★ An A-Z Guide for Engaging Employees to Engage Customers ★

Building an engaged workforce is perhaps the biggest challenge today’s employers face. The benefits are many—increased customer loyalty (Higher NPS Score), profits, productivity and safety, to name a few—yet it can be tough to lead a workforce that maintains consistently high levels of passion and motivation.

This A to Z list about engagement from an employee’s perspective will help leaders determine where to focus their attention. Armed with these insights, you will be well on your way to developing the engaged workforce that create consistently great customer experiences.

Ask : Ask me questions, ask me for ideas, or ask me to participate. Ask me how we can improve the customer experience. You will grab my attention and begin the process of engaging my heart, mind and spirit.

Behave: How you behave towards me, my co-workers and those we interact with tells me a great deal. When you treat us like adults and contributors, we can move forward.

Treat me the way you'd want me to treat the customer!

Treat me as overhead, a resource, or human capital (whatever that is), and I will drift off to another place. Yelling, screaming or ignoring me—except when I mess up—won’t work either.  "Seagull" style managers don't earn my whole-hearted commitment.

Communicate and collaborate: If you want me to be engaged, help me understand what’s going on in the company. Tell me what led to or shaped our decisions. In other words, communicate with me. It’s from this foundation that you, me and others on our team can work together to clarify opportunities and determine how we will succeed. Let’s collaborate.

Deliver: When you make promises or say you’ll get back to me on something, please remember to deliver. You will build credibility and trust. If we can rely on you, rest assured you can rely on us.

Encourage and empower: This is actually a simple concept. When you tell me I did something well, I smile more. I learn, and carry that perspective forward. Let me know that you trust me to get the job done in the way that makes the most sense to me. Encouragement and empowerment are keys to keeping me engaged.

Feedback: Tell me how I’m doing. And not just once or twice a year—all the time. Tell me when you like what I’ve done; tell me what didn’t work and why. Providing both positive and constructive feedback regularly will help me improve. Share  formal and informal customer survey results. You’ll be surprised at what I will achieve.

Goals: Provide me with goals I can work toward. Better yet, let me in on developing goals that make sense to me, our team, the customer experience and the company.

Hello. How are you? Stop by now and then to say hello and ask how I’m doing. Ask about my family or just talk a little. Did you know I play golf? It couldn’t be simpler. It shows you care, and more important, helps build the bond we need to enjoy our time at work.

Integrity: Earn it, keep it, and reap the rewards. I’ll do the same and so will our teammates. Just imagine the possibilities.

Journey: Just like the company, I’m on a journey. Let’s find a way to connect the two. It will take some work, of course. You’ll need to get to know me a little. Find out what you can about my goals, ambitions, hopes, dreams, and where I hope my journey will lead me.

Find out who I am outside of work, too. I will return the favor by getting to know you. Remember to also share the company’s journey. Only then will engaging me become possible.

Knowledge: Share what you know with us employees, and allow us to share what we know with you. Make sure we share amongst ourselves as a team. Then, help us apply that knowledge in a way that leads to success.

Listen: Actively listen. Listen with your ears, eyes and mind. Let me know what you heard to make sure that is what I intended to say. When you do that, you will be surprised by what you learn.

Listen to me the way you'd want me to listen to the customer!

Meaning: My work has to have meaning, because I’m here for much more than a paycheck or social time. I want to contribute. Work with me to build that meaning and link it with our goals. Then you’ll really begin to capture my heart, mind and spirit.

Notice: Take notice of what I do and how I do it. Better yet, take notice of what our team does both individually and collectively, and give us credit for our efforts and achievements. Don’t forget that taking notice includes letting me know you did.

Opportunity: Use what you know about me to consider opportunities for me to get involved in other areas. From special assignments, leadership roles, and cross-organizational work to training and development, I appreciate the chance to deepen my capabilities and contributions.

Passion: Show me yours and I’ll show you mine.

Questions: Ask, consider, answer, probe and challenge. Questions are the gateway to deeper levels of awareness, understanding, knowledge and potential. Ask, "How can I help?" and see me soar.

Recognition, rewards and relationships: Let’s redefine the three Rs. Recognize what I do and reward me appropriately. Build a relationship with me on a professional and personal level. Forget the three Rs at your own peril.

Smile: A smile really goes a long way. Try one on for size and you might be surprised by how far it goes.

Smile at me the way you'd want me to smile at the customer!

Trust: Showing that you trust me and giving me a reason to trust you is perhaps the most important of the ABCs. Without trust, the rest is meaningless. Remember that we earn trust over time. While it’s not hard to earn, it’s very hard to get back once we lose it.

Unify our team: Work with us as a team and let us work on our own as a team. There is a difference. Allow us to work together to build a shared vision and set our goals. Let us have ownership and participate in the way that makes the most sense to us. Let us share our hopes, dreams and fears with each other so we can work together.

Victory: It’s important to us that you celebrate our wins, whether they’re large, small or anywhere in between. It lets us know our efforts paid off, that you care, and that you notice.

We: As the saying goes, many hands lighten the load. Let us in on what’s happening and we can succeed together.

X-traordinary: The results we can achieve by working together will be extraordinary.

“Yes and,” not “yes but”: When you say, “Yes, but...” our conversations and my creativity shut down. Next time, try “Yes, and...” You’ll be surprised by where it may lead and how it will make me feel.

Zenith: If you follow the ABCs of employee engagement, my full potential and commitment will be yours and our customers will be wow'd.

To your greater success,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
Email: petercmclees@gmail.com
Mobile: 323-854-1713
Smart Development

P.S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

Handling Employee Drama

Dear Leader’s Digest~

I inherited an employee that is challenged when it comes to communication, attitude, and accountability. Recently, one of my employees threw what I would call "an adult temper tantrum" after receiving her assignment. She complained loudly and inappropriately in front of the other employees. She also walked out of a huddle before I was finished—in front of the rest of the team. I attempted to fix her assignment for her, as her objections were not unreasonable, but her behavior certainly was. She verbalized that she would keep the assignment as it was but had a poor attitude for several hours.

I feel disrespected and embarrassed by her behavior. Since she was so emotional I chose not to confront her at the time. But I’m thinking I need to speak up now. Since she can be quite dramatic, can you give me some advice? I’m worried she’s influencing her teammates against me.

Sincerely,

Committed to Following Up

Dear Committed,

You've done a couple of things right already. First of all, you were wise to respond to the content of her concern in order to demonstrate that you cared about her problem. You were wise to not confront her in front of her peers, or to do so when her emotions were very strong. Had you done so, it would have been difficult for her to hear you, and your influence would have diminished significantly.

Second, offering to make appropriate adjustments to the assignment—so long as you weren't selling out by doing so—is a good way of mobilizing cooperation rather than resistance. It shows that you care about her interests and sets a foundation of mutual purpose and mutual respect.

But from there, I think you missed a big opportunity by not raising your concerns with her behavior at the same time you offered to respond to her complaints. The ideal moment to hold someone accountable is the moment they are least likely to misunderstand your intentions. And that moment was probably when you genuinely and sincerely attempted to listen to her issue.

With that said, all is not lost. But you must address this issue soon before you run the risk of seeming like you're dredging up old issues—or worse, before it happens again and you feel even more upset when you talk with her.

So do it soon. Do it privately. Do it at a time she agrees to and which is convenient for her. All of these situational factors will help reduce the likelihood of defensiveness. Begin by reminding her of the reasons she should know she should have confidence in you. Point out what you've done to address her frustrations, and reiterate that you will always be accommodating to personal needs when you can do so without being unfair to the rest of the team.

With that said, now it’s time to raise your concern. And this is the tricky part. You've got two things you've got to do to turn this into a healthy coaching or counseling conversation.

First, frame the issue positively. Ensure that she knows your intent is to address a problem and not to beat her up. For example, “I’d like to talk to you about something that happened when you were frustrated with the assignment I gave you. In doing so, I want you to know it will always be okay for you to tell me things don't work for you. What I’d like to address is how you did it. Because that was unacceptable. I'd like to describe my concern, ok?"

With her consent, you must now describe her behavior but not your judgments. When we’re upset with others, we often make veiled attempts to punish them by describing their behavior in inflammatory ways. For example, it will not work to say, “You were hostile and insulting when you got your assignment.” Carefully plan out how you’ll describe her behavior, and carefully replace all the “hot words” with descriptive rather than judgmental language. For example, you might say, “After you received your assignment you said in a loud voice, ‘No way.’ You then put an order form were holding down on the shelf abruptly enough that it made a noticeable noise. And finally, you referred to me as unfair and "too big for my britches" who you said would not tell you what to do.”

It’s vital in reducing defensiveness (and increasing cooperation) that these words be spoken in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. They will carry far more weight in the conversation if you don't hurl them. Let the words do their own work. If they are true, your employee will hear them better without your added force.

Next, you need to tell her why this doesn't work for you. For example, “I've got two problems with what happened. First, it was done publicly. This affects morale in our team and encourages insubordination. That doesn't work for me. Second, it was accusatory. It seemed like you were turning this into a personal attack on me. You didn't need to. I will listen to your concerns when you have them. But this kind of behavior makes it harder for me to respond in a supportive way.”

Now you need to ask for her point of view. See if she remembers it differently or disagrees with your judgment of what happened. Once you've worked through your points of view, you must end by asking for her commitment to behave differently in the future.

Finally, if you think there is a chance this behavior will be an ongoing problem, you should ask for a chance to follow up and check in with her on two fronts: a) does she feel she’s getting support from you? and b) are you satisfied that she is supporting you? Agree on a specific date and then follow up.

Good luck with this situation. This should be enough to get you started. I commend your willingness to actually work on the problem rather than letting it slide.

To your greater success,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
Email: petercmclees@gmail.com
Mobile: 323-854-1713
Smart Development

P. S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

How a Simple Triangle Greatly Reduces Workplace Conflict

The Drama Triangle

The Drama Triangle was developed by Dr. Stephen Karpman, a psychiatrist who spent a lot of time working with dysfunctional relationships. He was also an avid basketball fan. In fact, he was the first person to identify the triangle offense.

Drama is what happens when people misuse the energy of conflict, with or without awareness, to feel justified about their negative behavior. Since justification is the modus operandi in drama, avoiding self-awareness is key. Plus, there are some powerful beliefs about conflict that derail people from using that energy productively. The good news is that people can learn to recognize their drama roles and chose different behaviors, more healthy ways to deal with conflict.

“The purpose of conflict is to create.” -Michael Meade

In drama, people play one or more of three predictable roles will an associated core belief:

Victim's core belief: “My life is so hard; my life is so unfair. ‘Poor me.’” The dynamic: “It’s not my fault (it’s theirs).” The benefits of playing the role: You have no responsibility for fixing anything; you get to complain; you attract Rescuers. The price paid for playing the role: You have no sense of being able to change anything—any change is outside your control. You’re known to be ineffective. And no one likes a whiner. Stuck is: “I feel stuck because I have no power and no influence. I feel useless.”

Persecutor's core belief: “I’m surrounded by fools, idiots or just people less good than me.” The dynamic: “It’s not my fault (it’s yours).” The benefits of playing the role: You feel superior and have a sense of power and control. The price paid for playing the role: You end up being responsible for everything. You create Victims. You’re known as a micromanager. People do the minimum for you and no more. And no one likes a bully. Stuck is: “I feel stuck because I don’t trust anyone. I feel alone.”

Rescuer's core belief: “Don’t fight, don’t worry, let me jump in and take it on and fix it.” The dynamic: “It’s my fault/responsibility (not yours).” The benefits of playing the role: You feel morally superior; you believe you’re indispensable. The price paid for playing the role: People reject your help. You create Victims and perpetuate the Drama Triangle. And no one likes a meddler. Stuck is: “I feel stuck because my rescuing doesn’t work. I feel burdened.”

ARE YOU A VICTIM, PERSECUTOR, RESCUER? 

These three labels aren’t descriptions of who you are. They’re descriptions of how you’re behaving in a given situation. No one is inherently a Victim or a Persecutor or a Rescuer. They are roles we end up playing when we’ve been triggered and, in that state, find a less-than-effective version of ourselves playing out.

Dr. Karpman remarked, “We all play all of these roles all the time. Often, we’ll cycle through all of the roles in a single exchange with someone, lurching from Victim to Rescuer to Persecutor and back again.”

Think of the most annoying person on your team right now, the one who’s giving you difficulty even as we speak. Did you notice that in a flash, you jumped to Persecutor (They make me so mad!), Victim (It’s not fair, why can’t I get them onto someone else’s team?) and Rescuer (I’ll just keep trying to do their work for them until they get up to speed) all at once? We tend to have a favorite role we default to most of the time. When asked to identify which of these roles you play most often, most choose the Rescuer.

When we’re in Rescuer mode, we’re constantly leaping in to solve problems, jumping in to offer advice, taking over responsibilities that others should rightfully keep for themselves. We do it with good intentions; we’re just trying to help, to “add value” as managers. But you can already see the price that’s being paid by both sides.

You’re exhausted—and they’re irritated.

You’re limiting opportunities for growth and for expanding the potential of those you’re working with. Rescuers create Victims. We want to believe it’s the other way around (which is also true, but not only true).

For better or for worse, we all play a certain role at work. Our best qualities have led us to the best moments of our career, but our less redeeming ones tagged along too—and likely continue to contribute to less-than-perfect workday interactions.

At a glance, you can probably identify which role you typically take on. In truth, you’ve likely played each of them at some point in your career (some people even bounce between all three in a single day). But chances are that one role is your default. What’s more, you’ve probably realized that these roles aren’t great for workplace relationships. 

Here’s how to avoid them.

Learn to Spot the Drama Triangle

It doesn’t take recognition alone to change the cycles we’ve created, but it’s a good starting point. Although you will probably, in any interaction, initially fall into one of the three roles, once you understand them and their cycles, you’ll be able to determine what initiated the chain. You can’t change a pattern without knowing it’s there.

Ask the Lazy Question: How Can I Help?

A person in the role of rescuer is constantly trying to do just that—rescue the situation. If this is you, instead of jumping in with advice and a willingness to do it all, ask “How can I help?” You’ll force the person you’re asking to come up with a clear request of you, which means you’ll still be there to help, but they will come up with the solutions. Be clear in what you offer; don’t offer to do it all, as that will lead you back into the rescuer role.

Be Straightforward but Tactful

As with any question, the lazy question can be taken badly if not asked well. It’s okay to ask how you can help, but you need to be clear about what you’re willing to do. You don’t want to come across as mopey (victim), aggressive (persecutor), or overwhelming (rescuer). Some people might respond well to a blunt question, such as “What do you want from me?” However, others might appreciate a little more tact. Figure out what works best for you and your coworkers.

Ask One of the Best Coaching Questions: And What Else?

The AWE question helps tame our inner advice monster. Instead of rushing in with suggestions, ask another question: And what else? It keeps the conversation going in a positive direction by generating more options, more ideas, more of everything. It also helps break the cycle among victim, persecutor, and rescuer because the conversation keeps moving forward--instead of making someone feel undervalued (victim), frustrating someone else (persecutor), or prompting another to jump in and take over (rescuer).

Listen Carefully and Deeply

Most of the time when we come up with suggestions and advice, we’re just trying to help. But what helps more than offering advice is asking questions, and beyond that, listening to the answers. Not all cycles are bad. Get into a new pattern: ask good questions that elicit good answers—and really listen to those answers.

If you learn to spot the Drama Triangle and disrupt it by posing questions, you’ll be able to help people without acting like a rescuer, you’ll be able to ask for something without coming across as a persecutor, and you’ll still be able to ask for help without playing the victim.


“We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.” -Anais Nin


To your greater harmony and success,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach,Trainer and Performance Consultant
Email: petercmclees@gmail.com
Mobile: 323-854-1713
Smart Development

P.S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

How to Be A Great Leader

Armed with engagement surveys and research, a few colleagues and I set out to learn what’s different about the people who lead America’s best workplaces. Our goal was to escape from management theory and consultant jargon and break leadership down to its most universal elements.  Companies recognized as America’s Best Places to Work blogs and articles were researched. 

THESE ARE THE 15 TRIED AND TRUE SKILLS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING:

1.DEFINE YOUR DESTINATION 
[VISION OF THE FUTURE]

ALL GREAT LEADERS HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON: VISION.

Whether you’re leading a huge company or a small team, you need to be able to communicate an inspiring vision of the end goal. Leading implies movement from here to there. Great leaders envision and communicate the destination. What’s your purpose? Sit down and write out your vision, the end goal. This will become a rallying cry so prepare to communicate your vision again and again.

Without vision, you can’t lead; you can only wander.

2. CHART YOUR COURSE
[CLARITY]

IF VISION DEFINES THE DESTINATION, CLARITY IS THE ROADMAP.

In an uncertain world, people are hungry for clarity. Great leaders see the trip in their minds before they leave and plan for the road ahead. Your people want to know how their role specifically supports the greater vision. 

Sit down with each member of your team and help them understand how they fit into the mission.

3. BE READY TO ADJUST YOUR COURSE
[ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT]

AS THE JOURNEY EVOLVES, YOU’LL SEE UNEXPLORED LANDSCAPES AND POTENTIAL SHORTCUTS.

Great leaders are willing to take prudent risks on their way toward the destination. You’ll need to make tough choices about which shortcuts are worth exploring and which shortcuts are too risky.

4.BECOME CHIEF PROBLEM SOLVER 
[CONFRONTING ISSUES]

YOUR MAP WON’T ALWAYS BE ACCURATE . SHORTCUTS WON’T ALWAYS WORK OUT. THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS.

Great leaders are great problem solvers. You need the ability to recognize and address a problem before it becomes an emergency. You’ll need to be a fair mediator when conflict arises between members of your team. And great leaders never tolerate a bad team member. Think about your team, are their people who are threatening your journey?

5.EMBRACE CHANGE & TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
[MANAGING CHANGE]

GREAT LEADERS TRACK THEIR PROGRESS TO GET BETTER AS THE JOURNEY GOES ON.

As you confront problems, change course and explore new ground, you’ll also need to gather feedback and learn from your mistakes. Never get comfortable; complacency is the beginning of the end for many leaders. You should always be challenging the status quo and looking for
opportunities for improvement.

6.BE AN EXPERT 
[BUSINESS ACUMEN]

GREAT LEADERS ARE ETERNALLY CURIOUS.

You might be leading a journey through uncharted territory; but you can always learn from other expeditions. Study the competition and those that have gone before. Seek out ways to learn about what stands between you and the goal. Understand the financial implications of your decisions relative to the budget for your journey. Don’t expect people to follow you if you’re not an expert – or at least on your way to becoming one.

7. INNOVATE
[DRIVING INNOVATION]

INNOVATION STEMS FROM THE LATIN INNOVATIO, MEANING “ TO RENEW OR CHANGE”.

And since leadership is all about creating postive change, leadership is fundamentally tied to innovation. Maybe innovation is your end goal (like a new product or service). Or maybe it’s a new way to get to your end goal (like the compass was for ancient mariners). Either way, leaders must constantly look for innovative ideas and solutions.

They develop a ‘culture of innovation’, an environment that encourages and rewards innovation. And most importantly, great leaders are good at picking which innovations to pursue.

8.GET THINGS DONE
[ACHIEVING RESULTS]

IDEAS ARE OVERRATED.EXECUTION IS WHAT LEADERSHIP IS REALLY ABOUT.

Great leaders set and communicate aggressive goals. They are able to manage priorities during hard times and point their people toward the most worthwhile problems. The best leaders understand that they cannot do it all; they delegate responsibilities to their team and hold their team accountable for the results.

9.EXERCISE GOOD JUDGEMENT
[SOUND JUDGEMENT]

TO EARN YOUR FOLLOWERS TRUST AND  RESPECT, YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE SOUND DECISIONS.

Don’t subscribe to the trust-your-gut school of leadership. Great leaders make data-driven decisions. They collect and analyze the right data to make sound decisions. They look at all their options and balance short and long-term considerations when making judgments.

10.KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS 
[CLIENT FOCUS]

LEADERSHIP CAN BE LONELY.

At times you will feel isolated, even from the members of your own team or inner circle. It can be tempting to hole up in your ivory tower, mapping out strategy. But great leaders maintain their focus on the client. They get out into the field to intimately get to know their customers’ needs. They develop and encourage strong relationships with customers. And they successfully prioritize customer requests.

11.BUILD A GREAT CREW 
[BUILDING TEAMS]

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT ATTRACTING FOLLOWERS. IT’S ABOUT ATTRACTING THE RIGHT FOLLOWERS.

Great leaders know there’s a ceiling to what they can get done alone – so they need to surround themselves with great people to leverage their effectiveness. Great leaders don’t stack their team with weak players in order to cement their leadership; they surround themselves with the best players they can find.

12.INSPIRE THE TEAM 
[INSPIRING OTHERS]

MOST PEOPLE THINK INSPIRATION LOOKS LIKE THE COACH’S HALF TIME SPEECH AT A FOOTBALL GAME .

But you don’t need to be a motivational speaker to inspire your team. That’s because actions talk louder than words. You’ll get the best commitment from your team by setting an example for your team. When they see your energy and enthusiasm in pursuit of the vision, they’ll be inspired to follow suit. 

Intrinsic rewards like feeling valued and pursuing a worthy goal are often more motivating than extrinsic rewards like cash or other concrete benefits.

13.EARN THEIR TRUST
[INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION]

ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS FOR LEADERSHIP IS TRUST.

What builds trust? Honesty (telling the truth) and integrity (keeping your promises) are vital to earning and maintaining trust. Then sit down and listen to your people. 

Get to know their skills and interests —repeat it back to them so they know you’ve heard. Do it because it’s the right thing to do — and also because you’ll earn their trust.

14.BREAK DOWN WALLS
[COLLABORATING]

GREAT LEADERS ARE CONNECTORS.

They connect their followers to one another. They tear down barriers to collaboration. They bring together teams and people to drive results. They develop collaborative partnerships to make things happen. And they evangelize the vision across this network of connected followers, teams and partners. What more can you do to connect your followers in order to create new opportunities?

15.CARE.REALLY, TRULY GIVE A HOOT.
[CLIENT FOCUS]

GREAT LEADERS ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING THEIR PEOPLE AROUND.

How do you retain your best people? First, genuinely acknowledge your people for great work. Sometimes that means publicly, but authentic recognition also happens one- on-one; it means pulling them aside to say “I noticed what you did. And it was awesome.” The key to retaining your best people is demonstrating genuine care and concern for them and proving your commitment to creating a great workplace.

Sometimes what gets left off a list is equally as interesting. A sampling of leadership skills that were discarded by leading HR executives were:
financial acumen, global perspective, and executive presence. Perhaps these were too narrow to apply to broad leadership teams. Or perhaps they represent a generation of management competencies that have been left behind. 

What we learned is that the 15 elements above are the great separators. They are the characteristics that distinguish adequate from awesome.

As you think about how you’d grade in these 15 competencies, pick one or two to focus on. Progress comes to those who focus on one skill at a time.

Get feedback from your peers and direct reports. Find someone in your company or community that’s widely recognized for excellence in the competency you’re focused on — and buy her lunch. Once you’ve mastered one, move on to two. 

Excellence happens one step at a time

To your greater success,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how coaching can help develop leaders at every level of your organization? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com    or    Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, branches, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

Ignite Customer and Employee Engagement with Positive Energy

“We are 100% energy. 
Make sure your energy is 100% golden!”

High school students learn in physics class or on the ball field that we are 100% energy and when we interact with one another we transfer that energy. The question every leader, salesperson, customer service rep and other employees need to ask is, “What kind of energy am I transferring to others?” 

People will be transferring positive energy, but of course positive energy isn’t the only kind of energy one can transfer.    

                                  

Transfer the Right Energy 

Do you know supervisors or coworkers who display and spread negative energy? Such people say things like, “you can’t find good help these days.” They moan, my boss passed me over for a promotion. Our customers are so demanding.”

 

Draining, isn’t it? You want them to hand them your cell phone so you they can call a waaambulance. Do you hear a lot of energy-sucking statements? Are you the one transferring negative energy with put-downs, sarcastic remarks, half-hearted responses or complaints about how life and work sucks?

Control Your Energy    

When we are interacting with our staff or coworkers, we must give them the best energy we have. I don’t mean an over-the-top fake and manufactured energy. I mean the positive energy you feel and express when you see a friend, or joyfully hanging out with friends and family (The ones your actually like).

You cannot let a bad day or personal problems control your energy when interacting with employees and/or customers. What happens to professional athletes who allow a bad mood to fester during game time, who keep their scowl when they should have on their game face? They lose!

Click here for 10 Ways to Make a Bad Day Better.

Moody leaders and employees don’t just fail to transfer positive energy to their employees and customers; they succeed in transferring negative energy that kills engagement.

If you want to get over bad feelings or get rid of bad energy, start by giving some good energy. You will get that good energy back, and that returned energy will fire up your own.

Have you ever had a bad morning: you cut yourself shaving (the day of a major presentation), the computer freezes up, and spill coffee on your favorite shirt all within an hour of waking up? Then when you finally get in the car and head to the presentation, you see that you have a flat tire. You’re ready to give up on the day as surely as fickle Los Angeles Lakers fans.

But then you see or talk to someone with amazing energy, and your bad morning takes a turn for the better. Your day brightens all because of some positive energy you received from a positive person.

Here’s a news flash for you: energy is controllable – it is all about your position and attitude toward circumstances and events. 

Set the Thermostat

If you want your employees and customers to be engaged, YOU set the energy thermostat. Before walking into your place of work and conversing with employees and/or customers, set your positive energy thermostat to max!

In our homes, the thermostat determines the temperature in the room, and the thermostat has to balance between the variables of temperature outside and the desired temperature in room.
                                             

Be Passionate  

If we interact with someone whose mood is poor, whose energy is low, then we may begin to feel the same way. The reverse is true as well. Show passion for what you do and who you serve and you transfer that energy and mood. 

People cheer for passionate athletes. They take to heart the words of passionate teachers. And they follow passionate leaders.

“Passion makes all things alive and significant.” --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lead and work with passion!

Click here to feel happy energy in 60 seconds or less!

Peter Mclees, Leadership Trainer, Coach and Performance Consultant

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com

Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development

P.S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

The Secret of Inspirational Leadership

What would Microsoft have been without Bill Gates? Apple without Steve Jobs. or Virgin without Richard Branson.

On the flip side, 15 years ago WorldCom had the most impressive array of telecommunications assets on the planet. But with Bernie Ebbers at the helm, it didn't matter. He drove the company right into bankruptcy.

Today Ebbers is serving 25 years at the Oakdale Federal Correctional Complex for orchestrating the biggest corporate fraud in U.S. history. (And I need hardly remind you of what chieftains Ken Lay, and Jeff Skilling did for Enron employees and shareholders.)

In the business world, physical assets are essential. Patents and trademarks are invaluable. Positive cash flow is wonderful. But, at the very heart of things, every organization is a team of people. And just as a winning sports requires a great coach, every organization needs inspiring leaders at every level. Because if the team isn't rowing in the same direction--the right direction--you won't get far.

I was reminded of this while attending a conference several years ago where the keynote speaker was one of America's all-time great football coaches Lou Holtz.

Holtz is not just a multiple winner of "Coach of the Year" honors. He is the only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games. And the only coach to have four different teams reach final top 20 rankings.



Throughout his career, Holtz earned a reputation for both developing winning teams and quickly rebuilding broken ones. He has written five books on leadership (My personal favorite is "Winning Every Day: The Game Plan for Success"). He claims he is the only man in America who has written more books than he has read.

Don't let him fool you. Lou Holtz is a living example of inspirational leadership. I hadn't intended to take notes, but a minute and a half into his talk I was scouring the table for a coctail napkin.

"Leadership begins with recognizing that everybody need four things," said Holtz, "something to do, someone to love, something to hope for, and something to believe in. Strategic plans don't excite anybody. Dreams excite people...And every employee, every team member, wants to know the same thing: Do you really care about me? Every successful organization shows its people they genuinely matter."

You may not coach a university football team or run a Fortune 500 company. But I bet you're in a position to provide inspirational leadership. How? First, by setting an example. Second, by letting the people around you know how important they are.

In a piece entitled "Godly Work" in an issue of Forbes Magazine, Columnist Rich Karlgaard related a story he was told by Nancy Ortberg, an emergency room nurse who was finishing up work one night before heading home.

"The doctor with whom I was working was debriefing a new doctor, who had done a very respectable, competent job, telling him what he'd done well and what he could have done differently.

Then he put his hand on the your doctor's shoulder and said, "When you finished, did you notice the young man from housekeeping who came in to clean the room?' There was a completely blank look on the young doctor's face."

"The older doctor said, "His name is Carlos. He's been here for three years. He does a fabulous job. When he comes in he gets the room turned around so fast that you and I can get our next patients in quickly. His wife's name is Maria. They have four children.' The he named each of the four children and gave each child's age.




The older doctor went on to say, "He lives in a rented house about three blocks from here in Santa Ana. They've been up from Mexico for about five years. His name is Carlos,' he repeated. Then he said, 'Next week I would like you to tell me something about Carlos that I don't already know. Okay? Now, let's go check on the rest of the patients.'"

Ortberg recalls: " I remember standing there writing my nursing notes--stunned--and thinking, I have just witnessed breathtaking leadership."

Fostering mutual respect among colleagues is perhaps the most important ingredient for building and sustaining a healthy organization. It is people who matter most.

Yes, business will always be about meeting the deadline, closing the deal, finishing the project, and growing the business. But if your work life is nothing more than the single-minded pursuit of wealth, recognition, and accomplishment, you will wake up one day and find that SOMETHING is missing.

That's because true success is not just about achieving your dreams. It's about helping those around you reach theirs, too.

To your greater success,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
Email: petercmclees@gmail.com
Mobile: 323-854-1713

P.S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.