Tag Archives: Leadership

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The Optimum Number of Annual Goals

Woman Writing Goals on Board

#61 Set “Top Five” Annual Goals

Both individually and as a team, set no more than five challenging but achievable annual goals.  If you go beyond five annual goals, it will diminish focus and effective execution by tending to overwhelm those responsible for implementation. One day each week, review your weekly plans to see that they are aligned with your Top Five.

This is the sixty-first post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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Closing Your Company’s “Leadership Gap”

The Office Cast, Photo Courtesy of NBC

The Office Cast, Photo Courtesy of NBC

Historically, leaders have relied on their internal networks and intuition to assess employee engagement and strategic alignment.  Tom Peters and Robert Waterman called it “management by wandering around” or “MBWA” in their classic book In Search of Excellence.

Just as intuition once tricked us into believing that the world was flat and the sun rotated around the earth, it is a flaw of human nature that most leaders are mistaken in their assessment of the engagement and alignment of people they lead. They don’t recognize employee engagement and alignment problems until they feel the pain from underperformance or face reality in the form of poor results from an employee engagement survey.

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Lead Like a U.S. Marine

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Great leaders know that task excellence alone is not sufficient to achieve sustainable superior performance. They also know that relationship excellence alone is not sufficient in the end. Instead, truly great leaders realize the vital importance of both elements.

The dual focus of task and relationship excellence can be difficult for many leaders to grasp. In our daily lives, we see many illustrations of what it looks like to focus on task excellence and many illustrations of relationship excellence, but it is rare to find examples of leaders who demonstrate both.

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To Connect, Learn Team Strengths and Vulnerabilities

Wooden mannequins pushing puzzle pieces into the right place

#56 Know Your Team’s Strengths and Vulnerabilities

Have your direct reports take tests that identify their individual temperaments and strengths (e.g. Myers Briggs Personality Type, Gallup StrengthsFinder, VIA Inventory of Strengths, etc.).

In E Pluribus Partners/Connection Culture Group’s work with teams, we often have team members take several tests and share the results with their teammates. We assess the team to determine its collective strengths and vulnerabilities in light of the work they are responsible for completing. You should do the same.

For the greatest impact, hire an outside facilitator to lead this assessment.

This is the fifty-sixth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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How to Keep Remote Employees Enthused, Energized and Engaged

Laptop screen showing remote team members on a video call

By Michael Lee Stallard and Colton Perry. As seen on SmartBlog on Leadership and Fox Business. 

A 49-year-old father of two hits his alarm clock at 6:30 a.m., starts a pot of coffee and prepares for his daily commute. For the past three years, Bill Lewis has worked for a large company based in the heart of New York City; even though his home in Texas is nearly 2,000 miles from the office, Bill’s daily commute only takes him a few steps. Along with a rapidly growing percent of America’s workforce, Bill Lewis is a telecommuter, a remote employee. He completes his daily assignments from his front porch, sends e-mails from a coffee shop down the street, and holds conference calls in his living room.

In the past 10 years, this type of work environment has become one of the fastest growing trends in the corporate world. According to the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, it is estimated that telecommuting rose 79% between 2005 and 2012, and with the constant evolution of communication technology, this trend shows no signs of stopping. More and more companies are turning to remote employment as a means to lower costs and lock in skilled workers. It seems like a winning recipe, except for one large downside; technology can never fully replace the intangible benefits of human connection.

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Help Your Direct Reports Create Personal Development Plans

Coworkers who are friends at work talking

#55 Create Personal Development Plans

People are more engaged when they are striving and progressing toward goals.

Work with your direct reports to create personal development plans. Help them discover wise goals to advance their careers. Put disciplines in place to help them achieve these goals. Doing so will boost their effectiveness and their connection to you.

This is the fifty-fifth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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How to Become Indispensable to Your Clients

Client-Relationships_Handshake

What makes you indispensable to a client? So indispensable that she treats you as a valued partner and pays you well for a sustained period of time? The obvious answer is to have clearly demonstrable expertise in areas she values. This alone will open doors and close deals for you.

It won’t ensure long-term loyalty, however.

To become truly indispensable requires a human connection that nurtures trust. Integral to this type of connection is Shared Identity, Shared Empathy and Shared Understanding. 

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Is It Ever Wise to Swear at Work?

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By Michael Lee Stallard and Katie Russell

You discover a careless error your administrative assistant made in printing a proposal you need to present to a potential new client in a few hours. Should you swear to express your frustration?

How about when you are speaking to the people you lead who are clearly not giving their best efforts?

How about if you are a woman in a male-dominated culture and you want to fit in?  Would cursing be wise in that situation?

A recent Quartz.com article argues that in circumstances like these, swearing is ok. We disagree. Let’s look at the rationale presented. 

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Help Colleagues in Need

Smiley face balloons looking up representing positivity

#53 Help Colleagues in Need

It connects with people when you reach out to show you care or help them during a time of need. The Beryl Companies has “Beryl Cares” to monitor the needs of employees and coordinate a response.

If you learn about a colleague who is sick, or has a serious illness or death in the family, respond in an appropriate way. Perhaps you could send a card to let him/her know you are thinking of him/her and offer to help if needed.

This is the fifty-third post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

Photo from Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

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Vince Lombardi’s Success Formula: “Task + Relationship Excellence = Results”

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I once attended a meeting where it seemed that everyone was focused on the people or relationships in a business and believed that doing so would bring success.

Don’t believe it.

Great leaders focus on achieving BOTH task excellence and relationship excellence. This dual focus produces sustainable superior performance.