Susan Scott's Blog, page 80

Fierce Resources: Build a High Performing Team in 30 Minutes

This week’s Fierce Resource comes from Forbes.com and was written by Kristi Hedges.

As strategy planning sessions are on the horizon for 2015, here are some tips to Build a High Performing Team in 30 Minutes. When is the last time you brought your team together to evaluate what processes are working or not? If you can’t remember the last time you had open conversations about how your team is functioning, you may be in the dark on what is positively or negatively impacting your team.

What is the most important conversation you will have with your team in the next month? How often do you check in with the whole team to measure satisfaction?

“Changing team behavior, once ingrained, is no small feat. A lot of social nuance goes into creating the culture of any group, and once it’s established, can be hard to affect. Cultures rest on spoken and unspoken norms. Think of team culture like a web. You can take out one piece of it, and it will re-form to its overall shape.”

To read the full article, click here. 

Be a Fierce Leader: 3 Conversations to Share Wins

 

Fierce Vice President of Marketing, Stacey Engle, wrote a piece on how to be a fierce leader for the Human Capital Institute and we wanted to share it with you.  Published Friday, September 12th.

Think about a leader in your life who people deeply commit their time, talents, and hearts to.

I’m talking about the kind of leader who draws out the greatness in others – even when people do not believe in their own greatness. This kind of leader thrives on creating an environment where people are all in.

In Pour Your Heart Into It, Howard Schultz says, “Success is empty if you arrive at the finish line alone. The best reward is to get there surrounded by winners. The more winners you bring with you – whether they are employees, customers, share-holders, or supporters – the more gratifying the victory.”

What can you do to share the wins?

1. Give credit where credit is due. This is absolutely critical. If you do not give credit, there is no way that you will be the leader that people follow into the toughest challenges. There is nothing worse than putting your all into a project, and then the leader taking the accolades.

Be a leader who highlights the accomplishments of others and openly shares how their wins impact the larger picture. Be specific.

Try This: Designate a given timeframe during a regular meeting where you have the floor open for shout-outs or acknowledgements – model this by recognizing people first then ask for additions. For the Fierce marketing team, each person has the opportunity to acknowledge a specific action or attitude at our monthly innovation meetings.



2. Get out of their way. Once you have set clear expectations of what is needed, give your team the space to problem solve and not feel suffocated. This is where true ownership is built. When people brainstorm and act on their own plans, there is more pride in the work.

Be cautious here though. It is important to be there if they need you. Let it be on their terms.

Try This: Create accountability partners inside your team, so that peers can help follow up with specific projects and timelines instead of the direct supervisor. At Fierce, our culture committee sets up new accountability partners every quarter to help bridge departments and help people really own where they want and need support.

3. Encourage people to follow their instincts. This is where drawing greatness out of others lies. You need the people on your team to drive components with full confidence – this means that they must trust themselves. The Fierce Coaching model is a powerful tool for this, because it is about asking questions and creating self-generated insight.

Try to not give advice. One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is to ask questions, truly listen, and show your confidence with the next steps that he or she wants to take.

Try This: Have bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with your direct reports. Use this time to have your employee drive the conversation, and hence, trust their ability to discuss what’s most important. If you need to connect with your employees on specific matters, set up a different time to talk – let these one-on-ones be theirs.

These three practices are not easy. It takes a courageous leader to truly develop others – to look outward and want to share something bigger.

Are you the kind of leader who shares success? How do you do it? What tips do you have?

Fierce Tip of the Week: Identify Your Needs in Negotiation

Every day we negotiate. We negotiate at work, in relationships, and in our community.

Where in your life would you like to improve your negotiations?  At work? At home?

Wherever it is, negotiations are a very powerful way to enrich relationships. They are opportunities for all parties to be in a better place than before the conversation. What often gets in the way during negotiation conversations is when one or both parties get stuck on a fixed outcome.

In Fierce Negotiations, we define a position as a fixed idea of the tangible results you want. On the other hand, a need is a tangible plus intangible result. Need involves the motivation supporting the desire to make the deal. In their very nature, needs will always outweigh positions, because they are attached to emotions.

For a simple example, if we are negotiating a location for an annual retreat – it is much harder to find a solution if we stay in stuck positions. Say you want Orlando, and I want Scottsdale. There is really no place to go from there (literally and figuratively). However, if we explore needs, like the desire to be in warm weather, then possibilities open up for where we can both potentially be satisfied. The goal is to blend each other’s needs.

This week’s tip is to identify your needs before negotiating. If you concentrate on the other’s needs and your own – instead of a position – the conversation will most likely take you to a place you may not have predicted.

Where will you go in your negotiations this week?

Fierce Resources: The 6 R.E.A.L Questions Every Leader Should Be Asking

This week’s Fierce Resources comes from Inc.com and was written by Lolly Daskal, Founder of Lead From Within. 

The 6 R.E.A.L Questions Every Leader Should Be Asking highlights questions leaders can ask themselves to improve the quality of the relationships that surround them. Conversations may be taking place regularly and the reality is, often we aren’t having real, direct, feedback rich conversations that move our relationships forward.

 Take a moment to reflect on your communication style.  Do you listen to what others are saying? How do you show up to lead?

“Listening is imperative to success: If you’re not listening, you can’t truly connect with your employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, and creditors. Listening gives you input and information, so think about speaking less and listening more.”

To read the full article, click here.

More Women Give Up on “Having It All”

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, was interviewed in this article by Brian O’Connell and was originally posted on TheStreet.com.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Can working woman “have it all” in the workplace and home?

Maybe not. Many women have given up thinking it’s an option.

Exhibit “A” for that case is a study from Seattle-based Fierce saying that 70% of U.S. working woman call trying to achieve a satisfying work/life balance “a major cause of stress.”

For decades ads have said women in the workplace could have it all, and that it was all a matter of having the right clothes, car or cup of yogurt.

Maybe working women were buying that pitch 20 years ago, but today the majority seem to see “having it all” as a false promise and a goal destined to go unfulfilled. To think otherwise risks “taking a serious toll” on women’s health, the Fierce study claims, with the fallout leading to depression, weight gain and loss of sleep.

The problem is so pervasive that one in five of all U.S. women leave high-salary, high- pressure jobs for lower-paying posts with a clear path to a better life balance.

The study shows women wrestling with the work/life balance, with more negative perceptions than positive ones on the issue:

Only 19% of working women say they already “have it all.”
49% of survey respondents do not believe the concept of “having it all” is realistic.
83% say a fulfilling relationship with a partner is the most important attribute of “having it all” …
… and 27% say” “having enough personal time” was least important.
37% say insufficient funds and/or monetary security were the primary obstacle in the pursuit of a genuinely positive work-life balance.

Companies that don’t deal with women’s increasingly negative perceptions of balancing career and a good home life risk alienating female career professionals, Fierce says.

“As a society we intuitively feel that our lives, and especially the lives of working women, are too stressful, and the data from this survey reinforces this notion,” says Halley Bock, president and CEO of Fierce. “This is becoming a critical business issue because successful leaders simply can’t optimally compete if one out of every five talented women in their organization is walking out the door because of inadequate work/life balance.”

Fierce Tip of the Week: Put Your Health First

“In the event of a decompression, an oxygen mask will automatically appear in front of you. To start the flow of oxygen, pull the mask towards you….If you are traveling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask first, and then assist the other person.”

For anyone who flies on airplanes regularly, you can probably recite this safety speech. It’s familiar. However, the notion of putting on your own mask first is a bit counterintuitive to most. If a helpless child doesn’t have oxygen, why should I get oxygen first? It may seem selfish.

Or, to make analogies, if the team needs me to deliver on critical components, why should I make sure to cut down on some hours if I sense I am on the verge of getting sick? Or as a partner, if my husband or wife needs a lot right now, why should I schedule time for myself to recharge?

The thing is – if you don’t pay attention to your oxygen supply (or your health, mental wellbeing, etc. – sub with any component of your happiness for that matter), you won’t be physically able to help. Or be present. Or truly be in the role you are signed up for.

According to a recent Fierce study we conducted with 1,000 women, an astounding 70 percent of respondents cited work/life imbalance as a major cause of stress. Respondents noted that these stress levels have negatively impacted their health, including depression (34.5%), weight gain (45%) and/or loss of sleep (45%).

In Fierce Accountability, we teach “if it is meant to be, it is up to me.” You are the one responsible for putting yourself first – for making sure you have oxygen. 

This week’s tip is to focus on putting you and your health first. Whether it is hitting the gym or getting some extra zzz’s, there is not a better time than now.

Where do you think focusing on yourself can help everyone around you?

Fierce Resources: A Message From the Mountaintop on the Value of Work-Life Balance

This week’s Fierce Resource comes from TLNT.com and was written by Ron Thomas.

A Message From the Mountaintop on the Value of Work-Life Balance explores the ongoing debate of work-life balance and provides tips for evaluating what is important to you. Balancing our lives, much like balancing a scale is not an easy task, it takes effort to get it close to right.

Where do you need balance in your life? What are you overlooking that is important to you?

“With work-life balance on everyone’s agenda today, I wonder sometimes how we got to this current level of insanity. I have friends who quit certain industries because the industry MO was to pull all-nighters, or close to it.”

To read the full article, click here.

Motivating the Negative Nancy on Your Team

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, was interviewed in this Entrepreneur article by Zeynep Ilgaz. It was originally posted here.

At my previous job, I worked with a team on an important project. Our group was cohesive, except for one teammate.

Nothing was good enough for her. Had the members of the team thought things through before setting the project’s timeline? Why was he in on our meetings? How did we think we could do this better than dozens of others who had tried before?

Her bad attitude left us feeling like we were running on a hamster wheel, drained from trying to please someone who couldn’t be pleased – with no end in sight. As the motivation waned, the work suffered. Finally the issue had to be addressed for the team’s productivity.

That was the first time I experienced how contagious negativity can be in the workplace. It can spread like wildfire and affect everyone, including customers. If a pessimistic employee is stifling company productivity, address the issue as soon as possible.

A “Negative Nancy” is someone who overgeneralizes in labeling situations and people, focuses on the bad in each situation, jumps to conclusions and constantly redirects the blame. In a business setting, these behaviors can result in harmful effects, such as reduced productivity, decreased group morale, increased stress, wasted time, hindered creativity and innovation, and higher employee turnover.

A Fierce Inc. survey highlighted just how toxic a negative personality in the workplace can be. Respondents ranked negativity higher than laziness, passive aggressiveness and gossiping when asked to identify the most harmful quality in a co-worker.

“Allowing [negativity] to fester is much more costly and damaging to an organization’s bottom line than confronting or possibly replacing a single toxic employee,” said president and CEO of Fierce Inc. Halley Bock in a statement. “Organizations must foster employee- and company-level accountability by addressing attitudinal issues as soon as they arise.”

After detecting negativity in an organization, take these steps to nip it in the bud before it spreads throughout the office:

1. Identify the negative behavior. Recognize bad attitudes and negativity and identify the individual involved after receiving a tip or spotting something.

2. Confront the person. Develop a plan to address the individual in a calm, private setting. Set aside enough time to discuss the situation in detail. There may be a reason or a trigger for this behavior.

3. Reinforce positive behavior. During the discussion, set goals for change and even play out scenarios. Listen to the employee’s thoughts and ideas about the situation and emphasize the need for a positive attitude moving forward.

4. Follow up. Schedule a meeting to discuss the individual’s progress. Recognize and praise positive improvements and attitude.

5. Set a good example. The manager should demonstrate positive behavior for staff members — even on the cloudiest of days. Remind them that problems and setbacks are an inevitable part of business, but each one can serve as a learning experience.

6. Invest in positivity. Boost the positivity quotient in the office by fostering programs or activities that will make staffers happy, such as potlucks, games and employee-of-the-month recognitions. Promote physical and mental health by funding employee-fitness programs, planning office yoga classes or creating work spaces with natural light.

Even the most positive person can have a bad day, and it’s not uncommon for co-workers with different backgrounds, beliefs and behaviors to have an occasional personality clash. But letting a Negative Nancy disturb the attitudes and work of others can be extremely detrimental to business productivity. The key is addressing the issue quickly and promoting positivity and happiness throughout the workplace.

Fierce Tip of the Week: Show Yourself Gratitude

In the United States of America, today is Labor Day and has been a federal holiday since 1894. According to the US Department of Labor, “Labor Day constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Today we celebrate with time away from work and give thanks to people’s contributions to organizations – all around the world.

One hundred and twenty years after this holiday became official, the need to show gratitude through work/life balance and vacation is still relevant. Oftentimes it does equate to rest and relaxation. After all, the word “vacation” originates from the Latin word “vacatio,” meaning freedom from occupation.

So this week, show yourself gratitude and find time to take care of you.

Fierce Resources: My Inbox is Full and That’s the Bottom Line

This week’s Fierce Resource comes from Karl Beeman and was published on LinkedIn. 

My Inbox is Full and That’s the Bottom Line addresses the importance of leadership development on a personal level. Often leaders see a financial return on investment as the final reward for employee development AND that’s not necessarily the case. Wayne Dyer said it best, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

How will you measure the success of your leadership development programs?

“Last week, I received such a document. A participant from our program emailed me explaining what the program meant to her. She shared her personal story of how this course was there when she was at the lowest point in her life. She shared with me how the leadership program was her rock. The training not only helped her be a better associate, but more importantly it guided her on her journey when everything seemed lost.”

To read the full article, click here.