How to Help Snails Keep Up

Who’s falling behind? Thriving organizations leave those who don’t grow, behind. Change leaves those who don’t change frustrated, wondering what happened.

The puzzle changed and they don’t fit.

Helping snails keep up:

Successful leaders are people watchers. Know who’s falling behind.

Watch people first and performance second.

Observe:

1. Energy levels. What drags down?
2. Frustration levels. What frustrates?
3. Happiness levels. What energizes?
4. Development levels. What training or initiatives captivate their attention?
5. Change levels. What’s changing in them or their circumstances?

Performance is about people. Capable people, who fit in, love delivering the goods, when they believe in the mission. How are you enhancing capacity, building health, and aligning with mission? How are you helping others fit in?

Performance is a result; people are the end.

Go positive not negative. Positive motivates. Positive interactions create positive environments. If all you do is fix problems, all you’ll see are problems to fix.

Publically affirm attitude, first.  Praise performance later. Organizations that value transparency and authenticity should publically acknowledge it when it’s seen, for example. If you value positive environments, cheer those who cheer others.

Honor people before praising performance.

Look through behaviors; speak to attitudes. Build spirit and soul. Connect. But, don’t neglect performance.

Performance:

Placing people first builds foundations for tough conversations about performance later. Build relationships. Affirm people. Connect. Think how they think.

High performance energizes healthy people.

Call for exceptional. Low performance frustrates healthy people. “People first” isn’t lowering expectations. Go ahead, raise the bar. Healthy people rise up.

Pour into them if you expect them to pour out for you.

Strong relationships result in strong performance, but you must call for it. On the other hand, when people complain, “They’re never satisfied,” you’ve built lopsided, negative environments.

How can leaders help snails?

12 Ways to Thrive Under Stress

Talking about stress is stressful. It’s one more problem to solve. But, ignoring it never resolves it. Stress builds up.

Disproportionate reactions indicate stress build-up.

Mary says, “Would you mind handing me that pencil?” Bob responds in anger, “You’re always asking for something. Get it yourself!” “Sheesh!”

Over 50% of the workforce feels:

1. Overwhelmed by workload.
2. Too many tasks prevent them from completing tasks.
3. There’s no time for self-reflection.

Beware! Stress manifests physically, relationally, emotionally, and mentally. It’s not all bad, however.

4 Stress benefits

Healthy doses of stress:

1. Energize and motivate.
2. Enhance concentration. But, too much distracts.
3. Produce great results. Stress brings out your best.
4. Make you feel you matter.

Stephen Covey said, “Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”

12 stress tips

1. Acknowledge that it eventually becomes, “I can’t take any more.”
2. Make lists. Anxiety that something fell through the cracks causes stress.
3. Take ownership. Blaming is stressful.
4. See it. Seeing stress helps solve stress. Listen to feedback from your body, for example.
5. Manage don’t control. Controlling stress creates stress.
6. Welcome stress that brings out your best. It’s your friend.
7. Engage in stress relieving activities.
8. Accept what won’t change. Don’t fight it.
9. Say no.
10. Find support.
11. Delegate.
12. Breathe.

Bonus: Laugh.

I don’t want to cause more stress, but it kills you if you don’t deal with it.

Which stress tips are most useful?

How do you deal with stress?

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10 Ways to Spot Authentic Leaders

Talk isn’t always cheap. Words change lives and organizations. However, when it comes to authenticity, talk is nearly meaningless.

Authenticity, like trust, feedback, and empowerment are words tossed around in leadership circles likes nuts at a squirrel buffet.

Words apart from practice make you
feel you know when you don’t.

Using the term “authentic” doesn’t make you authentic any more than sleeping in a garage makes you a car.

10 practices of authenticity:

I’ve interviewed scores of high profile leaders. Authenticity appears quickly. Authentic leaders:

1. Talk comfortably about failure.
2. Say, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
3. Speak tough truths comfortably.
4. Share what they are learning. Fakers pretend they already knew.
5. Ask “dumb” questions.
6. Explore-with rather than conclude-for.
7. Invite feedback. You’d be amazed how many leaders fear feedback, even refuse it.
8. Honor others, profusely. Phony leaders need honor. Authentic leaders give it.
9. Know and acknowledge frailties and weaknesses. Fakers are omniscient and omni-compitent.
10. Empathize without compromise.

Bonus: Adapt, change, and grow. Phonies don’t grow they spiral inward like black-holes.

You change before you help others change.

The power of authenticity is influence rather than coercion. Fakers rely on position, authority, and manipulation. Authentic leaders influence through the power of their person.

Benefit:

Authenticity lowers stress; faking increases stress.

For the record, most leaders I interview practice authenticity. It’s refreshing and encouraging. Authenticity fills words with authority and power, without it, words are cheap.

How do you spot authenticity?

How does authenticity develop in a person?

Damn that Hurts…

The trouble with pain is ignoring it. Toothaches begin as dull twinges. Tumors are coughs. Before long, fillings are root canals and tumors are death.

Pain is a slow sunrise, quiet. But, noon always comes. Listen to pain in the morning; don’t wait for noon.

Courage:

Life without pain is death.

Leaders courageously listen for pains voice. Delay invites damage. Toothaches and tumors never magically go away. Pain is not the enemy. Invite it in for a chat. “Damn that hurts.”

The role of pain:

1. Pain screams something’s wrong but doesn’t solve or correct.
2. Pain points to symptoms not root problems.
3. Pain is a consequence not a cause, at least at first.
4. Pain succeeds when we look for causes and cures.
5. Pain solves when stopping is enough.
6. Everything that hurts isn’t bad.

Distraction:

“Just make it stop,” is a distraction. Leaders look through pain to find real issues.

Underperforming employees are the toothache, but the root problem may be organizational, for example. Correcting underperformers may provide surface solutions; developing organizations capacities provides deep cures.

Dull ache:

You’re feeling dull aches that suggest intervention.

1. Relational aches.
2. Staff malfunctions.
3. Inner dissatisfaction.
4. Customer distress.
5. Procedure failures.

Approach:

1. Point out pain-points and ask, “What’s behind this issue?”
2. “Is it escalating or deescalating?”
3. “Does this situation require intervention? Why or why not?”
4. “What are you doing about it?”
5. “How can I help?”
6. “Can we solve this with current or new procedures?”
7. “Tell me more next week.”

All leaders have stories of toothaches that turned to root canals and tumors that killed.

I’m not ready means it doesn’t hurt enough.

Leaders don’t address every issue; they give space for others to find solutions. However, leaders always monitor pain-points. Don’t pretend they’ll go away.

Do you tend to delay too long, act too quick, or move-in on pain-points at just the right moment?

How do you address pain-points?

10 Ways to Encourage Discouraged People

Leaders who lift get further than those who push down. Performace improves when people feel encouraged and declines when they’re discouraged or hopeless.

You don’t have to beat up high-performers – they do it to themselves – lift them instead.

All successful leaders encourage;
they fill people with hope.

The added responsibility of encouraging others may discourage you, especially if you aren’t good at it.

10 Ways to encourage others:

1. Encourage in private. The more people involved the more likely they’ll feel a need to posture and protect.
2. Agree with their feelings. Never minimize or correct. “Oh it’s not that bad,” is demeaning not encouraging.
3. Break obstacles and challenges into bite-size pieces.
4. Use questions. “Do you think you can deliver your report this afternoon.” Progress encourages.
5. Remove a weight or responsibility, temporarily. Warning: some discouraged people need a new challenge.
6. Explain their value. “You’re the best (fill in the blank) we have.”
7. Get on their level. Avoid speaking as a superior.
8. Encourage rest. “Why don’t you take a couple days off?” Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
9. Let them talk.
10. ????

Facebook contributors say leaders who encourage:

1. Give people challenging assignments and check them periodically.
2. Lead by example and practice what you preach.
3. Communicate clearly and follow through.
4. Recognize and reward progress.

More at: Leadership Freak Coffee Shop.

A big one:

Have you argued with a discouraged person attempting to change their feelings? It’s futile. Confrontation closes discouraged people down.

Accepting people as they are – even if you must challenged negative behaviors – allows them to open the door to your encouragements.

Prevent discouragement in the first place:

Deal with discouragement before it happens by being a positive leader.

1. Spend more time affirming and less time correcting.
2. Give public acknowledgement, gratitude, and praise.
3. Be available.

What techniques help you encourage discouraged people?

Overcoming the Reason People Don’t Listen

Tune into others if you expect them to tune into you. Discouraged or defeated people need strength before they’ll listen to ideas or solutions.

Give strength before giving answers or solutions.

Six Ways to Strengthen others:

1. Agree with frustrations; don’t explain why. If they feel frustrated they are frustrated. It’s frustrating when you’re told why you’re frustrated.
2. Defuse negative emotions by validation. Emotional people don’t listen. Emotions cloud judgment, especially discouragement, anger, or bitterness. Always deal with emotion before providing solutions.
3. Strengthen others by seeing their strengths.
4. Acknowledge their contributions.
5. Shut off lights at the end of the day. Say, “Go home.”
6. Incorporate play at work.

Four Benefits of Strengthening others:

Vulnerability enhances influence.

You have greater influence with those who trust you; they’re vulnerable. People who feel understood become vulnerable; they feel safe. Safety is the belief that you’ll protect rather than abuse. “You won’t hurt me.”

Influence through vulnerability is pure manipulation apart from leadership integrity.

Affirmations open ears.

Convince someone you’re on their team and they’ll listen. Personal agendas create self-protection and defensiveness.

Encouragement lifts focus beyond self.

Discouraged people dwell on their own needs; someone has to. Strong people think about the needs of others.

Strength moves people from can’t to can.

Defeated people say, “I’m done or I can’t.” Strengthened people say, “I’ll try.”

Warning:

Driving doesn’t work for long.

You can drive people but in the end no one goes far on empty; you must fuel their tanks.

Leader as strength-giver:

Successful leaders help others believe in themselves, higher purpose, and vision. Discouraged people can’t believe. Pressuring weak or defeated people to perform makes them resentful and resistant.

Everyone loses when “You don’t understand me,” becomes, “You can’t make me.”

How can leaders strengthen the people around them?

A Personal Note Regarding my Recovery

November 20, 2011 hangs in the misty past as one of life’s turning points. It’s the day I was life flighted to a regional trauma center after a severe car accident that nearly took my life.

Three and a half months later, I’m doing very well. Specifically:

My broken right hip is responding well to therapy. I’m scheduled for full weight bearing on March 13.

My neck still gets stiff but continues to progress. There are no long term back injuries, as far as we can tell.

The broken left hand is the slowest healing of my injuries. Apparently there’s some nerve damage but over time it should slowly improve. I’m right handed, thankfully.

The right eye/eyebrow area that required two doctors nearly an hour and half to stitch is fully recovered and offers no problems. My vision is as a good now as it was before the accident. You can barely tell it was injured.

Sometime this week or next I’ll replace my wrecked pickup truck with another. I can’t see myself in something other than a truck. I’m a country boy.

Please understand that Leadership Freak is my way of giving to you. That’s why I don’t talk much about my recover. However, I know you are interested.

Every day I’m thankful for the support I enjoy from an army of generous people who care for me.

Here are three posts related to my accident:

My first post explaining why I hadn’t posted for a few days.

My favorite post The Hidden Power of Weakness.

A post in gratitude for all the support I was receiving The Power of Accidents.

Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.

Turning Pickle Barrels into Wine Casks

Unrelenting pressure, backstabbing and undercutting, fatigue, feeling powerless and under appreciated spawn burnout.

According to Maslach and Jackson the six factors of burnout are:

1. Working too much.
2. Unjust environments.
3. Little support.
4. Working where you feel unable to effect change.
5. Serving values you loath.
6. Insufficient reward (whether the currency is money, prestige, or positive feedback).

When these factors persist you’ll crash and burnout, sooner than later.

More than overwork:

People who believe they can change things and that their work is appreciated, energetically work their butts off. But, powerless unrewarded employees inevitably burnout.

The opposite of burnout:

Engagement, not energy, is the opposite of burnout. Vitality is the result of engagement not its cause. Engaged people:

1. Feel energized. Potential for work increases.
2. Feel supported and support others. Connection and involvement improve.
3. Feel powerful. Efficacy and effort build rather than decline.

Good news:

Reexamine the six factors of burnout. How many are organizational?

The enemy is us not them. “Imagine investigating the personality of cucumbers to discover why they had turned into sour pickles without analyzing the vinegar barrels in which they’d been submerged!” Maslach.

Burnout is more about organizations than individuals. It’s true that the young burnout more than the old and perfectionist burnout first. But more importantly, we are building inhumane work environments that cause burnout in all ages and personality types.

The good news is we can build organizations that engage rather than burnout.

Turning pickle barrels into wine casks:

1. Give power and authority by turning approvals into reports.
2. Send overachievers home. Overtime only works in the short-term.
3. Trust people by eliminating bureaucracy.
4. Celebrate more.
5. Build on don’t tear down. Complaints don’t engage they defeat.
6. Give honor and praise even if you can’t give cash.
7. Explain and illustrate positive impact.

What can your organizations do to defeat burnout?

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