Susan Scott's Blog, page 78

Fierce Resources: 7 Leadership Actions that Support Staff Members

This week’s Fierce Resources comes from Edweek.org and was written by Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director, Learning Forward.

7 Leadership Actions that Support Staff Members provides tips on how to develop relationships by being supportive and willing to connect on topics that may be uncomfortable, and need to be addressed. Instead of asking closed-ended questions, get curious about what the other person has experienced. What might you learn?

Think about asking a question that you’ve always been curious about… you never know what the result could be.

“Schedule time for regular conversations focused on the individual’s goals, successes, and struggles. Setting aside time sends the message that you are truly interested in others’ work and knowing how you can be most supportive of their success.”

To read the full article, click here.

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The Forgotten Generation: Reflections from a Gen Xer

Uh, hello? Remember us? The ones commonly referred to as “latch key kids”? {ahem}

Okay, sure. Even though we like to come off as tough, we may feel forgotten and voiceless in this battle between generations. And, yes, we can come off as self-absorbed as our desire for change occasionally trumps relationships. But “slackers”, we are not.

We hunger for diversity, for changing the system, for achieving some sense of balance in a lop-sided world. We have utmost respect and gratitude for our parents who worked themselves to the bone so we could enjoy a richer life. And we appreciate the younger set as they continue to push the momentum for a more connected world forward.

We want to work with both of you, Boomers and Millennials, to help bridge any gaps of skillset and mindset so we can all come out on top. We found our way, Millennials, so relax… you will too. It isn’t the Boomers who are making it difficult; it’s your perception of them that’s getting in your way.

And Boomers, thank you for your ongoing resilience. If ever a generation has shown an ability to withstand change, it’s you. Keep going in that direction. And, hey, give these kids a break every once in a while, okay?

This piece was written in response to a generations blog recently featured on Fierceinc.com and can be found here.

Interested in having Fierce keynote at your organization or an event? Learn more by clicking here.

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Fierce Tip of the Week: Take Off Your Masks

We all have different roles we play in our lives. Because of it, we may feel a need to wear different masks to play the parts.

Perhaps it is your wife mask or boss mask or daughter mask or church-goer mask.

You name it, and your roles have a way of potentially taking over your identity. After all, titles usually come with expectations we put on ourselves and others.

Your ultimate task is to show up in all of those roles as you.

When we try to be a different person in different scenarios, we are out of integrity with ourselves. And people can feel that from a mile away.

This week’s tip is to take off your masks and be real. We all crave authenticity

When in situations this week, ask yourself: Am I showing up as the real me?

It would be a shame to deprive the world. There is only one you.

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Fierce Resources: How to Manage Different Generations

This article was originally published on The Wall Street Journal can be found here.

How to Manage Different Generations is still a common theme throughout the leadership and development space and has been for several years. The question still exists, how do you manage a multigenerational workforce? Well, the answer may be more simple than it appears. How about a spoonful of communication, prompted with a big question: how do we connect and what should we be talking about?

Start with the question- what knowledge do we need to retain for our company to exist? Think: history of the company, strategic decisions, and what the future holds.

“Facilitate mentoring between different aged employees to encourage more cross-generational interaction. Younger employees should learn to seek the experience and wisdom offered by senior employees. Older employees should learn to be open to the fresh perspectives offered by younger employees.”

To read the full article, click here.

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The Art of Balance: Cultivating a Sustainable Workplace

With the three key ingredients of trust, conversation, and flexibility, organizations can take meaningful steps toward easing the work/life issues plaguing the American workforce.

Work/life balance discussions have taken on a new urgency lately, thanks in large part to Arianna Huffington’s bestselling book, “Thrive.” The book begins with her personal “wake-up call.” She found herself lying in a pool of blood after collapsing from exhaustion and lack of sleep. Her demanding and lucrative career overpowered her—the weight eventually crushing her ability to keep up.

While this is a dramatic and high-profile example, this same scenario plays out day after day with average Joes and Janes. We may not crumple to our knees like Arianna, but the upward spike of stress reported by employees is sobering. And slowly, but surely, it’s taking a toll.

The third annual 2013 Work Stress Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Everest College, found that 83 percent of Americans are stressed at work. One of the top stressors? Poor work/life balance.

In Fierce, Inc.’s 2014 Having It All Survey, which examined professional women’s attitudes about work/life balance, 70 percent of women reported being stressed, with nearly half experiencing stress-related health issues, such as loss of sleep (45 percent), weight gain (45 percent), and depression (34.5 percent).

The impact is so strong that 1 in 5 women, according to the Fierce survey, reported leaving a more lucrative job for one that supported better work/life balance. And if you believes this issue is a “girl thing,” think again. Just take ex-MongoDB CEO Max Schireson as a recent example. He quit his role as CEO to spend more time with his family, finding the demands of his job too much to support both work and home life.

If corporations haven’t gotten the memo yet, their time is running out. While some may prefer that this issue disappear, it won’t. It has sprung forth yet again as our society gets further and further caught up in trying to run at the rate of technology and, subsequently, pays the price. And while we can replace the hard drive in a computer, there is no replacing a company’s most valuable asset—the hearts and minds of its employees.

Here are three key ingredients to cultivating a workplace that fosters more balance and sustains long-term health for both the business and its workforce. And as with all things, it begins with trust.

1. Without trust, there is nothing. Trust is BIG. Employees crave it, employers must give it, and people require it as a fundamental component to all relationships. Without it, there is hand-holding, micro-managing, clock-watching, and side-glancing paranoia. Decisions are made behind closed doors, people whisper at the water cooler, and a world of energy is spent paving every road in “Worst Case Scenario Land.” In short, we spend our time focused on how to avoid failure or catching someone doing wrong rather than looking for possibilities, success, and spontaneous innovation.

In the “trustless” environment, corporations are hamstrung when it comes to affording employees work/life balance because to give balance, one must have balance—balance of trust between management and staff, staff and leadership. Cultures of deep-seated personal accountability must replace command-and-control dictatorships.

Building a foundation of trust at all levels, in every direction, is the launching point for creating a balanced workplace and is what’s needed to sustain it over time. To establish trust, one must choose trust. Trust is a choice—a belief—that resides within each individual and is his or hers to give. It starts from the top, and when trust is given, much is granted in return.

2. Have the conversations, and keep having them. Once trust has been established, have conversations that identify what employees need in order to experience better work/life balance. In one-on-ones, ask where the challenges are and request recommendations for resolving them. Ask what the company is doing nowthat’s helpful and how it could be made more helpful. Lean in and get curious. The solution (or solutions) may be much simpler than imagined, as we often tend to over-correct for situations that merely need a small modification.

Pull together a work/life committee made up of cross-functional and cross-departmental representatives. Submit the themes occurring in one-on-one conversations and task the committee with prioritizing, proposing solutions, and partnering with leadership to execute any new policies and/or cultural shifts that need to occur. As with all committees, ensure the work/life committee continues to meet on a regular basis to stay current with employee needs. Rotate in new members so fresh perspectives are routinely made available to the group. Peer groups also can give working parents, or individuals tasked with greater life responsibilities, an opportunity to share solutions and strategies for overcoming work/life issues outside of the company.

3. Reach beyond your limits and flex your flexibility. More than likely, a request for greater flexibility will be a common theme in your work/life conversations. After all, life doesn’t happen on a Tuesday nor does it occur conveniently between the hours of 9 and 5. Life happens when it does. It’s the nature of the beast, warts and all, so it’s best to adopt a strategy that embraces reality rather than ignores it.

Some highly adopted and emerging trends are listed below as options to consider. All of these address work/life issues and, on their own or together, will cover much ground in providing employees a less stressed, more engaged environment—both of which come with higher profits and lower turnover.

1. Flexible hours. A wide variety of office positions have no real need to be religiously staffed during specific hours, such as 8 to 5. Instead, there may be core hours where overlap with other team members is crucial but, outside of this, mandating an 8 a.m. start time is without much purpose and is more an act of old policies unvisited.

Evaluate all positions and identify core hours and the associated tolerance for flexible hours. Offering employees a grace period around when they need to be physically present in the office allows for life to sporadically bleed outside the margins into work, without causing undue stress.

2. Telecommuting. Hand in hand with flex hours, telecommuting is a wonderful and practical option to give employees. Thanks to technology, employees can still participate in meetings while getting work done (sometimes even more!) when in the rather calm and controlled environment of home.

Here again, assess which positions would be a good fit for working remotely and set clear expectations such as response time, indication of availability, and any specific days of the week where presence in the office is preferred due to weekly team meetings, etc.

3. Unlimited PTO. Perhaps the pièce de résistance of work/life policies is adapting an unlimited vacation “non-policy.” The latest high-profile CEO to roll this out is Richard Branson. He, like other CEOs, has observed the higher profits, morale, and productivity that the pioneering CEOs have experienced since implementing this bold policy.

Of all policies, this one requires the most trust and asks employees to be highly accountable to themselves, their peers, and their company. And when it works, it works like a charm. Ensure employees understand the goals and objectives they are responsible for delivering and communicate the expectation that they may take time off when they feel their absence will not damage the business, the team, or their careers.

While there may be a lot of initial fear around implementing this policy, most companies find they actually need to encourage employees to take more vacation! When trust is handed over, people step up in equal amounts.

With the three key ingredients of trust, conversation, and flexibility, organizations can take meaningful steps toward easing the work/life issues plaguing the American workforce. Companies that begin now will have a tremendous leg up on those that continue to merely pay lip service to the cause. This issue isn’t going away. It’s time to get out in front of it before employees lose patience and take their talent elsewhere.

This article was originally published on TrainingMag.com and was written by Halley Bock, President and CEO, Fierce, Inc.

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Millennials: Creating a New Workforce

Generation Y isn’t working to survive or to bring home a paycheck. They seek fulfillment and active participation in a bigger, more important organizational vision.

They’ll pay their dues, put in their time and even take less pay as long as they feel they are contributing to an organization’s big-picture goals. But when they feel marginalized, millennials walk out the door without hesitation.

The impact of this attitudinal shift is being reflected in the ways Gen Y leaders are beginning to create a new workplace culture.

Here are three changes they’re inspiring:

Connectivity: The workplace is becoming a social organism. Call it the Facebook effect. Gen Y employees and their leaders are building cultures that foster stimulation and creativity through constant contact with others. Co-workers no longer connect at the annual office party. They connect professionally and socially every minute of every day.
Collaboration: The old maxim that “there is no I in team” holds true — but on steroids. Gen Y leaders are building organizations that recognize the value of differing perspectives. Within these organizations, teams fluidly form to explore the many points of view that comprise reality and collectively work toward the bigger goal.
Competition: While competitive, millennials are not cutthroat. Millennials are often more competitive with themselves than they are with their colleagues. The new Generation Y workplace provides opportunities for well-rounded growth and a multitude of professional experiences. These organizations are also more likely to recognize and reward departments than they are individuals.

The infusion of millennials in the workforce and their rise as leaders is an evolution, one current leaders must support to retain talent and keep their organizations relevant in the future.

To encourage Generation Y and their leaders to completely buy in to the new regime, here are a few best practices:

Account for work-life balance. We no longer live in a 9-to-5 world. The lines between work and home life aren’t just blurry, they’re gone. Today’s employees take work home, they frequently check into the office while on vacation and they never turn off their smartphones.

It’s also natural that home life spills into the office. Online shopping, fantasy football and personal Facebook use will happen at the office. Managers should do more than permit these activities, they should encourage them.

Create a growth lattice, not a ladder. The traditional paradigm of moving up the corporate ladder one rung at a time is dead. Today’s millennial employees demand cross-discipline growth opportunities, not infinite specialization. Develop career paths that allow team members to explore diverse experiences in different departments throughout the organization.

Communicate the big picture. Never before has it been so important to align teams behind a clear vision of where the company is going. It’s more than a strategy for focusing resources.

It’s a critical motivational tool for Gen Y staff. Unless they feel their efforts, however menial, are in pursuit of the key objective, millennials won’t become emotionally engaged, and they will leave. Provide the opportunity for them to buy in fully.

Whether or not leaders agree with or appreciate the cultural changes millennials are inspiring in the workplace is irrelevant. What’s more important is recognition that this new generation of employees — and the future leaders within their ranks — aren’t waiting for these changes to happen organically.

They’re thrusting these changes upon organizations, and organizations are becoming smarter and more efficient as a result.

This article was originally published on Talentmgt.com and was written by Fierce, Inc. CEO & President, Halley Bock.

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Fierce Tip of the Week: Stay Current

In this very moment, are you avoiding a conversation with someone who is central to your success? At home? At work? In the neighborhood?

If so, you’ve probably justified why it is better to not have the conversation right now. Examples: She can’t handle it. It will be better after the holidays. He only likes it this way.

However defendable the excuse may be – it is still an excuse. Plain and simple.

This week’s tip is to stay current in your relationships. Today is the day to have the conversation you are avoiding.

As Eckhert Tolle said in the Power of Now, “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”

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Fierce Resources: To Excel You Must Learn These 6 Crucial Lessons That School Can Never Teach

This week’s Fierce Resource was originally published on Entrepreneur.com and was written by the Leading Authority for Young Entrepreneurs, Peter Voogd.

To Excel You Must Learn These 6 Crucial Lessons That School Can Never Teach provokes thought and encourages you to evaluate yourself today. What do you know? What are you really good at and what do you enjoy? What don’t you like to do, but know doing it will propel you forward? Sometimes the things we enjoy doing, aren’t always what will lead us to growth AND it’s important to have a balance of both.

Take the time to evaluate your responsibilities and think about what you could do differently, what would happen?

“A powerful “why.” Realize that no matter where you are right now, you can always take it up a notch. Are you really giving your all daily? Your possibilities are endless when you find compelling reasons. The goal is to create a “why” so strong that it pulls you through any challenge, past all doubters and over even your own limitations. We’re in an economy that now welcomes the entrepreneur. It’s become easier to realize your ideal future. It just takes compelling reasons, clear intentions and the right guidance.”

To read the full article, click here.

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The Generational Divide: Who Will Win?

 

Lately the generational divide has been a topic front and center, in conferences, the press, blogs… We are surprised, and a little concerned with the assumptions about millennials that are being offered up as the “capital T” truth.

If you look at the press and commentary you’d think that Millennials (insert zombies) are coming in mass to get us. They will soon take over business as we know it, booting out boomers, trampling Gen Xers, and demanding every entitlement under the sun.

So we thought we’d add to the chatter a different perspective, from both sides of the generational divide.

From Stacey, the Millennial:

Sure some millennials can be needy at times – wanting feedback on a weekly basis. And yes, some millennials think they deserve their promotions before they have shown impact in their roles. Others not so much. As a generation, we do love our technology and continually improving our devices and toys. The thing is – there are millennials that work all hours to tackle a tough challenge. Millennials want opportunity to make impact. We want access, and frankly, are scared that we won’t be able to have the influence needed. Imagine that.

More than ever, we as a society, all generations, are very aware of global issues. How will those be solved? Millennials do not necessarily believe that gamification and technology need to be inserted between us and the problem, but it could be.

We crave working with you, Boomers. After all, you taught us everything we know for the most part. You are our parents, and now you are our future coaches. We need you to guide us in what we don’t know, so we can truly bring something new to the table.

We can even do it face-to-face.

From Christine, the Boomer:

Sure some of us are a little scared, the rules of engagement are changing. We are not as comfortable with digital as we should be. We are staying in our jobs longer and want the security of choosing to stay. We still think face time at work (and we’re willing to put in a lot of it) is the only time that counts. We fear our experience may no longer be valued. And we’re a little unsure about of the idea of a global generational society.

And others of us welcome this new and fresh perspective. We are rolling up our sleeves and jumping into the digital world. We love the freedom of being untethered in the old traditional ways. We don’t fear our worth and want to have our perspectives challenged. We don’t see the need for putting in time before you can have a voice at the table, and that multiple, often competing realities (insert generations) lead to better decisions and innovation….

And, after all, these are our children and we think we’ve done a damn good job raising them.

Our findings… the generational divide is not so big. While media will always make a big stink about competing generations, the truth is we need each other.

What do you think? What would you add? Leave us a comment to share your thoughts.

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Fierce Tip of the Week: Appreciate Your Boss

On October 16th, we celebrate National Boss’s Day. Whether you have a boss, are a boss, and/or are your own boss, the relationship with a boss is one of the most caricatured. What bosses stick out in your mind?

When I think about bosses I have had in my life, the Fierce tagline any conversation can comes to mind. I think of pivotal conversations that have helped shape my career – in intended and unintended ways.

Pause for a moment… now think about the conversations that you have had with your boss.

Now ask yourself:

What do you admire?

What is the biggest impact he/she has had in your life?

What makes your boss unique?

This week’s tip is to show appreciation to your boss. Perhaps share some of your insights. Anyone who has led people knows that it is not for the faint-hearted. No one is perfect however, many go into the office every day trying to be their very best.

How are you going to show your boss appreciation?

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