How To Have That Difficult Leadership Conversation

How To Have That Difficult Leadership Conversation 

There are few things more destructive to morale in a workplace as when there is a staff member causing havoc and no-one is willing to have that difficult conversation with them which would quickly fix things. Perhaps they are not performing well in teir role or they are causing all kinds of relationship issues with inappropriate comments or behaviour, or (add your experience here…..)

For me, these are defining leadership moments! This is where you win or lose the hearts of team members.

Deep down, even the most difficult team member wants to make a fantastic contribution and know that their efforts are making a difference! This includes that insecure person who is so sensitive to criticism it makes it very difficult to help and train them.

One of the marks of a true leader is they have the courage and the ability to train people and raise them up into a role and even better, into their potential.

In 30 years of leadership experience I have found that one of the keys to helping team members learn and grow is to be willing to correct and where necessary challenge them.

The best leaders have learned how to earn the right to be honest with people on their team by building a relationship where that person knows they care about them.

If a leader is secure, has built a good relationship, has competent communication skills (listening as well as speaking), is clear in their facts, and can handle a few tears or some initially defensive behaviour, then they will find that 9 times out of 10 there will be positive outcomes from deciding to have that difficult conversation.

I guess the reason many leaders avoid these conversations (one survey says 75% avoid if possible) is that they fear the 10% of times when a person reacts badly, creates a scene, quits their job or makes a complaint. They fear the ugly confrontation.

Like most fears though, the risk is far smaller than you think.

And, be warned: Problems avoided do not go away or diminish, they grow! The risk of negative consequences is far greater if the conversation is avoided! The earlier you step in and take the initiative, no matter how awkward it is at first, it will be easier than if you wait hoping the problem goes away.

10 keys that will help you have that difficult leadership conversation:

  1. Make sure you invest time in building relationships with your team. Take them for a coffee and get to know what they value, what are their values, what makes them laugh and cry, what inspires or makes angry, what motivates them. Bottom line: they need to know you care.
  2. Let your team know that you will be encouraging them for work well done AND correcting them when they need it as well in the interests of personal growth and achieving great team results.
  3. Expect the best from your team and you will tend to get it.
  4. Be consistent and be fair. No favourites!
  5. Be a good listener so people always feel understood.
  6. Be secure enough to admit when you get it wrong or when you learn something from others.
  7. Give praise publically and correct/challenge privately (unless they refuse to learn and after 1 or 2 private conversations it becomes appropriate, if affecting the whole team, to correct publically).
  8. Create an atmosphere of encouraging team accountability rather than judgement and fear about getting things wrong.
  9. Remember an honest mistake is a learning opportunity not a reason to criticize someone.
  10. Act sooner rather than later. Problems avoided always grow.

In my experience many of my best supporters were people who appreciated the fact that I cared enough to challenge them to do better. Rarely did a difficult conversation lead to losing a team member, though every time I knew that possibility was there.

To me this is one of the marks of true leadership.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments……

How to Lead and Motivate Volunteers

How to Lead and Motivate Volunteers

For many years I was the CEO of a large not-for-profit organisation in a community just west of Sydney, Australia. Without hesitation I would say the key to the effectiveness of this organisation was the enormous contribution of hundreds of volunteers, many of whom were contributing between 10 and 20 hours of very effective and focused skilled labour every week.  On top of their valuable work these same people were often among our best financial supporters contributing thousands of dollars each year into our budget bottom line.

I learned so much about working with volunteers as I led this organisation from startup through various stages to become a significant community organisation working with all aspects of society but especially providing  young people with hope, emergency care, social connection, leadership training and opportunities to serve both locally and internationally.

Things I know about volunteers:

  1. Volunteers want their lives to make a difference.
  2. Volunteers are generous people who are learning to be more generous.
  3. Volunteers will give amazing commitment if they know that what they do is making a difference.
  4. The main payoff for volunteers is relationship. They respond to being valued as a person as well as for the work they do being valued. They love to be part of a fun team achieving great results! Reward great effort with fun relationship times.
  5. The volunteer spirit is an awesome foundation for building a healthy effective organisation.

 

[NB. Surveys in workplaces have shown that employees will leave a highly paid job where there are poor relationships for a lesser paying job if they are confident they will have better relationships].

Keys to leading motivated volunteers:

  • Be willing to spend time with them to get to know them, value them and connect with them. It will be time well invested.
  • Take time to know and tap their passion. Passion to help people, for a cause, to be part of a successful team, to grow and learn.
  • Set the bar high. Never lower it just because they are volunteers or you insult them and actually give them the sense that what they are doing is not very important, where it doesn’t matter if they turn up or not.
  • Demand commitment of volunteers. Treat them as equal members of the team to staff members. I.e. give them job descriptions, signed contracts, clear expectations, an orientation/induction, consequences of non performance.
  • Call volunteers to account if they do not fulfill their commitments. It is an opportunity to assist them to grow. They will either leave or appreciate it, learn and grow.
  • Encourage them to grow. If a volunteer knows that working with you is going to assist them to grow as a person, then they will become highly motivated.

I am saddened when I hear leaders of organisations complain about their volunteers, how they wish they had more money to pay people so they can get good staff. I venture to say leaders with this attitude would have similar problems motivating paid staff.

Motivation does not come with salary. Motivation comes from being inspired to be part of making a difference. Apparently Steve Jobs was lured back to Apple from his role as CEO of Pepsi Co by the challenge, “Are you going stay and make sugar water or do you want to come and change the world?”

If you are a leader or manager of a Not-for-Profit organistion try to create an team atomosphere where real relationships are possible as you work hard together to achieve awesome results that make a difference.

 

I’d love to hear your comments.

The Importance of Momentum to Any Organisation

The Importance of Momentum to Any Organisation

 Momentum is called by some ‘The BIG MO’ and should be treasured like gold by any leader.

With momentum everything looks and feels better than it really is, and without momentum everything looks and feels much worse than it really is.

Momentum

 Momentum is a leader’s friend!

Without momentum everything, even small problems become magnified. like a stationary train can be prevented from rolling forward by placing a 20 cent coin on the track against a wheel. With momentum everything is so much easier, even larger problems can be solved relatively easily. E.g. the same train moving at 100 Km/h would not be stopped if a brick wall was built across the track.

Momentum creates the sense that things are happening reflected in comments such as: “We are going places”, “We’re getting results”, “We can do this”, “We’re growing” and “We’re making a difference!” These comments are signs of increasing morale.

Lack of momentum is the sense that everything is hard and is reflected in comments such as: “Why is it so difficult to get anything done around here?" "Nothing ever happens round here”, “Things seem to be falling apart”, “Don’t get your hopes up”, “What’s the point of trying?”, “Good luck with that” (cynically spoken) and “Here we go again”. These comments are signs of poor morale.

10 Things I Know About Momentum…..

  1. A prerequisite for momentum is a leader with clearly articulated vision who unites people to work towards achieving measurable outcomes.
  2. Momentum is built by taking action steps every day, even little ones, which take you forward.
  3. It takes a lot of energy and discipline to get momentum going – ask anyone who has started a business – but after  a period (usually months) of consistently doing all the little things that move you in the desired direction, momentum builds.
  4. Momentum is a bit like compound interest; it’s cumulative and it increases slowly at first and then, exponentially.
  5. One of a leader’s main roles is to oversee increasing momentum. To do this they must regularly look up from the day to day details and see what will take the organisation forward right now. A leader also needs to ensure that major obstacles to momentum are noted and avoided.
  6. One of the ways you know you have momentum is that there is little or no resistance to change within your organisation. Change will be seen as normal.  This is more difficult in older organisations with a longer history but it can be done.
  7. The momentum you have today is the result of all your efforts up until now. If you stop taking initiative your momentum will carry you forward for a while but will eventually slow down.
  8. Momentum lost is VERY HARD to regain. Often requires MORE energy than starting again.
  9. Momentum is essential to any organisation that wants to be effective.
  10. The key to establishing momentum lies with the leaders inner circle (management team) fully supporting leader and owning the program

Having been the leader of a large not-for-profit organistion for 25 years I know a lot about momentum and how important it is. A bad week with a few setbacks is easily shaken off when there is momentum as you are able to lift people towards your next good result. However, when everything is a struggle even one small setback can be totally demoralising.

 

How have you been able to build momentum? Love to hear your story....

4 Keys to Starting Out In Business

Starting out in Business

I love to encourage younger people who have a dream to establish their own business. In my local area we have the Gen YQ Penrith Networking Group set up for business entrepreneurs and professionals under 35. This is a great initiative and is attracting a lot of interest locally and across NSW.The following is from an interview with John Drury by Michael Todd CEO of Gen YQ Penrith.

If you are thinking about starting up your own business in 2012 I suggest you use the following keys to help you prepare.

1. The Preparation you need:

  • You have a service or product that is in demand which you are able to provide at least as w ell as your competitors
  • You have a clear written business plan which includes a realistic start up budget and marketing plan
  • You are passionate about your business idea and have decided you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your plan.

2. The Attitudes you need:

  • Treat it as an exciting adventure in which you are on a quest to learn as much as you can about people, business and yourself
  • Work hard to add fantastic value to your clients so you create raving fans
  • Get yourself as skilled as possible at what you do (people do not care about how young you are if you are good)
  • Look for gaps in the market and learn how to fill them so you have a clear point of difference from your competitors
  •  If something doesn’t work, don’t fret over it, treat it as a learning experience and try something else

 3. The Skills and Knowledge you need:

  • Know what you are good at, and if you don’t know, then ask  people you trust who know you pretty well. Get an E-DISC profile done which is a great personality profile which can really help you to learn about yourself.
  • Get to know your ideal client very well (do some serious market research)
  • Connect with a mentor or two, people you admire and are successful. Drive the mentoring process by asking great questions and you will pull gold out of them.
  • Test and measure everything you do so you learn quickly what works and what doesn’t. No guesswork.
  • Get organized. If you are not naturally organised then find an organizational system that works for you
  • Be highly relational. This is essential. 85% of business success is who you know not what you know.
  • Delegate what you are not good at except control of your marketing and your finances. You have to be good at these or learn to be. If you do not like marketing then I suggest you go and get a job.
  • Outsource before adding staff, it’s better value for money

4. The Values you need:

To be consistently successful at anything you need to know yourself well and be true to yourself. When you are younger you do not always know what you believe. Strong adult and business values develop from age 25 – 40 in most people. To make it easy, know how you would like to be treated and treat people like that. If you have to change who you are at core in order to please somebody else, is not worth the deal.

Reasons Why New Businesses Struggle include:

  • They are isolated, not well connected in their market place and do not have good personal support to pick them up after a tough week.
  • Poor marketing, you must develop a system (ideally an automated system) for getting new prospects
  • Poor cash flow which is really poor financial administration which usually develops because you cut corners and do not pay to get good advice from an accountant.
  • They do not have interests (e.g. sport or hobby) outside their business.

 

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments in the box below.

5 Dangers Of 21st Century Living

If the only time you give yourself to really unwind is on annual holiday then the chances are you will never really unwind. Digital mobile technology, with iPads and Smart phones, has made it harder to get away from work and relax. I read today that by 2014 more mobile internet searches will be done than from a desktop. Many people are potentially addicted to being connected to the internet (and therefore tied to work) and feel incomplete if they are out of contact even for a day.

SmartphonesThis idea is starting to gain some traction as seen in a recent article by Scott Belsky in which he raises some powerful questions including ‘What has happened to downtime?’

What might happen to our world if we forget how to take time out to stop, to replenish and just be still?

We are in a cyber age with a 24 hour news cycle, 24 hour money markets and a global economy where national identity and issues are often dwarfed by multi-nationalism and advances in technology with which noone can keep pace.

As a keen observer of 21st Century life I detect some dangers and some potential answers which I would like to flag in this article.

5 Dangers Of 21st Century Living

  1. A loss of thinking time – by this I mean time to reflect, to grapple with issues until we get to the heart of a problem to truly solve it. We have computers to do the analysis of a zillion facts and we think once the facts are analysed and we have all the data then we can make decisions. But statistics and data needs to be interpreted by careful critical thinking of which there is a dearth. The dumbing down of journalism, education, philosophy and of belief systems in a highly visual entertainment age is producing a populace who are technically advanced but do not necessarily have the guiding principles by which to assess whether something is good or bad, helpful or harmful, important or worthless in the long term.
  2. A loss of the sense of wonder of being human – This is a by-product of the speed of change and technological advancement. Despite all the incredible advances, social demographers tell us that the gap between rich and poor is widening. More people are struggling to make a living and feel that they are falling behind in lifestyle choices and opportunity. There is an underlying stress building up across humanity, especially in the Western world, which has the effect of eroding hope and undermining a sense of wonder. While there are amazing developments happening in our world much of humanity is feeling more vulnerable and less valued.
  3. A loss of understanding of the processes of life – Some otherwise natural things can be sped up a little, e.g.  the growth of a chicken from egg to when it is ready to be eaten. However many natural aspects of the human condition cannot be lasered or microwaved into being.  There seems to be less understanding of how life really works, how character is formed, what it takes and how long it takes to build a strong relationship or to heal a broken heart. Increasingly people want things instantly. Childhood innocence has been eroded and sexualised by marketers and movie makers, with parents left unsure of clear guidelines.  These and many other aspects of healthy human development take time to develop; more like the pace a tree grows than a production line producing another car or blueray recorder.
  4. A loss of understanding of the natural rhythm of life – We try to cram so much into our lives somehow afraid that we may miss out, and we often do not understand the need for downtime, for breaks, to relax and unwind, to replenish our soul. The crazy busy lives many lead come with a toll which is being paid in medication, various kinds of illegal and prescription drugs, relationship breakdown and other kinds of inner turmoil.
  5. Increasing mental health issues - 25% of all Income Protection Insurance claims in Australia are now due to psychological injuries (such as depression, stress, panic attacks, etc). Experts tell us that 1 in 4 will suffer from mental illness at some period in their life. So many are overwhelmed by life, by information overload and by the stress of going for more success.

Are there answers and where do they lie?

I am not advocating going back to the 1950′s when life was simpler and much slower paced. I love technology and the incredible advances that are being made every day.

However, I believe that to be truly human it is necessary to learn to disengage, unwind and replenish regularly. E.g. I’m switching my BlackBerry off on Sundays, and not having it in my bedroom at night. This goes back to old concepts of one day a week to rest and renew, like the sabbath rest in Judaism. In a highly automated and now digital technological age we are deluded if we think we can treat oursleves like  mechanical automatons. We are human beings not machines.

Other answers include: learning how to build strong relationships, belonging to healthy community, having clear values to guide your life and decisions, and learning to uncover and work with your natural rhythm of life.

 

What do you think about these issues? I’d love to hear your comments.

 

 

10 Questions Every Leader Needs To Ask!

I know from bitter experience in my own leadership journey where after many years of extremely fruitful leadership I became so busy responding to the demands of people and stretching for even greater goals that I stopped asking myself these questions. The results were disastrous for the organisation I was leading and shattering for me and my family.

Leadership by definition is a lonely role

John Maxwell says, “Leaders who need people cannot  lead people”. 

The leader must be aware of the big picture. They must see what others do not. Leadership decisions usually have greater implications than others in an organisation. If the leader gets it wrong everyone notices and many people can be affected. Real leaders accept that the buck stops with them.

So, in the midst of a host of competing demands how do I look after myself as a leader in order to make sure I do not fall at the first or the final hurdle?

10 Questions every leader needs to ask:

  1. How do I measure success? KPI’s are helpful but tend to be focused on productivity issues. How do I measure the quality of relationships, level of morale in the team, emotional energy being used, whole of life balance, my personal growth, etc.
  2. When is enough, enough? If things are not going well the tendency is for leaders to work harder and longer, which can then be self defeating. How do I build some margins into my life?
  3. What is the real strength in my leadership? Casting inspiring vision, setting demanding standards, being tough with non-performers, being insightful about recruiting staff or being the kind of leader who draws out the potential in people?
  4. How can I be tough enough to make the hard calls without losing my essential humanity?  There are some very tough calls as a leader, none tougher than firing people or letting people know their performance isn’t up to standard. Its the same around decisions to restructure the organisation that unsettles everyone and causes uncertainty and the inevitable criticisms and complaints. How do I steel myself for those times when I have to deal with wayward staff members without becoming hard emotionally in a way that affects my ability to have compassion towards my own family and friends?
  5. How do I deal with guilt, fear, insecurity and other potentially self-sabotaging emotions?
  6. What do I share with whom? If there is a personal issue that is troubling me, with whom do I share it without potentially undermining my leadership? (NB. This is one of the reasons why authority figures cannot mentor people under them because there will always be a limit to what is shared.)
  7. Who do I allow close enough to see my weaknesses? I believe it is essential for your long term safety and sanity that you have a few trusted people who know you well enough to call you an idiot when you are being one.
  8. How do I learn my unique strengths and weaknesses and overall capacity? This is where honest feedback is very useful, and a personal analysis tool like Extended DISC is invaluable.
  9. What do I need to guard in order to always be sharp on game day? Every leader has a unique Rhythm of Life that they must learn to understand and flow with so they can always be ready for high energy days.
  10. How do I plan an exit strategy at the right time for me and to ensure a positive legacy? Leadership does not and should not last forever, and most leaders hang too long rather than leave too early.

The more responsibility you have in leadership the more important it is to have clear answers to these 10 questions.

So, if you are in any kind of leadership position, I suggest you print out these 10 questions and see if you have a clear answer to them. Mark the ones which challenge you and do something about dealing with these and any other issues that your arise during reflection.

Issues may arise that are uncomfortable. If that is the case I strongly suggest you find a skilled leadership coach or mentor who can assist you with you. Can I urge you from painful experience not to let your pride get in the way.

What other questions would you add? I’d love to hear your feedback.

Extended DISC Is MUCH More Than A Personality Test.

Extended DISC is much more than a Personality Test.

Extended DISC (or E-DISC) is a personality profiling test that enables participants to learn which of the four main personality types they are. D for Dominant or Leader; I for Influencer or People Person; S for Steadiness or Stable; C for Conscientious or Details person. Hence we get D.I.S.C. Personality Profile which has been around for over 50 years.

If you just want to know which of the four personality types best describes you then DISC will help you. It is a great start to understanding self and others.

But the fact is that people do not fit neatly into 4 boxes. That is why E-DISC has been developed and scientifically tested on over 100,000 people worldwide with a reported 90% accuracy. E-DISC starts with the 4 main personality types and refines the test and the results to include 160 aspects of personality and behaviour.

Extended DISC is the premier personality test available today.

After completing a 48 question computer test, which takes about 15 minutes, a 24 page report is generated. It is forwarded to a trained consultant who will then explain and work through the implications of the report to the test participant.

I have been working with people as a trained E-DISC consultant for the past 12 months. Every time I sit with a person to go over their personality test report I am reminded of the power of this profiling tool. Without fail my clients are amazed at the accuracy of the report.

Some Benefits of an Extended DISC Personal Analysis Report:

  1. It describes them in detail – their personal attributes, strengths, development areas, motivators, communication style, decision making style, what they try to avoid and their ideal manager-leader
  2. It especially focuses on a person’s natural style and measures that against the way they perceive they need to adjust to be successful in their workplace.
  3. It  is excellent for measuring the amount of energy it takes to perform functions at work. A person can be quite successful at what they do because they have learned to perform the taks of their job, but the amount of energy  required can be stressful. The E-DISC profile will show which aspects of a role are causing that stress.
  4. It can predict whether a role is sustainable over the longer term or whether it would be better to change aspects of the role in order to better suit  a person’s personality.

The Extended DISC personality profile is actually a personality and behavioural profile. It helps a person to undertsand their personality and their behaviour. The report is an excellent tool with which a trained consultant can assist their client to laser focus on the chief current stressors in their life and work. Over and again my clients tell me it is invaluable. 

E-DISC can be used to analyse a work-pair reporting on the potential for synergy between 2 people. An E-DISC Team Analysis can be done, as can a 360 reveiw by team members of any position in a company. There are many other ways that E-DISC can be used.  For more information check Extended DISC Australasia

That is why I am confident to say, Extended DISC is so much more than a personality test.

If you would like to know more about Extended DISC and how you can access your own E-DISC Profile Report and Consultation please contact John Drury via phone or email.