However, fit leaders know that money is not the main motivator for most people. Yes, we have to pay people fairly based on their responsibilities and the level of work they provide. Once people are paid fairly and they feel like their basic financial needs are being met, money quickly loses its motivational power.

Trumping money, most employees want to feel like they’re working on something important. They want to feel like their organization, and particularly their boss, cares about them and is looking out for their professional goals.

People want to work on exciting, fulfilling projects. They want the freedom to create-and also the freedom to fail. Most professionals are looking for environments where they are appreciated and have an opportunity to excel.

If you appreciate your people and provide them with opportunities to grow and move through the organization at an appropriate pace, they are much less likely to say yes to a recruiter-even if that recruiter is dangling more money in front of them.

In Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Riverhead, 2009), author Daniel Pink points out that an overreliance on carrots and sticks, or what we would call extrinsic motivators, can actually decrease employee productivity and engagement.

As a leader, focus on leveraging higher level rewards or “intrinsic” motivators. You can do this by creating an environment where your employees enjoy autonomy, have opportunities to achieve mastery and can commit to a common, lofty purpose. Together, these three factors will keep your people engaged, empowered and confident.

Most of us rely on directed attention when focusing on our work, or when we engage in potentially dangerous activities, like crossing the street.  And, most of us know from experience that when we keep our attention directed for too long, it can become tiring.

One way to keep our attention in top form is to allow it sufficient time to recover on a periodic basis.  When our minds are inadvertently drawn to something interesting that does not require intense focus, we tap into what is called involuntary attention.

Taking periodic breaks gives our attention a chance to refresh.

In a classic study on violinists and the impact of practice on their levels of achievement, Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, of Florida State University, discovered that the truly great violinists typically worked in cycles of three focused practice sessions of 90 minutes each day with renewal breaks between each session.

You will perform any task more effectively if you take a 10-20 minute break every ninety minutes or so. Get up, eat a healthy snack, take a walk or just close your eyes for a while and you will return to your next task more refreshed and energized.

Martin E.P. Seligman, a former President of the American Psychological Association and a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, has been studying optimists and pessimists for 25 years.

In his national bestseller Learned Optimism (Pocket Books, 1990, 1998), Seligman writes that pessimists react to setbacks with a “presumption of personal helplessness”.  Pessimists believe that bad events will last a long time and are somehow their fault.

On the other hand, optimists react to setbacks from “a presumption of personal power”.  They view bad events as temporary setbacks that are isolated to particular circumstances. Optimists believe they can overcome bad events through their effort and abilities.

The way you define your circumstances determines whether you are optimistic or pessimistic. When you choose optimism, you inoculate yourself against the feeling of helplessness and strengthen your emotional competence, which leads to increased productivity.

Here are five simple tips that will get you on the road to optimism:

1. Know that most bad things are not permanent.

When something goes wrong, try not to blow things out of proportion.  Ask yourself if the negative effect is permanent. More often than not, it’s only temporary. Optimists realize that most bad events are fleeting and will not permanently alter the course of their lives.

2. Give yourself credit for positive events.

When something good happens, take time to pat yourself on the back.  Celebrate your strengths and think about the ways you contributed (both directly and indirectly) to this accomplishment.

3. Cut yourself some slack.

Pessimists often blame themselves for every negative event. But when things don’t go as planned, it’s not always your fault. Consider the extenuating circumstances that could have contributed to the bad outcome. Not every failure is caused by one of your own personal weaknesses.

4. Remember there’s always next time.

Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, try to think about how you can do better next time. When you start to embrace failures as powerful learning experiences, you’re beginning to think more like an optimist.

5. Challenge your negative thoughts.

When you catch yourself thinking negatively, stop, take a deep breath and make a conscious effort to change your thought pattern. The more often you challenge negative thoughts, the more natural it will become for you to think like an optimist. Before you know it, you’ll be finding the positive in almost any situation.

Unfortunately, many leaders struggle when it comes to delegating.  If you are having a tough time in the delegation department, think about the three T’s: Train, Transfer and Track. Here’s how it breaks down:

Train

When you hesitate to delegate to a team member, it’s often because you worry the employee has not been properly trained. You are not alone-this “lack of training” fear is one of the most common barriers to delegation. However, as a leader, it’s your responsibility to train your people. You have to teach them how to accomplish their work and successfully contribute to your team and organization.

When you do not take the time to train your employees, they feel underutilized and overlooked. They might wonder why you continue to pass them over as they see you continually hand out projects to the same small group of employees.

Of course, training an employee means you’ll have to take time out of your busy schedule and teach him how to effectively perform important tasks.  However, your efforts will pay off in the long run. If you spend some time training an employee upfront, you’ll save countless hours when the time comes to transfer projects to him.

Transfer

When you delegate a project to a team member, you are not relinquishing responsibility. After all, your boss will continue to hold you accountable for accomplishing the ultimate business result.

Consequently, when you delegate you are essentially “deputizing” a member of your team. You are transferring your authority to her so she can act on your behalf in managing a project to completion. This allows you to focus your energies on other projects, knowing that members of your team are working to complete the tasks you’ve assigned to them.

Track

Once you’ve delegated a project to a team member, you cannot simply check it off your list and forget about it. Because you will remain responsible for the final outcome of the project, it is crucial to keep track of the employee’s progress.

When I worked at Ford Motor Company, my supervisor kept track of all the projects he delegated by recording them in a notebook he kept in the top middle drawer of his desk. I came to refer to this sacred notebook as his “delegation diary.” Because he documented all the projects he assigned to team members in this notebook, he had one central place where he could keep track of all of his outstanding delegations.

My supervisor would consult his delegation diary on a daily basis to determine if he needed to check in with an employee on the status of a particular project. While he was not a micromanager, he knew the value of stopping by at least a couple of times before the assignment was due. This gave him an opportunity to see if there were any unanticipated issues that might prevent the employee from delivering the project on time.

If you want to be a fit, effective leader, it’s important to learn how to delegate. Remember, delegation is as easy as the three T’s: Train, Transfer and Track. And never underestimate the value of a delegation diary! ]]> http://instituteforleadershipfitness.com/2011/12/train-transfer-and-track/feed/ 0 http://instituteforleadershipfitness.com/2011/11/tis-the-season/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tis-the-season http://instituteforleadershipfitness.com/2011/11/tis-the-season/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:29:05 +0000 David Chinsky http://www.theleadershipfit.com/blog/?p=104 Tis the season to give feedback in many organizations.  If you struggle with conducting feedback conversations, try our seven-step process and turn feedback into a gift.

Step 1 Describe the Problem

Describe the problem in a sentence or two. Remain as objective as possible and stick to one point-do not talk about multiple performance issues. Here’s an example:  “Tom, I’d like to talk with you this afternoon because I’ve noticed that you’ve been late to four of our last five meetings.”

Step 2 Explain the Impact

Leaders often jump from the description of the problem directly to the development of an action plan. They want to know immediately what the employee is going to do to resolve the problem. It’s important first to explain the impact of the employee’s performance problem. 

During this step, you help the employee understand how his or her behavior is impacting colleagues, the organization and perhaps customers. Let’s go back to the previous example: “Tom, I’d like to talk with you this afternoon because I’ve noticed that you’ve been late to four of our last five meetings. When you are late, it causes us to have to stop what we’re doing while everyone acknowledges your arrival, and it interrupts the momentum of our meeting and lowers our productivity.“

This second step is crucial because many times employees don’t even realize their behavior is causing a negative impact. Here’s another example: “Jen, I wanted to talk with you today because I’ve noticed that you are the first to dismiss the ideas of other members of our team. Before you ask questions and try to understand someone else’s position, you immediately point out how it won’t work. When you are so quick to judge, it causes other members of the team to withdraw and withhold their input because they are afraid that when they speak you’re going to cut them off or give all the reasons why their idea is stupid. And that works against the environment I’m trying to create where everyone feels comfortable sharing their unique perspectives.”

Step 3 Identify the Cause 

Once you have described the problem and explained the impact, then you can work with the employee to identify the cause of the performance problem.  Let the employee take the lead here. Your job is to ask good open-ended questions that invites the employee to think about what might be causing the lateness-or what might be preventing her from listening before she shoots down a teammate’s idea.

Step 4 Develop an Action Plan 

You can develop a much more valuable action plan once you’ve clearly described the problem, explained the impact and identified the cause. Identify a solution, come up with a time table and make sure the action plan is specific and measurable.

Step 5 Confirm Understanding

Before the conversation ends, ensure that both you and your employee are on the same page. This is an opportunity for you or the employee to summarize what was discussed, who has agreed to what, and when you expect these changes to occur. 

Step 6 Document the Conversation

Document the conversation even if this is the first time you’ve had to talk with an employee about an issue-and certainly if it’s the second time you’re having the same conversation. When you document, you’ll have the information available should this develop into a more serious performance issue.

Step 7 Follow-up 

More than likely, you or your employee will make some kind of commitment during the feedback conversation. It’s incredibly important to follow up on these commitments. This helps you determine if the employee has actually improved or changed behavior.

Walk through these steps one at a time and in the sequence outlined above, and you’ll be more confident and effective at providing important feedback to others.

A few years ago, one of my clients introduced  me to David Whyte, a poet and a naturalist.

Whyte shows us how changing the way we ask our questions can lead to strikingly different ways of seeing the world and our lives. 

Take a look at the following sets of contrasting questions. 

When waking up early

Can I fall back asleep again?
Should I go back to bed?

vs.

What would be the best way to start my day?
How can I energize myself?

When contemplating exercise (and feeling unmotivated)

Can I skip it for today?
Don’t I deserve a day off?

vs.

What should I listen to while I work out?
What will the feeling be like when I accomplish my fitness goals?

When considering a dietary improvement

What foods am I going to have to give up?
How am I going to deal with the deprivation?

vs.

What foods that I like will I get to eat more of?
What new foods can I experiment with?

When nearing the end of the workday

Have I done enough that I can justify quitting for the day?
Can I finish this tomorrow?

vs.

What’s next?
How can I complete one more task?

When facing an unfamiliar social situation

How did I get myself into this situation?
Can I get out of going?

vs.

How much fun will it be to meet some new people?
What can I expect others to have in common with me?

What questions are you asking today that can be converted into more powerful inquiries?

Typical answers include: communicate a vision, resolve conflict, create budgets, recruit top talent, ensure sufficient resources, etc. 

With 20-30 answers documented on flip chart paper around the room, I proceed to teach John Kotter’s model of leadership which points to just three leadership activities: setting a clear direction, aligning the organization with that vision and continuously motivating and coaching employees so they stay on board.  

According to Kotter, everything else is management.  Resolving conflict, staffing the organization, resource planning and budgeting are all management activities.

Now, this is not to say that leaders don’t have to know how to manage.  They most certainly do.  And managers have opportunities to lead every day by setting clear direction for their teams, connecting them to the broader strategy of the organization and motivating them to stay focused.  

The bigger problem we see in many organizations is that many leaders are overmanaging and underleading.  Because many leaders are promoted into their leadership roles because they managed well, they often continue to manage even after they have been asked to step up to a different role in the organization.

When leaders overmanage and underlead, they can choke the leadership pipeline by preventing those coming up the organizational ladder from getting the key experiences they will need to advance themselves. 

If the new leaders continue to do the work they were doing before they were promoted into leadership, they also are not focusing their time on the more strategic requirements they’ve been asked to take on in the areas of setting direction, aligning and motivating.

Leaders can avoid underleading by asking themselves just  three questions at the end of each day:

1. What have I done today to clarify direction for the members of my team so they see where we are headed?
2. How have I connected the work of my team to the broader goals of the organization and to the needs of our customers?
3. What have I done to motivate my team so they continue to stay focused on the overall strategy even when it may take some time to achieve?

The best managers lead, and the best leaders manage.  Leaders can achieve a more optimal balance between the two by finding time each day to set clear direction, align their people to the broader agenda of the organization and coach their teams to sustainable success by creating an environment where everyone feels rewarded by their progress.

All leaders are subject to resisters and critics, both external and internal. But with a little bit of practice, you can learn to overcome these negative voices.

In Jump and the Net Will Appear (New World Library, 2002), author Robin Crow claims that the obstacles holding us back are almost always internal.

As a leader, your challenge is to manage these self-sabotaging “inner voices” so they do not block your forward movement.

As leaders chart new courses, they encounter many self doubts, including:

“You won’t succeed.”

“You’ll fall on your face.”

“You’ll look like a fool.”

“Who do you think you are?”

“They’ll never fund my idea.”

You can manage these doubts by being more aware of negative self-talk and recognizing that these unconstructive voices are distinct from your true intent.  If you allow them to continue unchecked, these internal conversations will earn more credibility than they deserve.

In Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End (Crown Business, 2004), author Rosabeth Moss Kanter points out that “everything can look like a failure in the middle.” This can lead you to give up prematurely, just as you begin to “round the corner” and achieve your goals.

One strategy for inoculating yourself against the impact of powerful inner voices is to construct a personal safety net.

Many people view safety nets as insurance to help them through life’s unexpected shocks and stresses, such as a serious illness or job loss.

However, leaders can also build a net to mitigate the effect and lower the volume of the various “inner voices” they’ll invariably confront along the way to achieving greatness. I call this personal structure The Confidence Net™.

If you want to build a confidence net, develop a repertoire of positive habits (daily exercise, prayer or meditation, even a power outfit) that will feed your confidence and allow you to remain focused on your future-despite the noise all around you.

In my dealings with employees and colleagues over the years, I’ve discovered a number of strategies leaders can employ to remove ambiguity or “static” from their communications.

After you communicate a point or give an assignment to an employee, you can simply ask, “What questions do you have for me?” Note that this is very different from asking, “Do you understand?”

When you ask people if they understand, it is human nature for them to nod their heads in agreement. After all, most of us want to avoid any possible indication we in fact do not understand or that perhaps we weren’t listening.

This reminds me of an episode from the popular TV series Seinfeld.  Jerry Seinfeld’s friend George Costanza receives a job assignment from his boss, the manager of the New York Yankees.  George is not paying attention and doesn’t have a clue what his boss just asked him to do.

Rather than admitting that he does not understand his assignment, George proceeds to spend all 30 minutes of the episode trying to figure out what his boss expects him to deliver. Of course, in typical Costanza fashion, George fails miserably to deliver the goods at the end of the show.

In a situation like George Costanza’s, I don’t know many leaders who wouldn’t prefer their employees to simply raise their hand right then and there and say, “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand what you are asking me to do,” or “I zoned out for a few seconds and I missed the last thing you said. Could you please repeat it?” This allows the manager to restate the assignment and fill in any missing information.

However, it’s difficult for many people to admit that they were not listening or got distracted. That’s why it’s important for you to initiate questions to ensure you have accurately communicated the assignment and that your employee understands it. For example, you might ask, “How do you propose to proceed with this project?” or “What additional resources will you require?” or “What else can I share with you to help you get started?”

The one thing many of us have come to accept in life is that change is one of the few constants.  Whether we like it or not, staying flexible means staying relevant. 

Evolving customer needs, new and emerging technologies and the current economic turmoil being experienced around the world all make rigid adherence to long-term planning next to impossible.  

One of the more impactful changes an organization can experience is the arrival of a new CEO or President.  It happens every day as Boards face both internal and external challenges having to do with product obsolescence, competition and/or upset shareholders. One of the fixes often turned to is the replacement of the CEO.

When a new CEO comes on board, many wait to see what additional changes are coming down the line.  How will strategy shift?  What new direction will product development be asked to undertake?  What additional changes will be made to organizational structure?

To put it simply, many of us begin to “tread softly” as we await the new CEO’s pronouncements on further changes to be made. 

During this transition period, the organization can actually slow down while other leaders put decisions and actions on hold so as not to get in the way of the new CEO or end up working at cross purposes once the CEO’s new gameplan is announced.

While this is normal, there is risk that the organization will fail to maintain the necessary forward movement expected by its key stakeholders while it remains in this “waiting to see” mode.

One of the ways to avoid this form of organizational paralysis is to stay focused on the work of the organization while paying attention to any new changes coming from the new CEO.

The CEO of one of my client organizations utilizes an approach with his team to encourage their continued engagement and leadership, even when strategy or organizational structure is under review.  He tells his team they should be comfortable continuing to make decisions on their own as long as they are “reversible” should a change be required down the road. 

Instead of waiting days, weeks or months to learn how the new CEO will weigh in on issues that impact our day-to-day work, we can continue to make the important decisions and take the necessary steps to keep the organization moving.  

While the new CEO is getting grounded and learning what he or she needs to know to create a meaningful impact, organizational leaders can be encouraged to move forward with their plans. 

Most new CEOs are hopeful that their arrival doesn’t make things worse by causing everyone to tread so softly that they become paralyzed at the point of action while waiting to see what is coming next.