During the past year, many changes have been made in the workplace. Since most companies are now working from home with new schedules and meeting formats, employees have been through a lot. With stress at an all-time high, companies are seeing drastic amounts of work-from-home burnout. So, how should companies deal with employees running on fumes? It all starts with the team leaders. Read more
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Our reader poll today asks: How well do you maintain long-term professional relationships with those in your network?
Extremely well: I put a lot of effort into staying connected with people: 7%
Very well: I work hard to stay connected with a focused group of people: 16%
Well: I stay connected to the most important people in my network: 27%
Not well: I could improve how connected I stay with people: 28%
Not at all well: I only stay connected to a small handful of people: 15%
Poorly: I put minimal effort into maintaining my network: 8%
Connecting takes effort. Looks like a pretty normal distribution of responses in terms of how well respondents stay connected with each other. Staying connected takes effort. Knowing a lot of people aren’t good at it means you have to put in extra effort to make up for their lack of initiative in that space. It’s easy to say “well they don’t try to stay connected to me so why should I put in the effort?” You can take that approach but you’ll find your network dwindling quickly. Put in the effort. Be generous in sharing ideas and helpful information. Be a resource. The more people who see your value, the more you become a person they want to put effort into staying connected with. And you never know where your next big opportunity is going to come from.
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Recruiting the right people involves creating appropriate role descriptions and knowing where to look.
One of the most exciting aspects of building a high-performing team is recruiting people to be members of that team. There’s nothing better than finding that really talented person who wants to come work with you. So as you think about doing this recruiting and finding the right people, you need to understand how to create role descriptions based on the team’s skill needs. Read more
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If you are a leader and you don’t have surge gear, then guess what? You might not be a leader for long. If you lack the wherewithal to move your business from its normal mode of operation to one that is turbocharged, then you’ve no way of responding effectively to either sudden problems that could send you into a tailspin or unexpected opportunities that could send you rocketing. Read more
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Our reader poll today asks: How do you handle someone trying to change small terms of a deal after it has been struck?
I accept the change and move on as long as it’s not a huge issue: 37%
I object strongly and hold them to the original terms: 19%
I accept their change as long as they accept new changes of mine: 40%
I call off the whole deal: 4%
Push back or let it slide? Last-minute contract or deal term changes can be frustrating. Sometimes it’s cold feet. Sometimes it’s an intentional negotiating strategy. Sometimes business needs just shift. The majority of you (60%) push back either by sticking to the original deal or asking for a concession of your own. Just be sure to assess the relationship impacts of such a move. Sometimes accepting the change and moving on is the best long-term strategy. But if you choose that approach, make a mental note so the next deal you strike with them either gets you a concession for the point you gave in on or your negotiating strategy contemplates some last minute changes and you leave some concessions in the deal in case you have to give something away at the last moment. And if you choose to negotiate this way, consider how it feels on the other side – you might win the point today but there will definitely be a cost in the future.
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Our reader poll today asks: When dealing with someone who is manipulative, how do you react?
I get away from them as fast as I can: 18%
I actively combat their manipulation and confront them on it: 16%
I try to understand why they’re doing it and avoid the trap: 61%
I try to manipulate them right back: 4%
I just let it happen: 2%
Beware the manipulator. 77% of you either actively battle against a manipulator’s efforts or try to understand their motivations and avoid the trap they’re setting for you. Most of the rest of you try to get away from them as best you can. Unfortunately there are situations where you’ll be challenged to get away – especially if they’re a teammate or a boss. Invest the time in understanding their motivations. Those motives might not make sense to you but that doesn’t matter. You simply need to understand the motivations and see how their behaviors can harm you or, more productively, how you can resolve whatever the conflict is either by meeting their needs or getting them to look at the situation differently. Regardless of the situation, avoid the temptation to manipulate them in return. Those situations rarely end well.
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
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!
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Building a high-performing team involves hiring people with technical, functional, and cultural skills.
As the leader of a high-performing team, you’re personally responsible for making sure your team has the required set of skills to succeed and execute against all the initiatives that you have on your prioritization list. You need to evaluate your team’s mission. You need to look at the key initiatives. And then, you need to map out the skills and capabilities required to succeed. Read more
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Our reader poll today asks: How does your organization view older job candidates?
They’re highly desirable because of their experience and wisdom: 26%
They’re desirable in certain situations requiring specific expertise: 22%
They’re as desirable as any other candidate: 33%
They’re less desirable because of cost or short future work horizons: 10%
They’re undesirable because of cost, future work horizons and culture fit: 10%
Does your recruiting execution match your needs? 48% of you said your organizations view older candidates as highly desirable or desirable for specific roles. Another 1/3 said they’re just as desirable as other candidates. The real question is does your recruiting execution match these answers? Clearly many of you are saying your organizations value older workers. The real question at hand is if those desires show up in your recruiting results. Take a look at your new hire class for the last 12 months. Is the balance of older workers reflective of the answers you gave in the poll? If not and they differ significantly, it’s time to explore if you have inherent biases in your recruiting processes. At best, you’re missing out on a great source of talent – which you already said you value. At worst, your organization is susceptible to age discrimination lawsuits. Diverse hiring practices make your organization stronger. Make sure your execution of recruiting matches your beliefs.
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
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Learning common negotiation pitfalls now can help you avoid them in the future.
In any negotiating process, there are some major pitfalls that you want to avoid. Here are the four most common ones I’ve seen:
Not Knowing the Players or the Process
The first pitfall is not knowing the players or the process. If you don’t understand the people across the table from you, as well as what the overarching process is going to be for that negotiation, you’re going to probably give up more value than you should. I’ve done that personally. I entered a deal and I didn’t really appreciate the entire process. There were many more rounds of negotiating than I was prepared for and the problem was, with each round, I gave up a little bit more value. By understanding the structure, the process, and the players, you can avoid this dynamic. Read more
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Our reader poll today asks: How do most leaders in your organization view the world?
An abundance mindset: There’s plenty of rewards to go around, so focus on making the pie bigger: 54%
A scarcity mindset: There’s only so much to go around, so you should fight for a bigger share of the pie: 46%
There’s plenty for everyone. While an abundance mindset is more prevalent, it’s not by much. For the 46% of you living in a scarcity mindset, recognize the anxiety it causes and the innovation it stifles. Only seeing what is available today prevents creativity, partnerships, and expanded opportunities. Challenge yourself to ask how you can make the pie bigger for yourself. Are there organizations you can partner with to get into new markets, products, or services? Are there new customers you can serve? Are there new projects you can propose internally that could create promotion opportunities for people? Stop limiting yourself to what is going on today. Every time you hear someone propose a limit, see if you can think of ways to expand that boundary. You won’t be able to do it for everything but you may surprise yourself with how big you can make the pie!
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
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Your negotiation strategy can make or break a deal. Learning negotiation tactics is key to becoming a more strategic negotiator.
Over the years, I’ve learned some great negotiating techniques and tactics. I’d like to share them now.
The Invisible Man
The first is called The Invisible Man. You can use this technique when you’re in the heat of a deal and you don’t want to give an answer right now, or you don’t like the position that the other party is taking. You just say, “Well, I have to check with my colleagues before I can give you an answer.” That other party isn’t in the room, so you’ve pushed back the negotiation. You’ve bought yourself some time, and now you have the ability to go back to the other party and say, “I know you wanted a 20% discount, but I’ve spoken with my colleagues and the best we can do is 10%.” You’ve created an invisible authority that the other party has to negotiate against. Read more
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Our reader poll today asks: How would you characterize your organization when it comes to strategy execution?
We stay diligently focused on our strategy and avoid distractions: 22%
We generally follow our strategy but occasionally chase distractions: 45%
We mostly focus on distractions but still spend some effort on the core strategy: 23%
We chase every shiny new distraction that comes along: 10%
Don’t chase shiny objects. The core of strategy is saying “no” and staying focused on the path to your vision. While occasional opportunities might come along, your task is to differentiate between those that get you closer to achieving your vision and those that will lead you astray from your chosen path. 1/3 of you clearly have trouble avoiding the distractions. If that’s the case, push your organization to more clearly articulate its mission and vision. With those in hand it’s much easier to make the case for not pursuing a distraction because you can show how the distraction runs counter to the organization’s goals. Keep the team focused on the most meaningful initiatives if you want to increase your odds of successfully achieving your vision.
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
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