3 of 3 Mistakes Managers Make - Lack of Communication

Third common mistake (or pitfall) managers make: lack of communication and acknowledgment.

People don't need to be praised all the time to do good work, but they do need to know that they are appreciated for the work they are doing. That comes in the form of good communication at all levels and setting precedence for acknowledgment for the small and big stuff. As the old saying goes - Words are powerful, use them wisely. They can build up a team and tear down a team, all in the same breath.

This is perhaps the most common mistake I have seen as an Executive Team Coach. It is most typically seen in environments where there are a lot of changes happening. Most commonly this appears when there is a large change initiative. People (leaders) get moving so fast, and expecting the same from their teams, that they are not clearly or frequently communicating.

One Director of a large government run agency continually ran into opposition and resistance from staff – people were downright obstinate and unwilling to get along or move toward the needed change. Post taking the cross departmental temperature, we discovered that staff were feeling coerced and in the dark about what was expected.

We worked together with the director and small group of staff on opening the lines of conversation, from the director’s office. After a few short weeks of concentrated communication strategy involving emails, state of the union blog posts and audio recorded messages to all staff, we saw a shift in attitude.

More over, we saw a 43% increase in performance on average across the state and exponential willingness to take action toward the change initiative that was coming from the director’s office.

It was key for this director to learn that taking time to talk – good, bad or ugly, was more important than trying to push people to do what he wanted or to protect them from the truth. The truth may be hard to tell sometimes and our employees would rather hear it, than fallacies.
Our employees want the acknowledgment that they can handle the hard stuff (good, bad and ugly) and by being open with communication, we tell them we trust them.

A good manager is one who knows their place on the team is equal to the sum of the whole, holds their team as capable, powerful, resourceful and creative while communicating openly and acknowledging the small stuff along the way. A good manager builds a sense of trust and collaboration as they also acknowledge their own fault line (because, we all have one.)

Coaching Questions:
How do you react to having to share the good news?
What about the bad news?
What methods of open communication do you currently employ?
When have you taken the communication ‘temperature’ of your staff?
What is the action step you are prepared to take to open up communication?

3 simple steps to Master the Mindset

Mastering our mindset is perhaps on of the greatest success strategies I know in working with executives and business leaders. It is also one of the most challenging things to do. Why is that?

Well, working with clients at all levels of management and business success I have noticed a parallel. It is the same parallel that our mastermind group members experience and even my friends.

Our mindset motivates and activates us toward success or failure.

The very thing that gets in the way for so many people is the thing that often is ignored or put on the shelf for later. Mindset. It is also (I believe) one of the most powerful tools we posses. When we take off the blinders, lift up the headphones and move away from the screen, we begin to engage in a new way. It is at that moment a person really begins to channel the power of their mindset into defining their success. It requires commitment to the process and a bold willingness to try on something and even uncomfortable to move toward mastery.

So, how do we engage with our mindset for our advantage? Here are 3 simple steps to get you moving in that direction.

Step 1: Get the Picture. When we have a clear picture of what we want, where we are moving toward or the end result of our goal, we have a greater chance of achieving it. Identifying that image and getting a tangible reminder to go with it helps to keep it very present and top of mind. The awareness the picture creates supports the action.

Step 2: Affirmation - Affirm where you are going, not where you have been. Once you have identified your vision, gotten the picture and created that tangible piece to hold onto, use your words to affirm the outcome. Focusing on where you are moving to and what it will feel like to be there will draw you closer to your success. Speak your affirmation as if you have already received it, that is the key to successful affirmations.

Step 3: Dispute Negative Nellie - You may live with these people or work with them on a daily basis. You may have a committee in your own head at any given time. We know that we become most like those we spend the most time with, so if you are hanging with negativity, it's no wonder your mindset is set toward the opposite of what you want to achieve! Try this instead. When the negative word or even thought comes up around your situation or goal, take back the power and shout it down! Then follow it up with your affirmation. Remember, words are powerful, use them wisely.

It is important to take the temperature how you view your world and the fears or successes that drive you. When you do, you will get a clear picture of what might be getting in your way to success. That very picture in turn can be used to shout down the negativity and fear. By stomping it out and speaking what you want instead, you will begin to move closer to what you want.

For more on the Power of Mindset, you can email me to receive your free copy of the audio file on the subject.

4 steps to Resolution

Recently I had a fruitful exchange with an International Management Consultant on the topic of what to do when leaders are immobilized by fear. The bottom line question was,
"what is a proven approach by a leader to support positive action (even if fear is present) toward resolution?"

Today I will share the first part of two for the answer and possible solution to the question.

As a coach of leaders, I have found the most interesting and compelling part of coaching executives is their disbelief that fear exists (for them.) They will call it a lot of other things, they will reference something that may 'infringe on their reputation,' 'compromise their integrity,' 'derail their momentum' but rarely do they identify those as fear. What is very present is the sense of being stuck - because to move might be to acknowledge that which they most want to avoid. So what supports action? I will start with the two of the four elements here today.

1) Get to the core belief/value around the 'what if' the worse thing happens. When leaders can identify the elephant in the corner of the room that is sitting on their solution, and it hurts, while they pursue getting to the truth for them, they will find comfort in the midst of that scary place.

I call it being in Breakdown on the way to Breakthrough. It's not uncommon to have fears of looking bad, failing, being exposed as 'fraud' and losing trust within our team. In fact, the leaders that do have those reality checks are (I have found to be) very strong leaders and are highly regarded in their field. They have a keen sense of self and humility that is a necessary element in a top-notch leader.

2) When the elephant in the room has been named – coaching enters into the mix toward building a plan to move. That plan is often multi-dimensional or as simplistic as a single action step – what is necessary is the documentation. With every plan for action there is necessary documentation, to support the plan or step and to use it as a learning/teaching point in the future. When leaders have that road map to follow or to tell them where they have been, it often removes the element of fear around ‘what if I make a mistake’ in the future because they have the data to support their move.

Our next posting will have the final two elements of taking positive action toward your resolution - even if you are a little fearful. For the time being, begin a plan to identify and name that elephant in the corner (mine often has pink polka dots.) It is the action of naming itself that you will begin to gain power and it's size begins to become less of a threat. Truth telling is key.

Here are some coaching questions for your consideration based on this article:

Coaching Exercises

1. How would you describe your current relationship to resolution (even if fear is present?)
   
   
2. What works well to promote and encourage resolution in your workplace? Look for the strengths, good behaviors, supportive cultural strategies, etc which may exist.
   
   
3. What is not working so well and therefore is an opportunity for improvement? Again, look for behaviors, strategies (or lack of strategy), challenges, choices, etc.
   
   
4. What action step can you identify now to remove any fear? Consider what you have identified above that works well. What resources will it take?
   
   
5. As a result of identifying and naming your obstacle, what are you committing to for the future?
   

Lack of Trust = loss of workforce

As many of you know I have been enjoying my online networking efforts and the community that I am building. What you may not know is the reason behind the why. Bottom-line, the community is rich. It encourages me to see things through different lenses and causes me to express myself and my own personal power differently. That focus (or clarity) is a great motivator as a solopreneur.

Today an online friend posted something on his blog that really delighted my senses and I couldn't wait to share it with you. Mark Herbert of New Paradigms, LLC is a management consultant specializing in helping organizations effectively and successfully embrace change and engage their workforces. I have enjoyed getting to know Mark this summer and have been enriched by the new relationship. His recent post on his blog is rich and I believe it will bring a new perspective.

What he posted today for our reading pleasure was in truth, a challenge. It was a call to action for me personally and I hope for you also. The call is from the place where I want to dwell more often, the clarity of the light that shines through me to affect a change in the world around me. To perhaps even...change the course of the field around me for something so great that it may not even be evident to me during my lifetime here on earth. Imagine that possibility for a moment. The thought that what you do today with clarity of purpose, may impact the greater whole for generations to come. It is supported in the planting of seeds for a harvest in the future, a principle law of nature. What might that mean for you as a leader in your field?

The blog post Why Build Lighthouses by Mark Herbert is rich with the exploration of the Trust Factor in organizations. Something that I too have written about and explored with many of my executive clients. Mark notes a staggering statistic on the avoidance of building trust in the workplace as cause for rapid failure of new managers within an organization.What I find staggering is that in avoiding building trust we are not only dis empowering our workforce, we are shorting perhaps brilliant leaders their ability to lead and masterfully gain momentum in their career or for the organization. So why are we losing mangers due to lack of trust, when we might think it would be competency? What is happening at the mid-line level of management that is assaulting our workforce and leaders?

Many studies are showing the positive impact coaching is having at the mid-manager levels of organizations. We have seen the effects of mentoring programs and how they support short-term efficacy however, it is with coaching that long-term change takes root. Keep an eye out for more on Coaching in Organizations and check out Mark's blog post, I think it will be a call to action for many business leaders out there. In the meantime, have you hugged your managers lately? Ok, maybe not and maybe you don't need to, and...What are you doing to build trust within your organization?

Tammy Redmon
Executive Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders