Three Ways to Pave the Way for your Team in 2010

Well, it’s here. 2010 – a new decade. As January moves into full swing, I want to encourage you to energize your team for the year ahead.

It’s no secret that 2009 was a difficult year for many people. The economy created uncertainty (and still does to an extent), jobs were lost in most every market sector (you probably know someone who faced unemployment), and what is to come this year has most people wondering.

Quite honestly, I think a sentiment exists among many people they are simply glad a new year is here which means 2009 is history.

So, as the leader of your team – whether you are in a corporate market, non-profit sector, or a ministry environment – you have the opportunity to engage those who work with you and equip them for this exciting and yet-to-be year.

Here are three quick messages to share with your team:

1. We are going somewhere.
Share with your team your vision for the next 12 months. What initiatives are we pursuing? How are we managing expenses in this continued tough environment? How are we connecting with our customers? How did we finish 2009 and how will that impact the business in the coming months?

2. Here’s how and where you fit in.
Stability comes in large part, when individuals understand their role in helping a larger group reach its objective. It answers the questions – why do I do what I do and does it really matter? Stop and take the time to help them connect the dots. Personal productivity is guaranteed when this equation clicks for someone.

3. What’s the score?
It’s difficult to keep score when no one knows what the finish line looks like. When vision is continually communicated with your team, the natural next step is to talk about progress to your goals. Take the risk to be accused of “over-communicating” with your team. Now, that’s a great employee complaint to receive.

People connect with a cause, goal or initiative they understand. “Work as usual” is a difficult mindset to grasp after the difficult year everyone has survived. So take advantage of this month and perhaps, do things a bit differently.  The result?  A different 2010.

Oh, and will you tell me how you are doing along the way?

Three Ways to Create Team Success in 2010

2009 is now a memory and organizations are focused on what the coming year will hold.  And while New Year’s resolutions are popular in our culture, I believe they also have a place in the business world.

So what are the New Year’s goals for your organization?

Every organization would quickly say they want to be successful.  However, it is important to note that success is only achieved through intentional efforts.

So, as you begin executing goals in the coming weeks, here are few intentional actions that will ensure your success:

1.  Create Role Clarity
Does every member of your team have a clear understanding of their role?  And better yet, do they understand everyone else’s role on the team?

Too often tasks remain undone, not from lack of effort but from false assumptions that someone else is taking care of it.  Consider interrupting the normal conversations that often occur in a meeting and spend some time ensuring everyone knows what they have been tasked to do and how individual roles link to one another.

2.  Clarify Authority
Unfortunately, many teams stop just short of completely defining the most important aspect of a role – what authority does each person have?  As the leader, how much empowerment do your team members have? And do they know it?  A power vacuum is created when the individuals on the team lack a clear understanding of who and how decisions are made.

3.  Close the Gaps
In the absence of information, people make up their own “truth”.  As the leader, your role is simple: communicate progress to the goal.  So what does that mean?

You must take advantage of every opportunity to talk about your performance.  Are you hitting milestones?  What gaps need to be addressed?  Do any individual team members need assistance?  Are the team’s activities being communicated to other stakeholders?  What barriers do you need to remove?  Are you praising success?

Answering these questions will reduce ambiguity and let’s face it:  you will never be accused of communicating too much.

Role definition, clear authority and communication:  three actions that distinguish winning teams.  So as we anticipate the ringing in of a new year, I wish you a year of success…a year of intentional success.

Three Tips for Handling the Unexpected

Do you ever have one of those déjà vu moments?  You know, that feeling that you have been a certain situation before?  Well, it happened to me today. 

My last scheduled flight of 2009 occurred today.  It’s a typical flight from Tennessee to Virginia by way of North Carolina – or so I thought.  The skies were clear in Nashville, but alas, the complete opposite weather conditions were looming along the east coast. 

Thus, the day of delays and domino effect that ensues as flight after flight is cancelled.

My déjà vu moment?  I was on a similar trip out west this same time last year and experienced the record snowfall in Washington state.  And you guessed it…flight delays and cancellations.

You know, it’s funny.  For those of us who rely on airplanes as often as SUV’s to get us from point A to point B for business, you would think we would reach a point to understand that sometimes weather happens and when it does, there really isn’t anything you can do about it. 

But, we’re human, and that’s just not always the case.  When conditions like this happen, it creates such a classroom on human behavior.

My morning flight began after a cancelled flight then a 1 ½ delay on the rescheduled flight.  After boarding, we sat on the tarmac for another 45 minutes waiting to be cleared for departure by air traffic control.  The airline (which shall remain nameless), offered beverages to those who wanted them and even threw in a snack for us to munch on.

Once we were airborne and the official beverage service began, the flight attendants offered apologies that there were out of water and coffee.  Understandable, right (at least to some degree)?  Well, not so for the woman sitting across from me.  When the flight attendant told there was no coffee but offered a substitute instead, she scoffed [loudly] and completely turned her back to the flight attendant and faced the window.  She then told him to “go away”.  Hmmm..interesting response to a trivial circumstance.

Later, while waiting for leg #2 of the day’s trip, flights were continually getting shifted from gate to gate and departure times were literally a moving target, I witnessed another great moment for humanity.

A lone flight attendant was trying to manage two departing flights at the same gate and announced clearly to the standing room only crowd what order the flights would be handled and the process by which passengers could address any other needs.  Sadly, she had to make that announcement three times over a 10 minute span because people were not listening. 

Finally, she came across the intercom and said, “Folks, I’m sorry this is so frustrating for you, but there is just one of me and I’m doing the best I can.  Will you PLEASE be patient.  Believe me, we WANT to get you to your destination too”  Hmmm…another interesting glimpse into how we deal with the unexpected.

Now please hear me.   I’m certainly not a saint when it comes to combating the frustrations that can accompany a weather-induced day.  I definitely have my moments of exasperation.  Bu today, my stress level was okay.  Fortunately, I had planned all day to get to my destination.

But you know, I really don’t think the men and women who service our flights daily secretly enjoy watching the stress and frustration we experience on days like this.  It’s a tough day for them too.

So what did I learn on my “commute” today?

1.       Separate the big things from the little things.
In a day where fog eclipsed visibility, I’m thankful to have simply arrived safely.  I was not a statistic today.  Isn’t that the bigger picture on a day like today?

2.       Remember you are not alone and keep that in perspective.
I am curious to know the formula that could calculate the number of people and flights impacted by today’s weather woes.  The domino effect is vivid as you think of the chain reaction created by multiple flight changes.  It wasn’t just my flight that was messed up today.  And what does that mean?  There are a MANY people around me who are potentially on edge, frustrated and reacting to stress.  And let’s face it, they probably aren’t handling it the most productive way.  I need to be on my guard. 

3.       Remember what you can do something about and do it.
The art of customer service is never tested more than when the unexpected occurs.  While I may not be able to change my circumstance, and let’s face it, that is frustrating.  However, I can control how I respond to the situation and others.  Do I keep my cool?  Do I offer grace to the service employees who are trying to help me? 

 All’s well that ends well.  I [finally] made it to Virginia.  It was several hours later than originally planned but I made it.  And I am pretty sure there are crews of airline workers along the east coast who are equally glad the day has come to an end.  My thanks to the friendly ones who helped me arrive safely. 

 Now, let’s say a prayer for that return flight!

Four Benefits of a Coffeehouse Appointment

I don’t know anyone who believes they just have too much time on their hands.  Even for most retirees (my dad included), their “to do “ lists only grows when they leave corporate life.

 Yet, in a world often dominated by daily updates to facebook and the perpetual items on our task list, it’s easy to never get to those things we really want [or need] to do.  For some, it’s simply time to read the stack of online articles about their trade, or for others, it’s spending valuable time with someone who can sharpen our skills and positively influence our personal development.

 An old proverb states that iron sharpens iron, so I decided live that principle and reach out to someone to focus on one of those items plaguing my ongoing list of goals.  You know the ones – those tasks that you hope to get to “one day”.   I scheduled some time with a colleague at a local coffee shop recently with the simple aim of working on some tasks that would best benefit from a second pair of eyes.  She did the same.

 This colleague is a little further along with a few strategies I’m also trying to craft.  By setting aside specific time with her, I was able to benefit from her journey.  She shared lessons learned from her experience and also played the devil’s advocate to help me think more clearly (and quickly) about my own strategies.

 So, what is the benefit of investing a few hours at a local coffee shop on that recent Saturday afternoon?

  1. I had an in-person sounding board to help me organize my thinking and advance my progress.
  2. The change in venue and routine sparked creativity. 
  3. Knowing I had scheduled time to focus on this task released me from stressing about it.
  4. I was able to provide feedback to my colleague as well.  The session wasn’t just about me.

 So, what can you possibly glean from my recent experience?  Consider these thoughts:

  • Are you carving out time in your schedule to get to those tasks that are really important to you?
  • Are you intentionally seeking out others who can challenge and encourage you?  Benefit from their experience to make you better.
  • Are you giving back to someone else?  Who can benefit from your professional journey?

 Although I had surpassed my daily coffee intake, as I left the coffee shop that wintry afternoon, I felt a sense of accomplishment in moving one step closer to reaching at least one of my goals.  And it was great sharing that with someone too.  That’s progress.

 How are you doing?

Three things your employees need from you now

It’s no secret that it has been a difficult year for businesses all around the country. The sluggish economy has left no one untouched whether it is lost revenues, a reduction in staff or simply the uncertainty of what is to come. So given the events of 2009, what is on your employees’ minds?

It’s quite simple, they wonder about the future of your business and its impact to them personally. And let’s face it, if your employees are distracted, employee engagement and productivity will suffer.

While no one can predict what the future holds, there are three basic items your team needs. And if you attempt to meet these needs, you will see employee engagement and productivity improve.

1.  Honest and timely information
In the absence of truth, we make up our own version of truth. Two plus two equals five in our minds. And in a time of uncertainty, employees need honest and timely information from you. They should never hear information about your company from outside your organization before they hear it from you.

How do you meet this need? Create an on-going communication vehicle within your company. Share the state of the department or business with them. Talk about your key performance indicators, the state of your surroundings and what is on the horizon. Sharing information on these topics gives your team a sense of being “in the loop” and included in what’s important to the business.

2.  Confidence you have their best interest at heart
Employees (in both good and bad times) want to know their leader has their back. It’s a matter of trust. It’s the intangible element of your business relationship that creates loyalty.

How do you build a community of trust? It requires intentional efforts. Be mindful of “closed door” meetings. While there are times that require privacy, a constant closed door causes employees to wonder what secrets are being discussed – is someone being fired?, are they talking about me?, and so forth.

Also, think about where you spend your hours of your day? For employees, relationship is measured in time. They trust people they know. And if they know you, it’s essential to walk the talk. Each of these strategies builds their confidence that you have their best interest at heart.

3.  Signs of action and/or progress across the organization
Finally, your employees are thinking about the future of your business like you are. They want the company to be around-and successful-in the future. So it is important to talk about the future what them. They need to see evidence that the company is preparing for that time ahead when the economic conditions improve.

To communicate progress, build the visual evidence that are making plans today for your success tomorrow and let your team know they are part of that equation. Speak in terms of long-range – for example an 18 month initiative they will be involved in. This sends the power message that we are just focusing on the here and now. Link your day to day activities to the long-term. Help them understand that a reduction in expenses now help us fund a project in Q1 of next year.

Everyone hopes the coming year looks quite a bit different from the past 12 months of 2009. It is likely next year will also be a difficult one but signs of improvement will come.

As you plan your communication efforts for 2010, take action to meet these employee needs so they can also be geared up to be an active part of your coming year.

Does this article resonate with you? If so, I would love to hear what you are doing to make 2010 a successful year. Send your thoughts and let’s discuss them.