5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of May 2, 2016

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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.

Employee Engagement Ideas: Cut the BS by Ted Bauer

“I wouldn’t necessarily call ’employee engagement ideas’ top of mind for most decision-makers and senior business leaders. For some, employee engagement ideas are crucial. In fact, if you watched last night’s episode of Silicon Valley (Season 3, Episode 2), there’s a whole sequence where the new CEO of Pied Piper tells the old CEO (Richard) that they need gluten-free waffles and other perks because those perks get you the talent. I think a lot of Bay Area CEOs probably think that way, and a few others here and there. But in general, I think revenue growth and KPIs tend to overwhelm employee engagement ideas on the daily to-do lists of the people that can actually drive business change.”

My Comment: In Winning Well we talk about playing the game, not gaming the score. This article has great examples of the latter. Bauer’s perspective, and I completely agree with him, is that you’d better not talk about employee engagement with your employees unless you and any managers you lead, are committed to actually engaging your employees. I’ve seen the damage this does in company after company. My perspective is that employee engagement is a byproduct of healthy leadership and management. If you really care about engagement, focus on leading well. Engagement will take care of itself.

Four Myths Most Bosses Believe About Employee Engagement by Stephanie Vozza at Fast Company

Engaged employees are more productive, have higher job satisfaction, and are more focused on customers, according to a Gallup study. But what exactly does “engaged” mean? Boston University professor William Kahn coined the term 25 years ago, but there still isn’t a widely accepted definition. What does exist, however, is a lot of frustration and myths surrounding the idea, says Rodd Wagner, vice president of employee engagement strategy for the consulting firm BI Worldwide and author of Widgets: The 12 New Rules for Managing Your Employees As If They’re Real People.

“Once in a while, you will hear someone say he’s ‘engaged’ or ‘disengaged’ at work, but not often,” he says. “Even after two decades of HR using it, it’s not part of the natural vocabulary among employees and, it’s now safe to say, it never will be.”

My Comment: The myths Vozza describes are well worth reading and internalizing. Among them is the idea that drives leaders to build policies around the worst employees. As a leadership speaker and consultant I see this frequently. Here’s the problem: when you build policies for worst performers…you tend to only have worst performers.

This Minor Work Habit is Burning You Out for No Good Reason by Scott Eblin at Fast Company

There’s an epidemic no one talks much about because it’s rarely seen that way. Even so, it makes no distinctions from one industry to the next; I’ve seen this bad habit infect the ranks of Fortune 500 companies in technology, retail, manufacturing, health care, pharmaceuticals, hospitality—you name it. The good news, though, is that it’s easy to diagnose. In my experience of working with managers and executives, that starts by asking a single question: “How many of you send out emails from home at night?” Nearly everyone raises their hand.

My Comment: I have struggled with this ‘always on’ mentality both as an employee, as an executive, and as a business owner. Eblin makes the point – and I COMPLETELY agree with him – that much of the pressure to be this way, comes from us, not from our boss. Yes, they may send email after hours. But that doesn’t mean you need to respond to it. Just stop. You’ll be healthier, more alert, and have more energy for what really matters. (And you’ll set a good example of health for your team as well.)

From Team Building to Team Bonding by Julie Giulioni

How much does your organization spend each year to hire, train, support and bring together the right team? How much time is invested in off-sites, ropes courses, style profiles, and other events designed to build team cohesion and results? How happy are you with the outcome?

Most organizations invest heavily in activities designed to build teams and support the results they are capable of delivering. But team-building is just a stop on the road to your ultimate endgame. Consistently delivering superior results, quarter after quarter and client after client, demands going farther. It demands team-bonding.

My Comment: Giulioni makes a great point – the real gelling of a team and the accompanying trust, problem solving, and confidence you need for high performance come from actually working and succeeding together. She shares three critical steps your teams can do together to give them the best chance to team-bond, not just team-build.

Dynamic Leaders Ask for Help by John Keyser

In my work as a leadership coach, speaking with hundreds in business and studying numerous surveys, it is clear that many senior managers have become isolated. We spend most of our time together with our other senior execs, in endless meetings and, when not in meetings, captured by our smart phones. We are in continual contact with each other – and we are way too removed from the core meaning of our work.

How can we break through that isolation and remember our sense of purpose? We can start by putting our smart phones in our pocket and walking out our office door and off the executive row. Let’s go to the source of our company’s productivity and purpose: our people.

My Comment: One of the most powerful moments in my own leadership journey was when I felt stuck, alone, and overwhelmed. As I sat at my desk, wondering what to do, it dawned on me that I had an entire team of smart people who would be happy to weigh in and think through the issue with me. We did, and we succeeded together. You shouldn’t have all the answers, but you do need to ask the questions.

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

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