OPTIMIZING IN OCTOBER

All this year, I have been writing a monthly series focusing on one initiative or goal per month. This month, the month of October, my focus is Optimizing.  Optimizing is not to be confused with optimism.   It's not about putting on your rose-colored glasses and believing that everything will always turn out fine, no matter what.  For our purposes this month, we want to leverage strengths, serve others, and share.  Optimizing encourages us to try something new, trust people more, and dare to tell the truth.  The purpose: different and better results -- optimal results!

When you TRY something new you might help someone out of their funk -- that someone just might be you.  Trying different approaches can reduce discouragement, diffuse disillusionment and push ourselves and others to new paradigms.  

TRUST starts with self.  You have to trust yourself to make good decisions and give good advice to others.  Then trust others to follow through, keep their word, and do a good job.  If we don't give ourselves and others a chance to prove their value, we will never know what could have been.

Optimizing also includes TELLING your truth.  Push or inspire others by sharing an anecdote.  Encourage someone else to try by telling them your success or struggle story.   Be bold enough to state your point of view and respectful enough to listen to the points of view of others.  
(inspired by Courage Goes To Work by Bill Treasurer)

Optimizing is also about creating your own happiness.  We'll get together in the next installment.  Stay tuned.

www.yourenhance.com

BAD BOSSES and What I've learned from them

A colleague recently asked a group of us to share the name of our best manager. I thought back through my work history to the days when I had a boss -- before I became an independent consultant. As I reflected, I realized that even my best managers have not been very effective. I've learned a lot of lessons about what not to do from them.  Now, I have the privilege of sharing those lessons with my consulting clients who are corporate leaders, executives and business owners.
BAD BOSSES AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM THEM:
The boss who can't keep a confidence. This is the individual who gains your trust, talks to you openly about her life, and invites you to share openly about yours.  She assures you that anything you tell her, particularly deeply personal things, will remain confidential. However, you later hear colleagues repeating the information that you only told to that one person. Trust diminishes immediately. Even if that boss is effective in every other area of management, the new knowledge that you can't trust them permanently affects your relationship. That trust is really tough to rebuild.  The lesson:  Listen, show empathy, and then keep it to yourself. No matter how juicy the tidbit of information is, don't share it.  Also, keep in mind when you tell Jim and Jane things that Sally told you in confidence, Jim and Jane learn that they can't trust you either. So it's bigger than just one person and one relationship.
The passive boss. One manager of mine would not deal with performance issues head-on. He was a nice guy.  He cared alot about his employees and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So when a staff member was not performing well, receiving poor feedback from customers and more, the boss did nothing about it. Team members and peers brought the issues to his attention as well. Over the course of a whole year nothing was done. An underperforming staff member is a burden to the rest of the team.  Everyone else's workload increases. Additionally, it sets the precedent that poor performance is ok.  The reputation of the entire team (including the boss) could be negatively affected as well. The lesson:  Don't be passive or passive-aggressive regarding performance issues. Talk to the employee respectful.  Giving feedback is an effort to help.  Present the evidence --  customer comments, reports, missed deadlines, inaccuracies, etc. Develop a plan for that person's improvement and get their ideas as well for how they might improve. Incorporate those ideas into the plan where possible.
The indecisive manager.  This manager was eager to gain employee input and ideas, which was great. Employees felt included and appreciated. However, after all the ideas were gathered and all the possibilities were explored, nothing got done. The things we talked about and agreed upon were not executed, which left the team feeling that the boss was all talk and no action.  The lesson:  When you're having trouble making a decision, write down three alternatives. Then jot down the pros and cons of each of them including the risks and costs. Use that data to figure out which option would be most beneficial and move forward with the decision. Announce it to your team explaining how you reached that conclusion and work with them to develop a plan for execution.  Give credit to those who generated the ideas.
The griping manager.  In an effort to be accepted and included, this manager often shared her feelings with her staff.  I imagine she wanted to find ways to connect with us.  She griped about her boss. She complained about her workload. She even questioned company policies.  Instead of being the voice of the company, she become the voice of disillusionment. The lesson: Share your complaints and frustrations at home with your family and friends. You may think of your staff members as friends but you are still their boss. Don't give in to the temptation to join in on gossip or gripe sessions. In fact, help others understand the 'whys' behind corporate decisions.  Let them vent while you support and defend the direction of the business.
The absentee manager. From what my colleagues tell me, this is a pretty common one. My absentee manager didn't have a single performance-related, strategy planning, or goal setting conversation with me in three years. He was out of the office a lot but that was not the problem. The problem was he was absent from his managerial responsibilities. The lesson: As a leader, you have an obligation to develop your people, provide them with support, and make sure they understand expectations.  You should take the ensure they have the  information and resources they need to meet their goals. Frequent open dialogues are key; even if they are conducted via instant message or phone.  If you are traveling, have those meetings in the airport, hotel, or coffee shops.  Your staff will appreciate your effort. 

BAD BOSSES and What I've learned from them

A colleague recently asked a group of us to share the name of our best manager. I thought back through my work history to the days when I had a boss -- before I became an independent consultant. As I reflected, I realized that even my best managers have not been very effective. I've learned a lot of lessons about what not to do from them.  Now, I have the privilege of sharing those lessons with my consulting clients who are corporate leaders, executives and business owners.
BAD BOSSES AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM THEM:
The boss who can't keep a confidence. This is the individual who gains your trust, talks to you openly about her life, and invites you to share openly about yours.  She assures you that anything you tell her, particularly deeply personal things, will remain confidential. However, you later hear colleagues repeating the information that you only told to that one person. Trust diminishes immediately. Even if that boss is effective in every other area of management, the new knowledge that you can't trust them permanently affects your relationship. That trust is really tough to rebuild.  The lesson:  Listen, show empathy, and then keep it to yourself. No matter how juicy the tidbit of information is, don't share it.  Also, keep in mind when you tell Jim and Jane things that Sally told you in confidence, Jim and Jane learn that they can't trust you either. So it's bigger than just one person and one relationship.
The passive boss. One manager of mine would not deal with performance issues head-on. He was a nice guy.  He cared alot about his employees and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So when a staff member was not performing well, receiving poor feedback from customers and more, the boss did nothing about it. Team members and peers brought the issues to his attention as well. Over the course of a whole year nothing was done. An underperforming staff member is a burden to the rest of the team.  Everyone else's workload increases. Additionally, it sets the precedent that poor performance is ok.  The reputation of the entire team (including the boss) could be negatively affected as well. The lesson:  Don't be passive or passive-aggressive regarding performance issues. Talk to the employee respectful.  Giving feedback is an effort to help.  Present the evidence --  customer comments, reports, missed deadlines, inaccuracies, etc. Develop a plan for that person's improvement and get their ideas as well for how they might improve. Incorporate those ideas into the plan where possible.
The indecisive manager.  This manager was eager to gain employee input and ideas, which was great. Employees felt included and appreciated. However, after all the ideas were gathered and all the possibilities were explored, nothing got done. The things we talked about and agreed upon were not executed, which left the team feeling that the boss was all talk and no action.  The lesson:  When you're having trouble making a decision, write down three alternatives. Then jot down the pros and cons of each of them including the risks and costs. Use that data to figure out which option would be most beneficial and move forward with the decision. Announce it to your team explaining how you reached that conclusion and work with them to develop a plan for execution.  Give credit to those who generated the ideas.
The griping manager.  In an effort to be accepted and included, this manager often shared her feelings with her staff.  I imagine she wanted to find ways to connect with us.  She griped about her boss. She complained about her workload. She even questioned company policies.  Instead of being the voice of the company, she become the voice of disillusionment. The lesson: Share your complaints and frustrations at home with your family and friends. You may think of your staff members as friends but you are still their boss. Don't give in to the temptation to join in on gossip or gripe sessions. In fact, help others understand the 'whys' behind corporate decisions.  Let them vent while you support and defend the direction of the business.
The absentee manager. From what my colleagues tell me, this is a pretty common one. My absentee manager didn't have a single performance-related, strategy planning, or goal setting conversation with me in three years. He was out of the office a lot but that was not the problem. The problem was he was absent from his managerial responsibilities. The lesson: As a leader, you have an obligation to develop your people, provide them with support, and make sure they understand expectations.  You should take the ensure they have the  information and resources they need to meet their goals. Frequent open dialogues are key; even if they are conducted via instant message or phone.  If you are traveling, have those meetings in the airport, hotel, or coffee shops.  Your staff will appreciate your effort. 

Teamwork makes the dream work

Teamwork makes the dream works -- it's corny but it's true.  We can do more together than we can each do individually.  Here are 4 tips for getting your team to work together.  

Be flexible -- give team members opportunities to work independently of management.  Give them permission to make adjustments as needed.  

Find things that people have in common -- if they are mutually excited, interested and committed to an assignment, the synergy will happen naturally and consistently.  It doesn't mean they will never disagree or have conflicts but they will be more motivated to work through them.

Tell them what's in it for them -- when your team sees the benefit in whatever they are doing, they will be more engaged. Help them understand what they and others might gain, such as more profitability, exposure, or getting a higher bonus.   Sometimes, benefits are about the things they want to avoid. For example, successful completion of a task might help them avoid a major safety incident or a lawsuit.  

Be open - your team, peers, and other colleagues need to know they can come to you to discuss issues and even mistakes.  As a leader, you must be open to receiving feedback from others, as well. They need to know their needs and preferences matter to you.

more coaching, training, and development 
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Meaningful Work Increases Performance More than Money

Rewards, even monetary ones, don't result in increased performance as much as doing work that matters. That's what a recent study by the World Economic Forum reveals.

World Economic Forum conducted a 2016 study of 400 workers to determine how performance is affected by perceived meaningfulness of work and by other incentives.  They looked to answering two questions:  Do people perform better when they believe their work is important?  Also, do workers perform better if they are rewarded?

The Forum admittedly “manipulated the meaning of work” in a field experiment.  In the high-meaning condition, workers were told that their work, which consisted of entering data into an electronic database, was of great importance for a research project. In the low-meaning condition, workers were told that their work was merely a routine quality check that most likely would never be used.  They also offered different forms of non-monetary or monetary incentives to examine how performance changed. They paid workers a fixed wage, a fixed wage plus a bonus for every data entry or a fixed wage plus a symbolic award, like a trophy. 

Those who received monetary incentives (a bonus for each data entry) had 6% higher productivity rates than those who received nothing or received a symbolic award.  Thiis group was told nothing about the meaningfulness of their work.

For the group of workers who were told their work was not meaningful, rewards has a significant positive effect on performance.  These workers, doing work that didn’t matter, were 18% more productive when they were rewarded.  Further analysis revealed that workers were demotivated by the unimportant work, but could be re-motivated by incentives of any kind – monetary or symbolic.   In contrast, when the worth of their work was perceived as high, the recognition didn’t impact performance at all.  In the latter case, they were already giving their best because they believed in what they were doing. 

Overall, the studies revealed that monetary rewards can indeed result in increased performance.  People want to be well compensated for their work.  And, if they know they will be paid more for doing more, they tend to do more. This really isn’t a new concept – pay people to perform and they will perform. Here is the evidence that today's business leader can leverage.  Even when we don’t have anything ‘extra’ to offer our workforce as a reward, they appreciate knowing how their work will contribute to the overall success of the business or how their deliverables will be utilized.  When they have a sense of worth and value, they will still do more -- in this study workers increased their productivity three times as much (6% versus 18%)  when they felt work was valuable.  

So when your budget gets cut and you can no longer offer gift certificates, free vacations, quarterly bonuses, or pay increases for top performers, don't fret.  Simply make sure you communicate the value of the work to the people doing the work.  This could encourage higher productive even more than money alone.

It's June! Join the club!

June is JOIN THE CLUB month.  Summer is an ideal time to explore new social, business, and charity affiliations. This time of year, there are more networking events, social activities and after-five gatherings than at any other time.  It's time to get out there and get connected!

Social media -- LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter -- are good sources of information about groups that might be of interest.  Also, good old-fashioned word-of-mouth, could direct you to an like-minded partnership.  Before you join, sign up for their newsletters and announcements.  This will keep you abreast of activities, meetings, and other opportunities.   Attend a couple of meetings before paying those membership fees, also; get a feel for what you’re getting, before you make a financial investment.

Once you’ve identified a group you would like to explore, think about getting deeply involved.  There’s only so much you can gain when you limit yourself to showing up, hearing a speaker, and leaving.  Get engaged by joining a committee; this will expose you to deeper interactions with members.  Committee involvement also gives you a chance to learn how a group functions and what it values.  If you’re looking for a less daunting commitment, consider volunteering to host/sponsor an event or offer to help with meeting administration. 

Many organizations also have special interest groups which appeal to those who are find larger crowds too impersonal.  A special interest group (SIG) is a subset of a larger group that is divided by geography, special preference or affinity.   For example, if you live in Murfreesboro, a Rutherford County SIG could be right for you. CEOs, may want to look for Executives SIGs to connect with other high-ranking officials.  Similar networks exist within any companies these days. Like SIGs, corporate affinity groups appeal to those with particular interests or commonalities.  Many large businesses have groups geared toward veterans, the LGBTQ community, ethnic groups, and generational alliances. 

If you are already a member of an organization or two, now’s the time to assess its value.   Are you getting what you expect from it?  Does involvement in the group continue to be worth your time, energy and money?  My peer-coach advises me that any business arrangement should have at least two benefits.  For example, it might provide access to cutting-edge information and a platform to promote products.  Or, it could offer continuing education credits, and mentoring.  Whatever the benefits; there should be more than one.  Whether you’re looking to serve, network, build relationships, grow your business, or make career moves, a little research can connect you with a group that is a good fit for you.  Happy hunting!

Passion Doesn't Guarantee Performance. So What Does?

There is a lot of talk these days about the importance of passion in one’s success.  I’m a big believer in passion.   I developed a keynote address and subsequent seminar called The Power of Passion some years ago.  I think it plays a big part in one’s overall satisfaction with a chosen career, hobby, or other pursuits.  If one is passionate about those pursuits they are likely to stick with them.  Even though I’m a proponent of passion, I’m also a myth buster.  The myth is that Passion alone will make one successful.  

The truth is Passion alone will not cause one to achieve one’s goal.  An astrophysicist must be a wiz at trigonometry to build a rocket ship; he can't build it with his passion.  A musician doesn’t win a Grammy because he’s passionate about music but because he’s talented as a musician.  If a student is passionate about learning but doesn’t complete homework assignments or show up for tests, she will likely not do well in school.  When our passion is coupled with performance we have a proven recipe for success.  And in order to achieve high performance one must have skills and knowledge. 

A family member shared with me that he learned this earlier in life when he decided to replace the brakes in his car – himself.  He was passionate about doing it and he did it.  He didn’t realize, however, that he had missed a crucial step until he slammed into the rear end of another car.   He learned that even though he was excited and confident about completing this repair, he didn’t have the know-how.  He hadn’t taken the time or spent the effort to learn how to do it.  

I have had people tell me “Angela, I got the job I have today because my employer saw passion and potential in me.”  I don’t doubt that.  But, I tell them, if you kept that job and became good at it, you had to live up to that potential at some point.  You had to transition from potential to results.  One of my colleagues is currently struggling at work because her passion will no longer be enough to sustain her.  Her boss, who hired her a year ago because of her passion, has moved on to another role.  Her new boss expects high performance from her.  She’s going to have to step it up -- do more and prove more. 

 

Can passion lead you to make greater effort and try harder?  Can it motivate you to be tenacious and dedicated?  Sure.  That is, after all, the role of passion in your success!  It’s doesn’t replace or override all else.  Most people know that Michael Jordan wasn’t successful at basketball the first time out.  But he stuck with it and the rest is history -- he was passionate.  The six championship rings he has, they were not given to him because of his passion, they were rewards for performance.