CEO or last bottle washer, you will perform your best and be happiest if you are captain of your own ship! Master of your fate! This is true for everyone, at every level of your company. Granted, some people’s ships are bigger than others but in every case, we are all at our best – proudest, most motivated, happiest, and most successful – when captain of our own ship – when we know what we are about and can control our fate. But you can’t be captain if you don’t know you have “a ship” and understand what constitutes “your ship.” And you don’t want to be an organization of pirates, even well intentioned pirates, who commandeer ships on whim.
When out for a walk or run, most of us head for the high and dry path, the even steps, and smooth pavement. If you are in a hurry, dressed-up, or bird-watching, this makes all the sense in the world. But if you are out for exercise, hit the mud and the ruts. Why? Walking on sinking or uneven terrain is more work, and thus, more exercise. If you don’t believe me, try it. Ask yourself why you keep gravitating back to the smooth path. Walking at a tilt strengthens and stretches under-used muscles.You need more and different muscles to walk on uneven ground. Toning those other muscles improves balance and reduces the chance of falling. This is not my area of expertise but if you think about it for a minute, it can’t not be true.
We all have flaws. Some are our secrets and unlikely to see the light of day. Some, known both to us and others, are old news. Others, those visible to everyone but unknown to us, hold incredible value. These are the golden nuggets. These are the insights that might lead us to see the world in a new way and shock us into changing our thoughts and behavior. These are the nuggets that might be our keys to greater success and happiness. If these nuggets are so valuable, why are they usually inaccessible to us?
“Why can’t my employees make decisions? Why do they always have to come to me?” Busy clients ask me these questions frequently. Are their employees unwilling, incapable or simply indecisive? The following tips will not only answer those questions, they will also help you dramatically improve employee decision making. 1. Does the employee understand what decisions you expect him or her to make? Don’t laugh. It is not at all uncommon for people to complain that someone is unwilling to do something they don’t realize they are expected to do. Unclear expectations are especially likely if you have been making certain decisions all along. Are you sure you have made it clear that you want someone else taking responsibility? Even if you have been clear, your employees may not really believe you. If they don’t think you trust them to make the decision, they simply won’t believe you really want them to do it. “I know he says it, but he doesn’t really want us to go ahead without his approval.”
You tell them over and over again, but they don’t seem to get it. They don’t get it, so you don’t trust them. You don’t trust them, so you don’t give them more responsibility. You have to do things yourself. Plus, you have to keep them under control. How will you ever make real progress? You won’t. Not alone. You need their help. All of them. But first, they need your help. Read the first sentence of this article again. See how much trouble is caused just because they don’t seem to get it? But that isn’t the root cause – their inability to get it. It all starts with the telling. Have you really done what you can to help them understand what you are trying to tell them?
Change Management, Process Improvement, New Directions – call it what you wish, but avoid these common mistakes: 1. Fanfare “Here we go again.” “Another program to weather.” “This too shall pass!” Sound familiar? All too often organizations announce big changes and new programs with big events and fanfare, but then very little actually happens. The initial energy and enthusiasm fades, specific changes are never identified let alone implemented, results aren’t realized, managers don’t adjust, or maybe something even better comes along leading to a new “launch” with new fanfare.The easy part is the announcement. And the fanfare is fun and contagious. But if your staff isn’t capable of the details, the follow-through, the implementation, then your program will die and the cynics will reign supreme, ever bolder in their determination to out-last any new program. Furthermore, while ostensibly trying to generate energy, the fanfare simply signals big change and thus, raises anxiety. An impoverished understanding of the program purpose, path or impact will leave most people uneasy.
We’ve all heard it. Employees Hate Change. Do you believe it? I don’t. I think employees are getting a bum rap. I think they are being used as an excuse for poor change, poor results, poor communication, poor planning. First of all, have you asked them? No, I don’t mean have you asked them if they hate change, I mean, have you asked them what they would like to change? Have you asked them specifically what is driving them crazy about their jobs that they would love to change? Have you asked them what your company needs to improve? Where it is wasting time, talent and money? Where it is disappointing your customers? Try it. You might be shocked at how eagerly they would encourage change.
“The great person is ahead of their time, the smart make something out of it, and the blockhead, sets themselves against it.” -Jean Baudrillard Change Management REDEFINED: Suddenly doing the things you should have been doing all along but were able to skip because times were changing slowly and your competitors were behind you! Below is a five part list of good management practices. Below is also a five part list of Change Management practices. Same list! Check it out!
Class is over and employees are energized. They rush back to their offices where a screen full of email, a stream of voicemails, and piles of work quickly suck them back into the world of old habits – business as usual. Where is the hope? How can they possibly digest what they have learned, figure out how to apply it, and then find the opportunity to practice it? Just Google “Making training stick,” or something similar, and you will find a multitude of long articles that leave the Googler, likely the supervisor, in the same boat as the trainee. No, worse off than the trainee – not even energized and definitely wishing for an escape such as “class dismissed.”