The Importance of People

I once worked for a "boss" who felt compelled to remind people his title and raised his voice every time he didn't get his way like a five year old who can't have ice cream. Perhaps you've met this guy.

A lot is said about the power of human connection but we need to mean it and dig deep on it and live it and embrace it for real. No stakeholder will believe a well-crafted mission statement that says people are important if it’s not proven through action. You can’t pretend to care simply to get someone to do their job. Yelling guy did't care about us.

The human network

If you have kids, you have experienced a time when they defied you, acted up against your direction or disobeyed you. Discipline can be a justified response but what is the real issue going on? In the enterprise, if an employee has a temper tantrum, they are often reprimanded and sometimes dismissed. It’s not tolerated. But why is it endured when "the boss" flips out?

Your team does not want a boss. They don’t want to fear you. They don’t want to walk on egg shells around you. They need you to lead and help them grow. People will mess up, because they are people just like you. Your team will make mistakes, just like you. Your company will have challenges, just like you.Your job title might be on the org chart and your email signature.

If you feel compelled to remind your team, you've lost the room.
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Training vs Development

If you ask a coach, team leader, or company executive if talent attraction and retention is important to them, it’s fairly safe to say you will get a resounding yes every time. Training is important for some things but is not enough for people development.

It’s not deep enough. It’s a quick fix that simply doesn’t exist and can’t be sustained. Leadership is a daily event that needs to be your top priority. What worked last week may not work today. And what was successful a year ago may never work again. That’s why we don’t offer training, we work with clients on their ongoing leadership growth.

Roselinde Torres has studied leadership around the world and shares her thoughts on what makes a great leader. Her findings may surprise you.


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Bossy Bosserton

As our days are filled by commiserating about that stuff that may be missing from our work, we must look at the top. If you work long enough, you will eventually be given more responsibility and perhaps other people who will look to you for direction.

I once worked for a "boss" who felt compelled to raise his voice in every meeting like the alpha male pounding his chest to remind the minions who’s in charge. He also had skin thinner than phyllo pastry, so you didn't dare challenge him or he would get offended or upset or throw a tantrum. Perhaps you've met that guy.

Organizational attrition is rarely documented if one or two people leave every couple of months but over the course of a decade, how much of your team has been replaced? Do you think it could be linked to weak leadership?

The human network is more vital than ever before. Your team does not want to fear you. They don’t want to walk on egg shells around you. They don’t want to hate their jobs. They want to respect you.

Help your team; they don't want a boss.
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You Don't Know

As leaders, they can be the three most powerful words you can say. Some may feel it shows weakness but I’m of the belief it shows tremendous strength. A job title doesn’t make you perfect. Do you think Richard Branson pretends he knows everything? Is it possible that Oprah Winfrey had some help along the way?

"I don’t know" can be tough to say when you are told to lead others. After all, the company believes in you enough to put you in the position to make these decisions but that doesn't mean you can't get things done, motivate your team, and create a more social business with openness.

The Human Org Chart

"I don’t know" to some, may appear indecisive. Some fear it may show investors the company is on shaky ground. But leaders who show they rely on their entire team for ideas and solutions can build a stronger foundation than those who get out the pom poms during good times and hide during challenges.

It’s clear that some feel they must appear infallible once gaining a leadership position but since the rest of the room knows it’s not the case, a pay stub every two weeks is hardly a strong enough strategy to keep your best people. Asking for feedback, opinions, and ideas strengthens your team.

You won't always know and that's the point.
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Do As You're Told!

I once worked for a "boss" who felt compelled to remind people his title and raised his voice every time he didn't get his way like a five year old who can't have ice cream. Perhaps you've met this guy.

A lot is written and said about the power of human connection but we need to mean it and dig deep on it and live it and embrace it for real. No stakeholder will believe a well-crafted mission statement that says people are important if it’s not proven through action. You can’t pretend to care simply to get someone to do their job. Yelling guy did't care about us.

The human network is more vital than ever before. 

If you have kids, you have experienced a time when they defied you, acted up against your direction or disobeyed you. Discipline can be a justified response but what is the real issue going on? In the enterprise, if an employee has a temper tantrum, they are often reprimanded and sometimes dismissed. It’s not tolerated. But why is it endured when "the boss" flips out?

Your team does not want a boss. They don’t want to fear you. They don’t want to walk on egg shells around you. They need you to lead and help them grow. People will mess up, because they are people just like you. Your team will make mistakes, just like you. Your company will have challenges, just like you.

Your job title might be on the org chart and your email signature but if you feel compelled to remind your team what it is,,,

You've lost the room.
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Open Mind Policy

Think about your mentors, those people who have helped you and your career along the way. They found somewhere deep inside to motivate your strengths and help you realize your goals. They didn't make it about them, they didn't impart their goals on you. They pushed you to be a better you.

Malcolm Gladwell opines in his book Outliers there is no such thing as a self-made person. Those who have come before us have afforded us opportunities to succeed. None of us does this alone no matter how it may appear. Marcus Buckingham reminds us that we need to stop working on our weaknesses and focus solely on our strengths.

Imagine an organization where your good work is encouraged and your shortcomings are turned into prospects for others on the team who thrive where you may not.

Asking the Right Questions

How are you preparing your team for success and leadership? Is it a collaborative atmosphere or one of fear? Are strengths celebrated more than weaknesses highlighted? Does everyone have a clear vision on culture and objectives? Is your mind open to their opinions and ideas?

Balance and fairness look good on a well crafted business plan but in the heat of the battle, they can be tough to maintain. But they must remain top priorities because without them, you will be left with managers and bosses while leadership will be accidental at best. Success will left up to guesswork.

If you are in a lead position, make time for your people or watch the very thing you are working to build begin to crumble. Leadership is not on an organizational chart or an email signature.

It resides within every member of your team
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You Don’t Have All the Answers

If you've spent enough time in the enterprise, you've met the type of boss who seems compelled to always be right. When mistakes are made, they never seem to be her fault. Things go sideways and he is quick to blame others. But how much does that solve the issues at hand? How much damage is created when that continues to occur?

Think about your participation in group activities. You offer ideas as much as you can. You suggest solutions to the challenges in front of the team. But how much do you continue to do so if the “boss” shoots down your ideas or doesn’t acknowledge your ideas in the first place? It can be demoralizing when the good news is taken by someone else while the bad news is thrown back in your face.

How Can You Help?

"I don’t know" can be tough to say when you are told to lead others. After all, the company believes in you enough to put you in the position to make these decisions but that doesn't mean  you can't get things done, motivate your team and create a more social business with openness.

"I don’t know" to some, may appear indecisive. Some fear it may show investors the company is on shaky ground. But leaders who show they rely on their entire team for ideas and solutions can build a stronger foundation than those who get out the pom poms during good times and hide during challenges.

We don't have all the answers and that's perfect.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

istock

We are Outliers and Mentors

Think about your mentors, those people who have helped you and your career along the way. They found somewhere deep inside to motivate your strengths and help you realize your goals. They didn't make it about them, they didn't impart their goals on you. They pushed you to be a better you.

Malcolm Gladwell opines in his book Outliers there is no such thing as a self-made person. Those who have come before us have afforded us opportunities to succeed. None of us does this alone no matter how it may appear. Marcus Buckingham reminds us that we need to stop working on our weaknesses and focus solely on our strengths.

Imagine an organization where your good work is encouraged and your shortcomings are turned into prospects for others on the team who thrive where you may not.

Asking the Right Questions

How are you preparing your team for success and leadership? Is it a collaborative atmosphere or one of fear? Are strengths celebrated more than weaknesses highlighted? Does everyone have a clear vision on culture and objectives? Is your mind open to their opinions and ideas?

Balance and fairness look good on a well crafted business plan but in the heat of the battle, they can be tough to maintain. But they must remain top priorities because without them, you will be left with managers and bosses while leadership will be accidental at best. Success will left up to guesswork. If you are in a lead position, make time for your people or watch the very thing you are working to build begin to crumble.

Leadership is not on an organizational chart or an email signature. It resides within every member of your team, so maintain an open-mind policy.

The results will astound you.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

webster

What Makes a Great Leader?

It is one of the oldest questions in the proverbial book. 

If you ask a coach, team leader, or company executive if talent attraction and retention is important to them, it’s fairly safe to say you will get a resounding yes every time.

We may think it’s about price, product, marketing, logos, market share, that new restaurant that just opened up, stock prices, the new thingamajig that start-up from Mountainview launched, and all the other metrics that seem to measure the success of business, yet all pale in comparison to the importance of not only having the right people in your company but the continuation of their ongoing growth and development.

Training is important for some things but is not enough for people development.

It’s not deep enough. It’s a quick fix that simply doesn’t exist and can’t be sustained. Leadership is a daily event that needs to be your top priority. What worked last week may not work today. And what was successful a year ago may never work again. That’s why we don’t offer training, we work with clients on their ongoing leadership growth.

Roselinde Torres has studied leadership around the world and shares her thoughts on what makes a great leader. Her findings may surprise you.


__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

Roselinde Torres | TED

Who's the Boss?

As our days are filled by commiserating about that stuff that may be missing from our work, we must look at the top. If you work long enough, you will eventually be given more responsibility and perhaps other people who will look to you for direction.

A friend told me about her boss who feels compelled to raise his voice in every meeting like the alpha male pounding his chest to remind the minions who’s in charge. Perhaps you've met this guy.

Collaboration Personified

Simply because people stay is not evidence of strong leadership. Most people need money twice a month to pay for those pesky things called bills. Organizational attrition is rarely documented if one or two people leave every couple of months but over the course of a decade, how much of your team has been replaced? Do you think it could be linked to weak leadership?

An org chart and a business card does not constitute leadership. The human network is more vital than ever before. Your team does not want a boss. They don’t want to fear you. They don’t want to walk on egg shells around you. They don’t want to hate their jobs. They need you to lead and help them grow. People will mess up, because they are people just like you. Your team will make mistakes, just like you. Your company will have challenges, just like you.

Remind them your job title and you may lose the room.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

officespace | original: jan 2012

The Art of a Great Meeting

It’s easy to do. There’s a lot on the go and what better way to ensure alignment than to have a meeting and discuss expectations and deliverables. But how often have you attended a meeting that resolved nothing? It happens too often and we can fix it. If "the boss" likes meetings, show her a way to have less of them, make each one effective, and create a much more focused team.

Here are six simple rules we've all broken more times than we can count that will instantly improve your virtual or in person meetings. These will improve culture, efficiencies, collaboration and results.

If everyone involved adheres to the rules, alignment will happen quickly.

1. Meetings begin and end on time
2. The person instigating the meeting sends a brief and concise outline
3. Only those essential are involved and prepare ahead of time
4. Each meeting begins with a clear outline of expectations
5. No meeting lasts more than an hour
6. Meetings conclude with clear indication of who does what by when

Bonus for adventurous leaders
7. Remove all chairs from the room

Follow these simple steps and count how many hours you reclaim each week while more critical work gets done.

Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture Strategist, Writer, Speaker, Executive Coach helping leaders create dynamic culture and improved results.

kenzi

Your Leadership Review

There's an annual event that everyone seems to think is crucial yet few look forward to enduring and that is the annual performance review. This delightful 45-minute meeting consists of a discussion of how one of the people in the room has performed for the past twelve months. There's precious other time during the year to focus on people so keep it to a chit chat once a year then get back to work.

Some companies engage in a form that is to be filled out by the employee prior to the meeting and then reviewed with their manager. The time spent on strengths is often paled by those items that require more attention or the weaknesses. If you ask most people, they would agree they should work on getting better at what they don't do well. But how often do we do what we can to find more time to do what we do well?

They Won't Wait

Your customers and your team don't wait for an annual appraisal form on your work. They make judgements all the time. But they often don't tell you if they're are unhappy. In some cases they just leave. Or worse, tell everyone about the experience.

So review your leadership strengths and decide whether you are waiting for the feedback or being proactive to ensure superior internal customer service, discussion of performance and strengths, while providing greater external customer service.

Your leadership review is a daily event.

Kneale Mann

arividam

Are You a Manager or a Leader?

If you work hard enough, you will eventually be given more responsibility and perhaps other people who will look to you for direction. Most don’t want you to dictate their actions but rather guide them and back them up. A friend approached me about her boss who feels compelled to raise his voice in every meeting like the alpha male pounding his chest to remind the minions who’s in charge. Perhaps you've met this guy.

Collaboration Personified

Simply because people stay is not evidence of strong leadership. Most people need money twice a month to pay for those pesky things called bills. Organizational attrition is rarely documented if one or two people leave every couple of months but over the course of a decade, how much of your team has been replaced? Do you think it could be linked to weak leadership?

A lot is written and said about the power of human connection but we need to mean it and dig deep on it and live it and embrace it for real. No stakeholder will believe a well crafted mission statement that says people are important if it’s not proven through action. You can’t pretend to care simply to get someone to do their job.

Do As You're Told

If you have kids, you have experienced a time when they defied you, acted up against your direction or disobeyed you. Discipline can be a justified response but what is the real issue going on? In the enterprise, if an employee has a temper tantrum, they are often reprimanded and sometimes dismissed. It’s not tolerated. But why is it endured when "the boss" flips out?

An org chart and a business card does not constitute leadership. The human network is more vital than ever before. Your team does not want a boss. They don’t want to fear you. They don’t want to walk on egg shells around you. They don’t want to hate their jobs. They need you to lead and help them grow. People will mess up. You will mess up. Your team will make mistakes. You will make mistakes. Your company will have challenges. You will have challenges. It's easy to run a ship on calm water. What you do during these situations is where you will show your leadership.

If you need to remind them of your job title,
you may have already lost the room.

Kneale Mann

2012 Top 10 - Jan 2012 | dimensions

How Are Your Meetings?

It’s easy to do. There’s a lot on the go and what better way to ensure alignment than to have a meeting and discuss expectations and deliverables. But how often have you attended a meeting that resolved nothing? It happens too often and we can fix it. If "the boss" likes meetings, show her a way to have less of them, make each one effective, and create a much more focused team.

Here are six simple rules we've all broken more times than we can count that will instantly improve your virtual or in person meetings. If everyone involved adheres to the rules, alignment will happen quickly.

1. Meetings begin and end on time
2. The person instigating the meeting sends a brief and concise outline
3. Only those essential are involved and prepare ahead of time
4. Each meeting begins with a clear outline of expectations
5. No meeting lasts more than an hour
6. Meetings conclude with clear indication of who does what by when

Good luck and if you need a hand, I’m happy to help.

Kneale Mann

flickr

Are You Doing the Human Work?

There is a chasm between your products or services and your customers. Without strong internal customer service, your interaction with the outside world will be flawed. If you don't do the human work, the tasks and tactics will suffer.

I was buying gas a couple of weeks ago and the guy behind the counter was annoyed I had gotten in the way of his work. I apologized for interrupting him.

Entities and Enterprise

The world is shrinking. Our behavior can be viewed through non-verbal cues that lead to misunderstanding. And we often hide behind the very technology we claim is helping us communicate better. It's telling to watch some unravel on the social networks where human connections can appear to be as strong as face to face.

In the enterprise, virtual teaming is on the rise so it has become critical to be aware of all the human work we’re doing to build our companies. Leadership is more than improving a bottom line. Without compassion and collaboration, the ideas and hard work alone won’t get you there.

Their Opinion Counts

Years ago, I was working with a large corporation that conducted an employee wide survey. The top concern was management’s inability to deal with non-performance. People notice when you aren't treating them well. If the human work subsides, productivity will be compromised. If you stop caring about your people, they will stop caring about the work.

If you sense the team is off course, it may not be for reasons you think. Products, services, and strategy could all be sound but the most critical piece might be missing.

The human work is the most important element of the job.

Kneale Mann

cnsx

The Elusive Future of Leadership

Anytime I think about the future, it reminds me of what Eckart Tolle says that the future will never arrive and the past is simply our recollection of what may or may not have happened.

The future of leadership can only be done through the lens of the observer yet each of us makes three fatal errors. We assume others think like us and share our sensibilities, we presume our agenda is pure and we presuppose others will remain constant and agreeable while we activate the necessary change.

Titles are Irrelevant

You don’t attain leadership from words on a business card. It doesn’t appear in the enterprise organizational chart like chosen royalty. And you aren’t given a special potion or pill on first day of that new promotion that makes you a leader.

Countless billions are spent each year on establishing markets, creating customer needs and growing revenue. Much of this investment is to attract external clients while very little time or money is spent on strengthening internal relationships. I call it internal customer service. And it is the most important ingredient to success.

Can I Help You?

We all enjoy great customer service yet we rarely experience it on a regular basis. That can also be said with regards to our relationships at work. Somehow there is an expectation that “they” will make it better or “the boss” is the person who ensures the work day is an enjoyable and purposeful experience.

Far too often a promotion is given to a top performer – the best sales person on the west coast becomes the new VP/Sales for California or the person who landed that new multi-million dollar account is named Director of Marketing – but leadership is about people, not client lists. Favouritism, nepotism and bad leadership are not endangered species but give serious thought to how you can make your situation better.

Invest Before Return

In order to lead, you must spend at least half of your time helping your people grow. Yes, 50% of your week must be with your people. That means actual time actually spent actually helping them. The pressure of bottom lines and shareholder values can distract us from our top priority which is making our people better so the entire team can deliver the very objectives the company wants in the first place.

When you ask people who are unhappy at work for the reason, it is rarely the services or products they are working on but rather it is often the people around them. You will hear words like “direct report” or “boss” which become four-letter words.

Whatever You Say

Respect and trust are not gained because someone signs your pay stub every two weeks. Admiration and belief do not appear simply because someone out ranks you.

The future of leadership starts today. Look at your team and the people who may be below or above you on that dreaded organizational chart. Take a leadership position by outlining specifically what you bring to the team and exactly what you need from them to do it even better.

The future of leadership is now 

Kneale Mann

image: istock  | originally on switchandshift

Your Customer Review

There's an annual event that everyone seems to think is crucial yet few look forward to enduring and that is the annual performance review.

This delightful 30-60 minute meeting consists of a discussion of how one of the people in the room has performed their duties for the past twelve months.

Some companies engage in a form that is to be filled out by the employee prior to the meeting and then reviewed with their manager which is a far cry from daily leadership.

Summarize and Generalize

The time spent on strengths is often paled by those items that require more attention or the weaknesses. And if you ask most people, they would agree they should work on getting better at what they don't do well.

For most, the performance form is filled out shortly before the meeting. Then the results are neatly placed into the employee’s file to be viewed in another year.

If you own your company, you don't have the luxury of an annual performance review because that happens every day in the form of client feedback - or worse, no feedback - followed by lost revenue.

Customer Measurement

Do they wait a year, send you an appraisal form to fill out to mark yourself on various aspects of your product and customer service then sit with you to discuss? No, they often don’t even complain if they are unhappy with your offering. They just leave. Or worse, tell everyone about the experience through the social channels.

So have a look at your team, your business, your offering, your organization and decide whether you are waiting for the feedback or being proactive to ensure superior internal customer service within a social business model – which includes regular discussions about performance and strengths versus the annual review – and greater external customer service.

Our performance review is a daily event

Kneale Mann

image credit: amerispec | original: oct 2011

Leadership: I Don't Know

If you’ve spent enough time in the enterprise, you've met the type of boss who seems compelled to always be right. When mistakes are made, they never seem to be her fault. Things go sideways and he is quick to blame others. But how much does that solve the issues at hand? How much damage is created when that continues to occur?

Think about your participation in group activities. You offer ideas as much as you can. You suggest solutions to the challenges in front of the team. But how much do you continue to do so if the “boss” shoots down your ideas or doesn’t acknowledge your ideas in the first place? It can be demoralizing when the good news is taken by someone else while the bad news is thrown back in your face.

As leaders, the most powerful three words we can utter are: "I don’t know". Some may feel it shows weakness but I’m of the belief it shows tremendous strength. A job title doesn’t make you perfect. Do you think Richard Branson pretends he knows everything? Is it possible that Oprah Winfrey had some help along the way?

You Don’t Have All the Answers

"I don’t know" can be tough to say when you are told to lead others. After all, the company believes in you enough to put you in the position to make these decisions but that doesn't mean  you can't get things done, motivate your team and create a more social business with openness.

"I don’t know" to some, may appear indecisive. Some fear it may show investors the company is on shaky ground. But leaders who show they rely on their entire team for ideas and solutions can build a stronger foundation than those who get out the pom poms during good times and hide during challenges.

The Human Org Chart

I remember a direct report who was quick to take victories but vacant when we began to take on water. It was astounding how he never wore any of the bad news while he was the first to hoist the trophy at the ceremony. Perhaps you know this guy.

It’s clear that some feel they must appear infallible once gaining a leadership position but since the rest of the room knows it’s not the case, a pay stub every two weeks is hardly a strong enough strategy to keep your best people. Asking for feedback, opinions and ideas strengthens your team.

You don't always know and that's okay.    

Kneale Mann

image credit: Japanese symbol for benevolence

Do You Dress for Success?

Someone asked me recently for my thoughts about provocative attire at work. And it led to a conversation about dress codes in general.

You don’t expect the plumber to show up in a suit and tie while you wouldn't see the CEO attend the board meeting in a bikini. Some organizations have a stated dress code while others have a more unwritten guideline. Casual Fridays in one sector may be leather loafers and cashmere sweaters while in another industry it could mean shorts and t-shirts.

Some educational institutions have dress codes which require students to wear a uniform. This may seem a bit strict for some but have a look around the board room of a financial company and count the white shirts and navy slacks.

Your brain, experience, creativity, imagination and passion are much more important than your attire in my opinion but some may disagree so we should take a moment and read the room.

I wish you success no matter the uniform.

Kneale Mann

image credit: guardian.co.uk

No One Wants a Boss

As our days are filled by commiserating about that stuff that may be missing from our work, we must look at the top. If you work long enough, you will eventually be given more responsibility and perhaps other people who will look to you for direction. Most don’t want you to dictate their actions but rather guide them and back them up. A friend emailed me this week about her boss who feels compelled to raise his voice in every meeting like the alpha male pounding his chest to remind the minions who’s in charge. Perhaps you've met this guy.

Collaboration Personified

Simply because people stay is not evidence of strong leadership. Most people need money twice a month to pay for those pesky things called bills. Organizational attrition is rarely documented if one or two people leave every couple of months but over the course of a decade, how much of your team has been replaced? Do you think it could be linked to weak leadership?

A lot is written and said about the power of human connection but we need to mean it and dig deep on it and live it and embrace it for real. No stakeholder will believe a well crafted mission statement that says people are important if it’s not proven through action. You can’t pretend to care simply to get someone to do their job.

Do As You're Told

If you have kids, you have experienced a time when they defied you, acted up against your direction or disobeyed you. Discipline can be a justified response but what is the real issue going on? In the enterprise, if an employee has a temper tantrum, they are often reprimanded and sometimes dismissed. It’s not tolerated. But why is it endured when "the boss" flips out?

An org chart and a business card does not constitute leadership. The human network is more vital than ever before. Your team does not want a boss. They don’t want to fear you. They don’t want to walk on egg shells around you. They don’t want to hate their jobs. They need you to lead and help them grow. People will mess up, because they are people just like you. Your team will make mistakes, just like you. Your company will have challenges, just like you.

If you need to remind them of your job title,
you may have already lost the room.

Kneale Mann

image credit: news.com.au