“I’m going to be a professional listener,” said a participant at our workshop for the Better Business Bureau this past week. That was his biggest takeaway from the session; Steph and I were giddy about his goal. We all aim to be great listeners, but how well do we really do that? Here are some practical tips that you can use with every employee interaction summarized from Scott J. Miller's new book, Management Mess to Leadership Success. 1. Slow down. When you’re managing people, shift from an efficiency mindset to an effectiveness mindset. Be efficient with systems, meetings and things. Take time to be effective with people. The late Dr. Stephen Covey said, “With people - slow is fast, and
When providing feedback, it is important to focus on the positive and not only the negative. Before we provide tips for feedback, consider changing the words positive to praise and negative to re-direct. These terms come from The New One Minute Manager and both clearly say what you are doing. This article from The New York Times states, “Too often...we forget the purpose of feedback - it’s not to help employees feel better [or worse], it’s to help them do better. The notion of feedback often causes feelings of unease and anxiety, and can launch an individual to feeling defensive rather than receptive. By praising more than re-directing, the feedback becomes constructive, rather than somet
Do you want your employees to care as much as you do? Start with treating them how you would want to be treated! Start valuing their ideas and giving them purpose. Make sure your employees feel heard and part of the team and not just another notch in the machine. Start valuing their ideas with these simple tips: Listen to their reasoning behind why they did something Before criticizing, ask questions in a positive way Encourage contributions by seeking solutions to problems Focus on employee's behavior and not attitude Start creating a culture of teamwork, build employee confidence and make your workplace a better place to work. Employees want to matter and it is your job as a manager to mak
“I’m a leader now. I’m in charge of helping my employees, giving advice, having all of the answers and I don’t want to ever appear to be weak.” If you’re saying these things to yourself as a new leader, we challenge you to seek the real truth that great leaders understand. Myth #1: I don’t want to seem incompetent Truth: By asking for help, you're becoming a role model for your team. You’re showing an example of help-seeking behavior that sets up a more open culture. You're showing your team that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but is smart and collaborative. Myth #2: I don’t want my team to not see me as a leader Truth: Great leaders ask probing questions and get input from emplo
“Neuroscience research shows that when people’s dignity is violated, it actually shows up in the brain in the same area as a physical wound…this isn’t just some touchy-feely of how we’ve got to be nice to people,” stated Dr. Donna Hicks, author of Leading with Dignity. We speak with our clients about values related to dignity and how this value impacts the success of their businesses. So how do you make sure that you and other leaders in your organization are treating your employees with dignity? Here’s a short list we’ve compiled from Dr. Hicks’ research: 1. Acceptance – People want to have their identity accepted no matter their race, their religion, their ethnicity, their sexual orientati
