You Can't Be A Good Leader If You're Not Coaching Your Team

 

"Leadership happens one conversation at a time. So be mindful with each one."

If you have room in your head for only one nugget of leadership wisdom, make it this one: the most powerfully motivating condition people experience at work is making progress at something that is personally meaningful. If your job involves leading others, the implications are clear: the most important thing you can do each day is to help your team members experience progress at meaningful work.

To do so, you must understand what drives each person, help build connections between each person’s work and the organization’s mission, values and strategic objectives, provide timely feedback, and help each person learn and grow on an ongoing basis. Regular communication around development — having coaching conversations — is essential. In fact, according to research, the single most important managerial competency that separates highly effective managers from average ones is coaching.

Strangely, at most companies, being coach-like isn’t part of what managers are formally expected to do. Even though research makes it clear that employees and job candidates alike value learning and career development above most other aspects of a job, many managers don’t see it as an important part of their role. Managers think they don’t have the time to have these conversations, and many lack the skill. Yet 70% of employee learning and development happens on the job, not through formal training programs. So if line managers aren’t supportive and actively involved, employee growth is stunted. So is engagement and retention. When this happens business results suffer as well.

Can you teach old-school, results-focused line managers to coach their employees? Absolutely. And the training boosts performance in both directions. It’s a powerful experience to create a resonant connection with another person and help them to achieve something they care about and to become more of who they want to be. If there’s anything an effective, resonant coaching conversation produces, it’s positive energy. Hundreds of leaders have shared with me that helping others learn and grow is among the most rewarding experiences they’ve had as managers.

Starting today, you can be significantly more effective as a manager — and enjoy your job more — by engaging in regular coaching conversations with your team members. By the way, these conversation do not need to be long. As you resolve to support their ongoing learning and development, here are five key tips to get you started.

• Listen mindfully. Consider what it feels like when you’re trying to convey something important to a person who has many things on his mind. Contrast that familiar experience with the more luxurious and deeply validating one of communicating with someone who is completely focused on you and actively listening to what you have to say with an open mind and an open heart. You can open a coaching conversation with a question such as “How would you like to grow this month?” Your choice of words is less important than your intention to clear your mind, listen with your full attention, and create a high-quality connection that invites your team member to open up and to think creatively.

• Ask more, tell less. As a manager, you have a high level of expertise that you’re used to sharing, often in a directive manner. This is fine when you’re clarifying action steps for a project you’re leading or when people come to you asking for advice. But in a coaching conversation, it’s essential to restrain your impulse to provide the answers. Your path is not your employee’s path. Open-ended questions, not answers, are the tools of coaching. You succeed as a coach by helping your team members articulate their goals and challenges and find their own answers. This is how people clarify their priorities and devise strategies that resonate with what they care about most and that they will be committed to putting into action.

• Create and sustain a developmental partnership. While your role as a coach is not to provide answers, supporting your team members’ developmental goals is essential. Let’s say that your employee mentions she’d like to develop a deeper understanding of how your end users experience the services your organization provides. In order to do so, she suggests accompanying an implementation team on a site visit next week, interviewing end users, and using the interviews to write an article on end user experience for publication on your firm’s intranet-based blog.  

You agree that this would be valuable for both the employee and the organization. Now, make sure that you give your employee the authorization, space and resources necessary to carry out her developmental plan. In addition to supporting her, you can also highlight her article as an example of employee-directed learning and development. Follow-up is critical to build trust and to make your coaching more effective. The more you follow through on supporting your employees’ developmental plans, the more productive your coaching becomes, the greater your employees’ trust in you, and the more engaged you all become. It’s a virtuous cycle.

• Focus on moving forward positively. Oftentimes in a coaching conversation, the person you’re coaching will get caught up in detailing their frustrations. “I’d love to spend more time building my network, but I have no bandwidth. I’m at full capacity just trying to stay on task with my deliverables. I’d really love to get out to some industry seminars, but I can’t let myself think about it until I can get ahead of these deadlines.” While it can provide temporary relief to vent, it doesn’t generate solutions. 

Take a moment to acknowledge your employee’s frustrations, but then encourage her to think about how to move past them. You might ask, “Which of the activities you mention offer the greatest potential for building your knowledge and adding value to the company?” “Could you schedule two hours of time for developmental activities each week as a recurring appointment?” “Are there skills or relationships that would increase your ability to meet your primary deliverables?” “How could we work more efficiently within the team to free up and protect time for development?”

• Build accountability. In addition to making sure you follow through on any commitments you make to employees in coaching conversations, it’s also useful to build accountability for the employee’s side of formulating and implementing developmental plans.

Accountability increases the positive impact of coaching conversations and solidifies their rightful place as keys to organizational effectiveness. If your employee plans to research training programs that will fit his developmental goals, give these plans more weight by asking him to identify appropriate programs along with their costs and the amount of time he’ll need away from work, and to deliver this information to you by a certain deadline. (And then, of course, you will need to act on the information in a timely manner.)

 

What will coaching your employees do for you? It will build stronger bonds between you and your team members, support them in taking ownership over their own learning, and help them develop the skills they need to perform and their peak. And it also feels good. At a leadership seminar I led recently a manager said the coaching exercise he’d just participated in “felt like a bungee jump.” As the workshop leader, I was delighted to observe that this man, who had arrived looking reserved and a bit tired, couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. He was far from the only participant who was visibly energized by the coaching experience.

So go ahead and take the interpersonal jump. You will love the thrill of coaching conversations that catalyze your employees’ growth.

Check out these related posts: 

Getting the Most Out of 1:1 Coaching

SMART Coaching Works. Here's Proof

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? 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, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services, 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.

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.

Curiosity: An Essential Attitude of Leaders During Time of Change

  

If you’re a leader, a business owner, an investor, a manager, a salesperson, or a problem-solver, one of the greatest assets you can have for thriving during rapid change is your thirst for answers—your curiosity.

The Curious Thing About Curiosity

All of us have untold potential. Yet it’s easy to fall into behaviors that prevent us from reaching what we are capable of. These behaviors are almost always the result of self-limiting beliefs. There are millions of them:

• I can’t lose control because the world will spin apart.
• I can’t love because I’ll be hurt.
• I can’t speak up because I’ll be put down.
• I can’t challenge the status quo because I’ll be punished.
• I can’t try because I’ll fail.

Although none of these things may be true, many people act as though they are. And limit themselves as a result.

Each of these beliefs is personal. It’s easy to see how they might affect a person's behavior, happiness, or chances for success. But underlying them all is another limiting belief—one that is more insidious and in many ways harder to deal with than any of the others. It is the belief that the way things ‘are’ is permanent.

“It is what it is” may be true.
“It will always be what it is” couldn’t be further from the truth.

Nothing is permanent. Your body and your mind change from moment to moment. Eventually, those changes (we call them aging) become so profound that you wear out: you cease to exist.

Even though we see the impermanence of life almost daily, we often cling to the belief that certain other things are permanent. Knowledge, for example, is permanent, isn't it?

Not at all. The history of science is the story of human beings converting what we know into what we thought we knew. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy thought the earth was the center of the universe with the sun and stars revolving around it. Today we know that our earth is a small planet on the outer edge of a remote galaxy billions of lightyears from the center of the universe.

And some time in the future even this sophisticated concept of the way things are will prove to be faulty. It will become as obsolete as Ptolemy’s.

Many people find the idea of impermanence unsettling. But there’s another way to look at it. Impermanence can actually be empowering.

If we can accept that everything is changing, and that even what we ‘know’ is not stable, we can actually exercise enormous influence over our lives. Far from making us helpless, this belief actually gives us leverage.

If Nothing Is Permanent, Curiosity Becomes A Source Of Power

Think of it this way: If what you ‘know’ to be true has become no longer true, and you act as though it still is true, you are probably limiting your options.

Here’s a story that illustrates this point: In traditional South Asian societies, elephants were trained as beasts of burden. If you owned an elephant, you were wealthy. But you had to invest in your asset. Not only did you have to feed and care for it, you also had to make sure it didn’t wander off, get into your neighbor’s garden, or accidentally knock over the outhouse.

How do you keep an elephant in place? If you don’t have easy access to metals and forges with which to make chains, it’s not easy. Elephants are strong.

But Indian mahouts discovered a simple and reliable method. Soon after a calf was born, it was tethered by a heavy rope to a tree or stake pounded into the ground. The rope was tied around the animal’s leg with a slip knot. If the calf pulled, the rope tightened painfully. Over time, even the slightest pressure from the rope would warn the baby elephant to back off.

Adult elephants are kept in place with a much lighter rope. They can easily break it. But they don’t. Because they assume things haven’t changed and the rope will still cause them pain. As smart as they are, the elephants aren’t curious enough to question whether what they once knew to be true still is.

Most of us have elephant’s tethers of our own. We repeat the same behaviors over and over, simply because “that’s the way things are”.

One simple way out of this mess is to be curious. Pull at the rope. See what happens. You never know, you might find there’s a whole world out there waiting for you to explore.

Curiosity To The Rescue

Curiosity—combined with courage—is the root of every major advance human beings have ever made. So how can leaders, managers, salespeople, and problem-solvers use curiosity to their advantage?

By harnessing the power of questions. From simple, informational questions to complex, probing ones, questions are the key. There’s nothing new in this. Socrates discovered the power of questions 2,500 years ago, and the world’s most successful leaders, thinkers, humanitarians, inventors, investors, and artists have been using it ever since.

The most basic questions are informational: who, what, where, when, how long, how much, and so on. When you meet a new person, you can use these basic questions to open up areas for mutual discovery. You can find commonalities and connections, you can give yourself the chance learn another person's perspectives.

The next level is the complex, often difficult question that relentlessly probes for causes, reasons, and speculations. This is where you begin to discover what’s working for other people—and what isn’t. What they hope for and what they fear. These questions open worlds of problems and opportunities and challenges and solutions.

Finally, there are the questions that have no answer. These are the ones that create the new—that move us both individually and as a species to the next level.

Questions—the basic tool of curiosity—activate a very different part of the brain than mere statements. Questions literally energize the brain.

A Simple Experiment

See for yourself. Here’s a quick thought experiment. Look at the following sentence and notice what happens in your mind when you read it:

New technologies will change the way we live.

Now look at the next sentence. Notice what goes on in your mind as you read it:

How might new technologies change the way we live?

If you’re like most people, you didn’t react much to the first sentence—the statement. It probably just sat there.

But the second sentence—the question—activated your mind. You may have imagined possible futures, or thought about how technology has already changed the way you live or do business. In other words, something happened when your curiosity was triggered. It’s almost as though you can’t help yourself. Once you encounter a question, your mind jumps to try to answer it.

Curiosity Generates Energy!

Curiosity is the way we build both knowledge about the world and connection with the people around us. It’s also how we discover the new.

Mutual curiosity is a kind of two-way street that carries the traffic of human thought, feeling, commerce, connection, and possibility. 

Be humble, stay hungry.

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? 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, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services, 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.

5 Things that Leaders Can Let Go

 

When I've walked through airports, I've seen people carrying massive backpacks. I often wondered what they are carrying and if they need it all. I wonder how much weight they are carrying and how healthy it is for their bodies. After all, just because the bag will hold it, doesn’t mean it is needed. Then I thought of that bag as a metaphor for leaders. Leaders have plenty to carry – responsibilities, tasks, concerns, and expectations. But sometimes leaders are carrying things they need to let go.

Like the people walking to and from their planes, leaders have a big bag. Most have it crammed full. It’s no wonder we are tired, with a sore back, and are occasionally a bit grumpy.

Put down your pack and open it up. If you are carrying any of these things, think about what might happen if you took them out of the bag and let go.

Let Go of the Need to be Right
We all like to be right or have the right answers (I know I do! 😏). And we know that as the leader, people are looking to us for answers and solutions. This can be a seductive combination. But coupling the desire with the expectation can lead us to hold on “right.” Taken to the extreme, people will see us as ego-driven and unwilling to listen. At a minimum, the need to be right can set up a personal blind spot. And needing to be right is a false goal- you can’t know it all anyway!

Besides, while you would like a knowledgeable boss, do you want them to be a know-it-all? I know your answer and maybe that will help you let go of the need to be right.

Let Go of Needing to Speak
When most people think of great leaders, they think of good communicators and speakers. And when we sit in meetings and town hall events, the senior leaders are often speaking. It is understandable that we equate good leadership with good speaking skills.

But the best leaders don’t always feel the need to speak. When we speak first and most, we stifle the ideas and ingenuity and engagement of our teams. Building your speaking skills is a good goal. But sometimes we need to let go of the need to speak and shut up. Good things will most always come with we ask and listen first, before we speak.

Let Go of Being the Problem Solver
You likely got promoted in part because you could assess situations and solve problems. You could put out fires with the best of them. When you got promoted, you brought those firefighting, problem solving skills with you and kept on using them.

The unspoken expectation is that you are the problem solver. So, every time your people have a problem, they bring them to you. Where does this lead? To you being overwhelmed, not developing or trusting your team, and perhaps people seeing you as a micro-manager.

If you want to avoid those outcomes, let go of being the sole problem solver on your team.

Let Go of Being the Hero
Most of us would like to be a hero at least some of the time. And in many of the stories we read and movies we watch, the leader is a hero. It is therefore easy for us to conclude: leader=hero.

Except…

No leader can really do it alone. And no one wants a leader who takes all the credit.

Let go of needing to be the hero and make the team the hero. You will be amazed how much more engagement, accountability, and fun you will have. And how much lighter your bag will feel.

Let Go of Control
Here’s the big one. Each of the other four are at least related to – if not rooted in – the need for control. It takes trust in others and a leap of faith to let go of control. It might not be easy.

But you can’t do it alone anyway. If you could why do you need a team?

If you let go of the need for control, what do you hold onto?

Influence.

Most of the work of leadership is in the realm of influence. We do things to influence results or to influence others. We can’t control those things, even if we want to. By letting go of control and picking up influence, we begin to create accountability, synergy, commitment, engagement, and greater success.

Before You Leave…
Now that you have read this list, don’t just nod your head. Stop and ask yourself: Which of these things am I carrying? Then consider how your results, satisfaction, and mental health improve if you let go of them.

Letting go might not be easy and it will likely be scary. But by lightening your current load, you can carry your remaining responsibilities longer and more effectively with less chance of exhaustion or a backache.

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? 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, energy storage, facility services & maintenance, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, 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.

 

 

 

 

7 Leadership Lessons from Great Basketball Coaches

 

 

 

 

 

Lights, camera, jump ball! Let the games (And madness 😃) begin! The NCAA basketball tournament starts today.

When I was a young blade the first thing I remember purchasing with my own money that I earned was a basketball. I've always loved the game. I know longer play but I do enjoy watching, especially college games. 

Time spent watching and really observing these exciting games has gotten me thinking about the lessons we all can take from the paid leaders of these teams - the head coaches. Even if you're not a basketball fan, I encourage you to read on because the lessons are powerful for everyone - fan and non-fan alike. 

These seven lessons are reinforced for me by the best basketball coaches. Look for the lessons you can apply today.

1) Great coaches flex their system, but not their philosophy. All great coaches have a coaching philosophy. They know it takes skill in all phases of the game, but it's their philosophy that informs their focus. Some coaches always have great rebounding teams; some focus on a fast break offense; some are defensive minded. Yet, if their current lineup gives them different strengths, they may flex their system or make adjustments to best take advantage of the current talent. 

Non-basketball leaders can do the same thing - focus on your core philosophy, yet be flexible in implementation based on the circumstances and talent on your team.

2) Great coaches measure performance. Of course, wins and losses are measured, but the best coaches measure far deeper than that. Assist to turnover ratios, number of offensive rebounds, number of steals, and free throw percentage in the last five minutes of games are just a few examples. What they can measure in their context is almost endless. Coaches who focus on rebounding will have deeper and more extensive rebounding measures that they follow. Those measures inform them on progress, development needs and more. 

The important lesson for us is that they measure those things that are important to winning, based on their philosophy. We must do the same if we want to achieve top performance. 

3) Great coaches practice everything (in a variety of ways). Supervised practice for college basketball teams begins several weeks before games. And once the season begins teams still practice most every day (including having walk throughs and film sessions on game day). They practice fundamentals and simulate particular game situations, so players are prepared for every situation on the floor. Most leaders in organizations fall far short in this area. 

Are you taking or allowing time for walk throughs, practice and review of results? Are you allowing and helping people prepare for the tough situations that may occur on their jobs? If not, this is an opportunity area for you and those you lead. 

4) Great coaches recognize and utilize passion and enthusiasm. Have you ever seen a really disengaged basketball coach? Like non-athletic leaders, different coaches have different personalities, and therefore their passions and enthusiasm may manifest differently, but they all show passion - typically so plainly that even the last person in the arena knows how the coach feels from moment to moment. They all are enthusiastic, and they all support and extend the passion and enthusiasm of their teams. 

Are you doing the same? If not, try the "Act As If" principle. Act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic!

5) Great coaches are products of their coaches. Watch college basketball for long and you will hear about "coaching trees." This coach coached under that guy, who actually played for coach X. Coaches obviously benefit from a network of past bosses (a lesson for us), but the best also regularly credit their former coaches and mentors in helping to develop their skills and philosophies. Generally speaking, I'm not sure most leaders are as consciously aware of what they have learned from their former bosses. 

There are two lessons here. Make it a priority to learn from the best, and reflect and recognize what lessons and principles you have learned from others that you can apply for yourself as a leader. And, give credit to your coaches as often as you can!) 

6) Great coaches define their team broadly. The best coaches want their players to succeed both on and off the court. The best coaches start or extend these "coaching trees" by developing their assistant coaches. The best college coaches recognize the role they play as a part of the larger organization (the college or university in their cases). 

Leaders can learn from this example as well. When you define your role broadly you allow yourself to have greater impact and more overall success. 

7) Great coaches coach! They aren't just managers or leaders. They actually coach! They recognize that an important part of their job is to develop others and help them reach their potential. Perhaps they have an advantage because their job title is coach. 

Your title may not remind you of this priority every day (and you may say you have other priorities). However, if you look closely at the other everyday tasks of a head coach you will find many of the same tasks and distractions you face. Yet the best "coaches" don't stop coaching.  

The best "leaders" shouldn't either.

Click here to read a related post:  You Can't Be A Great Leader If You're Not Coaching Your Team

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? 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, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services, 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.

 

Practical Tips for Staying Productive When Working from Home

 

Working from home can be highly productive, but it can also go badly wrong. Without a proper office space, a prioritized schedule, it's all too easy to be distracted, and to get very little done.

The distractions of home, along with the isolation that often comes with remote working, can cause you to lose focus  and to damage your productivity. 

Here are five key ways to stop that from happening:

1. Motivate yourself. Self-motivation  techniques can help you to boost your confidence, think positively, and set clear goals. 
2. Minimize distractions. Which distractions  tend to affect you most? Maybe you get caught up doing household chores, or suffer interruptions from family or friends. Beating these distractions could be as simple as shutting the door! 
3. Reward yourself. Find ways to make each task more enjoyable and rewarding in itself, as well as giving yourself "treats" when they're done. For example, allow yourself your favorite specialty coffee for completing a task successfully. 
4. Control your social media. Think carefully about which notifications to keep on, and which to mute until later. Allocate time blocks for checking your phone. And, if you're still struggling, see if tools like Freedom or Cold Turkey Writer help you to control your time online.  
5. Know your goals. Along with short-term, task-related goals, make sure that you're also clear about the wider career goals  and purpose  you're striving to achieve. Keeping these in mind will motivate you to do your best work, whatever your location.

Create a Work Space That Works!
Creating an effective work space is essential if you want to stay on track and get things done. 

Make it a place where you'll enjoy spending time. However, you also need to be clear that it's a place of work. A few "office" touches might encourage you to be more productive – but you can still personalize your work space, with fun posters or family photos.

Check you can sit comfortably. If not, you'll likely find plenty of excuses to get up and go somewhere else! A high-quality office chair is one of the best investments you can make. 

The other important piece of equipment is a door that you can close! It's very challenging to work with other people nearby. Be sure to have a place where you can shut the door on potential distractions. If you don't have a door to close consider getting a "Do Not Disturb" sign to place near your open work area. Headphones may also help.

Get Organized
The next essential element of focused home working is getting organized .

Start with your desk. Is it big enough? And is it suitable for the work you do? 

Next, make sure that you have everything you need within easy reach. 

It's easy to lose focus if you're working on several different projects at once. Even when you're at home, organize your work into clearly defined actions programs with with deadlines to help keep you on track.

And keep your work space tidy. Spend a few minutes at the end of each session sorting out things like paperwork or empty coffee cups. Clear away as much of it as you can when you switch off for the day. 

Manage Your Time
Effective time management is essential if you want to continue hitting your deadlines when you're working from home.   

Organize and prioritize key tasks with a To-Do List . This will help you to avoid procrastinating , or losing focus by "switch-tasking ," and add an extra layer of structure to your day.

It's also a good idea to have a list of "in between" tasks. These are relatively minor jobs that should take 10 minutes or less to complete, and which you can fit into your day when a gap opens up. And don't forget to take breaks regularly.

Keep tabs on how productive you are by filling out a Completed Tasks Log at the end of the day. And share it with your boss via email and video chat.

Take Charge of Communication
To stay focused at home, you need to be in control of communication – otherwise, it might start to control you! 

Find appropriate times to "check in" with your managers and co-workers. Small problems can often be dealt with there and then, allowing you to work uninterrupted afterward.

You likely need to experiment with communication in the early days of working from home. You'll want to avoid distractions, but neither should you "disappear." Over time, you'll discover the right levels of interaction that builds your manager's trust in your productivity, and so prevent micromanagement on their part.

If possible, redirect your office phone to your personal cell, and let colleagues, customers and suppliers know how best to reach you at home. That way, you'll be able to take important calls, but switch to your message service when you don't want to be disturbed. 

Tools like Slack, WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, TEAMS may provide a more direct means for you to contact other team members, and vice versa – and you can set your status to "busy" whenever you need to.

Balance Work and Life

If you still find yourself losing focus when you're working from home, check that you're not trying too hard! It can be difficult to resist the urge to overcompensate for not being in the office, by working longer than you normally would, or by missing out on breaks.

But it's essential that you continue to maintain a healthy work-life balance , and the following six tips will help:   

1. Create physical boundaries. If possible, set up a work space that's separate from your home space. This should make it easier to shut out the everyday distractions of home life, and to cut off from work at the end of each day.
2. When you're working, act like it! You might find it helps to have particular clothes for working at home. Dressing for work can set the right mental tone for the day (and avoid any awkwardness if you get dialed in to a virtual meeting while you're still in your pajamas!). Also, avoid going into certain areas of the house, so that you know when you're in "work mode," and when you're not. 
3. Have "no-go" zones for technology. Laptops and cellphones can be useful for staying in touch with co-workers, but they can also leave us feeling as though we're "always on." This can lead to stress  and burnout . So, try to set up "no-go" zones when work devices are banned, such as mealtimes, holidays and the two hours before bed every night, to avoid sleep disruption. 
4. Set break reminders. Regular short breaks can help to keep you energized and focused. Try setting a countdown timer while you do an hour of work. When the alarm goes off, reward yourself with a five- or 10-minute break – to make a coffee, or get some fresh air. It's vital that you get out of your chair during the day. 
5. Remind your children to let you work!  Set communication ground rules. Let your children know that you're not be be disturbed when your "Do Not Disturb" sign is up. But don't be too rigid. One of the joys or working at home is to be available when your kids (And pets 😀) really need you.
6. Commute to your home office! Consider taking a short walk before starting your working day. Even a 10-minute stroll could energize you, and help to create a break between home tasks and work tasks. If you're adventurous, try this 10-minute morning Qi Gong Routine with Lee Holden. Do it with the whole family.  It will help  unleash your "tiger energy." I practice the routine daily. It's incredible!

There are numerous advantages to working from home. But there are many challenges, too, such as staying focused and doing your best work. 

To your greater well-being,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? 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, energy storage, facility services & maintenance, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, 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.

 

7 Leadership Lessons from Great Basketball Coaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The NCAA basketball tournament blasts off this Sunday. Let the games (And madness 😃) begin!

When I was a young blade the first thing I remember purchasing with my own money that I earned was a basketball. I've always loved the game. I know longer play but I do enjoy watching, especially college games. 

Time spent watching and really observing these exciting games has gotten me thinking about the lessons we all can take from the paid leaders of these teams - the head coaches. Even if you're not a basketball fan, I encourage you to read on because the lessons are powerful for everyone - fan and non-fan alike. 

These seven lessons are reinforced for me by the best basketball coaches. Look for the lessons you can apply today.

1) Great coaches flex their system, but not their philosophy. All great coaches have a coaching philosophy. They know it takes skill in all phases of the game, but it's their philosophy that informs their focus. Some coaches always have great rebounding teams; some focus on a fast break offense; some are defensive minded. Yet, if their current lineup gives them different strengths, they may flex their system or make adjustments to best take advantage of the current talent. 

Non-basketball leaders can do the same thing - focus on your core philosophy, yet be flexible in implementation based on the circumstances and talent on your team.

2) Great coaches measure performance. Of course, wins and losses are measured, but the best coaches measure far deeper than that. Assist to turnover ratios, number of offensive rebounds, number of steals, and free throw percentage in the last five minutes of games are just a few examples. What they can measure in their context is almost endless. Coaches who focus on rebounding will have deeper and more extensive rebounding measures that they follow. Those measures inform them on progress, development needs and more. 

The important lesson for us is that they measure those things that are important to winning, based on their philosophy. We must do the same if we want to achieve top performance. 

3) Great coaches practice everything (in a variety of ways). Supervised practice for college basketball teams begins several weeks before games. And once the season begins teams still practice most every day (including having walk throughs and film sessions on game day). They practice fundamentals and simulate particular game situations, so players are prepared for every situation on the floor. Most leaders in organizations fall far short in this area. 

Are you taking or allowing time for walk throughs, practice and review of results? Are you allowing and helping people prepare for the tough situations that may occur on their jobs? If not, this is an opportunity area for you and those you lead. 

4) Great coaches recognize and utilize passion and enthusiasm. Have you ever seen a really disengaged basketball coach? Like non-athletic leaders, different coaches have different personalities, and therefore their passions and enthusiasm may manifest differently, but they all show passion - typically so plainly that even the last person in the arena knows how the coach feels from moment to moment. They all are enthusiastic, and they all support and extend the passion and enthusiasm of their teams. 

Are you doing the same? If not, try the "Act As If" principle. Act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic!

5) Great coaches are products of their coaches. Watch college basketball for long and you will hear about "coaching trees." This coach coached under that guy, who actually played for coach X. Coaches obviously benefit from a network of past bosses (a lesson for us), but the best also regularly credit their former coaches and mentors in helping to develop their skills and philosophies. Generally speaking, I'm not sure most leaders are as consciously aware of what they have learned from their former bosses. 

There are two lessons here. Make it a priority to learn from the best, and reflect and recognize what lessons and principles you have learned from others that you can apply for yourself as a leader. And, give credit to your coaches as often as you can!) 

6) Great coaches define their team broadly. The best coaches want their players to succeed both on and off the court. The best coaches start or extend these "coaching trees" by developing their assistant coaches. The best college coaches recognize the role they play as a part of the larger organization (the college or university in their cases). 

Leaders can learn from this example as well. When you define your role broadly you allow yourself to have greater impact and more overall success. 

7) Great coaches coach! They aren't just managers or leaders. They actually coach! They recognize that an important part of their job is to develop others and help them reach their potential. Perhaps they have an advantage because their job title is coach. 

Your title may not remind you of this priority every day (and you may say you have other priorities). However, if you look closely at the other everyday tasks of a head coach you will find many of the same tasks and distractions you face. Yet the best "coaches" don't stop coaching.  

The best "leaders" shouldn't either.

Click here to read a related post:  You Can't Be A Great Leader If You're Not Coaching Your Team

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? 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, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services, 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.

 

6 Tips For Leading Remote Employees: How To Maintain Productivity And Engagement

 

TIP #1: Get 3 Agreements

The most important thing you need to do as a remote team leader is to get agreement (i.e., set expectations) on three things. People feel far away from each not because of the number of physical miles, but rather by the amount of time—the delay—it takes to get answers or information from someone. People feel “close” when communication is predictable—not necessarily fast, just predictable.

So the three agreements are:  

1) What are the normal working hours for the team? When will the workday begin, and when will it end?

2) How long will it take to get back to each other? If we reach out with a question, should I expect an answer immediately? Within an hour? By the end of the day? And will this change based on communication channel? Is it OK to respond to internal emails by the end of the day, but if I call you it means it’s urgent and you should pick or call me back as soon as possible?

3) How will we notify each other when will be unavailable and unable to meet these expectations (e.g., out at a doctor’s appointment)? Will we just let the boss know? Or do we send a team email? Or use a shared calendar?

TIP #2: Establish a Cadence of Communication

As goes communication, goes the team. This is true on all teams, but is especially important when leading a remote team. A cadence that has worked for other companies over the years—has three components:

• Weekly one-on-one meetings. Ask questions, give ideas, and to review priorities.

• WAR meeting. A Weekly Action Review (WAR) with your team should take no longer than 30-50 minutes. It’s an opportunity for everyone to share sync up on their weekly priorities, problems, and data.

• End-of-Day Check-in. At the end of each day, every team member shares a list of things they completed that day. 

TIP #3: Establish a Video-First Culture

“Video-first” is an organizational communication strategy that places priority on video conferencing tools, as opposed to audio-only conference calls. Whether having a one-on-one meeting or a team meeting, the benefits of video-first practice include:

• Ability to use and observe non-verbal communication

• Encourages people to participate in meetings from a professional, quiet location (as opposed to just dialing-in-and-muting while driving in the car)

• Encourages people to get dressed in the morning!

TIP #4: Keep It Personal

Relationships at work are critical to a high performing team. The classic Gallup Q12 survey item, “I have a best friend at work” illustrates the power of workplace friendships on employee engagement. And personal relationships go a long way to building trust and reducing unproductive conflict. In a traditional office, water cooler chitchat and lunch time conversation happens naturally. Here are some practical tips for keeping remote teams fun and personal:

• Use the first few minutes of your one-on-one meetings to ask about their weekend, or similar personal interest.

• At the beginning of your weekly WAR meeting have everyone spend 20-30 seconds sharing, “what was the best part of your weekend?” Or, “what’s going on good in your world these days?”

• Create an online area (e.g., TEAMS or Slack channel,.) to discuss things like sports, movies, or even a monthly online book club.

• Create an online area, or group email, where people can share photos of their pets, or from recent vacations, holidays, or other events

• Don’t forget to recognize team members for their effort and achievements. Share to the whole team positive feedback from customers, or internal customers.

TIP #5: Invest (a Little) In Tools & Tech

Any workplace can survive a one or two-week work-from-home experiment; it’s not much different than an employee taking a vacation or sick time. But if you expect your team members to work for several months and keep their normal productivity, then you should be prepared to make at least a minimal investment in hardware and software. 

Consider:

The basics: high speed WiFi, good ergonomic chair, external keyboard, mouse, web camera and monitor for their laptop or tablet.

TIP #6: Consider Personalities

Great leaders individualize their approach to leadership and take the time to truly understand their strengths and weaknesses with respect to working remotely.

Advantages of Adapting to Remote Leadership

The good news about adapting to the remote workforce? You’re adopting a trend employees already favor. In an International Workplace Group survey, 74 percent of respondents described flexible working as “the new normal.” Further, “80 percent of workers in the U.S. would choose a job which offered flexible working over a job that didn’t.”

Check out these related posts:  

Five Ways to Foster Collaboration on Remote Teams

Practical Tips to Stay Focused When Working From Home

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? 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, energy storage, facility services & maintenance, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, 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.

 

How to Make Peace with A Company Decision You Don’t Like

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of us find ourselves in situations at work — we have to go along with, explain, and carry out decisions we don’t agree with. These situations can make us angry, anxious, and confused. Why wasn’t I consulted? How will I explain this to my team? Am I even getting the full story?

We all want to be the captain of our own ship, but the truth is that we operate in a world where we are often impacted by the decisions of others. There are times when we lead but also times when we must follow — and we may not agree with the path we’re told to follow. At the same time, we know it’s more important to maintain a positive attitude for our team and a positive relationship with management instead of creating waves. So, how do we forge ahead and follow with grace?

Too often, I see coaching clients commit to taking a positive stance on an uncomfortable situation only to undermine what should be a collaborative experience. On the surface, they present themselves as aligned with the decision but underneath they haven’t let go of their negative emotions.

The first thing to do is work through the lack of alignment between your emotions and the actions you know you need to take in order to move forward with the company. There are eight questions you can ask when faced with a misalignment. The questions are meant to act like speed-bumps, to slow down our often knee-jerk emotional reactions when faced with making uncomfortable decisions. Leaders have shared with me that these questions also act as a release valve when they feel “stuck” in their emotions, giving them greater confidence in their decision to support what may be a controversial plan.

When we need to make a difficult decision, we often rush through it to avoid sitting with uneasy feelings. As a result, we may end up making a sub-par decision that may not actually solve the problem we’re faced with. Our emotions are not the problem here but our reactions to them may be.

The questions encourage you to slow down and think again as you analyze information and process emotions. I’ve elaborated on each question to clarify how it helps with processing your thoughts as you work through the exercise. I’ve also used a hypothetical example of a manager (Johnny) who disagreed with the way his company suddenly and drastically cut everyone’s pay in order to reduce layoffs.

1. What specific situation do I disagree with?

Many of us think we know what problem we’re solving without ever fully articulating it. By taking the time to name and define the specific problem we’re facing, we can fully understand its true parameters and ensure we’re tackling the right problem.

Johnny: I disagree with the way the company suddenly, unexpectedly, and drastically cut everyone’s pay in order to reduce layoffs.

2. How will setting aside my disagreement benefit me?

This question encourages you to think about the silver lining, and any upsides of going along with an unpopular plan.

Johnny: I’ll keep the job I enjoy despite the shakeup.

3. How will setting aside my disagreement benefit my team?

Once you identify a personal silver lining, it’s often easier to see how others may be positively impacted.

Johnny: I want my co-workers and the people who work for me to keep their jobs and their benefits. Anybody who leaves the company in anger now may have a very hard time finding another job.

4. What information might the decision-maker(s) have that I don’t?

This question is very important because it typically surfaces empathy. We’re often trapped within the confines of our own perspective and by asking ourselves what information someone else may have that we don’t, we can often begin to see the rationale for an unpopular decision.

Johnny: I only see my department’s financials; I don’t have a detailed picture of what the whole company looks like after our losses.

5. What areas of alignment are there between my initial work goals and the company’s goals for making this decision?

Now that you’re beginning to think beyond your own perspective, it may be easier to notice other commonalities between your work goals and the company’s goal for making the decision.

Johnny: I want to contribute to the company’s success because I appreciate their mission and product, and working for a successful company benefits me personally. I trust that management and I share the same goals for the company’s success: To continue making a good, reliable product and to treat employees fairly.

6. By accepting this decision, what specific actions am I committing to take?

You’re now ready to chart a new course of action. By addressing your emotions first, redirecting them to a place of positivity, and thinking beyond your own perspective, you can act with intention.

Johnny: I am committing to putting aside my anger about how management made this decision without discussing it with senior leaders. I am committing to vocally supporting the decision because it means working toward a new vision of success for the company and keeping on as many employees as possible, even though we’re all sacrificing to do so.

7. Gut check: Who can help me strength-test my intended course of action?

Identifying other people in your network with whom you may check and challenge your thinking can help you strengthen your decisions. Think about those people outside of your current work environment whose opinions you value and discuss the situation and your intended actions with them.

Johnny: I am close with many people on my team, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to commiserate with them and they might not be able to see the bigger picture. I’ll reach out to my friend Gabriel, whose travel company was also severely impacted by the storm. I’ll also talk this through with my life partner.

8. Review your answers to Questions 1-7. How has this process helped me reconcile my negative emotions with my actions?

Review the steps you’ve taken and appreciate the distance you’ve put between your emotions and the situation at hand. You’ve identified advantages from a decision that you disagree with, you’ve looked beyond your own perspective, and you’ve solicited the feedback of others outside of the situation.

Johnny: I realized that I have the same core objectives as management. I wanted to believe that we were past the fallout from the hurricane, but we’re not — and we’re all in it together. It’s a time of loss for all of us, but we can build back together. Looking at my own emotions also made me realize that management must be having a hard time, too. I need to check with the chief of staff and ask her how she’s feeling.

By slowing down and working through these eight prompts, Johnny gained the important emotional distance that he needed and felt in better alignment with management’s decision. By looking beyond his own perspective, he came to understand that the company’s viability was at stake. He still wasn’t happy about the way that management had rolled out their plan, but he felt greater empathy for why management made the decision it did and felt better prepared to field questions from his team and publicly support the decision.

If you strongly disagree with a decision that’s been made at your company but ultimately want to remain with the organization, then decelerate and reflect. Use these questions to help process difficult emotions, articulate the problem, identify potential upsides, develop empathy, and visualize what executing an uncomfortable decision will actually look like. In doing so, you can demonstrate a good attitude to your team, maintain a positive relationship with management, and display resilience by pivoting and working toward a new definition of success.

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? 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, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services, 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.

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.