You’re Killing Them!

 

They show up to work every day afraid of you.

They know you track them. You know when they come in. You know when they leave.

Every time they forget to dot an “I” or cross a “t” – you’re there to point out their mistake.

You’re thorough in your criticism and micromanagement – and you are thoroughly destroying the morale and culture of your entire team.

You don’t manage them – they manage around you.

You think you lead them, but behind your back they have devised a system of how to survive you. That is their only goal – surviving you. As soon as a better opportunity comes along (better meaning “not you”) they will jump ship and never look back.

When you walk you will have a clear path because everyone is staying clear. They are ducking around corners, hiding behind cubicles, or just trying to look busy to avoid your contact. Have you ever noticed how many people are on the phone when you walk in their direction?

When they took the job they wanted to make a difference – now they are just indifferent. You’re the reason why.

When they took the job they had passion, but you killed it.

They wanted to do great work – with purpose! Now, their purpose it to make it look like they’re working.

Do they have any responsibility in this?

Of course. All of us are responsible for how we respond to others. People can’t take our power unless we give it to them.

That is a fact.

But that is easier said than done.

You have the opportunity to create a dynamic, inspiring, and engaging work environment. Your employees are screaming for it. Their families wish mom and dad would come home in a better mood.

They wish work was more than “just a paycheck.”

But that’s what it is – and it is slowly killing them.

The overwhelming #1 cause for the reason someone leaves their job – is their relationship with their boss. What impact are you having on your employees? What is the culture you have created? Is it based on trust, respect, and compassion? Does your team feel safe to make mistakes in the name of creativity – or are they stifled in fear? If you think the blog above was overly dramatic, than you have never been in their shoes. Our corporate training programs can help. Give us a call.

http://www.improvasylum.com/corporate-training/

 

 

 

You Have The Power!

Hey…

Hey you!

Yeah, you!

I am talking to you. You work with people, right?

Yeah, you might even manage people.

I am talking to you.

Did you know?

Did you know that you have the power?

Did you?

The power. The power to transform lives.

The power to impact someone’s life – and maybe even lots of lives!

You have that power right now. That power goes with you everyday you go to work. Every meeting. Every interaction. Every communication.

You wield your power for either good or bad. Positive or negative. Empowering or suffocating.

You don’t need permission to have the power – you already have it.

How will you use it?

Think about it. Someone else has the power to. How are they using their power with you? Are they using it for good or bad?

Now, back to you. Don’t worry about them – you can’t control them. You only control you and how you choose to use your power.

Don’t think you don’t matter. Don’t be fooled to believe that you don’t impact lives. After all, you spend most of your day with other people – other living things. People respond to the people and environment around them. You are a big part of that environment – so what influence are you having? What are you contributing to the environment?

When you spread your power for good – people respond in a big way – and then they start to spread their power for good. It’s kind of a cool thing. It’s like being on stage with a bunch of improvisors working seamlessly with one another – making each other look like geniuses.

It is POWERFUL!

And remember…

YOU ALREADY HAVE THE POWER!!!!

So, how will you use it.

The Squeaky Wheel!

As a parent, the old adage is definitely true…

The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

It stinks. I hate it. I have tried to ignore it – but it seldom goes away. In fact, left unattended it seems to get louder.

The last thing you want to give a squeaky wheel is the power that whenever they are upset – they can squeak and have it taken care of.

But, if you do not nip a squeaky wheel in the bud, it will start to influence the whole team – event the best of them.

So what do you do?

An improv group, like a sports team, like a work team are no different. They all work and excel or flounder under the same dynamic principles of collaboration, respect, and trust.

When there is a lack of those three – they will flounder.

As a leader, you need to know the difference between an oil can and a wrench.

The important thing is to notice the squeak and address it. Some squeaky wheels are actually the only courageous one of a team brave enough to speak out. The others silently cheer them on and hope they lead the way for change.

If this is the case – this is a blessing because it gives you feedback of what needs to be improved. This is when you use the oil can to address the problem and solve it.

Some squeaks are individual and just a reflection of an employee who will squeak no matter what you do. They do not represent the whole team – and applying the oil in this case will actually cause resentment amongst the team.

They need the wrench so that they can be removed.

Okay, enough mechanistic analogies – afterall, we are not robots.

The bottom line is this – teams are made up of people. If you empower and manage a team based on autonomy, collaboration, and freedom – most teams can manage themselves, including taking care of the squeaky wheels.

But if a team feels powerless, you will hear lots of squeaks. You see, when people feel helpless and unable to manage themselves, they protect their own skin, instead of solving problems. Yet, if you make a team accountable to one another, dependent on each other, and they can operate in a way that does not limit their common sense – they will figure it out.

You won’t need to carry an oil can because the team will take care of itself.

If a problem arises from the team that needs your mediating – you will know it is more than just a squeak.

I have performed on improv teams, sports teams, and work teams with squeaky wheels. It’s no fun. Not everyone is a good fit on a team. Some people need to be let go.

But, knowing when to let go – and when someone just needs a little help is the key. Sometimes the squeak is not the person – it is the culture that has been created – and if you just replace the person – the squeak will keep showing up with other people.

If you are not sure between the two – give us a call. We can help!

The Invisible MANager

September 16, 2013

A few years back Tim Ferriss wrote the very popular “4-Hour Work-Week.”

Sounds good to me, want to sign-up?

One of the key ideas he shared in the book was being able to empower his team to the level that no one depended on him for day-to-day activities. In the past he was overwhelmed with the hundreds of e-mails piling up and needing his attention, many of them from his own staff needing answers to questions.

His solution…

Hand his staff the keys.

He discovered that most of the questions were to answers that could be easily solved with a little freedom and encouragement for his staff. The result, a thriving business that allowed him to go weeks unplugged and off the grid.

The big problems would wait for him, while the smaller problems were handled by his team enabled to do so.

As Ferriss describes it, he was the ghost in the machine.

It was still his business, and he made the big calls, but the day-to-day operations no longer needed his micromanagement.

Was his staff incompetent? Nope.

Same employees. So, what was different?

He was. By empowering his staff, training them, giving them the knowledge, freedom, and tools needed to do their job – they thrived!

The Tim Ferriss example is not an anomaly. I have heard it and scene it over and over by managers and companies that finally understand that the key to a dynamic and effective workforce is letting their people go. Not laid off. But letting go the control, red tape, micromanagement, and bureaucracy  that keep them handcuffed in mediocrity.

Improvisation teaches this skill. One of the first things you learn as an improviser is how to let go. Once you start a scene – your control is gone .You can influence, share ideas, and make choices – but the scene belongs to the collective whole of the performers in the scene. And, to the extent that you try to control the scene – the worse off it will be. But, when you let go and embrace the collective freedom that comes with collaboration – who knows what you will create!!!!

If you oversee a team that you feel needs your constant attention – maybe it’s your management that needs some attention.

Ubuntu – NOT Accountability

There is a term in South African culture called “ubuntu,” and  I have heard it described two ways.

1) I am who I am because of who we are.

2) I am at my best when you are at your best. I cannot be at my best unless you are at your best.

Ubuntu.

Nelson Mandela used the term when trying to lead and heal a splintered country.

When you break it down, it is the ultimate form of accountability. I was working with a tech company last year dealing with an accountability issue. Instead of talking about accountability and putting his employees on the defensive, the Director fell in love with the concept of ubuntu.

In essence, instead of preaching or talking down to someone about accountability, ubuntu describes a culture where everyone cares about and looks out for one another. Not because it is a policy, but because they understand and recognize that as a team we are able to perform better when our coworkers are at their best.

It seems ideal and “feel good” – but it’s actually common sense.

If you work with someone who has all of the time, resources, and support to get their job done, they will be able to do their work to their best. And, if you rely on them to any degree, odds are they will uphold their end of the work.

Conversely, if they are struggling professionally or personally, odds are their work will suffer. And, if you depend on them, you will suffer as well.

So, in addition to caring about your coworker you are making sure that both of you can continue to work most effectively. If you get caught up only thinking and acting for yourself you will find that you are limited to what you can accomplish.

In improvisation we talk about making your partner look like a genius. As you do so – you look like the genius in the process. You both win!

If you called this being accountable to your partner on stage it would be the same thing, yet making them look like a genius tends to resonate a bit more. Do you agree?

Recently I read an article about companies adapting an unlimited time-off policy. Can you imagine that? Crazy, right?

Yet, if you operated under ubuntu – true accountability – you would not and could not take advantage of a policy when you are accountable to others. You couldn’t “peace out” unless you worked with the team to make sure everyone was taken care of in covering you – and vice versa. Instead of adhering to a disconnected HR rule, you get to work with your team to work out what is best for each of you.

Ubuntu.

I am who I am because of who we are.

When I make you look like a genius, we all win.

Make that shift in your work culture – and the accountability will take care of itself.

Your Employees are Idiots

“It’s not  what you say, it’s what you do.”

“Action speaks louder than words.”

I am not sure who to give these statements credit to, but they’re true.

I have been doing a lot of training around communication recently, and managers and leaders can’t figure out why their employees aren’t “buying into” the company spirit or the message from above.

The easy answer is that your employees are a bunch of idiots.

Right? It’s definitely not the leadership – it must be the employees. So, fire all of the bad apples and replace them with people who will act and behave the way you tell them.

Easy does it. Move on!

But not so fast.

Sure, we are all responsible for showing up to work with a good attitude and working hard. But, if you are not sure why your business culture is so negative or disengaged – you might need to take an honest look at the leadership and the messages coming from above.

Does what you say and preach match the way you treat your employees? Do you say one thing – but then behave another way?

I see it all the time.

I recently worked with a company who knew they were overworking their staff – and the staff complained. They were told things would get better – than promptly downsized more staff.

Do you ever tell your employees to be team players – and then reward selfish behavior?

Do you tell employees to take their vacation time – and then make it difficult for them to do so?

Do you tell them you value them and then treat them like replaceable parts?

It has been my experience that very few employees are idiots. Yet, treat someone less than human and don’t be surprised if an idiot shows up.

It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.

Our parents have been telling us this since we were kids.

Is anyone listening?

Common Sense – or Genius?

Whenever you start pondering the “next big thing,” it’s easy to think the solution must be “out there” – and it is going to require a major (and often expensive) breakthrough. 

Maybe not.

The next big innovation for your company might be right under your nose. The question is – do you see it?

Are you too close to the action? Has the best solution become invisible right in front of your face? Odds are – it has.

One of my favorite corporate leadership books of all time is by Captain Michael Abrashoff titled “It’s Your Ship.” If you haven’t read this book – move it to the top of your list. In a nutshell, Captain Abrashoff takes over the lowest performing ship in the Navy – and overnight transforms it into a high-performing, record-setting, ground-breaking leader of the Navy. By genuinely caring about his people, empowering them, and creating the structure for them to be heard – he blows open the doors of engagement, creativity, and innovation.

My favorite story involves one sailor coming to him and asking why the ship does not have stainless steel bolts. Because of the rust, the lowest guys on the ship would spend much of their shore leave time painting the ship 2-3 times a year. Clearly there was a good reason why the ship didn’t have stainless steel bolts, but Captain Abrashoff couldn’t find one. So, without permission from above, he sent a team of sailors to all of the Home Depot’s in the area to snatch up their stainless steel nuts and bolts – and they replaced them all on the ship.

The result – ships only needed to be painted every few years – saving the Navy lots of money – and giving sailors more leave time. Every ship quickly followed suit.

So, why hadn’t this been done before?

A) No one bothered to ask the question – or were afraid to ask

B) Someone asked at one point but was met with the response, “Don’t know, but it’s not out job.”

C) It’s too simple and obvious – so there must be a good reason not to

Whatever the reason or reasons – innovation was under their noses the whole time – it just took someone in the right environment to have the courage and opportunity to bring it up.

Your business and team is no different. Is your environment empowering this kind of engagement and inquiry?

Are you doing things simply because “this is the way we have always done it?”

It might be time to take a step back and look for the genius right in front of your face. If you need help bringing this mindset into your workplace – give us a call!

 

Ask Questions – Duh!

These past few weeks I have probably given close to 30 presentations and workshops on the topic of leadership.

Leadership…it’s so vague.

What does it really mean?

Do this. Think of someone in your head that you feel represents great leadership skills. Could be a co-worker, coach, athlete, philanthropist, teacher, parent, etc.

Take a moment to picture them. Now, think about the qualities that make them a great leader. List a few.

As I have done this, here are the top qualities that keep popping up from the audience:

• Confident
• Clear communicator
• Good listener
• Humber
• Respects others
• Encourages and inspires the team

It’s a good list. And these are the qualities that show up over and over again. I love to look at the list and notice what is not there. No one has ever said arrogant, loud, abrasive, “me first,” secretive.

Kind of obvious, but they are not exactly the qualities that we celebrate in a leader. Does your CEO do this?

Do you do this?

So, when it comes to building an environment as a team built on trust, respect, and value – how does a leader do it?

No, financial incentives do not built trust or value. It’s a short-term carrot on a stick.

Yes, giving compliments make people feel good, but those too get old after awhile with nothing else.

Do you want to create real value, trust, and respect?

Simple.

Just ask them. Ask your team what they think. Ask them about their work and what they feel could be done better. Ask them their opinion. Ask them about their family. Ask them what they are passionate about. Ask them about their dreams and goals.

Imagine being on a team where a boss or co-worker asks you your opinion – and their curiosity is genuine. How does that make you feel? Does it bring you into the team? Do you feel valued – respected?

Yes to it all!

Good leaders inspire. Great leaders ask questions.

They understand that the smartest person in the room is the collective – not one person. They also understand that the best ideas don’t always come from the loudest person. That quiet worker in the corner, the one who never speaks up – might be sitting on a million dollar – company saving idea!

How are you going to bring that idea to the surface?

Maybe you just need to ask them.

Shut Up and Listen!

Shut Up and Listen!

June 24th, 2013

 

I apologize for the strong language – but I needed to get your attention. It’s the internet, you need to do what you can.

I am somewhat serious though. You need to listen. Not necessarily to me, but to your team, your co-workers, your children.

Just listen.

We tend to equate leadership with the charismatic talker giving inspiring speeches that bring people to their feet. Those are nice, and sometimes needed, but think of the leader that works intimately with your team. What are the qualities they express? My guess is that talking all of the time doesn’t unite a team.

In improvisation listening is arguably the most important skill you can hone. In doing so, not only do you get the crucial information – you send a message to the people you work with that you care and respect them – and they will feel more understood.

Recently I was talking to a friend who is a police captain. He is trying to do things different in the department, and hoping to create more engagement and enthusiasm. He recently led a town meeting and told everyone that this meeting would be different. Instead of standing in front of everyone and telling them what the police were going to do – he opened the floor and asked people to share their real concerns and needs. He didn’t solve one problem, but he and his team took pages of notes. They have already begun thinking through solutions. He shared that by asking more questions to their concerns they were able to find out what the real problems are – which weren’t always the initial complaint.

After the meeting the mayor told him it was the best meeting she had ever attended. The citizens felt heard and understood. The meeting was productive – not just a dog and pony show.

So, what would you look like if you tried to listen more? How might it shift your impact as a leader or a member of a team?

Give us a call, we teach it.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

By now, you have seen the internet sensation Sweet Brown uttering her famous phrase, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

If you haven’t seen it – here is the link – and I apologize in advance because you won’t be able to get the phrase out of your head for the rest of the day.

So, what in the heck does that have to do with our corporate blog?

Well, a lot actually.

I had a coaching session the other day with a gentleman who was very frustrated about how his company made a very important decision that effected a large portion of how his team does their work. This was a big deal, with lots of moving parts, and lots of issues that needed to be discussed. Plus, there were different needs by everyone involved – yet no one except one or two decision makers made the call. There wasn’t a task force, a brainstorming session, or even an e-mail asking for feedback. Everyone knew this issue was being considered, but a meeting or feedback was never gathered.

Essentially you could say, for the person making the decision, and desiring to include others in the process…

“Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Sadly, this is the case too often in companies and on teams. When all it takes is a little participatory involvement to get ideas from the team and have them feel a part of the process – it is overlooked – and one or two people make the call.

Not only does this cause greater disengagement, apathy, and low team morale – it doesn’t tap into the ideas and problem-solving capabilities of the people who are not only effected, but who actually have the best ideas for improvement. Why? Because they are the ones most closely involved, and most highly invested.

There are amazing freedom-centered companies out there, yet at the bottom of the lowest rung on the progressive company is the ability to include people, get their ideas, and see the value of having the most people possible a part of the process.

There are lots of reasons for not including people. Such as:

• It often takes more time
• It can be messy
• Breaks the facade of a leader having all of the answers
• Just plain ignorance

The first two can be true at first, but as time goes on and the culture is created – the team starts to operate more effectively and efficiently. They become problem-solvers, assertive, and less likely to need lots of meetings.

For the third one, this is a big deal (and so old school) because people equate their position with power – and needing to justify their position by having all of the answers. This is based on insecurity and managing to “cover your ass. ” Yes, most of us know that great leaders manage up – and include as many perspectives as possible. But, the ego can be a tough thing to kill.

As far as the fourth, if you don’t think there is a better way to do things, then you don’t know any better. That is ignorance. Ignorance is fine when there is willingness and receptivity.

The good news is – we can help with #4.

And – we got time for that!