Eat-Your Vegetables and Accept Your Feedback

No one likes feedback, however we solicit opinions from people about what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.   The problem often times with this type of feedback is that people don’t want to give it and we don’t want to receive it.  The best solicited feedback comes in the form of confidential feedback, i.e. 360 degree feedback.  This type of feedback tends to work because no one gets embarrassed or defensive.  There are no emotional issues because the receiver doesn’t know who to blame or retaliate against. In the best cases, you have no sense of being attacked at all.  You’re merely ingesting honest commentary – which you requested – from blind but well-meaning sources.  Here is an interesting and short article on Accepting Feedback.  I would love to hear your thought.

Eat Your Vegetables and Accept Your Feedback.

Leadership Development Opportunity

Leading Edge Program is now forming its next Leadership Development Class, beginning in November!

Leading Edge offers a unique training program that is designed to take participants to an advanced level of leadership.  This program provides practical solutions toward developing the skill sets for the ever changing workforce of the 21^st Century. 

Leading Edge provides companies and organizations with expertly led seminars that teach with excellence, educate for short and long-term results, and reflect extremely well on current and future leaders within the organization.  Leading Edge offers content rich courses that are well crafted to provide employees with knowledge that they can immediately begin to use on the job.  Along with well thought out course materials, participants benefit from adult learning instruction that enables them to quickly digest new material and apply it back in the real world. 

Topic Areas Include:

     Session 1:               DiSC – Discovery of Communication and Leadership Styles 

Session 2:                  360°Leadership Assessment

Session 3:                  Brand You:  discovering your strengths, weaknesses, values, why it matters           along with your Value Proposition Statement and personal mission statement

      Session 4:                  Setting Expectations and Decision Making

Session 5:                  Creating Accountability

Session 6:                  Leadership and Goal Setting

Session 7:                  Generations at Work/Communicating across Generations

In addition, participants will have the opportunity for up to three one-on-one coaching sessions to maintain the momentum at the conclusion of the program.

This Leadership program meets one day a month from 9 am – 1 pm at the office of the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance. 

To register or to obtain more information on the Leading Edge program, please contact Kendra Wilburn, Leadership Development Director of the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance, at 513-314-9659 or kwilburn@thechamberalliance.com.

Authentic Leadership –Awakening the Possibilities of Others

The best definition of leadership I have ever come across is from Ben Zander.  According to Mr. Zander “leadership is the ability to mobilize others by combining the analytical side of a vision with the passion of shared values, through creating something really meaningful to the people being led.  Leadership is a lot like conducting an orchestra; the conductor unifies performers, sets the tempo, executes clear preparations and beats, and listens critically to shape the sound of the ensemble.  To accomplish this artistic task the conductor must relinquish their own power and awaken the possibilities in the ensemble.”

In today’s environment, “top down” management doesn’t work anymore.  Employees want to be more fully engaged, and committed to what they are doing.  They want to feel as if their work matters.  Because of these higher expectations, it's vital for leaders to know how to inspire vision, passion, and confidence in the people they're leading. When people work alongside a truly authentic leader, they'll often give their whole hearts and minds to the cause. In these situations, the leader has created loyalty throughout an organization, resulting in higher morale and greater possibility.

The path to this type of leadership is not straight and well-defined.  Awakening the possibilities in others involves many different skills, traits, and actions. By focusing on some of the most common characteristics, you can start down your own path towards this.

There are four main themes to awakening the possibilities in others within your organization – ethics, power, communication, and the organization. 

Ethics

Authentic leaders are ethical leaders. They've identified their ethical codes, and they never compromise on what they believe to be right and wrong.

Power

All leaders have power. But authentic leaders know how to use the right kind of power for the good of the group, and for the goal that needs to be achieved.

Communication

Authentic leaders are excellent communicators. And they use a number of different communication strategies to pass along their values, awaken possibilities within their teams, and give clear commands.

The Organization

Leaders that awaken possibilities, never forget that they have an enormous responsibility. They put their companies and their people first.  

Authentic leadership involves a lot of different things much like conducting an orchestra. And developing the skills and characteristics needed should be an evolving journey, not a final destination.

Leadership Assimilation is a great way of Coaching through Change

Research indicates that 25 – 50% of all managers and executives fail to deliver what they were hired for at a total cost to the company of 10 – 25 times their base salary. One reason for this is that there isn’t a large enough emphasis placed on the onboarding or assimilation process of new managers and executives. Many times, companies fail to realize that even the smallest of changes to any organization can have a profound impact on the culture, groups, and individuals who comprise it. Groups often demonstrate some level of distrust, resistance, and/or conflict.

Coaching your organization through change is a key component to successfully assimilating a new manager or executive into his/her new role. Coaching can encourage people to see change as a positive opportunity rather than a threat. In addition, coaching can help to bring about more effective communication within the team, especially when everyone knows their role and their value to an organization.

Below are some questions to consider when coaching through change:

What does each member of the team want the new manager / executive to know about them?

What does the team need to know about the new manager / executive in order to be effective?

What does the new manager / executive need to know about the team as a whole?

What are the team’s expectations?

What are the managers / executives expectations?

Are there any issues that are urgent or a priority?

Coaching is a powerful tool for helping people understand and embrace change within an organization. While change can take a while, it is an investment that will pay off in the long term. Effective leadership assimilation through change is one way to build a stronger team, where everyone knows their role and value to the organization.

Generations at Work

The Asian Proverb, “Men resemble the times more than they resemble their father” holds true today more than ever before. As we look at the composition of the workforce in the United States we have four generations of employees present. The question is not when will you have a multigenerational workforce but whether or not you are prepared. Those organizations that are able to recognize and bridge the generational gaps are those who create a distinctive competitive advantage.
As the first in a two part series, let’s take a moment and examine the various generations in the workplace and how the varying events in history have shaped our current workforce.

Traditionalist, AKA the Silent Generation, were born between 1920 – 1945. The work ethics and values of this generation were shaped by participation in WWII as well as the predominance of manufacturing within the United States. This generation has a tendency to respect the rules, hierarchy and authority. They are dedicated, hardworking, and loyal to the organization and very much value tradition.

Baby Boomers, AKA the “Me” generation, were born between 1946–1954. They are also called the "Me" Generation because their Traditionalist parents wanted to give them a good life. This generation comprises 52% of the current workforce in the United States and has placed a priority on the work that they do inside corporations. They have a tendency to work long hard hours and because of it require a level of respect from their fellow co-workers.

Generation X was born between 1965–1979. This generation is the children of both Traditionalists and Baby Boomers. This generation comprises 26% of the current workforce in the United States and is focused on career advancement. In addition, Gen X is interested in having fun and socializing; because of this they are extremely adept at building and maintaining professional networks during times of pleasure and enjoyment. While this generation may not put in your traditional 10 hours of work per day behind their desks – you can rest assured that they are working even when they are not in the office. Through the advancement of technology, Gen X is open to working in a mobile environment.

Generation Y, AKA the Millennial’s, were born between 1980–2000. This generation is 80 million strong, outnumbering the 78 Million Baby Boomers and the 40 Million Gen Xers, and entering the workforce in masses. The focus for the first time since the post WWII era suddenly shifted back to kids and family. The Federal Forum on Family Statistics reported that national attention to children was at an all-time high (The earlier peak was in the 1960s when the Boomers were kids.). This is also the first time in a long time that safety has become a true concern for young adults. 9/11 brought about safety issues at work while Columbine shootings brought terror to quiet suburban schools. This is one of the primary reasons there is a strong underlying need to be connected 24/7 to friends and family. In addition, these tech savvy, social media fanatics want work that is meaningful and involves some level of civic responsibility.

So what does this all mean? How does this apply to the people on my team or in my organization? People who grow up at different points in history have unique experiences and outlooks toward life. While some of these differences seem more pronounced than others they are in effect neutral. In dealing with such diversity in the workplace it is critical to understand each other’s differences and leverage the strengths each generation brings to the workplace. In other words, “men resemble the times more than they resemble their fathers.”

Make sure to read next month’s column on the tools organizations can implement to engage the various generations at work.

Using DiSC as a Tool to Guide Leadership and Improve Communication

Is there one person at work whom you simply just don’t get? Or someone who approaches things so differently from you that you find it difficult to relate to them?

If this sounds familiar then you are not alone. We all have people who we find hard to communicate with, or work with. Yet, as leaders, we know to have a successful team, team members must learn to communicate effectively with one another. If the lines of communication are not kept open, barriers to productivity increase exponentially. The good news is that there are ways to keep the lines of communication open. A good starting point is in understanding your own communication style as well as that of your team.

The DiSC model, based on the work of psychologist William Moulton Marston from the 1920’s, is one approach. It is a straightforward, standardized and relatively simple way of assessing individual as well as team behaviors in a way that allows one to look at leadership and communication preferences.

DiSC assessment tests use standardized data derived from a large population of people who’ve taken the test before. Thus an individual’s assessment score gives an indication of their preference relative to others. It helps people explore behavior across four primary dimensions:

• Dominance: To the point, decisive and bottom line oriented. These people tend to be independent and results driven. They are strong-willed people who enjoy challenges, taking action, and immediate results.
• Influence: Optimistic and outgoing. They tend to be highly social and outgoing. They prefer participating on teams, sharing thoughts, and entertaining and energizing others.
• Steadiness: Empathetic & Cooperative. These people tend to be team players and are supportive and helpful to others. They prefer being behind the scene, working in consistent and predictable ways. They are often good listeners and avoid change and conflict .
• Conscientiousness: Concerned, Cautious & Correct. These people are often focused on details and quality. They plan ahead; constantly check for accuracy, and what to know "how" and "why". ¹

. By using this tool, individuals and others are better equipped to:

• Understanding behavioral strengths and challenges in yourself and in others
• Learning to appreciate the differences and strengths of others
• Discovering tools for dealing with conflict effectively
• Enhance teamwork and reduce team conflict
• Developing strategies and awareness to deal with diversity of people, their communication styles and needs
• Increasing sales skill by understanding how clients or customers behavior and make decisions
• Improve customer relationships and customer satisfaction
• Reduce personal and organizational conflict, stress and turnover
• Improve communication skills through determining communication styles
• Enhance and develop coaching and mentoring skill¹

By understanding your own profile, you can develop an appreciation for the unique value of others on your team, as well as employ strategies to maximize team strengths and minimize the effects of team weaknesses. DiSC profiling can be a useful tool to help you improve communication, team working, recruitment and retention, customer service and, other interpersonal issues.

Would you or someone in your organization be interested in taking the DiSC Assessment? Contact Kendra Wilburn at 513-314-9659 or kwilburn@cinci.rr.com for more information.

1. DiSC Classic (Minneapolis: Inscape Publishing, 2001).

The Role of Leadership in an Organization

In my blog talk radio broadcast this morning I discussed the topic of leadership and how being a good leaders means you have the ability to mobilize others by combining the analytical side of a vision with the passion of shared values, through creating something really meaningful to the people being led. Leadership is a lot like conducting an orchestra; the conductor unifies performers, sets the tempo, executes clear preparations and beats, and listens critically to shape the sound of the ensemble. To accomplish this artistic task the conductor must relinquish their own power and awaken the possibilities in the ensemble.

Translate that to today’s workplace environment, simply stated “top down” management doesn’t work anymore. Employees want to be more fully engaged, and committed to what they are doing. They want to feel as if their work matters. Because of these higher expectations, it's vital for leaders to know how to inspire vision, passion, and confidence in the people they're leading. When people work alongside a truly authentic leader, they'll often give their whole hearts and minds to the cause. In these situations, the leader has created loyalty throughout an organization, resulting in higher morale and greater possibility.

Joanne Westwood, asked if I believed there was one right way to lead others. My response was no. Leaders come from all different makes and models - what makes a leader good is there ability to communicate with those around them and to share the vision and maintain a certain level of integrity.

I would love to hear some of your thoughts on leadership. Do you think there is one right way to lead others?

Check out my blog talk radio segment on the subject of leadership.