Lead Artfully

Category: Emerging Leader

Topics for new and emerging leaders

  • The Lead Artfully eBook FREE edition!

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    You can now download the first 3 chapters of our Lead Artfully ebook PDF now.  This is a self-development guide for Technical and Business Leaders – FOR FREE! 

    The Lead Artfully eBook FREE edition PDF contains our first three FULL CHAPTERS of our Lead Artfully Blueprint enabling you to : –

    Chapter 1: Understand – To lead well requires a clarity of understanding.   This means improving self-awareness.  Figuring out our team’s dynamics, and understanding what leadership styles are available to us to adapt to the situation.  We also explore the concept and types of power, and how this influences team harmony and performance.

    Chapter 2: Inspire – How well a leader inspires those around them to achieve a common goal impacts every aspect of your team performance, purpose, and well-being.  This chapter explores what drives us as leaders, and how to create a clear vision and mission others can get behind.  We also discuss core values, and how to inspire positive behaviour change to improve team culture.

    Chapter 3: Develop – This chapter describes creating effective goals and plans.  This, alongside developing your people, we delve into the skills, competencies, and attitudes required to succeed.  We also explain ways to develop and grow talent in the team, using our capability mapping tool.

    Download your free edition of our Lead Artfully ebook (in PDF format) here!

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  • What motivates people in the workplace?

    What motivates people in the workplace?

    The psychology of motivation

    Motivation stems from basic human needs of survival.  Despite being the most advanced creatures on the planet, we are still biological beings.  We are hard-wired to act in certain ways if our subconscious determines our survival needs depends on it.  Physiological needs such as food, water, warmth, and safety fall into this category.  The motivation to fulfil these become stronger the longer they are denied.  For example, the longer you go without food, the hungrier you become.

    However, our advanced brains are also more likely to act if our psychological wellbeing is not being satisfied.  Psychological needs include a sense of belonging, fitting in, love, and esteem.  Once a deficit need has been satisfied, our motivation is re-directed towards meeting the next set of needs not yet met.

    Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, identified this pattern of behaviour and in 1943 first proposed this in a paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. It has become known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  As with all theory, there are critics.  But it remains a widely used leadership tool as it can explain common human nature recognisable in ourselves and others.

    From observations, Maslow theorised that once psychological and basic needs were met our motivation for these things reduced.  But once our focus turned to personal growth and self-actualisation, success or creativity become the motivating force.  Ongoing growth then does not stem from a lack of something, but a desire to grow as a person, meaning motivation grows with the more we achieve.  Our success breeds desire for more success.

    Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

    So how does this fit in a modern workplace?

    Sadly, life events can destabilise our once psychological and basic needs.  These are events that are often outside of our control.  Every person is capable of moving up the hierarchy, but experiences such as job loss, divorce, family bereavement, financial problems, or even threat of a restructure can cause someone to fluctuate between these levels.  As we all know, change is a constant in life.  Rarely will someone move consistently up through the hierarchy.  Typically, we all fluctuate as “life happens” to us all.

    As a leader this becomes critical to understand in a team context.  How we act, and interact, in terms of our own motivations influences others.  A misplaced word from a senior manager can cause an individual, who may have low self-security, to go into a metaphorical tailspin.  For example, the mere mention of possible restructure can motivate valuable staff to look for another job.  All because of a perceived loss of security.

    In other words, what is motivating us at a certain time drives our behaviour, which in turn can impact the needs of others.  Sometimes this may not even be immediately self-recognisable.  During times of change in our own lives, it is important to reflect on our own actions and interactions. Ask for help from a mentor, peer, or coach, and take care of ourselves.

    Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the Workplace

    What are some barriers to maintaining self-actualisation?

    Those “life happens” moments also occur with teams. Team changes that occur from time to time such as a long-term staff member suddenly leaving.  Likewise, something as big as a company merger, or as small as the recruitment of a new team member can have a direct impact on others.  These then cause a change in behaviour and motivations.  Such events that trigger a change in team dynamics should be watched to ensure individuals needs are being met.

    Some examples of what to watch out for are shown below:

    TriggerMotivational impactPossible impacts
    Threat of redundancySafety needs

    Search for new job

    Reduced of productivity

    Negative feelings about company/boss.

    Perception of being underpaidEsteem needs
    Paid less than peersEsteem needs
    Financial hardshipPhysiological needs

    Taking on extra paid duties

    Becoming overworked/tired

    Behaving out of character

    Work relationship issueBelonging and love

    Avoiding work/individuals

    Reduced of productivity

    Unwillingness to take on other duties

    Increase in work absences/sick leave

    Loss of confidence

    Workplace bullyingSafety needs
    Workplace accidentSafety needs
    Change in team dynamicsBelonging and love

    Change in productivity

    Team members may “step-up” or choose to leave.

    Perception of being micro-managedEsteem needs

    Loses pride in work

    Feelings of underappreciation or frustration.

    Reduced productivity.

    Demotion or failing to secure promotionEsteem needs
    Reduction in staff dutiesEsteem needs
    New job/career opportunitySelf-actualisation

    Willingness to take on other duties or training.

    Ability to make a difference by creating something new at work.

    Feeling of self-worth.

    Increase confidence.

     

    What behaviours lead to self-actualisation?

    While everyone achieves self-actualisation in their own unique way, they tend to share certain characteristics.

    Here are a few traits: –

      1.  Takes on self-responsibility and purpose and works hard.
      2.  Is inquisitive like a child, fully absorbed and focused in the present.
      3.  Uses their gut feeling when assessing experiences.
      4.  Are honest, a mature self-actualising adult never plays emotional games with others.
      5.  They aren’t afraid to try new things, just because something is always done a certain way does not mean there aren’t different, possibly even better ways.
      6.  Self-reflection and courage, especially when identifying why their own defences are raised.
      7.  Acceptance of self and others for what and who they are.
      8.  Are prepared to consider unpopular views, even when these don’t align with others.

     

    Do you have examples or feedback?

    If you have your own examples of triggers and motivational impacts, or have any questions on the topics covered, please share in the comments below.

  • 7 secrets of high performing teams

    7 secrets of high performing teams

    Looking back what was the best team you ever worked in?  What do you think made it so memorable?  High performing teams succeed because they take on work, with clear intent.  Intent comes with focus, commitment, trust, and belief in a vision.  As leader it is up to you to harness that intent.  Below are our 7 secrets of high performing teams.  In it you will see that intent only forms when you create an environment that lets the team thrive.

     

    The 7 secrets of high performing teams

     

    1: Set clear, achievable goals.

    Setting achievable shared-goals sound pretty obvious.  But they need to be both communicated and shared often, so the team knows what they are working towards, and why.  Next, break it down into smaller goals and tasks that each individual can achieve, that suit their skills and talents.  But be clear about how one enables the other.  The clearer your colleagues are with each other communicating these goals, and where they are at emotionally and personally, the easier it will be for them to work together.

     

    2: Build Trust.

    Team success is dependent on trust.  Without it no team truly succeeds, you just get individual heroics.  Building trust takes daily work, leading by example.  Encourage reliability by doing what you say, practice good communication skills, and be open and honest.  For more information on building trust with teams, see our related article located here.

     

    3: Have hard conversations.

    Managing conflict, the right way is critical if you want your team to work well together.  Conflict does not have to mean confrontation.  Successful teams are mature enough to take on hard conversations and feedback, as long as it is both timely, and constructive.  If part of the team is rowing the wrong way, they need to be brought back on track, fast.  For their sake, and for the sake of the organisation, and the health of the team.  Team members should feel safe in giving or receiving such feedback.  For more information on having difficult conversations, see our article here.

     

    4: Encourage self-discipline.

    Everybody’s circadian rhythms are different, and some of us work better in the morning, afternoon, or evening.  Team performance improves when you allow each member to set aside time for high-intensity work that suits their rhythms.  This is especially important when the work requires focus time.  Those roles that require 90% focus are quickly derailed if they are constantly interupted, like software developers or analysts.  Other roles require regular interaction with others, such as support staff, sales teams, or project managers.   Trust and encourage them to work in a way that suits how they can contribute best to the team.

     

    5: Understand impacts.

    Each task, decision, and activity we do has a consequence.  We all create waves, and it is important to understand the impact of that for ourselves and for those around us.   For example, the order we do things when working in a team can impact a colleague’s work, if they are waiting on us.  Words a leader uses, has impacts.  So, seeing the wider picture, communicating often, and having empathy, are all important for team dynamics.

     

    6: Rethink meetings.

    Meetings have become a necessary evil in almost every organisation.  But keep them focused with a clear purpose and agenda, run and end on time.  Try to include time for everyone to give a brief update on how they are tracking and feeling about their work, and the team.  Ask if there is anything they need you to start or stop doing, to help them achieve the goals.

    Also, avoid following up one meeting with another.  Give your team time to do the work.  We all know the psychological pressure back-to-back meetings cause.  Fore more information on how to run an effective meeting, see our tips here.

     

    7: Invest in results.

    The more everyone cares about what they are doing, the better they will feel, and the harder they will work.  Encourage the team to collaborate and help each other, especially if someone is struggling.  Commitment to sharing and achieving goals leads to better team cohesion.  Also let the team know it is okay to ask for help.

     

     

    Your observations

     

    Those were the 7 secrets of high peforming teams that we have discovered.  If your team is doing this then you are n the right track for fantastic results, but it is by no means an exhaustive list.  What behaviors or actions have you observed when you have been part of a high performing team?  We’d love to hear them!

  • How do you improve team collaboration?

    How do you improve team collaboration?

    The need to work with others  is a given in any job, right?  Even in roles where there are set activities, these contribute to the whole.   A greater level of collaboration is required when these activities change, or need special focus.  But how do you improve team collaboration?  Great collaboration skills require the ability to get on with others, clear communication, and jointly owning goals and responsibility.  

    Moreover, today it often needs to take place in a variety of settings, ranging from an office or workshop to a virtual team connected remotely.  A group works cohesively, combining and contributing each member’s strengths for the overall benefit of a goal. Examples of collaboration are an artist, a photographer, an editor, and a designer working to create the cover of a publication.  Likewise, a group of sales, technical, and customers may need to come together to identify the cause of a problem, and suitable solutions.

    Why collaboration is important?

     

    1. It helps find better solutions.

    The people affected by a problem need to be heard. By bringing everyone affected together, full perspective can be found. There are great benefits in having people collaborating on projects from their outset. With collaboration, problems are easier to foresee, identify, and solve.

     

    2. It brings people together and makes organizations more cohesive.

    Avoid situations where certain members of your organization rarely interact with others and departments and work in isolated silos. When such situations exist then collaboration, when needed, is harder to achieve.

     

    3. People learn from each other.

    When give a chance to work together, people bring different skills and experience to the task and everyone involved learns from each other. Collaborating is a learning experience, and you benefit from this in subtle ways.  It teaches those in your organisation how each area functions and contributes.

    4. It improves morale.

    When teams and departments collaborate, people learn to trust each other more, and this improves the morale of the entire organization. When there is a lack of trust and low morale, success is unlikely. This leads to poorer work cultures, strategy that is more difficult to execute, and lower staff retention.

    5. It improves the culture

    Collaboration implies a far better workplace environment.  That is a becoming far more  important to employees.   Also, it is a pre-requesite to attract the best and brightest new recruits.

    6. It improves efficiency.

    There are times when working independently suits a situation.  But collaboration is more efficient for complex and demanding jobs.  Sharing knowledge builds sustainability in your workforce reducing risk.  Cross-skilling and diversity of thought leads to finding new ways to improve efficiency.  After-all, no one person is brighter than all of us! 

    Improving collaboration 

    So if your staff struggles with this, how do you improve team collaboration?  First, let’s look at the skills required.  Then, we’ll look at some recommended steps to lead the collaboration efforts.

    Key skills required

    Because team collaboration is now more important than ever, here are 5 key skills worth working on.  Note, these all work to build trust across a group.

    1. The ability to practice good, open communication.
    2. The ability to achieve consensus. Accept when a good idea, is a good idea, regardless of the source.
    3. The ability to put group goals above personal gain.  Learn to identify and park the ego.
    4. Empathy. Building relationships and working well with others requires understanding other people’s perspectives.
    5. Recognising and admiting errors or mistakes.

     

    Steps to a more collaborative work culture

    Finally, as a leader you must take a lead in nurturing collaboration. 

    1. Find opportunities requiring staff collaboration.  Change things up, seek out opportunities to get teams thinking across groups.  Repeat problems or solving customer complaints are a great way to turn negatives into positives!  Treat them as staff development opportunities.
    2. Practice communicating your goals, or defining problems that needs solving, with your team. Ask for feedback if people seem confused or can’t repeat back clearly what it is you need them to achieve.
    3. Be clear in your own mind as to the mission and strategy of your organization, and the part your team plays in this. From that, all work should be easier to prioritise.
    4. Develop and encourage empathy. Try and sense when your people are uncomfortable, angry, or defensive.  Get others to think this way too if they have interpersonal conflicts.  Tip: Check out our article on body language, here.
    5. Deliberately place your people into other departments for short periods, so that they can see how the organization as a whole work and how they can assist.
    6. Coach your staff to help them collaborate better, share and learn from each other.
    7. Reinforce to those that you lead what the mission of your organization, what’s important, and why.
    8. Provide as much training as possible, to teach staff how to use collaborative tools like Slack, Trello, Google docs, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. In a post-Covid world, where work offsite will be far more common and important, this is essential.

    Recommended reading:

    Mastering Collaboration: Make Working Together Less Painful and More Productive – Gretchen Anderson

    How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams – Marsha Aker

  • How to identify workplace bullying

    How to identify workplace bullying

    In order to understand how to identify workplace bullying, let’s start with a quick definition.  Bullying is a negative interaction between people that usually results from a power imbalance.  It is Bullying if this behaviour is repeated.  Both bullies and their victims can have serious and lasting psychological problems.  For those who are the subject of bullying, the impacts on their life and wellbeing can be serious.  In extreme cases it can even lead to suicide.

    Bullying includes unpleasant actions such as threats, spreading rumours, isolation or exclusion from someone or something; or verbal, emotional, or physically attacking someone.  Most people encounter bullying at school, either as a victim, a bully themselves, or both.  However, it is most commonly experienced by adults in the workplace.

     

    What is workplace bullying?

    Workplace bullying occurs at work as verbal, physical, social, or psychological abuse.  While it involves a power imbalance between the victim and perpetrator, the bully is not always the victim’s boss.  A manager may have positional power over an individual, but a workplace bulling can also be the victims peer, colleague, or even a regular customer.  Also, the boss can be bullied by the people they lead!  Individuals hold power over others in different ways.  This can be through physical strength, social dominance, perceived seniority, or skills and knowledge.  Workplace bullying can occur in any workplaces involving human interaction.  Retail, hospitality, factories, workshops, building sites, hospitals, schools, and offices, no environment is immune.   Volunteers, work experience people, apprentices, interns, casual and permanent employees can all be the victims of bullying.

     

    When is not workplace bullying?

    There are also examples where poor performers claim victimisation, when in fact they are the ones letting the team down.  This is where a manager needs to keep recorded records and also be mindful that what they are expecting is fair from an individual.   Setting goals and deadlines for people, rostering staff on/off, and other operational decisions is not bulling if it is fair, realistic, and appropriate for a persons role and experience.  Similarly, informing a worker about unsatisfactory performance in an honest, fair and constructive way is not bullying if you remain professional, calm, and stick to the facts.  This is no different with taking disciplinary action when necessary, it needs to be appropriate, justified, and adhere to a fair process.

     

    What are the effects of bullying?

    Bullying is a serious problem impacting teams and individuals everywhere.  Not only does it cause to serious impacts to the health and wellbeing of victims, but it impacts an employers obligations for providing a safe workplace.  Most countries include it in health and safety laws as a safeguard.  Boards of directors are accountable for protecting staff wellbeing, with managers sharing the responsibility.   So, while the cause of workplace bullying is not always a manager, it is their responsibility to identify it and act to protect their staff.

    Physical symptoms of someone who may be being bullied, include:

    • Sudden changes in demeanour or behaviour
    • Depression and anxiety
    • Type of condition caused by stress (such as high blood pressure, panic attacks, insomnia)
    • Digestive problems, including ulcers, resulting from ongoing persecution
    • Shingles, psoriasis, and other skin conditions

    A bullied worker is unable to perform their jobs nearly as well as if there were no bullying. Reasons include:

    • The health reasons enumerated above and others
    • An inability to concentrate
    • Loss of confidence or self-esteem
    • Feelings of shame and embarrassment
    • Fear and hopelessness
    • A sense of isolation and betrayal
    • Need to defend themselves
    • Avoidance of work that involves the bully.

    Also, witnesses to bullying are also affected.

    Workplace bullying affects employers, not only victims. Harmful by-products of this destructive practice include:

    • The work environment is described as toxic, where aggression, fear, blame, and suspicion are common.
    • Wider impacts to other staff who witness bullying behaviour[5].
    • A reduction in productivity.
    • Much higher rates of absenteeism
    • Compensation claims and legal issues​ resulting from breaches in health and safety laws.
    • Damage to an organisations reputation.

     

    How can you identify bullying at work?

    A critical skill in identifying workplace bullying is learning how to read the signs in others.  Often victims will not want to put a target on their back by reporting a bully.

    Can you spot when vitimisation is occuring?  Here are some signs:

    • Their fellow workers seem to shut them out and ignore them.
    • The team exludes individuals from social events, such as morning breaks, lunches, and after work gatherings.
    • Their manager checks on them repeatedly without a seeming reason.
    • Assignment of new tasks occur without proper training or help, even when requested.
    • Their work is so frequently checked and they start to lose their confidence.
    • Unfair criticizm occurs regularly.
    • Individuals are more commonly the target of jests or practical jokes.
    • There is a pattern of documents, files, tools, or their personal belongings going missing.

    Staff bully the manager by:

    • Frequently showing disrespect and even contempt to their manager.
    • Refusing to do what is asked.
    • Spreading rumours about their manager.
    • Withholding key information and/or deliberately making their manager seem incompetent.

    Someone’s body language can tell us a lot more about how someone is really feeling.  For more information, check out our related article here.

     

     How can you tell if you’re a workplace bully?

    How do know if you are a bully? Some signs:

    • You repeatedly upset people around you. Do most people take offence at what you say and do, do they complain about your behaviour, do they express distaste, displeasure even disgust at your actions? If this happens, a red flag has been raised. You should take this very seriously.
    • Do you lack empathy? This means putting yourself in other’s shoes and feeling what they feel. Do you care? You should.
    • Are you aggressive? Aggression is usually a very negative emotion. There are some situations, such as in sport or the military, where aggression is vitally needed but usually not in the workplace.
    • Do you gossip? A spreader of malicious rumours? Bullies often do this.
    • Are you happiest around insecure people? Those who will follow you blindly and those who will be your victims.
    • When someone else fails at some work task or goal, do you feel relieved or happy?
    • Is it common for you to use your position to exert control over people? Common examples include giving forceful directives, using your title to get your way, or even shouting.  This is abuse of power.

    The above are tell-tale signs that you may be a bully.  If you notice any of these traits in yourself then you better do something about it before someone else does.  All bullies eventually get their just desserts!  Still not sure if that’s you?  Then we recommend reading our article on improving self-awareness.

     

    How should managers deal with bullies?

    So, what does a manager do about bullying?  At work, there will be differences of opinions and conflicts can arise; this is quite normal and healthy. However, workplace bullying is fundamentally different and has the potential to undermine an entire team/organization.  As a good manager, you must take bullying seriously and deal with it quickly.

    Here are some steps:

    • Take bullying seriously.  Telling someone to “toughen up” is not an appropriate response.
    • Learn all you can about bullying (additional recommended reading below).
    • Make sure your organisation has a written bullying policy [an example is available here].
    • Learn how to identify victimisation.
    • Gather facts of what has occurred.
    • Make the bully accountable for their behaviour.
    • Try and conduct your dealing with bullying privately.
    • Next, it is best to not have both the bully and bullied together to go through the issues.
    • Make sure you keep accurate records of all bullying and your dealings with it.
    • Remember you may be the bully. Be honest with yourself and ask the opinion of others who you trust (and refer to the next section).

    As a leader, you are responsible for making sure that bullying does not occur and to lead by example.

     

    Dealing with yourself if you’re a workplace bully?

    Earlier we listed some signs that you may be a workplace bully.  If your manager is doing their job then they will know what you’re doing, and you will be held to account.  Either way, identifying that you have a problem is a difficult but most significant first step in dealing with it.   The next is to reduce the power imbalance by apologizing to your victims and asking for their forgiveness.  Followeup immediately by asking them for feedback and advice on removing this negative behaviour from your modus operandi.   These steps are difficult, but critical if you care about yourself and others.   Failure to act will have more dire consequenses for you and your victims.

     

    Recommended reading:

    Take the Bully by the Horns – S Horn

    Successful Leaders Aren’t Bullies – M Paknis

    The Bully at Work: What You Can Do – G Namie

  • How to become more resilient at work

    How to become more resilient at work

    What is resilience?

    Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks.  Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks.  How to become more resilient at work is to bounce back, or respond to setbacks, faster.

    Some people, as a result of their previous experiences or even their nature, appear more resilient than others.  Despite natural tendencies, resilience is a skill that can be learned by anyone!

    What about resilience in the workplace?

    Most workplaces provide challenges and setbacks.  Some of these can cause stress, which often leads to serious problems.  But our reaction to stress, rather than the stress itself, is what studies have found actually causes us harm.

     

    What actually is stress?

    Stress is the body’s reaction to perceived pressure and is designed to help us respond faster or focus on a perceived threat.   This is fine when you are in danger, or you need to push yourself in a competitive or demanding situation.  This kind of stress is short-lived.  Stress of this type is called acute stress and recovery from it is swift.

    On the other hand, if our bodily system, which causes stress, is active for long periods then you have chronic stress.  Therefore, being more resilient and managing this well reduces harm that your reaction to chronic stress can cause.

    Stress triggers

    Stress should not be considered a negative influence on your life.  It is your body trying to help you manage a situation.  However, there are negative triggers of stress that you will need to identify and treat.  These could include taking on too much work, dangers in the workplace, or even workplace bullying.  Having a support person to discuss these concerns with is key to working through these problems.  Understanding you don’t have to deal with negative stress triggers on your own is vital.

    On the flip side, positive triggers to stress are those that provide opportunities to win or succeed in something.   They often include personal or professional development opportunities.  Taking on a challenging project, needing to learn a new skill, facing a fear such as public speaking, or starting on a new job should be considered positive triggers.   As stress can help you focus and give you more energy it can be your ally in these situations.  So, your attitude to stress in general is key at building residence at work.

     

    Examples of resilience in workplace

    A top sportsperson and had only been married for a couple of years.  Their job was demanding but they were quite happy in it.  The job was a means to support both their sporting life, and new family, and they treated it as such.

    Their employer described them as steady under fire.   They were described by their supervisor in the following way, “If you want something done quickly and professionally, give it to them…”

    Most of all, they were resilient; no matter what the job threw at them, they rolled with the punches and bounced back.

    Another larger example is supplied by a study[1] over twelve years of a large American company during a period of massive change.  During this time about half the employees lost their jobs, with many resulting personal tragedies.

    However, the resilient ones not only survived but treated the changes as opportunities and rose to the challenge transforming the business.  Those resilient staff who lost their jobs found new opportunities to transform their own lives outside of the company.  The good news is that you can learn how to become more resilient at work!

     

    For yourself: How to become more resilient at work

    1. Be positive!

    Treat adversity as a challenge and useful lesson.  Do not give up.  Be grateful for all that is good and there is much that is.

    2. Develop your emotional insight

    Learn about yourself, what are your fears?  What are your strengths?  What is important to you?

    3. Have a healthy balance in your life

    Work is not everything.  You need times when you relax, you unwind and you recuperate.  Your family and friends need you; make sure you don’t let work destroy what is really precious.

    [Working from home?  Check out our article on improving your work life balance while working form home.]

    4. Spirituality is not superstition

    You might be surprised to learn that people who are spiritual have greater resilience at work[2]. If you find meaning to your work, this counteracts against stress.

    5. Perspective is everything

    Chances are you will not remember what was stressing you out a month ago, let alone last week.  So how important is it in the grand scheme?  Is it worth getting wound up about?  Try not to sweat the small stuff, and remember you are only one person and can only do so much.

    6. Keep a sense of humour

    Crap happens.  Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine, and look for opportunities to laugh!

     

    For your team: How to foster resilience in the workplace

    There is a variety of ways to foster a more resilient team.  A team whose members are resilient is far better prepared to withstand and overcome its challenges.  Managers promote cohesion of their team and strengthen it when they actively foster it.  Here are some strategies:

    1. Using guides and checklists

    For problems that can be anticipated and likely to cause staff stress, these are a useful resource for giving staff something they can refer to when presented with the problem.  Having a clear checklist is a way to break down stressful events into manageable steps, and clear directions on who needs to do what, when.

    2. Training for resilience

    There is value in promoting resilience and having team resilience training.  Many members of your team will know little of this.  Deliberately setting aside time for this training shows its importance.

    3. Debriefing sessions

    After a major event, there is great value in giving staff a thorough debriefing.  It’s a great time to reflect on what went well, and congratulate and reassure staff, as well as identify new ways of working that could improve the situation if it were to happen again.

    4. Team culture

    A leader has the key responsibility to create the best environment for those they led.  They can promote a positive work culture by consistently :

    > Be positive

    > Leading by example and showing resilience

    > Remaining calm and well-mannered during periods of extra stress.

    > Be available to your team when needed.

    > Take employees’ concerns seriously.

    > Support staff during crises.

    > Encourage staff to speak up in a positive way.

    > Promote resilience and help your staff to be resilient.

    > Be decisive, and prioritise conflicting work when needed.

    > Have fun!  Celebrate the successes and recognise a job well done.

     

    Final thoughts

    A resilient workforce grows overtime through reinforcing the right behaviours and giving your team a safe, inclusive, and caring environment in which to thrive.

    References:

    [1] Maddi, S. R., & Khoshaba, D. M. (2005). Resilience at work: How to succeed no matter what life throws at you. Amacom Books.

    [2] Pierce, G. F. (2010). Spirituality at work: 10 ways to balance your life on the job. Loyola Press.

    Recommended reading:

  • How do I improve my self awareness at work

    How do I improve my self awareness at work

    It’s impossible to become an effective leader without self-awareness.   Every leader possesses a unique set of attributes that helps them develop their own style.   But equally every leader, no matter how seasoned, has weaknesses.  Learning how to improve self-awareness is critical in understanding how we come across to others.

     

    What is self-awareness?

    Self-awareness is defined as the ability to be mindfully aware of your motivations, fears, insecurities, beliefs and thinking.  Leaders who are self-aware are conscious of their strengths and weaknesses.  This helps with identifying what to focus on improving.   It means being more realistic about yourself and understanding how others perceive you.

    If you see the following traits in yourself, you may need to work on becoming more self-aware:

    1. You find yourself micro-managing others

    The desire to micro-manage usually stems from a lack of trust.   Perhaps you don’t think others will do it as well as you, or to a certain standard.

    2. You avoid taking blame

    It may be common for you to become defensive or dismissive when something goes wrong.

    3. You’re often anxious and stressed

    Stress is normal in life, but an inability to pinpoint the underlying cause may be caused by low self-awareness.

    4. You indulge in passive-agressive behaviour

    Critical barbs directed at others simply because they disagree with you, or you dislike them, may stem a defensive mechanism or insecurity.

    By becoming more self-aware, we can play to our strengths while identifying weaknesses as developmental opportunities rather than something to feel bad about.

    [To learn more about what motivates us as humans, see our related article]

     

    Benefits of becoming more self-aware 

    1. Improved response to stress

    Self-awareness helps you identify stress triggers, meaning you’re able to modulate your reaction.   Rather than have a knee-jerk reactions to adverse situations, you take a breath first.  You know what to do to reduce your stress levels.  A leader who learns how to improve self awareness is less susceptible to burnout.

    [To learn more about building resilience to reduce stress, see our related article]

    2. Better Time Management

    By becoming more aware of when and how you work best, you can manage your time better.  Some of us are morning people, and some of us definitely aren’t.  Understanding what works best for you means you can better plan when to fit in complex tasks into your day.

    [To learn more about improving time management skills, see our related article]

    3. Grow empathy and understanding

    Self-awareness helps you understand the impact of your emotions on others.  We’re only human, and it’s natural to experience stress or frustration at work.  As we become more self-aware, we understand how negative emotions affects others.   By also observing these behaviours in others, we can adjust our response rather than simply reacting.  This means you’re more able to control your emotions.  It allows you to better remain professional, and not take things personally.

     

    Common impediments to growth

    Self-awareness not only improves your relationship with your team, but a positive impact on company performance.   However, it is common to feel that the pace of life leaves gives us little time to reflect on ourselves.

    The process of learning how to improve self awareness can be impeded by fear of self-discovery.  An  unwillingness to break away from old habits, or the tendency to be comfortable with the status-quo.

    Tips for becoming more self-aware

    So, developing self-awareness requires consistent effort, commitment and time.   But like any personal development, it is an investment.  Let’s look at some effective self-awareness tips.

    1. Reflection

    Learning from past experiences and failures is the best way to gain insights about yourself.  Analyse past incidents calmly and ask yourself the reason you may have reacted in a specific manner.  While framing the reason for the reaction or emotion, write down how you wished you’d responded.  For example, you may be pondering on why you snapped at your team member during a meeting.  Was it because you were tired?  Were you stressed about an upcoming performance review?  Do you harbour an irrational dislike towards the individual?

     

    2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses (personal SWOT analysis)

    To identify how to improve self awareness try doing a personal SWOT analysis.  Write down your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, and perceived threats.  Consider asking yourself the following questions to discover your strengths and weaknesses:

    > Things I’m good at?

    > What have other people complimented me most about?

    > Which skills or strengths have helped me achieve my goals?

    > Where have I needed assistance?

    > What projects and interactions seem to drain my energy?

    > In which areas have I frequently encountered problems?

    This form of self-analysis can prove to be challenging to do. We may not ask the right questions, or internal mental blocks may prevent us from acknowledging the truth.

     

    3. Psychometric Tests

    Additionally, psychometric tests and analysis are logical, scientific ways to understand your strengths, weaknesses, core traits and preferences.  They help evaluate yourself and illustrate your areas of strengths and developmental opportunities.

    A psychometric test will also reveal your emotional drivers, basic behaviour, conflicts and communication abilities. Professional self-awareness workshops go a long way in helping you explore your inner self.

     

    4. Seek feedback from those you trust

    Also important is getting a different opinion.  Request your peers, mentors and team their perspective into your personality.  When you do this, ensure that you adopt a willing attitude without the need for self-justification or defensiveness.  An open-minded approach will help you gain useful insights about how you appear to others.

     

    Final thoughts

    Self-awareness skills help leaders understand their strengths and vulnerabilities and what truly motivates their actions.  Leaning into your strengths while working on weaknesses will help you learn and adapt new strategies.  This is key for your own personal growth as a leader, and enables you to develop a style all your own to achieve the best outcomes.  A self-aware leader is simply more effective.  They can quickly assess and regulate their own behaviour to suit the situation, in an honest and mindful way.

    Recommended Reading:

  • How to know if it’s unconscious bias

    How to know if it’s unconscious bias

    Unconscious bias in the workplace (and in life) works in a subtle way that can negatively skew decision-making.  Diversity inclusion training is becoming a common approach to creating a more harmonious workplace, usually done by running a one-off course for staff.   But can this really be successful in removing centuries of unreasonable inequities and bias?   We look at bias in the workplace, and the problems it creates, and explore proactive techniques to adopt more sustainable strategies to level out the playing field.

     

    What is unconscious bias?

    Each person brings their subconscious biases to work.  These are deeply ingrained beliefs that span gender, ethnicity, colour, sexual orientation, physical appearance, age, and anything that can make us different.  Inner prejudices tend to be more powerful as they are triggered without our conscious knowledge.

    Most of us are well-intentioned and empathetic individuals.  However, our hidden inner prejudices about other people influence every decision, including whom we promote.  Unconscious or implicit bias is a ‘whisper at the back of the mind’.  It impacts peoples lives daily and costs businesses millions of dollars every year in lost opportunities.

    According to a 2019 Deloitte report, employees in New Zealand workplaces experienced bias on a daily basis.  This has significant affect on their experience, performance, and morale.

     

    Why is unconscious bias bad for business?

    Although unconscious bias exists in the mind, it has a very real damaging effects on the workplace.  It affects your organisation in multiple ways:

    • Employees begin to feel isolated and side-lined due to age, gender, race, or even marital status.
    • There is increased work absenteeism due to stress related illnesses.
    • Work output and efficiency get affected as team dynamics suffer.
    • Team members and employees experience resentment, low engagement levels, and dissatisfaction.

    Unconscious or implicit bias can make you pass over a more talented employee in favour of someone else just because they share your ideas, characteristics, or beliefs.  Numerous studies support that greater diversity in the workplace can have significant impact on improving organisational performance.  A recent study by Harvard University found that diversity improves engagement and belonging by staff.  It also reduces staff attrition rates and improves overall morale and trust in the companies leadership.

     

    Self-identifying unconscious bias

    Asking the following questions will help you become more aware of your prejudices:

    • Are you more comfortable dealing with people who look, speak or think like you?
    • Do you automatically purse your lips, straighten your back, or tense-up while speaking to someone from a different culture?
    • Do you find yourself glancing away or breaking eye contact while interacting with someone who is different from you in appearance?
    • As a manager, do you subconsciously allocate more challenging tasks to men over women?
    • Does your voice unconsciously become louder, more patronising or disparaging while speaking to specific employees?
    • Do you ever find yourself “mansplaining” to some individuals?

    Implicit bias training tests help us examine our psyche and understand our beliefs better.  Once you become aware of your own biases, you become more mindful of your tone, body language, and behaviours.

     

     

    Is it really unconscious bias?

    There are several testing tools available online to assess your beliefs and attitudes.  Here is a simple strategy to identify if unconscious bias:

    1. Observe and write down the first thought that pops into your mind when you meet or interact with someone. The first thought is the best starting point for analysis.
    1. With that first thought in your mind, ask yourself if you would have had the same opinion or presumption if the person belonged to another group.  If so, then chances are you have just exposed a bias.

     

    Types of Unconscious Bias

    We often harbour different types of biases.  Below are a few common implicit biases that may be affecting your decisions:

    Affinity Bias: This is where we relate more easily to people who share common characteristics. These include ethnicity, colour, race, religion, or culture.

    Beauty Bias: People tend to unconsciously favour good-looking candidates, regardless of skills or ability to carry the role well.

    Conformity bias: This is where we are drawn to those who agree with us, rather than consider opposing or different views.

    Contrast bias: Instead of assessing an employee on their own merit, it is common to compare and contrast their qualities with others and focus on negative aspects.  When this occurs it you can miss other key strengths an individual may bring.

     

     

    How to identify unconscious bias in the workplace

    The presence of bias at work is subtle and can be challenging to identify.  Professionally executed bias tests help reveal diversity, inclusion, and bias problems.   Diversity is key to performance.  If we all think the same way, then we will be missing opportunities! 

    Below are some warning signs of unconscious bias in your workplace:

    • Women are often placed in supporting rather than leadership roles; women in executive positions are perceived as cold, selfish, and aggressive.
    • You assume that married employees will want to avoid out of area work opportunities, or after-hours tasks.
    • The name on the resume influences your decision to hire or not.  For example, an Anglo-Saxon name may bias you in favour of the applicant even before reviewing his or her resumé.
    • Employees who are perceived as physically attractive enjoy more privilege and are generally treated better than others.

     

     

    How to tackle it

    Once identified, unconscious bias can be addressed.  Accepting that every one of us has implicit biases, and becoming more mindful of your thinking and actions, is the first step.

    Set ground rules for yourself and your employees.  Encourage inclusive practices and widen your social circle.  Check in with your peers and staff.  Ask how they feel they are being treated.  Observe interactions between others in your team.  Ensure these are fair, open, and courteous.  Monitor your decisions and consciously eliminate stereotyping of people.

    Use external and internal assessments for bias testing to highlight strengths, weakness, and areas for improvement.  

     

    Final thoughts

    If our inner prejudices are more powerful because they are triggered without our conscious knowledge, then developing techniques to identify them enables us to reduce their influence.  Being more mindful and honest with ourselves of our own shortcomings is always the key to growth.

  • How important is gut feel at work?

    How important is gut feel at work?

    Have you ever felt uneasy about doing something, because something “feels doesn’t feel right”?  This is your gut instinct giving you a warning of danger.  Your gut instinct can be a valuable tool at work, as well as in your private life.

     

     

    So what is gut feel?

    Gut feel, intuition, or instinct, is your physical reaction to the world outside of you, and your near light-speed internal processing of that information against your own life experiences and beliefs.  There is communication between our brain and our gut.   An example of when “gut feeling” occurs is often when we meet somebody for the first time.   Something may not seem right about them, but perhaps we can’t pinpoint exactly what it is.  This can occur when what they say or do doesn’t fit with what their body language is telling your subconscious.  Often we make up our mind about someone in those first instances of meeting them.  If we perceive some sort of deception is going on or if something just feels “off”, we can have a negative association about that person from that moment on.

     

    Is there a difference between emotion and intuition?

    Intuition is not emotion.  It’s a process that gives rise to the gut feeling, that in turn can trigger an emotional reaction.  However, intuition does more than produce feelings, it gives knowledge and insight about certain topics.

    Everyone can be intuitive but few have enough trust in their intuition.  We demand evidence based on analysis even though the knowledge so obtained is limited.  Intuition and foresight are closely related.  Anyone who has ever had a sudden insight can attest to this.  Everything seems to connect at such times.  Such occasions are called eureka moments.

     

    The ‘Eureka moment’

    Have you ever been burdened with some problem, which may be a trivial, or it could be a problem of momentous importance to us that we can’t think of anything else.  All of a sudden the solution is obvious.  Often this even occurs when we relax and let our minds drift on to other things.  This can even occur at night as we are drifting off to sleep.  Such an occurrence is called the eureka or aha moment.  The eureka moment is the sudden solving of a problem.  It’s a part of decision-making and, it often results from using apparent intuition.

    As we have said, intuition is using our instincts instead of or perhaps with conscious and sub-conscious analysis.  It is the ‘inner voice’ and guides us throughout our lives.  It comes from these gut-feelings.

     

    Gut instinct and complexity decisions

    When it comes to decision making, there are two approaches.  The analytical one, dependent on research and analysis of probable and possible outcomes.  And the gut instinct approach.

    Many of us tend to use the latter approach in emotional matters, but what about business?  In fact, several scientific studies show we should pay close attention to “the inner voice”.  When combined with some analysis of evidence, these studies show better decisions are made.

    This research is based on that of Nobel prize-winner Daniel Kahneman[1], [2], which showed that humans frequently use intuition, instead of information and analysis.  Even Albert Einstein once said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.”

     

    Where does intuition and sudden insights come from?

    While many believe in divine inspiration from a higher power, reality is much closer to earth.  Our brains are quite impressive creations.   They are able to process vast amounts of information from both external and internal sources simultaneously, when we allow them to.   This often feels like we are acquiring knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning.   But we are in fact accessing direct and unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; inner sensing; inner insight to unconscious pattern-recognition; resulting in the ability to understand something instinctively, without any need for conscious reasoning[3].

     

    Some historic examples

    Adolf Hitler started the Second World War, which led to the death of countless millions of people and at its end found Germany devastated and defeated.  However, early on in the war Germany was winning and largely victorious.  Hitler strongly believed in his instinct and was very confident of it. He was convinced it came from God.  He made the declaration,” I go the way that Providence dictates with the assurance of a sleepwalker.”  Luckily for us, he over reached and became blind to any other reason or fact, and started to make more and more irrational decisions, that ended up costing him the war.

    Another example from that same period comes from Winston Churchill, leader of the United Kingdom at the time.  According to his book, The Gathering Storm, just after he had become Prime Minister in 1940 he said, “I felt I was walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and this trial.”[4]

     

    What of intuition in business?

    Looking at a commercial example, there is the case of Henry Ford[5] in 1914.  He was faced with declining demand for his cars.  The worker turnover in his factories was high, and increasing.  He thought long and hard about these dilemmas.

    The solution, in a moment of extraordinary insight, led him to double the wages of his employees.  The effect was that, within a year, the turnover of staff had fallen sharply while productivity had greatly increased.  So the labour cost of manufacturing actually reduced.   The demand for Ford cars grew as Ford’s workers could also now afford to buy them.

    I find going with my gut instinct at work is key when interviewing candidates for a new role.  I’ve made the best call when I go with my gut in this area.  Twice recently I’ve hired people for roles who weren’t the most qualified candidates, but they had what I “felt”, the best attitude and team fit.  On another occasion an interview panel member convinced me to hire someone I had my doubts about, and so I went against my intuition.   It was an abysmal failure for both the candidate and the team, and they left within a year.

     

    Intuition vs factual analysis

    Despite the strong evidence for trusting your intuition, there is an equal place for good advice and sound analysis when making both life and business decisions.   Anyone who is foolish enough to believe that their gut instinct alone is always right should be prepared for a few nasty setbacks.  Listening to good advice and competent analysis is absolutely essential to weigh up the facts.  If your gut is still literally screaming the contrary to you, then I wouldn’t discount it.

    References

    [1] Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Penguin UK.

    [2]Gilovich, T., Griffin, D., & Kahneman, D. (2002). Heuristics and biases: The psychology of intuitive judgment. Cambridge University Press.

    [3] Wikipedia definition of intuition.

    [4] Winston Churchill. (1985). The gathering storm. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

    [5] Burgan, M., & HQ, W. (2014). Who was Henry Ford? Penguin.

  • Leading by example in the workplace

    Leading by example in the workplace

    An example of great success due to leading by example is provided by General Curtis Lemay.

    Who was Curtis Lemay?

    He was an American aviator, who eventually became Chief of Staff of the entire US air force in the early 1960s. During World War II, he was posted to Europe in command of a bomber group. He was very dissatisfied with the results that his bombers were achieving and believed they could do much better.  How did he rectify this?Curtis LeMay - Leading by example

    He devised a new strategy that he was convinced was better.  To prove this, he flew in a lead bomber, in extreme danger, to show that it did.  It was a very successful method and completely transformed the methods of bombing that the Americans used.

    Leadership in a crisis

    Despite Covid-19, we currently live in more peaceful times than Lemay.  But during a crisis you don’t have to look far to identify those who understand the importance of leading by example.

    Ana Botin - Leading by example
    Santander chairperson Ana Botin took a 50% pay cut when the Covid-19 crisis arose.  The wages she sacrificed will be used to boost a fund for medical equipment designed for the Covid-19 crisis.  Ms. Botin set a good example and showed sensible leadership at a time when so many in her company and in Spain, where it is based, are experiencing great difficulty.

    Similarly, the United Airlines CEO and the President of that airline both forsook their salaries during June 2020 and they also took a pay cut because of the massive reduction in air travel as a result of Covid-19.  Both have been praised for their leadership by example in this trying time.

     

    Poor leadership examples

    Sadly, not all examples of leadership during crisis illustrate leaders doing the right thing.  Here is one, where leadership by example was absent and selfishness obvious.

    In New Zealand, a country, whose record in the Covid-19 crisis management has been outstanding, the then Minister of Health, David Clark, twice broke the lock-down rules in that country.  Instead of following his own government rules, he went out driving and bike riding.   One such occurrence happened the same day he advised the rest of the country to “stay home and be safe”.  Because of this manifest failure, he was massively demoted.  Other examples from other countries can easily be found.

    Even small acts matter 

    But you don’t need a crisis to see the importance good managers put in leading by example.  At a local supermarket, the cashiers are friendly, knowledgeable, and very effective.  The store manager frequently takes to the till herself, particularly if the supermarket is busy.  Her willingness to shoulder the burden of those she leads plays no small part in the success of this supermarket.  Staff attrition rates are low and you can tell the people their love their jobs and customers likewise feel welcomed.

    Equally powerful are those that do not practice what they preach.  At one of the schools where I taught, the principal wanted the school to do well in a public exam so he instituted a system of tutorials, which took place before the school day began.  The staff, who were very dedicated, had to get up early to put this into practice and as a consequence, the results of the school greatly improved in the exam.

    The only problem was that the principal was not one of the teachers of these tutorials, despite having a Master’s degree on the subject.  So he failed to lead by example.  There may have been perfectly valid reasons for this which weren’t communicated.  So to those at the coal face, his non-appearance was a source of bitter disappointment to staff.

    In this example, the principal should have led by example. But why? Because when good people feel like their commitment to their job is being taken for granted, they leave or quickly lose motivation.  Trust in the leader is also undermined.  The alternative to setting a good example is to lead by force or fear, neither of which are sustainable.

     

    Being a role model

    Here are some of the attributes that most managers want an employee to have:
    1. Be passionate about their work
    2. Keep an open mind
    3. Their job title should not be an impediment or shield to any task
    4. They should be honest in all they do
    5. They should have a reputation for integrity
    6. They must always strive to improve the systems of their workplace
    7. They must practice what they preach (lead by example!)
    8. They must communicate clearly
    9. They should be a great team player
    10. They should have empathy- the ability to understand what others are feeling
    11. They should have courage

    If a leader wants their team to have these qualities, then they themselves first need to have them and in abundance.  If not, then not only will the manager lose all credibility, but staff will quickly become disenfranchised.  After all, would you rather work for someone who inspires you, or someone you learn to mistrust or even despise? 

    The most powerful tool you have as leader is the example you set for others. 

    So, what behaviours do you model?

    Recommended reading:
    1. Baldoni, J. (2008). Lead by example: 50 ways great leaders inspire results. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
    2. Secretan, L. (2004). Inspire! What great leaders do. John Wiley & Sons.
    3. McCastler, G. (2016). Lead by example. Page Publishing.
    4. Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Penguin.
    5. McGalliard, A. (2019). Care to lead: How to master and implement four keys to leadership: Communication, accountability, relationships and example of Excel. Archangel Ink.