Giving your team the authority to make important decisions improves trust, satisfaction, and accountability.
Members of high performing teams are going to be the most satisfied when they feel like they can have an impact on the outcome of their work. And to get to that point you need to understand the difference between accountability and responsibility and then how authority interplays with both of them. Read more
Unresolved conflict is like unclaimed baggage in a storage closet. With return to the workplace, will reclaimed conflicts burst open, threatening chaos?
Today’s post is by Mary Nestor, author of Say It Now! Say It Right! (CLICK HERE to get your copy).
When word came down that the office was closing down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sue had mixed feelings. She didn’t mind not having to drive an hour through traffic to get to her downtown office. New to the management team, she would miss the weekly staff meetings with donuts in the conference room. She wasn’t going to miss the tension with some of her co-workers. Her assistant showed Sue emails circulating that Sue had slept her way into the position. Not true, she confronted her accusers, but they just gave her “the look” and laughed it off. She brought it to the attention of her manager, but he said he wasn’t interested in petty gossip and told her to ignore it. She felt betrayed when he failed to back her up. Working remote meant she could physically distance herself from the stressful situation, her co-workers, and her manager.
Jorge was qualified for the new superintendent position; he had worked long hours despite juggling his kids’ after school sports and music lessons. When the owner’s daughter showed up, fresh out of tech school with little experience, she was given the position and a generous salary increase. The plant went on a COVID reduced schedule in May of 2020. Management assigned Jorge to train the new superintendent to be ready when things opened up. Jorge felt he was unjustly passed over, but in the chaos of the plant shutdown, he wasn’t able to get time to talk to his manager.
Olivia’s team was floundering before the pandemic. Her performance hadn’t improved despite several reviews, coaching and improvement plans. The executive team had agreed on terminating her employment, but when her husband came down with COVID-19, they held off. A week later the office closed. Olivia struggled with working remote, and some of her team members have threatened to quit if Olivia continues as team leader when they return to the office.
Unresolved workplace conflicts, like unclaimed baggage, don’t go away. They get stuffed down, moved around, kept out of site, ignored. The issues, like the contents of that baggage, are important to someone. Like a suitcase that is mishandled and tossed around, the issues can burst open, spilling anger, and exposing broken workplace relationships. This baggage is stacked up in every workplace, large or small, corporate or non-profit, just waiting to be reclaimed. They are one more reason why employees like Sue, Jorge, and Olivia’s team members may be reluctant to return to the physical workplace.
Chapter 4 of Say It Now, Say It Right! How to Handle Tough and Tender Conversations—Say It Later…And Count the Cost—lists the high cost of not dealing with conflict or poor performance. Disasters. Continued bad habits. Errors that can cost millions of dollars, lost business, dangerous working conditions, or damaging lawsuits.
In Olivia’s case, the cost is loss of talent in a tough labor market caused by resentment and anger over unresolved situations with co-workers due to leaders who hide from their responsibility by avoiding conflict and passing off responsibility.
Sue feels alone, resigned to going back to an environment that was toxic. And Jorge feels devalued and demotivated, having spent the last 15 months training a less experienced person to take over a job he should have had.
Handling these tough conversations is critical to the transition from remote to return to the workplace. Managers should take an honest look back and anticipate baggage that can trip up a smooth transition back to work. They need to listen to employees and look for signs of stress or indications that employees need to talk. They must be honest about their part in these situations and proactive in addressing unresolved workplace conflicts. Timing, delivery and most of all, the right motive in having these conversations is critical to a positive resolution.
Mary Nestor is a best-selling author, speaker, trainer and coach on Leadership, Communications and Change Management. Say It Now! Say It Right! How to Handle Tough or Tender Conversations is available at Amazon.com here.
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Our reader poll today asks: How well does your organization stay on top of infrastructure upgrades?
Stay Ahead or Scramble. This one is split 51/49. While many of you stay ahead of infrastructure upgrades, just as many lag behind. Lagging and delaying necessary upgrades can be a “pay me later” approach but usually the payment is much larger when accounting for business interruption, opportunity cost, and stress on your team. Staying ahead of the curve has costs too. You might replace infrastructure before it’s outlived its useful life in which case you’re not getting the full return on your investment. Either way, staying on top of upgrades and conducting them before they become crises is a safe way to avoid major issues. So the next time you consider deferring an investment because of the cost, be sure to calculate the possible cost of not making the investment on time.
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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To build and foster a high performing team, sometimes you have to step back and let your people do their thing.
For you to get the most out of the members of your high performing team, you need to empower them. Remember, on a high performing team, those team members are typically very self-motivated, and they like being self-directed. You need to understand how letting go of your agenda, creating space for them to flourish, and then accepting that there are different ways of doing things is going to bring out the best in your people. Read more
Too often, entrepreneurs seek business partners for the wrong reasons, from skills to capital. Whether leading a startup or growing organization, here’s how to avoid making a bad decision.
Today’s post is by Patrick Burke, author of The 10 Biggest Business Mistakes And How To Avoid Them (CLICK HERE to get your copy).
“Do I need a business partner?” I’ve been a business adviser for more than 40 years and this is one of the most common questions entrepreneurs ask, whether they are starting their first business or expanding an existing one.
Holding onto as much of your company’s ownership as possible and sharing it only when absolutely necessary is simple logic. But entrepreneurs often succumb to the emotional need to partner. Though by nature an independent and confident group, they start tossing ownership around with little or no regard for its current or eventual value.
So whenever I’m asked that question, I remind them that there’s no Rorschach test for what a successful business partnership looks like. Too often, you may think the inkblot looks like an opportunity, while your partner sees only obstacles. It’s an extremely tough chasm to bridge. But if you’re seriously considering a partnership, ask yourself these five questions as your guide: Read more
Our reader poll today asks: When you encounter a small service issue with a supplier, how do you handle it?
Fix issues quickly. Most of you let one small service issue slide but after that, you’re on top of it and another large portion of you get on top of service issues immediately. It’s helpful to all involved when expectations are clear. For those who let things slide, consider a different approach. If there’s a service issue and your supplier isn’t aware of it, they’re not able to fix it. The result is ongoing problems, frustration, and eventually their loss of a customer but they don’t know why. It’s unfair to not let them know there are issues they can improve upon. So the next time there’s an issue and you don’t want to bring it up because it’s uncomfortable, consider how much more uncomfortable it’ll be down the road when you end the relationship and the supplier has no idea why or that they say “I wish you had told me about these issues sooner.”
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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Once you’ve established your commit goals, you should also set stretch goals. Learn how to use the one-third, two-third method to set a stretch goal.
In addition to setting a commit goal, you should also set a stretch. A stretch goal is what’s going to push people to achieve more. It still needs to be achievable when you go back and look at SMART goals, but it won’t have a guarantee of success. More often than not, you’ll fall short of your hitting your stretch goal. If you’re always hitting your stretch, you’re not stretching far enough.
So why should you set stretch goals? Well, if you only set a commit goal, the team might coast once you reach it. They’re going to say, “Well, we hit our goal. We don’t have to push ourselves so hard. Let’s just relax and get to the end of the year.”
A stretch goal gets them to continue performing. Once they hit the commit, there’s still something more that they can go out and achieve. A stretch goal can motivate and excite people. When they hit it, it creates a sense of shared achievement that’s going to build morale and team identity. Stretch goals force people to think differently.
Many times, a commit goal is based upon what people know they can do. They don’t challenge constraints or look for new ways of doing things. A commit goal is about getting things done and doing it the way we’ve always done it. A stretch goal gets them to challenge assumptions. They’ll look at the business differently. They’re going to be willing to make large changes and they’re going to take risks to achieve that stretch. A stretch goal helps them build new skills from trying new things.
So by combining a commit goal that they can achieve and they can deliver to the organization, and a stretch goal that pushes them to improve their performance, you’re getting the best of both worlds.
The one-third, two-third method for stretch goals
I often get asked, “How can I set a good stretch goal?” I like to tell people to use the 1/3, 2/3 rule. For the gap between your commit and your stretch, your team should have a good sense for how they might close 2/3 of that gap, and no idea for where the other 1/3 will come from.
Why 1/3, 2/3? Well, if it’s more than 1/3 that they don’t know where it’s going to come from, they’re going to give up and just say, “This is too hard. I don’t have any ideas.” If it’s less than 1/3, it may be too easy and they might coast. To create this list and understand what this 1/3, 2/3 is, gather a list from your team for ideas beyond the commit and add them up.
Let’s walk through an example. Let’s say we set a commit goal of X, and now we’re trying to figure out what the stretch is. I tell the team, “I need all your best ideas for how we’re going to drive revenue beyond that commit event.” The team goes off, they come back with their ideas, and they come up with $2 million worth of ideas. Now these will be hard, but they have a reasonable idea of how they can capture $2 million. That two million is my 2/3. What I need to do next is add another third beyond that. When you look at the math, you just divide that two million in half and add it. So I would add another $1 million, and then I’d have a total stretch goal of three million. Now let’s look at that 1/3, 2/3. 2/3 of that $2 million, they have ideas. 1/3 of it, $1 million, they don’t know where it’s going to come from. They’re going to have to innovate to find that incremental $1 million.
When you set your stretch goals, following this 1/3, 2/3 rule will help you identify ideas and make that stretch feel like it’s something they can get, but it will still push them beyond the ideas they’ve already got, and hopefully drive incremental innovation.
Want to learn more about setting team and employee goals? How about taking an entire course on it? Go directly to the course and start learning how to create a culture of strategy execution. The entire course is available at LinkedIn Learning. Enjoy!
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Returning to work after a period of unemployment can be challenging. Use these 7 tips to make the process easier.
Today’s post is by Carol Camerino, career advisor at University of Phoenix.
Looking for a job is one thing. Looking for a job after an extended absence is an altogether different thing. From facing down impostor syndrome to explaining the hiatus, job-seekers face their own set of challenges when returning to work. The good news? They also bring with them their own set of advantages.
If you find yourself in this camp, there are steps you can and should take to find your next role. But one of the most important is that initial step to embrace a “possibilities mindset.”
Many people put constraints on themselves at the outset and view their time away from the workforce as more of a liability than an asset. But they didn’t hit ‘pause’ on themselves while they were away. They developed other skills and connections and outlooks. And I think that serves returners really well. Read more
Our reader poll today asks: What’s your perspective on “small talk” (catching up on personal details when conducting business)?
Small talk has its limits. Clearly a large portion of respondents like small talk for connecting on a personal level but do note, it does have its limits. After a certain point, business must move on. If you’re one of those folks in the 13% who don’t like it, consider trying it and connecting at least a little bit with team members and colleagues and many of them do value it. If you find yourself to be a bit of a talker, monitor your audience for those nonverbal cues that it’s time to wrap it up and move on to business. A large portion of folks tire of it after a certain point. Bottom line: small talk matters because relationships matter but you have to keep the amount of small talk within reason.
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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Learn what a commit goal is and what you should consider when creating one.
When you set goals, I encourage you to set two kinds of goals. The first is a commit goal and the second is a stretch goal.
A commit goal is something you’re committing to do for the organization. If you miss it, you can get fired. There should be extreme consequences for missing a commit goal. To build your commit goal, work from the bottom up. Work directly with your team and have them make commitments to you as far as what they’re going to deliver for their goals. You’ll then need to reconcile the team’s commits and make sure they all add up to your commit to your organization.
At one point I had three different teams and we were tasked with a major cost reduction project. My boss came to me and asked me how much cost reduction would I commit to removing from the system. I went to my teams and I asked them how much cost they could take out, and I asked them for their goals. They gave me commit goals of one and a half million, two million, and three million dollars, for a total of six point five million dollars that they would commit to.
When I went to my boss, I hedged on that number a little bit and I told him I could commit to six million dollars. Now, he knew better and he knew I was hedging a little and he pushed me on it. He eventually got me to a point where we negotiated and I committed to six point two five million. Over the plan period, we exceeded that goal and we hit seven million dollars of cost reduction. Obviously there were no negative consequences for the team, but the result of having that commit was the entire team was focused on delivering six point two five. We tracked it over the course of the year. It was something that was at the top of our priority list because we knew we had to deliver it to the organization. Our commit was fed into the budgeting process at the beginning of the year and by doing so we ended up with a very accurate budget that people could plan for.
When you’re creating your commit goal, sit down with the team and make sure they understand what they’re committing to is going to have implications. The organization will plan based on that number and if they miss that number, there will be consequences for them and for you. Having that clear commit will drive the focus you need in terms of achieving a goal and making sure that the rest of the organization can plan for what you’re going to deliver.
Want to learn more about setting team and employee goals? How about taking an entire course on it? Go directly to the course and start learning how to create a culture of strategy execution. The entire course is available at LinkedIn Learning. Enjoy!
Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!
Our reader poll today asks: How good of a negotiator are you?
Are your deals coming up short? Almost 40% of respondents acknowledge their negotiating skills can use some improvement. Even if you’re not negotiating contracts or big deals, you’re negotiating every day. Time off, project resources, deadlines, project scope, promotions, raises, and even where to eat lunch are all negotiations. If you don’t prepare, expect to come up short in your deals with others. Any good negotiator knows that preparation is key. Understand the other party, their interests, your interests, and what concessions you’re willing to make. A little bit of prep can go a long way in terms of achieving negotiating success.
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!
Use this common budgeting technique to set goals that are more relevant and actionable.
When you’re setting goals, you can borrow a technique from a common budgeting process called zero-based budgeting. What you do is look at last year, forget about it, and then look at where you are today and what you can achieve going forward. Every dollar you’re going to spend in the budget is justified. And every number you’re going to deliver is based on your current reality. Read more