Be a Servant Leader: In Heart, Mind Body & Soul

I often ask people in my seminars, “How many of you believe that most employees have more talent, resourcefulness, creativity and initiative than their present jobs require or allow?” Frequently, I see hands raising all over the room. Most agree that we are wasting much of our human resource talent.

At the same time, we ask our employees to do more and more with less and less, burning them out to the point that their resourcefulness, talent, and initiative are diminished. While we stress people out with redundant, meaningless tedium and busy work, many of their strengths go untapped. But, what do effective leaders do? They embrace each of their employees’ unique strengths, gifts and passions. This, in turn, improves their employees’ performance, productivity…and happiness!

Effective, servant leaders know that, to develop each individual’s capability and productivity, you must tap into the whole person–body, heart, mind and soul. You must attend to all of these dimensions. For physical well-being, the person needs to be paid fairly. She needs to meet her most basic needs like working in a safe, healthy, secure setting. To be well-served in the heart, one must feel enthusiasm, harmony, passion, and support at work. To engage the mind, leaders need to allow employees to utilize their creativity, innovativeness, and knowledge. And, to engage their soul, you need to discover where each employee finds meaning, value, and pupose. Get to know your employees thoroughly by learning about what motivates them in all of these four dimensions. After all, how can you motivate someone without fully understanding them?

I’ve learned a lot from my work with Native Americans. One of the most critical lessons I’ve learned is the importance of balance and holistic health. For example, many Native American tribes use the medicine wheel, a round symbol that represents the circle of life. What I like about the medicine wheel is that the four segments of the circle symbolize (among other things), the four directions, the four seasons, and the four elements of our being–heart, mind, body, and soul. For us to have balance and harmony, we must nurture all four of these elements.

One exercise I do with my leadership training participants is the “Whole Person Inventory”. This is where you ask your employees questions regarding each dimension.

• In the Heart (Emotional) area: What are you passionate about? Do you love what you’re doing here?
• In the Mind (Mental) dimension: Where are you most knowledgeable, innovative, and competent? Are you using those competencies here?
• In the Body (Physical) realm: Are you financially secure? Do you feel safe here?
• In the area of Soul (Spiritual): What would make your work most meaningful to you? Is your work consistent with your values? Does your contribution here fit with your sense of purpose or direction?

This information is crucial to your role as a servant leader. Sure, a person’s resume may showcase their knowledge, skills, and abilities as it relates to the job description. But, unless you ask each of your employees the above questions, do you really understand their true knowledge, skills, and abilities; their untapped energy and enthusiasm; and, the special, unexpected ways they may contribute to your organization? Without asking these powerful questions, you might not reveal the unique motivators of each of your team members. Answering these questions will help you find the best match for your employees to their role at your organization. It can give them not just the opportunity to do what they do best, but also to do what makes them most happy.

People want to participate in realizing a meaningful vision and accomplishing worthwhile goals and objectives. Even though a position may utilize their knowledge, skills, and abilities, employees don’t want a job with little meaning. They want to be part of something that inspires them and empowers them.

So learn to respect all four parts of the person and nurture him/her in each area. Make an investment in your employees’ well-being in all four areas. And, help them build their capabilities in all dimensions. This will get you long-term results. Now, that’s servant leadership, wouldn’t you agree?

Again, I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress.

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Polish Your Personal Brand & Get Promoted

What does it takes to get promoted? First of all, stand out. “Toot your own horn”. Don’t wait for your leadership to notice what you’ve done or how much you’re accomplishing. They may never notice unless you bring it to their attention. Also, work on teams with other competent people. Every successful client I’ve worked with learned to surround him/herself with people who complement him/her and employees/colleagues who compensate for their weaknesses. If you make a great contribution to your team’s success, they will “toot your horn” for you.

Secondly, work on your personal brand. Success comes from self-packaging—maintaining your appearance and knowledge to create a lasting impression that uniquely distinguishes you. This can be accomplished by delivering added value to both your internal and external customers. Constantly update your knowledge, develop your skills, and seek highly visible projects. You can also do it though social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.

Your personal brand consists of more than just your image. It’s not just determined by your technical expertise, your Rolex, your Blackberry, Bluetooth, or your Armani suit. Being a sharply dressed, well-accessorized professional may help. But, you must also refine your emotional and social intelligence. Evaluate yourself by repeatedly asking yourself the same questions I ask my clients:

1. What emotions do I usually display when things are going well?
2. What about when things aren’t going so well?
3. Are co-workers and employees comfortable around me? If no, why not?
4. When do people usually seek my assistance/expertise?
5. What kind of projects do I do best?
6. What personal traits do I think employees, colleagues, leadership find the most valuable?
7. What are my three strongest professional traits?

Then, seek feedback by consulting your coworkers and colleagues. This is a simplified 360-degree evaluation. Ask them the same set of questions:

1. What emotions do they usually see me display when things are going well?
2. What emotion do they usually see me display when things aren’t going so well?
3. What do they think is my greatest value to the company?
4. What do they think are my three strongest professional traits?
5. Which trait do I need to change the most?
6. What jobs/projects/problems do they think would be most strategic for me?

Write down the results of this evaluation/feedback. Contrast the results to your desired scenario. Contrast your current strengths with those you want to include in your personal brand. Define measurable tasks to achieve your desired brand.

Again, I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress.

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Motivating Employees to Peak Performance

As a manager, you seldom accomplish something unless your people do. Not only do you need to do your projects accurately and on time, you have to help others keep their projects on track. In addition, you must ensure that everyone works as a team. Your influence over people is as important as your job knowledge.

Leaders have to wear a lot of hats. They are not only bosses and mediators, but coaches as well. And, great coaches inspire achievement, expect excellence, hold their employees accountable, and demand respect. They inspire, motivate, counsel, lead, and create winners. In other words, you must be a motivator and cheerleader of your staff.

These days you cannot afford employees who drag down morale, destroy productivity, distract you from important projects, and drain your time and energy. You must deal with these employees carefully and compassionately. Utilizing proven methods to bring about positive change in people without arousing resentment, making enemies, or destroying relationships—i.e., coaching—can help you accomplish that.

Coaching techniques boost performance to peak levels. When you use them, your employees find learning new skills fun and interesting. If you act as a coach, more and more people will want to work with you. Thus, your career may take off as you develop the reputation as a good performance coach.

In today’s high-paced, competitive, ever-changing workplace, continuous improvement is necessary. Good leaders and coaches are in short supply but in high demand. When I work with business leaders who are trying to change the culture of their organization, they often say, “I can only count a handful of real leaders in this company. Too many of them ‘snoopervise’ or manage people the old autocratic way. What I need are real coaches. People who bring out the best in others.” If you learn to deliver feedback like a great coach, you can add yourself to that list. Here are some things to remember about helpful, constructive feedback:

• Describe specifically what actions you see and those you would like to see. Do this non-judgmentally and neutrally as if you were a videotape recorder.

(For example, say, “I need you to submit this report each Wednesday promptly by 10 AM for the afternoon sales meeting.”)

• List the negative consequences of the behavior you want changed as well as the positive consequences of the behavior you desire. These positives should be appealing to the listener,. They should reflect goals, values, or priorities of the listener.

(For example, “I understand you want to go places in this company. I admire your loyalty and desire to develop as an employee. But, I see you submitting the Wednesday sales report some time between 10 and noon. This makes me late for lunch appointments or causes me to cancel those appointments altogether.”)

• Ask for input or suggested solutions. Listen to the other person’s response. Rather than argue, rephrase what they say in your own words. This paraphrasing verifies and clarifies understanding for both parties.

(For example, say, “I hear you saying…” or “It sounds like …” then ask, “How can I help you become more consistent or punctual with those reports?”)

• Negotiate what action plan both of you will take as well as how you intend to follow up or evaluate on-going progress on that action plan.

(For example, say, “So, you will ____. I will ____. Let’s meet the second Thursday of each month to see if this plan is working. Thanks.”)

Again, I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. 

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Blind vs. Disciplined Optimism, part 2

Start building disciplined optimism by defining what success means to you. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, points out that too many people go about their business without knowing what they’re working toward. You need to achieve focus by understanding and stating publicly your 5-10 year plan. Write it down, tell others about it, post it where you can see it every day. Think it over. Refer back to it constantly. Recall, in my last post, the words of Ghandi:

“Thoughts become words, words become feelings, feelings and beliefs become actions…”

Think and tell yourself and others what will create the undeniable belief that you will achieve your goal.  Recall your progress. Write down achievements and celebrate the challenges you’ve overcome. It will give you more confidence and momentum to achieve your goal. Patiently and confidently work at it. Have the faith that if you keep working at it, you will be successful!

According to Collins, we absolutely need disciplined optimism. Without it, you become negative. Your work suffers. Your attitude affects your employees and customers. You block your own progress. Opportunities to practice disciplined optimism include:

• unmet goals
• customer complaints
• competition/competitive threats
• limited resources

Collins urges us to avoid becoming negative. Recognize a challenge for what it is. Push yourself to achieve. Don’t waste time fretting about setbacks. Keep working at your goals. Maintain belief in your goals. Confidently, persistently, and aggressively attack obstacles because you want to. Resist giving in to fear and doubt.

So how do you develop disciplined optimism? Collins suggests that you act quickly rathern than dwell on adversity. Stop negative thoughts and words. Replace them with positive thoughts and words. Here are some more ideas for cultivating an optimistic attitude:

• Take a time out–a walk or a drive
• Get physical exercise
• Read positive (internal and external) customer feedback
• Connect with family & friends
• Recall accomplishments
• Be grateful
• Smile, have fun, laugh
• Pass on your passion for your business onto employees
• If you’re “fizzing out”, re-ignite your enthusiasm

What does Collins mean when he suggests we confront the brutal facts/issues while maintaining belief in our success? Keep your enthusiasm in check and deal with reality.  Refuse to ignore problem you face in your business. Accept the fact that challenges don’t magically disappear. Recognize problems as challenges to be conquered. Collins adds that we should persist in removing obstacles. Don’t allow the unpleasant parts of doing business get you down. It’s easy to get discouraged and upset when confronting issues but stay positive and focused on your goals.

Again, I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. 

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

 LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Disciplined vs. Blind Optimism

The optimist sees setbacks as temporary, changeable events that don’t ruin other achievements. If he/she fails, an optimist may say and believe, “It was just circumstances; it won’t last.  And, next time, I can take steps to do better.”

The pessimist, on the other hand, attributes failure to things that are personal, permanent, and prevalent–three P’s. In other words, the pessimist tells herself, “It’s my fault,” “It’s going to last forever,” and “It’ll ruin everything I do.”

But, optimism is more than just thinking positively in the current situation.  It also involves changing the things you say to yourself on an on-going basis. First, recognize your negative thoughts and challenge them. Then, take action on the new positive thoughts/beliefs.

Recently, I tried and tried to contact a friend. I called, texted, and emailed her. To my surprise, she hadn’t even replied to one of my calls and one of my texts. This was completely uncharacteristic of her. Because I was bothered by (and, not to mention, feeling very pessimistic about) another personal issue, I came to all kinds of negative conclusions. She must have heard something bad about me. Maybe I don’t make enough money for her tastes. Maybe she heard that my business was not as successful as she thought it was. My brain was playing all kinds of negative tapes. And, this led to “down-the-drain” pessimistic thinking.

As it turned out, she had recently returned from an intensive retreat where she gained tons of powerful business ideas. Since her return, she had become so energized that she was barely sleeping, working over time, making things happen in her business that were truly amazing and exciting. When we finally got together for coffee, she shared with me so many exciting developments–no wonder she hadn’t called or texted me! Overnight, she transformed herself and her team into a bunch of Energizer bunnies!

If you want to be more optimistic, make specific, external, and temporary explanations for negative situations such as, “He’s just having a bad day” or ”she’s probably busy,” instead of “things never work out for me” or, “He doesn’t like me.” You will feel much better as a result. Decide if you can realistically correct the situation or prevent it from occurring again. And, in positive situations, take credit for your successes. Don’t explain them away or diminish their value.

Even if you are an optimist, Jim Collins, who wrote Good to Great, warns us not to be “blind” in our optimism. He encourages us to have faith that we will prevail in the end. But, adds that we should also show “the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of our situation.” He calls this the Stockdale Paradox. 

The Stockdale Paradox is the story of Vietnam POW Admiral James Stockdale who was held in solitary confinement and beaten repeatedly. When asked who survived the prison camps, Stockdale recalled that it was the “blind optimists”, those who insisted that it would be just a matter of time before they would be rescued. Stockdale, on the other hand, knew better. Despite that horrible prison camp experience, he not only survived until his rescue. Stockdale also received a medal of honor. He had a distinguished Naval career. And, was a successful business person.  He maintained hope that he would survive. Yet, at the same time, he faced the brutal facts that it would be quite a while before his rescue.

You may not have survived a prison camp. You may not be beaten physically. However, you will experience plenty of adversity as a business leader. A positive mental attitude is important throughout these trials. But, that’s not enough. Problems will come and go. Employees will upset you. You will get mad at customers or vendors. Forces out of your control will work against you. Nevertheless, how you deal with all of this will make a big difference.

Blind optimists set themselves up for extraordinary things. Yet when they fail, their spirits are broken. They immediately fall into a slump, losing confidence in themselves. They lose confidence in their products and services.  Disciplined optimists, on the other hand, recognize disappointments as “speed bumps” in the road. They maintain confidence and remove their obstacles.

The three components of disciplined optimism, according to Jim Collins include:

1. Believing, without a doubt, that you’ll achieve the success you’ve envisioned
2. Confronting the brutal facts
3. Attending to those facts because you want to, not because you have to

In my next post, I will outline the specifics of just how to do these things. I will discuss how you can become more disciplined with your optimism. Stay tuned!

Again, I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. 

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

 LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Emotional Capital More Important Than Financial Capital

Clate Mask has written a great book entitled “Conquer the Chaos”. This is a good read not only for small business/entrepreneurs but also for leaders in today’s business. I especially like the section on emotional capital. Clate admits that the challenges of running a business can burn you out, but adds that emotional capital can give you resilience. He states, “Emotional capital is the currency you use to wake up every day and fight the battle. It’s the passion, enthusiasm, and positive outlook that get you through your day and keep you driven to accomplish your goals.”

One way to check whether you have emotional capital, according to Mask, is to ask yourself:

• Am I as enthusiastic today as I was the day I started this (job/business)?
• Have I fallen into the trap of going through the motions?
  Do I get easily disappointed?
• Do I get easily distracted from my goal of long-term success?
• Do I go to bed eager to work the next day?
• Do I wake up excited or do I wake up worried and fearful?

Clate urges us to think of emotional captial as an account much like a bank account. Similar to a bank, you’ll have to make deposits into it before you can make withdrawals. Leading in business today is tough. If you’re not emotionally prepared for it with a strong emotional bank account and ways of making deposits into that account, you will struggle.

So how do you accumulate high emotional capital or make deposits so that you’re successful? On your good days, you say to yourself, “I know I can do this” and you really believe it. You feel strong and confident. But, as an entrepreneur or business leader, bad days sometimes outnumber the good. Nevertheless, you need to learn to make good days instead of just have good days.  Over time, you will experience more good days because you will learn to make deposits into your emotional bank account.  Through relaxation/creative visualization/self-hypnosis recordings, I help my clients re-program their minds to believe they will not only have good days but they will make good days. Sometimes our minds need some “re-wiring” or a “tune-up”. That’s what these professional development recordings can do.

These recording help you embed positive affirmations into your psyche so you can better control your thoughts. As Ghandi said, “Thoughts become words, words become beliefs, beliefs become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, and character becomes your destiny.”

Remember that you are in control. You are the creator of your thoughts. If you create the right thoughts then say them aloud to others, they are likely to become actions, habits, and, eventually, your character.

Ask yourself:

• What specifically do I want & why?
• What are my thoughts?
• Will these thoughts get me what I want?
• Why do I want to be a successful leader?
• Is my success worth the hard work I put into it?
• What goals have I accomplished? And, which do I have yet to accomplish?

If you’ve answered any of these questions negatively, challenge yourself until you are more positive. Vocalize those positive thoughts with family, friends, employees, and co-workers. The more you do this, the easier it will be to believe in yourself. This paradigm shift is one of the greatest tools you have for handling the tough challenges of leadership.

I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. 

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Shaping Leadership Via Psychological Assessment

How do you identify employees with leadership potential?Frequently, we promote someone because they’ve been with us the longest, demonstrated the most productivity, or possess the best technological expertise. But, using these methods and the usual informal screening process is often ineffective. According to Rob Silzer, who wrote Shaping Organizational Leadership: The Ripple Effect of Assessment, “many immediate managers have difficulty separating past or current job performance from the potential to handle larger future responsibilities effectively.” Managers, in an attempt to encourage their subordinates to stay with the employer, often exaggerate their employee’s potential. They also may exclude employees who often disagree with them. This can create leadership talent pools of culture-conforming employees who are very loyal to their immediate leader. It can also prevent many change agents from moving up the corporate ladder.

Instead of those informal means of selecting leaders, at AdvantEdge Success Coaching, we use a more objective assessment process, including psychological assessment tools such as the CPI and DISC, problem subordinate role plays, and 360-feedback (muti-rater) questionnaires. These assessments can identify individuals with skills in motivating, influencing, and developing others/building relationships; managing work through others, etc. But, whenever you conduct leadership assessment, you need to consider the following:

• Leader/Candidates often question why they need to go through an assessment. Why is it important to the employer? Is it to develop the management team, to plan for leadership succession, or to implement an organizational strategy? You might want to inform potential leaders that psychological assessment will ultimately provide them with an individual development plan. And development plans, if followed consistently, can lead to significant progress. This can be a great benefit to both the individual and the organization. To reduce the potential leaders’ fears, clearly state the purpose of the assessment. This open communication will also increase their involvement and commitment.
• Potential Leaders undergoing assessment may worry that it could reveal their less-than desirable traits which can affect their professional image. They may fear that those who conduct assessments will inappropriately share assessment information. Therefore, it is critical to provide a written statement outlining the limits of confidentiality so that these potential leaders clearly understand what data will or will not be shared. Furthermore, data should be kept in a locked file cabinet in the assessor’s office and never released to anyone not qualified to review psycholgoical data.
• Potential Leaders who complete psychological assessment may be concerned that assessment results could overshadow their performance records. If there is a history of trust and openness in the organization, then managers may be more willing to participate in assessment. Address the following suspicions:

1) lack of trust in the organizational culture

2) highly political culture

3) history of subjective, questionable judgment in HR decisions

4) highly competitive peer group

5) poor internal communications system

6) climate of uncertainty or ambiguity

•         Senior leadership driving the assessment should issue a directive outlining the benefits to the organization and why participation is expected. Whatever you do, do not state that assessment is for the purpose of development, but then use assessment results for selection. In addition to violating the rules of the initial commitment, it exacerbates the suspicions of those potential leaders regarding misuse of information.
• Due to leader/candidates’ busy schedules and the complexity of the assessment process, you must plan well in advance to reserve time on their calendar.
•  Distinguish between assessment results that are shared with the leader/candidate and those that are shared with the employer. I usually share with the employer group data only. In team development efforts, I report individual data to the team but do so anonymously (without connection to names). Manager/candidates may fear that the employer will receive a report they themselves haven’t seen.

Leadership candidates who participate in my assessments receive a written assessment report and a feedback session where we discuss strengths and developmental needs and create a team development plan. The Individualized Leadership Plan (ILP) outlines the manager/candidates’ goals and objectives/steps for improving communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. I ensure that candidates are held accountable through periodic progress reviews. This step of accountability and progress reviews are done only by leading edge organizations. Very few organizations have taken this step, but those that have see clear benefits. Following the assessment and ILP creation, candidates participate in six months to a year of follow-up coaching. Those who appear to take their development seriously move up throuth the ranks. The greatest benefit of assessment includes  identifying gaps in experience/knowledge that potetial leaders may need to address to advance their career.

Again, I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

• Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

  or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Facilitating Productive Meetings To Achieve Results

Have you ever sat through a meeting thinking, “What a waste of time”?

As you tap your fingers and stare at the clock, you can’t help but wonder…Why do I need to be here? What am I supposed to contribute? Who’s in charge? What’s the point?

Unproductive meetings waste time, frustrate people and sap their motivation. It is aggravating to sit through poorly planned meetings. They put you further and further behind in your work.

With so many problems, why should we have meetings anyway? For one, they help work teams solve a problem. To solve a major organizational problem, you need the input and experience of more than just one person. Secondly, meetings help leaders motivate, instruct, or educate their employees.  Meetings also help leaders make a decision on an issue your team has been investigating. When the homework on an issue has been done, the group needs to hear a clear presentation of the issues and make a decision.

Third, meetings help us test new ideas and therefore, avoid major business mistakes. They can be used to bring people up-to-date on progress and future plans.

Fortunately, there are several powerful techniques that will help you—and everyone you work with—run more effective, efficient meetings. Follow these tips and help your team, department—maybe even your entire organization—run more focused, on-target, effective meetings.

Before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself:

¨      Is this meeting necessary?

¨      Could this be better handled with a memo, e-mail, or phone call?

¨      Can I tackle problem on individual basis?

¨      What are my objectives? What do I want to communicate? What results do I want?

Instead of dragging people in due to routine, just talk with one or two people you really need to consult. Beware of habitually holding regularly scheduled meetings. When you meet just because it’s Wednesday morning or the third Thursday, those meetings start to lack well-defined purpose and become a waste of time. Also ask yourself:

¨      Who should I invite?

¨      Is this topic valid, relevant, immediate, interesting to all invited participants?

¨      Does it have an impact on all participants?

¨      Do all people invited benefit from discussion?

¨      Should some non-group specialist be invited to provide input?

Don’t waste the time of people not involved in the issue, yet don’t exclude people who will be responsible for implementing changes resulting from decisions made at the meeting. If the answer to the last three questions is “No”, the meeting will definitely be a boring waste of time. Asking these questions will help you match the topic to those who should be invited to meeting.

Who you invite depends on what you want to accomplish. How many meetings have you attended where the right people weren’t involved? Don’t depend on your own judgment about who should be there. Ask others for their opinion. Successful implementation or solutions to problems will depend on input and buy-in of informal leaders of your group. So be sure to invite them. Other questions to ask include:

¨      When is the best time?

¨      Where is the best place to hold the meeting? On the job? In my office? Away from work?

¨      How much time is needed? What will it cost?

¨      Should I do it? Or, have someone else handle it?

¨      What preparation is necessary? Do I need to demonstrate something? Visual aids?

¨      Do I need to arrange facilities? Equipment?

¨      What do I need to find out?

¨      Do I need to review documents?

¨      Do I need to ask participants to read material, do some research, make a report, etc. before the meeting?

This list can work wonders in managing your time more effectively as well as assure clearer understanding before and during your meetings.

Be sure to prepare for your meetings. After arranging a meeting, send an email to those invited, including a clear agenda. Put the meeting time and place on this message. Surveying people’s views beforehand allows you to anticipate problems and gauge their level of support. Head off any time-wasting opposition prior to the meeting by meeting with opponents separate from the group. Work out any compromises all or most parties can accept. Call or email people to remind them of the meeting. Make a checklist of facilities and resources required then check it over before the meeting begins.

Study your data ahead of time. Arrive early if possible. Prepare notes and don’t be ashamed to read from them. Have reminders of key points on index cards or on PowerPoint. Define your meeting’s purpose and set objectives to be accomplished. Ask your team/committee/employees for agenda items (prior to the meeting). Prioritize agenda items (with problems first, planning second, and information-sharing last). You may also want to start with a review of actions agreed upon at previous meetings. Send out your agenda in advance of meeting to all participants and make extra copies available during your meeting.

Barbara Jordan is the author of “Achieve Success in Spite of Stress”. AdvantEdge Success Coaching brings psychology to the world of work, helping businesses improving productivity & performance through cutting edge coaching & training. We help you work smarter, not harder. For information re: how you can develop yourself and your organization, check out my website at www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Ten Powerful Tips to Improve Your Memory at Work

According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence at Work, stress impairs memory and learning. And, today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving workplace presents a lot of stress. Distracibility from multiple interruptions also creates memory problems. Our attention is continually interrupted by phones, email, and other interruptions. Here are ten powerful strategies to improve your memory:

• Use visual prompts and physical reminders.  An excellent example of a visual prompt/cue–take notes instead of relying on memory. Your daily planner can be used for note taking in meetings, telephone calls, impromptu conferences, etc. Request that work communication be written down (as in email) along with other delivery methods. An example of a physical reminder is laying a special book or file you need for work the next morning near the door.  Use sticky notes for intangibles or larger items that cannot be placed at the door.

• Use auditory cues.  Whenever possible, listen to audiobooks while exercising. This focuses your attention and helps you recall the information. Use electronic devices such as watches or “electronic reminders” that produce audible “beeps” as reminders to perform certain activities or attend to specific business.  Paraphrase instructions (repeat directions in your own words) to insure that you understood the person correctly. For example,  repeat to your client, “So, to summarize what you’ve said so I’m sure I got it all, you want me to write a Word document outlining a, b, and c and email it to mc123@company.com by Tuesday?” This way, you not only give yourself time to write down and remember the details, but you also communicate to your client the importance of his/her message.

• Develop routines.  By developing routines, you alleviate the need to remember to do so many things.  Routines can include  standard morning activities and night-time rituals. Also develop a routine for standard work activities. For example, at the end of each day, write a to-do list for tomorrow and at the beginning of each day, check and respond to email, return telephone calls, and answer mail.    

             

• Use memory techniques (e.g. mnemonics, visualization, verbal rehearsal, and repetition). Practice categorizing and chunking information. Use the RCRC method (Read, Cover the information with your hand, Recite and check). List or write down all that you remember in any order as fast as they can. This increases recall and retention.

• Use goals to motivate you to remember. Recall why you want/need to know the information. This will motivate you and reinforce your commitment to remembering it.

• Connect new material to prior knowledge and experience. Your new learning may be related in some ways to your existing knowledge. To reduce your fear of the unknown, bridge the gap between the familiar and not-so-familiar. Review previously learned information. Present the known information with one or two “unknowns” each time, until all are “knowns”. For example, before I add more material to my training workshops, I review the existing Powerpoints. Making connections between the existing and added material helps me assimilate the new concepts, organize the data mentally, and access it more readily.

• Use coaching. A coach, someone close to you, can hold you accountable, but with patience, compassion, and humor. Your coach can help you get organized, stay on task, give you encouragement or remind you to get back to work. A coach is someone to stay on you to get things done. A behind-the-scenes silent partner like this can be tremendously helpful.

• Seek encouragement. You may need this if you’ve had many self-doubts accumulate over the years. Like sunlight and water to plant, you will wither without encouragement but perk up when given support and encouragement.

• Get rid of the negativity that may be self-limiting or sabotaging your progress or success. Listen to your inner dialogue. You may discover that you tell yourself, “I can’t remember all of this!” or, “How am I supposed to remember everything?” or ”I can’t do it.” Ask yourself, “Who says?” Who says you cannot remember it all? You do! And, since you are the culprit, you can stop it. Stop telling yourself that you cannot do it!

• Use a tape recorder during critical meetings. This can help you remove any gaps you may have in notes due to either reduced processing speed or poor verbal comprehension and processing. If you recall something as you are going about your everyday business, use a hand-held recorder to record messages to yourself. Leaving yourself messages on voice mail at another location can serve a similar purpose.

Whatever you do, be flexible and give yourself permission to be yourself. Give up trying to be the perfect person you always thought you should be–the model student or the super-organized executive, for example–and let yourself be who you are. 

I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop you or your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. 

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

 LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach

Tips to Stay Focused at Work

Do you have difficulty paying attention to details, sustaining attention, listening, following through with instructions, getting or staying organized, following up with tasks, and/or remembering stuff?

One of my clients, we’ll call him John, was hired by a company primarily because of the brilliant creativity he demonstrated in his work. He also showed a lot of promise addressing hypothetical projects during the interview process.  In meetings with management and clients, John tends to shift from one idea to another, which creates listening problems.  He is rapidly developing a reputation as a “big picture” person with lots of ideas, energy, and enthusiasm.  He gets projects off to a great start, but fails to follow through until they’re completed.  He often appears for client presentations unprepared or without necessary materials or information.  Consequently, his client responsibilities have continually declined.  The situation has escalated to the point that management is considering “letting him go.” 

It may be that John has Attention Deficit Disorder. But, before you identify too closely with him and conclude that you have ADD, consider today’s high-paced, constantly changing, media-glutted, complex world. In this context, there’s a little ADD in all of us and a lot in some of us! We’re all expected to do more and more with less and less time and resources. What’s more, technology may have promised to make our lives easier. But, in reality, it has increased our distraction and frustration because we’re always “on” and therefore constantly interrupted. I call it Too-Much-On-My-Mind Disposition, not disorder. I refer to this tendency to lose the ”forest for the trees” or vice versa as “T-MOMM” Disposition.

Whether you call it ADD or T-MOMM Disposition, your job performance is affected. Time management problems, commitment to too many tasks simultaneously, disorganization, impulsivity in expressing ideas, decision-making problems, low frustration tolerance, tendency to leave projects incomplete, wandering thoughts while listening to others, difficulty during intensive learning situations, and cramming too much into one’s schedule resulting in chronic lateness—are all signs of this lack of focus.

So how do you overcome these challenges?

• First of all, learn good decision-making skills. Before saying or doing something, learn to consider the options then evaluate them according to each of their potential positive and negative consequences.

 

• Secondly, if you switch from one task to another, frequently start projects but leave them unfinished, and focus so deeply that you become “lost” in your work, manage your time more closely. Choose a paper planner or electronic personal data tracker that fits your lifestyle. Use these organizational tools as a part of your daily life routine.  But be sure to use one planner for everything:  work, home, play, etc. It should go with you EVERYWHERE. Managing multiple planners or needing the planner and not having it will only add frustration.

 

• And, how do you handle interruptions, another big challenge? Manage interruptions by listening to non-lyrical symphony orchestra and closing your office door when completing work requiring intense focus. Arrange your workspace to keep irrelevant visual distractions from your line of sight. Keep a writing pad nearby and note your task focus when interrupted. Record fleeting thoughts such as after-work grocery lists, personal bills that need immediate attention, and ideas for tomorrow’s meeting. 

 

• Schedule your work tasks in accordance with your peak energy and concentration levels. Determine when you are most productive and schedule the tasks requiring the most concentration and energy during those times. Conversely, set aside other (“low-functioning”) times of the day to address insignificant, routine tasks. 

 

• Maintain healthy relationships with significant others. This will likely spill over into your professional life so that you experience more success in your work, too.

I hope this was helpful. Please comment if you agree, disagree, or have an important point to add! Let me know what you think. Find out more about my leadership coaching and training programs designed to help you develop your organization. Check out my website: www.AdvantEdgeSuccessCoaching.com

Once there, you can sign up to receive my free bi-monthly ezine “Success Tips for Busy Leaders” and/or sign up to receive a free sample chapter of my new book Achieve Success In Spite of Stress. 

Connect with me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AdvantEdge-Success-Coaching-Training/134951796533519

 LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-jordan/15/22a/145

or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cuttingedgcoach