Eliminating "Word Trash"

There are every day words that when used, clutter our written communication and make it more difficult to understand. These non specific words make it hard to connect with your audience in a meaningful way. Here's some examples of "word trash" that Will Jelbert, a writer, communications consultant and coach recommends avoiding: 

Just

Any

Everything

Honest

Always & Never

Should & Ought

Hate & Love

As you write e-mails or other communications, check yourself for these trash words. If you're tempted to use one, stop and think through what you're trying to say and consider using words that more precisely communicate your message. 

Avoiding Burnout

 As a leader the demands on you are substantial. There are guests needs, employee needs and overall business needs that all need your attention. Work burnout is a real threat, particularly as you get towards the tail end of a long, tough season. Work burnout can negatively impact your job performance in a number of ways. To help safeguard against burnout follow these recommendations: 

1. Take time off. It's hard to do sometimes but forcing yourself to take a day away from the demands of work can make a huge difference. 

2. Tune out. Create 20 to 30 minute mental breaks throughout your day. Go for a walk, listen to some music or do whatever you find relaxing. 

3. Go silent. Carve out times each day when you turn off the phone, the radio and the e-mail to give yourself time to stop trying to multitask. Use that time to focus on one important task or project.

4. Lighten your load. If you're stressed, share that stress with a trusted confidant. 

5. Recognize the signs. Know when you're reaching your limits and don't wait too long to address the situation. 

"That's a Leader"

Responding to New Ideas

How you as a leader respond to new ideas sets the tone for your team and your organization. If you want to build a culture that values and continually pushes forward with innovation, The Center for Creative Leadership recommends having a mindset that includes...

Curiosity - Be a leader who is always exploring new ideas, wanting to learn and asking why.
 

Ambiguity Tolerance - Work to embrace and not shy away from uncertainty and the unknown.

Affirmative Judgement - Focus first on the value and positive aspects of a new idea before jumping to the negative. 

Persistence - Be willing to invest the time and effort needed to explore and push new ideas forward, even in the face of substantial resistance. 

Slow Down to Speed Up

 As leaders we know that often times the speed with which we make decisions and act is critical. There are times when it is essential that we move quickly. Unfortunately we can find ourselves caught in the trap of always assuming that going fast is best. 

Sometimes in our rush to get things done quickly, the quality of the decisions we make and the actions we take suffer. There are times when hitting the brakes can actually save us time in the long run. Here are some times for slowing down to make better decisions. 

1. Slow down the decision making process. Act quickly once you've made a decision but take the time to really think through a problem, potential solutions and the consequences of those solutions. 

2. Rein in runaway group discussions. Often times in groups an idea becomes like a freight train, moving ever so quickly as people jump onboard and running down anything in its way. Don't be afraid to put up the stop sign and ask the group to slow done and look at other perspectives. 

3. Take time to assess not just the decision but the quality of the decision making. Ask yourself (and others in a group setting) did we consider all the facts? Did we look at all the alternatives?  Have we thought through all the consequences? 

4. Make sure the goal and parameters are clear before you say go. People implementing a solution need to understand the end goal of what your asking them to do. They also need to know what the boundaries are and what leeway they have. 

Slowing down to make well thought through decisions saves time in the long run because as we implement them we don't hit as many unexpected roadblocks and encounter as much resistance. 

Leadership Lessons

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, has become a go to resource for other CEOs looking for tips on how to turn around their organizations. When asked, he offers four simple but important lessons he's learned and suggests others apply: 

1. Don't be a "know it all," be a "learn it all." 

2. Bring clarity, not confusion. 

3. Create energy. 

4. No excuses. 

As a leader do you model these? Are you continually looking for new ideas, new approaches and new perspectives even if they challenge what you think you already know? Do you simplify things and create laser like focus for your teams?  Do you inspire and energize your team?  Do you help your team overcome barriers and find creative ways to get things done? 

Walking Backwards

Almost every day I take a walk around the neighborhood where I live. I have a regular route I take. It feels comfortable and predictable. I know the sights and sounds I'll encounter along the way. 

A couple of days ago, for no real reason, I turned the opposite direction when I got to the end of my driveway. I found myself traveling my normal route "backwards." Initially it was a little disorienting. The farther I went, however, the more I recognized the difference it was making. I was noticing things I had not seen before even though I have walked by them hundreds of times. I was taking things in from a new perspective. Things looked different. Not better or worse, but different. After the initial disorientation it was exciting and refreshing to see things in a new way. 

In what ways as leaders do we often find ourselves operating in routines? We get comfortable with the familiar. We like the predictability. We develop unintentional habits. We find what works in one situation and stick with it. 

How much more effective might we be if we occasionally stepped outside our routines? What new perspectives might be get? What might we see that we've been missing? Could we reinvigorate some of what we do with some exciting and refreshing new ideas?  What would happen if we walked the route we walk each day as a leader, but did it "backwards?" 

Four Most Important Words

 

Being Respected Rather Than Being Liked

Writing on INC.com  Deborah Grayson Riegel highlights the important distinction between the behaviors of leaders who want to be liked vs. those who want to be respected. 

Leaders who want (and often need) to feel liked tend to: 

• Seek attention and approval
• Engage in gossip rather than giving direct feedback
• Try to please everyone
• Make promises they can't keep
• Keep strong opinions to themselves
• Flood people with credit, compliments and praise
• Play favorites but pretend they don't
• Use information as leverage
• Assign people tasks they enjoy rather than assignments that stretch and challenge them. 
• Focus more on how people feel than on achieving outcomes.

Leaders who recognize the importance of being respected, with or without being liked, tend to: 

• Tell the truth even when it's unpopular 
• Explain their thinking behind difficult decisions
• Acknowledge the elephant in the room, even if they can't fix it
• Say no when they need to
• Be open-minded and decisive
• Give credit to others when its due
• Tolerate feelings of disappointment, frustration and anger in themselves and others
• Hold people accountable for their results
• Be consistent and fair in setting rules and expectations
• Set and honor boundaries for themselves and others
• Deliver negative feedback directly and in a timely manner
• Apologize when they make mistakes and move on  
• Model the behavior they expect from others

Take a look at the list and identify which behaviors most reflect who you are as a leader. Are you more interested in being liked or respected? If you find yourself with more of the behaviors in the "liked" list, could you be more effective if you focused more on respect? 

Thinking About Failure

Most of us thrive on optimism. We look at situations and try to imagine the best possible outcomes. If we constantly focused on what could go wrong we'd live a pretty gloomy life. We'd also be a person others would not want to be around. Our life would be filled with anxiety and we'd likely be too afraid to act. You certainly don't want to go there but there are times, however, when thinking about failure and what might go wrong can be helpful. 

Next time you plan a project, whether it be a facility upgrade, a new activity or some other change, take just a few minutes to consider the worst case scenario. You've looked at what could go right. It's why you're moving ahead with the project. Spend a few minutes considering what if your assumptions are wrong. What if things don't work out. 

It's easy to get caught up in the positive side of a project in an effort to sell yourself or others on it. There's an excitement to something new that leads us to look at the upside while ignoring the potential pitfalls. Considering what could go wrong offers the following advantages: 

1. If you anticipate problems you may be able to make adjustments to prevent them or at least create a contingency plan. 

2. When you look at both the positive and negative sides of a project there are opportunities to learn. Assessing the potential risks might uncover potential problems whose solutions may actually improve the project. 

3. Considering the potential for failure might make you realize the risk vs. reward of a project just doesn't make sense and maybe it's not worth doing. It's easy sometimes to fall in love with an idea and overlook the negative. Force yourself to be a pessimist for just a little while and ask some hard questions. 

4. By looking at both sides of a potential project, you'll be prepared for questions, for doubters, for those who don't think it will work. Whether you have to sell the project to others to get permission and/or funding or you just want to get them excited about it, looking at the potential problems keeps you from being surprised by other people's doubts. 

SCARF

The Open Door Policy

Most organizations have a formal open door policy. Many leaders regularly emphasize that their door is always open. The danger is when leaders rely too heavily on the open door policy.

The open door policy puts the onus on the employee to initiate communication. It says I'm here if you need me, but you must come to me. If you have a problem or need assistance come in and let me know.

Unfortunately, employees are too often reluctant to go through those open doors. They may feel asking for help makes them look weak or incompetent. They may be intimidated by the leader. They may not be able to take time away from their work.

Leaders need to remember the open doorways leads both in and out. Effective leaders don't wait for employees to come to them. They regularly get out of their offices to interact with their staff. They make a point of checking in. They practice what management guru Tom Peters calls management by wandering around.

Don't ditch your open door policy but don't rely on it to stay in touch with your staff and what's happening in your organization. Go out the door and stay in touch.

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