When an employee comes to you and says she wants a raise or a promotion and you don’t think she is “there”, it’s your job to explain where “there” is. Setting and reviewing performance expectations with employees on an ongoing basis is critical to helping them grow in their position and beyond. Here are a few things to take into consideration: 1. Define "There" - Gain a solid understanding of where your organization is headed so you can set departmental goals that are articulated often. If your employees don’t know where the big “there” is, it’s hard to evaluate them based on performance. 2. Articulate "There" - Once you have your priorities in place, meet with each team member to lay out pe
Have you been in a meeting with an employee who never stopped talking the entire time? Or used slang in front of a client? Or took too long to do a simple task? How quickly did you approach her or him to provide feedback on the behavior to discuss changes? Never? Did you let it go until it happened again? Here is a simple approach straight out of our workshop: 1. See It as an Opportunity for Growth - Ken Blanchard calls it “redirection” vs. "criticism." Whether you see opportunities for redirection for yourself, hear it from others, or identify it from a report, it’s your job as a leader to address the situation quickly. 2. Make It Balanced - I don’t subscribe to the “sandwich” approach of
Whether you’re interrupted by employees or upper management or a phone app is sending notifications, it seems impossible to get your important work done as a leader. Dr. Gloria Mark, Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine has found that it takes an average of 23 minutes for a person to fully regain his/her focus on a task after being distracted. Here are a few suggestions that might help you and your employees stay focused while still having an “open door” for your team members: [if !supportLists]· [endif]Culture - Have a healthy conversation in your workplace about these issues and come to agreement on things you can do as a team. Make it part of your culture
Why is it so tough to ask questions rather than always give answers? Asking employees questions helps them grow, feel valued, use their brains, think for themselves, be motivated. The list goes on. Here are three simple questions I challenge you to ask every one of your team members over the next 5 days: 1. How can I help? I know you’re busy and I have been encouraging you to delegate. That is still the case, but a simple offer to help on a small task or to help brainstorm on something bigger goes a long way to building trust and team. 2. What do you think? Your job as a leader is to not always be the smartest person in the room. And for sure you don’t have to act like it. Gather new ideas f
