage executive visits and skip level meetingsTake them on field trips (physical or virtual) for exposure and perspectiveHelp them become leader teachersDifferentiate Performance1. Focus their efforts on what matters most
Have you ever noticed it’s not necessarily the times in your career that you worked the longest or hardest that led to better recognition? Sure sometimes there’s a correlation, but chances are it was more a matter of finding that sweet spot where your skills and talents matched a strategic business need. And, strategically spending your time doing what mattered most.
If your team has thirty-seven priorities on their plates, they can’t exceed expectations on all of them. Talk to your manager, know what matters most, and be sure you help your team nail that.
To help your team’s performance stand out for better recognition, be sure they’re focused on the right strategic priorities.
An easy way to do this is simply to ask your manager.
“What’s the most important thing my team needs to accomplish to really impact the business this year?”“Imagine we’re sitting here this time next year, and you’re blown away by our team’s performance… what would we have accomplished?”“I know all of these metrics matter, but which matters the most? and why?”2. Encourage them to fix something brokenWhat’s not working that’s driving everyone crazy? What process could be made more efficient? What can your team do to improve the customer experience (not just once) but systematically? How can your team make work more efficient not just for them but for their peers as well? Help them to find something broken and fix it.
3. Help them build deeper cross-functional relationshipsGreat work never happens in a vacuum. And some of the best recognition comes from peers.
Help your team invest deeply in developing peer relationships in other departments AND with one another. Help them be better recognition givers.
Nothing frustrates senior managers more than dysfunctional turf wars that distract people from doing the right thing for the business and for your customers. Your competition is not the department down the hall, it’s mediocrity.
4. Keep them growingSome people have 10 years of experience and other folks have 1 year of experience 10 times. Even if your team is not changing roles, be sure they’re constantly learning and growing. Have a clear development plan that stretches them and helps them contribute more to the business each year.
One of the best ways to recognize your team is to continue to invest in their growth. And your team will stand out
And Then, Give Your Team an Opportunity to ShineOnce you’ve mastered the first vital element for better recognition, ensuring there’s something important to celebrate, the next step is giving them opportunities to shine.
5. Encourage executive visits and skip level meetingsWhen your team has something to celebrate, be proactive in including your manager, other executives, and peers in the conversation.
“Hey, we’d love to show you what we’ve been doing this quarter. Can you join us for an in-person, or virtual ops review?” If executive visits or skip-level meetings aren’t a natural part of your culture, this guide executive visit guide is a great place to start.
6. Take your team on physical or virtual field trips for additional exposure and perspectiveOf course, you don’t need to wait for people to come to you for better recognition. You can take your show on the physical or virtual road. Set up a time for your team to meet with other teams and departments to share what they’re doing and to gather feedback to help strengthen collaboration.
7. Help your leaders become “leader teachers”One of the best forms of recognition is to be asked to teach what you know to others.
Give your managers an opportunity to share their expertise with members of their own team and others in the organization. We do this in our long-term leadership development programs all the time through challenger groups and other techniques (learn more here).
Our clients tell us that’s such an important part of sustainable culture change.
You get more of what you encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore. Take time for deliberate, deeper, and better recognition by giving your team opportunities to make a bigger impact, showcase their contributions, and build deeper relationships along the way.
How to Give Your Team Better Executive Exposure
How to Prepare Your Successor For Success
Your turn. What are your best practices for better recognition?The post How to Help Your Team’s Performance Stand Out For Better Recognition appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
August 28, 2022
How to Host a Clear the Air Meeting for Better Team Collaboration
Do you ever need to have a meeting to “clear the air?” This question came in from one of our recent leadership development programs. An HR professional working to support co-workers who wanted to resolve their conflict and show up for one another in a human-centered way. They wanted to have a clear-the-air meeting, but they wanted to ensure it didn’t backfire and make things worse.
What is a Clear the Air Meeting?
Rather than letting conflict simmer beneath the surface, these are meetings where people can ditch the diaper genie and have candid conversations about what’s on their hearts and minds.
Each participant speaks candidly about what’s on their hearts and minds. The others in the meeting listen respectfully and check for understanding to ensure they understand one another’s point of view. And then the team works together to find tangible actions they can put in place to make working together easier and more productive.
This special, Asking For a Friend From the Road, was filmed at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens featuring the wonderful trolls of Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
Here are a few of my thoughts about holding an effective clear-the-air meeting.
1. Give people a chance to prepare. Discuss intentions and outcomes
2. Use the expectations matrix (1:56). Have each person fill this out in advance (what is it that they’re expecting and receiving etc.) See also: 
How to Reset Performance Expectations for Better Results
3. As you facilitate the meeting, start by establishing norms and then have each person share their intentions, expectations, and point of view
4. Board the themes
5. Discuss tangible actions
6. Schedule the finish (when you will revisit the conversation again).
Note, if you’re looking to facilitate (or host), a clear-the-air meeting, you might also enjoy this recent Asking for a Friend from the Road about surfacing (and addressing) conflict that may not be visible.
Team Conflict: How to Surface and Discuss Simmering Issues (Video)
Your turn: What would you add? What are your best practices for a clear-the-air meeting?
The post How to Host a Clear the Air Meeting for Better Team Collaboration appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
August 26, 2022
Leadership Pause with Chris Johnson, PsyD
Navigating the current environmental, economic, and political realities is challenging (yet essential). This is where The Leadership Pause can help.
In this episode, Chris Johnson, author of The Leadership Pause gives you tools to sharpen a skill that leads to clarity of mind and heart, reduces stress, and increases resilience. It starts by accurately discerning your position, strategizing a plan, and only then moving forward steering through life’s challenges. Find out how a leadership pause can create a deeper connection to self and a clearer vision of the natural leader resting just beneath the surface.
Leadership Pause00:55 – The landscape of life these days is chaotic, complex, and confusing. How do you navigate it all?
05:15 – Why your ability to succeed depends on your ability to practice a leadership pause.
05:31 – We know from the more recent neuroscience that when we pause, we can settle the neurochemicals in our body that increase agitation and stress and kind of keep that negative vicious cycle going.
07:10 – What is a pause?
08:04 – Why, in a VUCA world, reacting is self-defeating and will limit your leadership.
08:58 – Connecting with what we care about so we can be more present to each other and to what really matters most allows the behaviors that matter most.
10:20 – In these fast-paced, back-to-back meeting environments, how do we practice a leadership pause?
13:58 – How to build the muscle of attention and awareness by practicing pauses.
16:37 – Our brains are also wired to enact habits, and being choiceful or intentional in those habits is a practice in leadership so that we can be more human to human and not just at the mercy of all the external deadlines.
18:19 – The value of the micro-pause and how to practice it.
19:47 – Why a pause is not just “kicking-back.”
21:37 – One of the best ways to practice a pause and help others do it too is to tune into your breathing.
36:00 – How to use triggers to grow in leadership.
Connect with Chris
Get The Book
The post Leadership Pause with Chris Johnson, PsyD appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
Leadership Pause with Chris Johnson
Navigating the current environmental, economic, and political realities is challenging (yet essential). This is where The Leadership Pause can help.
In this episode, Chris Johnson, author of The Leadership Pause gives you tools to sharpen a skill that leads to clarity of mind and heart, reduces stress, and increases resilience. It starts by accurately discerning your position, strategizing a plan, and only then moving forward steering through life’s challenges. Find out how a leadership pause can create a deeper connection to self and a clearer vision of the natural leader resting just beneath the surface.
Leadership Pause00:55 – The landscape of life these days is chaotic, complex, and confusing. How do you navigate it all?
05:15 – Why your ability to succeed depends on your ability to practice a leadership pause.
05:31 – We know from the more recent neuroscience that when we pause, we can settle the neurochemicals in our body that increase agitation and stress and kind of keep that negative vicious cycle going.
07:10 – What is a pause?
08:04 – Why, in a VUCA world, reacting is self-defeating and will limit your leadership.
08:58 – Connecting with what we care about so we can be more present to each other and to what really matters most allows the behaviors that matter most.
10:20 – In these fast-paced, back-to-back meeting environments, how do we practice a leadership pause?
13:58 – How to build the muscle of attention and awareness by practicing pauses.
16:37 – Our brains are also wired to enact habits, and being choiceful or intentional in those habits is a practice in leadership so that we can be more human to human and not just at the mercy of all the external deadlines.
18:19 – The value of the micro-pause and how to practice it.
19:47 – Why a pause is not just “kicking-back.”
21:37 – One of the best ways to practice a pause and help others do it too is to tune into your breathing.
36:00 – How to use triggers to grow in leadership.
Connect with Chris
Get The Book
The post Leadership Pause with Chris Johnson appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
August 22, 2022
When Goal Setting Demotivates Your Team and Kills Their Spirit
Effective goal setting brings out the best in people. But if people can’t “win”, don’t feel their work matters, don’t understand why a goal exists, and feel tossed around without a strong foundation, those goals quickly become demoralizing. There are three common goal setting mistakes that erode motivation. Each of them has a straight-forward solution.
Moving Too FastSetting Goals in IsolationRapidly Throwing Your Team from One Change to the NextFalse Summits are the WorstIf you’ve never encountered a false summit, trust me, they stink.
You hike up the side of a mountain for hours, eyeing that final ridge. You push your body a little harder, fighting the missing oxygen because you’re almost there… And then you peak over the ridge you were climbing—only to find that it wasn’t the summit at all, and you still have far to go.
If you’re not prepared for them, false summits can quickly demoralize you. You’ve worked hard, but suddenly the goal seems to have shifted.
When you don’t set goals skillfully, you can easily create false summits for your team that demoralize people, kills their spirit, and leave them asking, “Why bother?”
If your people respond to your latest goals with a collective shrug and shake of their heads, it’s time to revisit how you’re setting goals and avoid the soul-crushing false summits.
A recent false summit I encountered
Three Ways to Ensure Goal Setting that Energizes Your TeamThere are several common mistakes leaders make when setting goals—often with positive intent (for example: “I thought I was encouraging everyone to do their best.”) Fortunately, these mistakes are easy to correct.
1. Moving Too FastKathy was a team leader whose team had done such a good job with their financial goals that they had not just met their goal—the team had single-handedly achieved the financial outcomes for the entire organization.
She was justifiably proud of her team’s work.
But she felt sad and discouraged. Rather than acknowledge the team’s significant achievement, the senior leadership team immediately reset the goals to be significantly higher than what the team had already achieved.
“I understand stretch goals and that there’s more work we can, but there was no acknowledgment of the creativity and problem-solving that allowed us to be so successful.”
She shook her head and sighed as she summarized her team’s concern: “They’re asking one another if they wouldn’t have been better off taking it easy and not working so hard the first time. If no one cares and they’re going to say ‘just kidding, you didn’t actually do well,’ then why bother?”
This is a common mistake leaders make as they rush on to the next goal: failure to acknowledge people’s work and achievement.
It’s deceptively easy to let yourself move on, try to solve the next problem, and skip what your people have achieved.
This creates a demoralizing false summit. They worked hard, thought they’d done well and arrived, only to be told they weren’t as good as they thought. Their work didn’t matter the way they thought it did. You moved the goalposts, and that feels incredibly unfair. It undermines their confidence for what comes next.
Solution: CelebrateMost people need to feel a sense of accomplishment. Endless work with no sense of movement or achievement is torturous.
Energize your team by celebrating success. Take a moment to high-five, ring the bell, throw confetti, say thank you, and let people know the results of their work. Why did their work matter? What positive impact did it have? How are people (not just spreadsheets) better because of the work they did?
Tomorrow, you can still set new goals. Today, celebrate.
When you celebrate people’s work, it gives them momentum and confidence for what comes next.
Time to Celebrate! The view from the ACTUAL summit.
2. Setting Goals in IsolationThis is still a common mistake. A thoughtful, well-intentioned leader thinks and thinks and decides.
Then they share that goal with their people—only to have their people immediately object, list reasons it won’t work, question the leader’s intelligence, and generally work hard to avoid doing what makes little sense to them.
The leader gets frustrated and makes more stringent demands. People get more frustrated and some leave.
And it’s all unnecessary. You may be smart enough to solve many of the challenges and come up with ideal plans yourself (unlikely, but you might be), but no matter how smart you are, if you can’t bring people with you, you won’t succeed.
Solution: Set Goals with PeopleStart by giving people the context, criteria, and problems that need to be solved. Then invite them to contribute their ideas.
True, this takes a little longer than just telling everyone what you think is the best solution. But you gain three significant benefits. First, people understand the problem or opportunity. Now they are with you emotionally and understand the need to change.
The second benefit is that you’ve got parallel processing power. As smart as you are, including other people opens the door to more and better solutions. Those solutions are more likely to work for more people because you’ve included more perspectives in the decision-making.
Finally, the third benefit is that the team now owns the ultimate solution. And people are much more likely to implement, lean into, and creatively problem-solve what they own. They understand why it’s needed, what it’s trying to accomplish, and can communicate that information to others.
3. Thrown Around by Changing CircumstancesRapidly changing priorities can frustrate people and sap motivation. As with the lack of celebration, the rapidly appearing and disappearing “summits” can quickly exhaust your team.
Even so, changing circumstances are an inescapable part of business. Technology changes, policies shift, and competitors do new things. You learn, grow, and consequently need to change your mind. These changes can buffet your team and throw them around like a ship caught in a storm.
Solution: Prepare for Change Before It HappensPrepare your teams for changing priorities by creating structures to help them shift. Advocate for your team to ensure their work matters (and insist on celebration when they’ve done well).
To maintain your team’s energy and morale when goals change frequently, start by setting expectations that it’s going to happen. Ensure you have a reliable communication strategy in place—and that everyone knows how it works. As you navigate shifting priorities, take time to celebrate and “tie a bow” on the priorities you must retire. What did the team achieve? What did they learn?
Your Turn
Sound goal setting motivates and energizes. The goals are challenging but achievable. They bring out the best in people. To make the most of your goals, take time to celebrate success, set goals collaboratively, and prepare for rapid change before it happens.
I’d love to hear from you: How do you help your team stay connected to what matters most, maintain their energy, and meaningfully engage with your organization’s goals?
The post When Goal Setting Demotivates Your Team and Kills Their Spirit appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
August 19, 2022
Connect to Purpose with Revelation with Steve Curtin
We’ve all worked in organizations where employees don’t connect to a purpose. Where everyone understands what to do and how to do it, but not why they do it.
In this episode, Steve Curtin, Author of The Revelation Conversation, gives you a road map to create an environment for employees to connect with the work they do, instead of going through the motions or checking boxes. Reap the benefits of higher levels of employee engagement, productivity, and customer satisfaction through revelation conversations.
Connect to Purpose with Revelation03:49 – What is a revelation? What is the revelation conversation?
04:00 – What are the three objectives to reveal the totality of a job role to connect an employee’s daily job responsibilities to the higher purpose of their job role and the organization?
05:13 – The distinction between life purpose with the purpose of the organization.
10:48 – Having proficiency at the work before you’re able to pursue a higher why of the job.
15:07 – How we can help connect our team members to a higher purpose, but not just theoretically it’s what does it actually look like? How do we actually do it? What is the process of the revelation conversation and how do we put that into practice?
16:42 – How to use the series of four questions to initiate the revelation conversation.
18:58 – As an organization have the core values that drive behavior and decision-making been articulated?
36:36 – The distinction between an action which is created by the process in place, and a behavior.
41:10 – How managers and leaders can start to help make connections to higher job purposes for people knowing not only does it produce a better work product, not only does it energize your team, but it also becomes an attractive force for people who are looking for purpose and meaning in their work.
42:11 – Job purpose is related to meaning and contribution in a way that is unique from job functions.
Connect with SteveGet the Book
The post Connect to Purpose with Revelation with Steve Curtin appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
August 18, 2022
Too Many Ideas: How To Help Your Team Stay Focused and Creative [VIDEO]
“Hey Karin, I’ve got to tell you. Your book, Courageous Cultures, kind of scares me. We don’t actually need more ideas around here… we have too many ideas! We’ve been growing so fast, it’s like the wild, wild west. Everybody’s bringing their ideas and moving in a gazillion directions. Pivoting. This way and that. We just need FOCUSED execution. What do you think we should do?” #AskingForAFriend
This conversation came up when we were looking at curriculum design for ongoing training for one of our long-term leadership development clients.
And they said, “yeah, maybe not so much on the innovation.” They were getting too many people speaking up and sharing their ideas. They needed more focused execution.
So if this is your challenge, consider this.
Yes, you might not need new game-changing approaches. But consider where you MIGHT need ideas. Including, ideas about how to create better clarity and focus for your team.
How to Cope When Your Team Has Too Many Ideas
What would you add? How do you help your team focus on the most helpful innovation?
See Also: How to Convince Your Boss You Have a Great Solution
The post Too Many Ideas: How To Help Your Team Stay Focused and Creative [VIDEO] appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.
August 15, 2022
How to Give Your Boss Bad News: Avoid This Mistake and What to Do Instead
You’ve got to give your boss bad news. But the timing isn’t great–for you or for them. The restructure. The uncertainty. The promotion that’s right around the corner. Maybe it’s just not a great time to rock the boat.
How do you give your boss bad news well, while avoiding the proverbial shooting of the messenger? Start by “ditching the diaper genie” and use our D.A.R.N. approach for delivering bad news.
First, Ditch the Diaper Genie.If you’ve bumped into us in an airport over the last decade, it’s likely we’ve been carrying a diaper genie. Why? We’re passionate about avoiding sandwich feedback, having real conversations that matter, and delivering bad news well.
Our son, Sebastian, loves this metaphor so much that he can even explain it himself (as seen here in this video (worth a watch and a giggle). Our client invited our then 10-year-old son to give the diaper genie bit a go in Bristol England) and his recent sketch (at age 16, see below).
May our youth grow up in a world where real conversations are the norm. To learn to speak the truth with candor, and work in organizations that encourage them to speak up, share their ideas, and train them to do this well.
What does it mean to “ditch the diaper genie?” And, what does that have to do with giving your boss bad news?If you haven’t been around a baby in a minute, a diaper genie works like this. You take a stinky diaper. You put it in the genie. Give it a twist. And the poop gets wrapped up so tight, that it doesn’t stink. But of course, we all know it still does.
Now, we say this with great respect for Playtex. Diaper Genies are a GREAT invention for parents and babies, but they’re not so good in organizations.
If you’ve got to give your boss bad news, it might be tempting to put it in the genie.
You think… “Our project is already three weeks behind. And we’ve just lost a key supplier.” But then you look at your boss, who’s already having a bad day, month, or year. So you stick it in the genie and say, “Well, we’ve had some minor setbacks. But, it’s really no big deal. Everything is under control.”
And your boss can’t help you. Because the poop doesn’t stink. And, if they can’t smell it, they can’t help you solve it. And so the bad news festers, unheard and unresolved.
So, what’s the best way to ditch the diaper genie when giving your boss bad news? Avoid the cover-up and the blindsides. And, try the D.A.R.N. approach instead.
D- Disclose. (Explain the situation and root cause)No blindsides. It’s WAY better for your boss to hear the bad news from you FIRST. Not from their boss. Not from social media. Disclosing the bad news early, and often builds trust.
A-Accountability. (Don’t be a blamer of bad news)Take accountability. Even if it wasn’t completely your fault. You might say something like, “honestly, I should have been closer to this situation.” Or, “I know how important this is, and I want to do everything to make it right.”
R- Response. (Share your solution to fix the situation)Explain what you’ve done to rectify the scene. “I’ve called the customer to make it right. And, alerted our social media team in case the customer goes to Twitter with this. I’ve given the supervisor a final written warning.”
N- Next Steps. (Explain your plan and what you need next)This is where you really shine when giving your boss bad news. Have a plan. “What I think you might do next is contact your manager (so they’re not blindsided). Or, “I think we need to change our policies or procedures to ensure this never happens.”
When giving your boss bad news, we encourage you to “ditch the diaper genie,” disclose the situation, take accountability and work to make it right.
Your turn. What would you add? What are your best practices for giving your boss bad news?
Related ArticlesManaging Up: Keep Your Boss Informed About a Struggling Team Member
Managing Up With Grace: How to Give Your Boss Better Feedback
How to Give Difficult Feedback to Your Boss (Even When You Are Scared)
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August 12, 2022
Cultivating Infectious Energy with Keith Smith
Do you remember the last time you felt infectious energy? Some have tapped into how to maintain a higher energy output but the majority of us are still on this journey. That’s where this week’s guest, Keith Smith, can help.
Keith Smith, CEO of Vonco Products, is on a social mission to help those seeking to live a more empowered life, cultivate innovation, overcome fear, or become a more effective leader. In this episode, Keith shares his insights on how to tap into the infectious energy we have deep down, and take steps to identify drain and imbalances.
Cultivating Infectious Energy06:13
Focus on strengths and stop worrying so much about your weaknesses and really capitalize on the strengths.
06:51
If you need somebody to climb a tree, don’t hire a fish.
07:10
The journey that led to cultivating infectious energy started from a time of not having the energy that you wanted.
09:25
Whether it’s your health, your business, or your relationships, something breaks when you don’t have balance.
11:14
When you started this journey of learning and figuring out how to show up differently and how to cultivate infectious energy in all of the critical areas of your life, what are some of the key things that you learned along the way that you can help us with?
13:01
Attracting the success and outcomes you want in your life versus forcing them.
13:48
What are low energy emotions and where do they come from?
18:32
The more open loops in life the less productive you become.
24:24
Being clear about the value that you’re bringing to the world at any level of an organization or at any place in your career.
26:21
What are the four different kinds of energies?
33:46
Changing your expectations for appreciation.
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August 10, 2022
How Do I Prepare My Team for an Uncertain Future? (Video Interview)
In this week’s Asking for a Friend, I talk with Meredith Elliott Powell, Author of Thrive– Turning Uncertainty to a Competitive Advantage. Meredith offers practical approaches to help your team prepare for an uncertain future.
I love her Skeptic model to help your team think through future scenarios for dealing with uncertainty and change.
Consider what is happening in the following areas:
S-SocietyC- (K) CompetitionE- EconomyP- PoliticsT- TechnologyI-IndustryC-CustomersFun Side NoteI got to know Meredith when we were on a philanthropic speaking tour in Southeast Asia with Together We Can Change the World.
This is the organization that we partner with to build our clean water Winning Wells in Cambodia.
I’d love to hear from you. How do you help your team prepare for an uncertain future?
Related Articles7 Ways to Help Your Team Deal with Ambiguity
How to Help Your Team Navigate the Chaos
4 Strategic Questions to Have With Your Team Before Year End
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