Susan Scott's Blog, page 107

Fierce Resources: Better Conversations About Autonomy

This week’s Fierce Resource was first published on the BeautyPackaging.com website and was written by Fierce CEO & President Halley Bock.

Better Conversations About Autonomy highlights how autonomy helps create a more productive, proactive culture and how leaders can develop their employees through conversation and use their instincts to be more independent.

“Organizations that address employee needs for autonomy experience higher retention levels, and job satisfaction increases as employees do not feel constantly monitored by controlling supervisors…autonomy also provides the freedom to employ creative problem-solving skills—all while avoiding the trap of “group think.” When employees are entrusted to take on challenges, they are fully engaged in outcomes instead of blindly following protocol.”

To read the full article, click here.

Costco & Fierce Case Study Part One

Fierce is excited to announce a new case study that highlights our partnership with Costco.

As Costco sets out to double their size by 2025, the organization knows that staying nimble is key. This year Costco created the Cosmos project. This project’s goal is to integrate Finance and HR/Payroll systems with elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution. In other words, the Costco team is modernizing their financial system.

Costco chose Fierce to be an integral part of the Cosmos project to align the diverse team as well as give a shared language and framework.

“Sometimes it seems like the different groups all speak their own language,” said Kelly Paine, a Costco Accounting Manager and the Change Management Lead for Cosmos. “Finance speaks Accounting. IT speaks Tech, and the Consultant speaks Consultantese. We need to understand each other’s perspectives. And in order to do that, we need a shared language.

Success requires people to accept the importance of the big picture—to change behaviors based on what will be good in the long-term, rather than being driven by short-term gains. “This means we’ll have to become more structured administratively while remaining entrepreneurial and innovative in our respective areas of the business,” said Kathy Shannon, Merchandise Accounting AVP and Cosmos Project Executive.”

To learn more about how Fierce supports Costco in achieving their goals, download your complimentary Fierce & Costco Case Study Part One.

Fierce Tip of the Week: Embrace Multiple Points of View

As the 2012 year comes to a close we begin to start planning for the year ahead. Budgets, strategy plans, changes in policy- now is when we take the time to reflect on where we’ve been to determine where we’re going.

This week’s Fierce Tip is for leaders to enter this process with an open head and heart and to embrace as many different points of view as possible.

While it’s necessary to have the decision making process stay with a smaller subset of leaders, it is critical that they collect the information necessary to make informed and thoughtful determinations for the upcoming year. This can’t happen if only leadership is consulted.

For example, want to cut spending next year? Then take the time to speak with your administrative staff about wasteful spends within your organization. Support roles might be able to help the organization find a way to cut costs without touching specific budgets.

The reality is the answers are within the company and productive leaders will realize that every of level can inform the larger picture.

Fierce Resources: What Your Employees Won’t Tell You (But Wish You Knew)

This week’s Fierce Resource was first published on The Daily Muse and syndicated on Forbes Woman this week. It was written by Fierce CEO and President Halley Bock.

What Your Employees Won’t Tell You (But Wish You Knew) explores four conversation topics employees would like to have with their managers but don’t always feel comfortable speaking up about.

“Chances are, your employees aren’t going to come up to you one day and give you a piece of their mind. This could be for many reasons—maybe they don’t feel comfortable, maybe you don’t have a culture of transparency, or maybe they value their jobs, to name a few. Or maybe they consider you to be scary and intimidating (in which case, you should probably smile more). But whatever the reason, there are likely a lot of things that your employees are thinking, but wouldn’t ever dare to tell you.”

To read the full article, click here.

Embrace Imperfection to Grow

When starting a new job, I am always haunted by the need for perfection – no mistakes, no miscommunication, and absolutely no stupid questions. The goal is to do whatever I can to appear flawless and reaffirm why I was hired. I know that this mentality is constricting, and yet, I do it repeatedly.

The first time I broke out of the perfection cycle was while studying abroad in Spain. My professor pushed me to see that my mistakes are valuable and that perfection should not be the end goal.

We were a group of 20-something bright-eyed students climbing off of a bus. Everything was unknown. We came expecting sun, modern apartments, and a studio overflowing with every art supply you could imagine. What did we have? A studio space that could hardly fit all of us standing together… let alone creating.

Our professor challenged my downcast face – “Make art with the limitations that you have.” The first few weeks were spent in frustration bumping elbows trying to fit my large-scale ideas into the small box we were working in. Hours were spent at the local art store trying to communicate in my minimal Spanish what I needed and failing. I hit a point of devastation that my project wouldn’t work. I was so focused on making the fabric look perfect in a way that was impossible with the tools I had.

My professor helped me to see how the areas that I had thought were mistakes, the places where you could see my hand creating, were the most interesting parts about the piece and to embrace it. “Show your process and humanness – that is what everyone wants to see.” The tiny exposed stitches became important to the final work.

I suppose my lesson was twofold. First, use limitations to help create and to show your process. With art and starting a new job, squirreling away just so you can present a sparkling finished project is not what people or your leaders want to see. There is no benefit in omission. Second, collaborate and push the boundaries. This involves yourself and your coworkers. Collaborating expands your viewpoint as well as theirs. Embracing mistakes gives room for growth and innovation – where perfection doesn’t.

Breaking away from trying to be perfect, in a project or in life, will take you places you may never go otherwise.

Fierce Tip of the Week: Build on Your Mistakes

When you make a mistake, sometimes the disappointment can urge you to shut down and look at it as a failure. This attitude, not the mistake, is the error.

Growth happens when the perception of what’s “perfect” is challenged. When this happens, an idea or project can go to a whole new level.

This week’s tip is about making the most of an “imperfect” situation by building upward and onward. Often there is so much energy focused on making sure there are no flaws that we overlook how valuable second, third, or even tenth attempts can be. The key to turning a misstep into something that moves a project forward is to take the time to challenge and reflect.

Put your energy into problem solving for a new and even better solution. Instead of viewing a mistake with a defeatist attitude, challenge yourself and those around you to see it as an opportunity to continue to innovate.

So this week, whether it’s your second crack at it or your tenth, remember that you may come out with something much bigger than you ever imagined.

Fierce Resources: A Lesson in Leadership: Strength in Vulnerability

This week’s Fierce Resource was first published on the Fierce blog in October of 2010 and was written by Fierce CEO & President Halley Bock. A Lesson in Leadership: Strength in Vulnerability explores the misconception that vulnerability is a weakness.

“More often than not, leaders get it in their heads that to command respect one must engage in a sort of chest-beating, know-it-all, voice-deeper-than-natural posturing that tends to nauseate the rest of us. If nothing else, we begin to question the true capabilities of someone who puts on such a ‘show of strength’.”

To read the full blog, click here.

Isn’t It Time You Scared Yourself to Death?

My dearest friend and colleague, Aimee wrote a great blog “Where are you looking for change in your life?” In it she wrote “no goals, no change”. It’s a simple thought, yet it’s so true. I have always had a “goal” to study another language, Spanish, and really never did anything about it until just recently.

I collected my courage, had several fierce conversations with myself, and jumped off my cliff into a four week long immersion class in Spanish. So how do you know it’s a cliff?  You’ll spend the first week gazing at your reflection in the mirror at 4 am thinking what in the @#&*! am I doing? This will be followed by a litany of victimy thoughts like – I’m not smart enough, I can’t do this, I’m too old for this. However, I hung in. And after four weeks I can now say I speak two languages, one quite well and one very poorly. I also found out that what I took away from this experience went far beyond learning to speak a language.

My first takeaway was that life is a journey (pretty cliché huh?..). When you spend all of your time on the well-traveled highways of life, no matter how wonderful, complex, and rewarding they are, you can give up on the gift of exploration. You no longer test yourself as much mentally and your focus becomes narrower. You accept the easier solution and become self-defined by your successes. Yet, exploration is a vital life force often overlooked. It goes hand-in-hand with fear of failure, pain, and self-doubt. What makes exploring your world extraordinary, isn’t that you succeed or fail, it’s that you wake up. You think differently, with more clarity, passion, and compassion.

This brings me to my second takeaway. You can’t do it alone (I know…another cliché!). Always make sure to appreciate the wonderful network of support you have in your life. When you jump off your cliff, you will find yourself clinging to the gossamer threads of support you receive from your colleagues, friends and family. These become your lifelines as you cascade through your fears. Exploration allows you to re-learn how to be fragile and to trust anew.

My third takeaway is that I can now speak Spanish…very poorly…and I will continue down that path as well. Thank you to Ricardo and Olga, my marvelous teachers. The transformational journey you took me on went far beyond acquiring new language skills. I will always treasure my time with you.

So isn’t it time you scared yourself to death? What do you want to do, that if you did, would change everything?

Fierce Tip of the Week: Say Yes

Fear is an emotion that can cause paralysis. For evolutionary reasons, fear is helpful.  When our senses read a situation as dangerous, it’s beneficial that we know to proceed with caution.

The problem is when fear becomes more than a fleeting reaction. Fear as a prolonged state of mind can leave you stagnant and unable to grow.

This week is about opening yourself up and saying yes to something that is scary and unknown. Excluding bodily harm, give yourself permission to say yes to experiences that widen your perspective and challenge how you are currently viewing your world.

You might be a completely different person by the end of the week.

3 Ways a Little Thanks Can Go a Long Way

With the holiday season upon us, gratitude fills the air.

The holidays present a great opportunity for leadership to spread some cheer! Below are three tips to show your appreciation and have some fun with your team.

Tip #1: Take Time Off on the Clock

The end of the year can be a hectic one filled with deadlines and quotas. The idea of taking time out of people’s already jammed packed schedules during the day might seem daunting; however, the break can actually rejuvenate a team’s spirit and make this last push more enjoyable.

Take your team out to lunch or throw a holiday potluck- kick back and enjoy each other’s company. This will remind your team that you realize they are working hard and you value what they do.

Tip #2:  Write It Down

There isn’t anything quite like receiving a handwritten note. The time it takes to pick out the card, write the message, and even the physical act of handing it to your recipient shows you value and care about them. There’s not always time throughout the year to verbalize to your employees how thankful you are for what they do. This is the perfect time to put pen to paper with what you really want to say.

Tip #3: Have a Conversation

There are times when talk is cheap- this is not one of them! The mentality toward the end of the year can be to put your head down and finish strong. While it’s important to not lose sight of your team’s deliverables – their hard work is worth mentioning.

If you have regular meetings with your employees, take time to verbalize why you appreciate them. Better yet, before the meeting spend a little time and look at the projects they’ve been working on so you can bring specific examples of ways they’ve impressed you this year. If you don’t typically have these one-on-one meetings, ask if you can schedule one with your employees and use the time to boost their holiday spirit.

As a leader, have you thought about how you can show your team appreciation this holiday season?