How am I doing?

This past week, I was working with a client who is exceptionally good at everything.  He asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks and allowed us to deepen our conversation and the results that we both received from our time together. 

After about an hour and fifteen minutes of working together, he asked, “How am I doing?”  I asked him a couple of questions to make sure I understood the focus and framework of his question.  He was literally asking me how effective, efficient and productive he was being as a client. 

He was valuing our time together, believes I am a professional with significant experience and wanted to know how he compared to others and, regardless of comparisons, wanted to know how he could improve.  His simple question kept reverberating throughout my day. 

From the taxi ride to the airport, to the operations training I conducted before he and I met, it was clear to me that I felt I was smarter and more knowledgeable then those I had come in front of that day.  I was often telling these other professionals how to do their jobs.  

I am a blessed guy.  I get to work with some pretty amazing people during the day and then spend my evenings with a very talented executive and leader, my wife.  With all of these people I tend to feel humbled and it creates curiosity.  I mean that I often feel curious around them and wonder about what I can learn. 

What this client taught me this week, was how one question can open the door to a lifetime of relationships where curiosity is foundational.  You better believe that the next taxi in which I sit will be driven by someone who can teach me something. 

So, which of your employees never teaches you anything?  What questions do you need to ask in order to achieve a state of curiosity? 

What the science around creating Joy tells us about leadership

This year, I have committed to the following:  Each day, I am making at least three statements of gratitude, at least three times per week I am acting kindly toward someone(s). I am journaling that I have completed my commitments. 

Sounds pretty simple.  Yup.  It is pretty simple.  So, why do this and what do I think is my payoff?  Well, from the reading on what is now being called the science of joy, there should be an impact on how I show up, how I feel about those around me/my life and the results I achieve. 

I started this project on day one… first day of the year.  During this time, I have noticed that I have fewer negative thoughts.  I mean from how the weather affects me (I live in Seattle and that ought to say enough right there) to what I find my mind is doing (on what it is focusing) when I sit down and talk to someone. 

It is now March and this month, I have counted four different people, just this past week,  telling me something is different.  I have asked these unsolicited purveyors of feedback to tell me what they saw.  Each has said almost the same thing.  The components of their statements are:  you are more present; you are more relaxed and you appear happier. 

So, I am not a large enough universe on which to build a theory and I will tell you that my results are simply paralleling those of researchers who are testing by the thousands.  Let’s just say early indications continue and others are noticing and more are responding to the impact of my weekly gratitude statements, unexpected kind acts and journaling. 

Does this shift have any impact on running a company?  I think it does. 

How we show up creates the framework for which we do or don’t get things done.  The 12^th Man, Seahawks fans, made Seattle a really difficult city to come to for other NFL teams.  The attitude of fans is, “We really can make a difference and have to do our part to disrupt and impact those visitors.”  Scientists are learning, as they explore human emotions and how we are wired, that the chemicals that turn on and off certain emotions, can impact and change an individual.  If one person shows up acting differently and their mindset is intentional, it is harder to throw them off balance.  This means that a CEO’s attitude can positively and negatively impact those around them and the art of leadership is getting some pretty strong guidance from the research being done. 

In the meantime, I am having more fun.  How about you? 

The Red Truck Plan Starts With You

Today we have a guest blog from Earl Bell:

If you were to discover that a high level of business risk existed where only one person had the relationship, knowledge, skill or ability to perform a certain job task or tasks, would you do about it?” Taking this a step further, what if this applied to you in your role as CEO?” 

A harsh reality is that bad things happen to good people all the time.  Sudden and tragic accidents, or unexpected health issues like a stroke, heart attack or brain cancer can turn a company upside down overnight; that is if the company is not prepared for such an event.

My strong suggestion is to acknowledge this risk and proactively manage it by creating a red truck plan for the CEO role.  This means engaging with your leadership team to design, develop and practice an executable contingency plan which will enable others to lead in your absence. 

In doing so, you will accomplish a couple of things:

1.    Developing a red truck plan for the CEO role immediately enhances a company’s value by reducing the risk that future cash flows could be negatively impacted by the CEO’s inability or unavailability to lead.

2.    Leading by example sends a message to others in the organization that the CEO is serious about building redundancy in the business and that strengthening the team by reducing risk is important.  After all, winning in business is a team sport!

Building and preserving company value is a primary responsibility of the CEO.  My challenge question to you this week is this… “Will you commit to and engage your leadership team to create a red truck plan for your role as CEO?”  Assuming the answer is “yes,” know that this first step will make it much easier to get your leaders, managers and employees to do the same for their roles.  If fact, your leadership example sends a strong signal that running the company is a team sport which sometimes requires others to step up when asked! 

If the answer is, “no – I will not create a red truck plan for myself,” two questions to ask are; “why are you and your board of directors willing to accept this level of risk” and “what will happen to the company if you suddenly were not available to run the business?

I’m willing to bet that nothing but positive things come out of going through this red truck exercise throughout the company, starting with you.  Are you willing to bet otherwise?

EARL BELL

EARL BELL is the author of, Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company, which provides a roadmap to success for leaders that desire to build thriving companies in a very competitive 21^stcentury business environment.  Earl believes that “everything you need to know about business, leadership and team building can be learned from Little League baseball.”

Earl conducts workshops, coaches and consults with owners, business leaders and their teams, teaching them how to dramatically reduce the time it takes to improve profitability, customer experience, employee engagement and company value, while simultaneously increasing discretionary time and reducing both stress/employee burnout.  He believes the secret to winning in baseball, business and life can be summarized in a simple formula:  Winning = Service + Humility. His motto is that Winning in Business is a Team Sport!

Earl has served in the Chief Financial Officer role for numerous companies throughout North America. His personal passion is youth sports and he has coached 28 teams since 2002.  Earl is a CPA, graduated from SU (Seattle University) with a BA in Accounting and from the MILL (Mercer Island Little League) with a Master’s in Youth Baseball.

Earl Bell can be reached at  earl@earlbell.com and 206-420-5946

www.excellpugetsound.com

What creates quality questions?

Susan Scott in her book, Fierce Conversations, provides numerous valuable ideas and take aways.  One of her tenets is that the questions we ask (or don’t) determine the quality of our relationships. 

I am often asked, “How did you think to ask that question? It got right to the heart of the matter!” When I am in coaching/mentoring mode, there are some very important steps to achieving my results and asking the right questions. 

The steps are simple and sometimes not easy.  Step one, breath.  Step two, ask myself what is my goal/purpose here? And Step three is to ask open ended questions. 

One of my strong beliefs is that our state of mind/emotion determines the quality of our questions.  When I am stressed, I default to a narrow focus and my questions follow suit.  The result is that, in this state of mind, I am very focused and the information/feedback I receive is narrow.  What I usually want to ask are open ended questions. 

For me, the reasons that make such simple actions difficult are all internal… related to my state of being.  If I am feeling stressed due to time constraints, that I am not present (most often because I have taken on too many responsibilities); or beliefs I have that get in the way (feeling embarrassed, guilty, etc.) then it is unlikely I will be open and curious. 

Breathing and remembering why I am there (perhaps to mentor a direct report and use a recent event as a teaching moment) often makes it both simple and easy to be open and curious. 

Where do you notice your internal state getting in your way?  What is most important for you to self-manage; set your state of mind and thus ask great questions?

Its time to Shift

Today we have a guest blog from Shannon Bruce:

I wonder if you, or your employees, ever leave work feeling drained of energy and enthusiasm, exhausted by your day and the interactions you’ve had with others.

Unfortunately, this is more often the case than not! No one starts their work day saying “I am going to behave and act in ways that exhaust my energy and the energy of the people around me.” It sounds absurd doesn’t it? And yet, that is the net effect of what happens day-in and day-out of offices everywhere.

So what’s the deal?

There’s actually an “energy crisis” in Corporate America and it’s adversely affecting the culture, relationships and results in companies everywhere. According to the State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for U.S. Business Leaders,"(Gallup, 2013), 70% of workers are disengaged; I assert that a part of this disengagement is directly related to the lack of “energy” that exists among employees.

Studies done by The Energy Project shows that workers today are exhausted, emotionally depleted, unfocused, and lacking purpose. It is no surprise they are disengaged and drained of energy when:

·       59% don’t regularly get at least 7-8 hours of sleep and/or often wake up feeling tired,

·       69% have difficulty focusing on one thing at a time and are easily distracted during the day, especially by email, and

·       58% say there are significant gaps between what they say is important in their life and how they actually live.

So what is energy? Is it just some “woo-woo” term that comes out of the “new age” and “personal development movement” that has no bearing on your company?

Or is it something that needs to be acknowledged in order to be in integrity with the execution of your mission and values of your organization?

According to online sources, energy is: “the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.” With this definition, “energy” is a vital resource that is critical to both the engagement of employees and the success of your company.

Expanding the definition, these additional synonyms for energy give an experience of what “positive” energy means. Read on and connect with the impact these words have on you:    

vitality, vigor, life, liveliness, animation, vivacity, spirit, spiritedness, verve, enthusiasm, zest, vibrancy, spark, sparkle, effervescence, ebullience, exuberance, buoyancy, sprightliness;

strength, stamina, forcefulness, power, dynamism, drive; fire, passion, ardor, zeal; 

zing, pep, pizzazz, punch, bounce, oomph, moxie, mojo, go, get-up-and-go, vim and vigor, feistiness;

As I read through this list, I find myself taking a big, deep breath, a huge “sigh” of relief as I open up, sitting more upright in my chair as opposed to the previous slouch. I notice that my heart begins beating faster with excitement, as I imagine what my day will be like if “this” experience was present throughout my day. The story I make up about this is that others would be drawn to me, I would be more joyful and the quality of my life and my impact, would improve in both my relationships and my results.

What about you? What do you notice for yourself?

The words above used to describe “energy” are actually what contribute to what I refer to as an “Above-the-Line” culture. This is a culture whereby thoughts are positively directed, possibilities and creativity are present, and collaboration is happening and peak experiences lead to peak performance.

So how do you create an “above-the-line” culture? It starts by changing your thought patterns from things like fear, scarcity and overdoing to trust, abundance and effortlessness. The quickest way to “shift” the energy from being drained and negative is to pause and focus on “Gratitude”. Answering the simple question, “What am I grateful for?” will take you “above-the-line” and improve your energy immediately. I invite you to try this right now.

The more important question is what’s needed to create and sustain an “above-the-line” culture for yourself and for your company? It begins first with an awareness of “self” as a leader.

As you go through your day today, pay attention to your energy. When are you alive and energized? What are you thinking? What are you doing? What’s the impact internally and around you? The goal is to do more of what brings vitality to your day.

On the flip side, when you find yourself drained, take a pause from what you doing and consider in that moment what you are grateful for. And then, choose an action that will refresh and renew your energy. Some examples are to drink a glass of water, change positions by standing up if you’re sitting, or sit if you’re standing and/or go outside and take a big, deep breath of fresh air. These perceived “simple”, yet often difficult next steps when you are stuck in drained energy, will make a profound difference in how you think, feel and act, positively improving your impact and your results.

If you are interested in learning more about an Above-the-Line culture, be sure to visit www.excellpugetsound.com. Our Seattle and SouthSound groups are offering CEO Tools Workshops on the topic in April.

It’s time to shift—what will you do to improve your energy and vitality? The choice is yours.

SHANNON BRUCE

Shannon Bruce, CPCC, PCC, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of  StoryBridge™, Inc. specializes in transforming teams through conscious culture change. Using her diverse business experience and coaching expertise, she engages Leaders, Executives and Teams to create positivity in the workplace using Get Clarity™ SHIFT to Positive Thinking to increase employee engagement, to  improve vitality and well-being among leaders and teams, and to develop a culture of collaboration to improve business metrics, and top- and bottom-line results.  Shannon is committed to equipping leaders and teams with the “how-to’s” of healthy interaction among co-workers in the workplace and facilitating crucial conversations in a solution based, positive way that results in both peak experiences and high performance.

Contact Shannon at shannon@shannonbruce.com and 360-308-8292

Learning…a state of mind

At the end of this week, I was working with an Orthopedic Surgeon who is managing his partnership and wants to grow a business vs. develop a lifestyle practice.  On picking me up at the airport, I noticed he was still wearing scrubs.  I naturally asked if he was scheduled for surgery that day.  He explained that he was not scheduled.  However, one of his partners was scheduled and he had worked alongside his partner, till he had to leave for the airport.

I asked if it was an exceptionally difficult case and was told that it was not.  Finally, I asked an open ended question (leading questions can often result in “yes/no” answers and very little exchange of information), “Why were you working with your partner on a day set aside for his business coaching? The answer was terrific…. “Watching another exceptionally skilled professional means I am certain to learn something.” 

He went on to explain that doing the same thing over and over has produced a level of skill that allows him to use muscle memory.  When he works alongside another surgeon, it allows him to stay conscious, ask questions and notice differences.  Sometimes, the differences means he changes his style.  Sometimes, the differences provides a time for discussion or feedback. What was especially interesting, is that every time he takes the opportunity to observe or work with another surgeon he learns something.  Notice… there was no qualification there… that was “every time”. 

I immediately thought of the previous three days.  I was leading a group of CEOs on day one and observing on day two and participating on day three.  On each of those days, I learned.  I learn every month during these three CEO Retreats.  It is a foundational value for me.  Here was a guy who was being intentional about learning.  He made a choice to put himself in a learning zone as a part of his work week. 

So, how intentional are you about continuing to learn?  What amount of time do you set aside, or choose to use for your own learning? 

Are Employee Reviews Dead?

All those who really dislike employee reviews, please raise your hand.  What everyone?  Well not surprising.  Most of us hate doing things that show no purpose, progress or value.  For most of us, the employee review is just that, a waste of time.

These days, everyone wants their feedback immediately, no waiting.  That has produced some good movement in the halls of business.  Managers to CEOs spend more time observing, listening and coaching. 

With all the immediacy, is there any reason anymore to do employee reviews?  I am going to provide a qualified yes.  The qualification comes from how we must break away from form and focus on content. 

Recently, I was working with a client and, as a relatively new business owner, he was asking about employee reviews.  He is smart, earnest and does not want to waste time, his or his employees. Like me, at the beginning of my career, he wants to provide value and feels that employee reviews are important.  I listened and found myself thinking that I would not want to be in the review process at this company. 

We talked for a while about reviews and I came away with an unsettling question …. Why after several decades of managing people am I still unresolved about how and when to provide employee reviews.  Throughout my career I have shifted from feeling that employee reviews were a waste of time, to useful and back again to feeling that I can do better and employees can receive better if I scrap once or twice a year employee reviews.   

One of the major reasons Executives conduct employee reviews is to catalog and correct the past (what the employee did) and set guides for the future (what the employee will do six months from now. 

Unfortunately, both the future and the past are simply markers and don’t change or improve behaviors.  Over the years, I have come to believe that intention, focus and immediacy are more important than any other factors to influence/improve people.  Being a fairly simple guy, challenged by keeping too much in my head and I know that I learn better if I avoid taking on too much and I improve at what ever I am doing if I focus down to one or two skills/issues.  

So, I will be bold here and suggest that you do something different…. Come up with a clear issue on which you and the employee agree is the issue most in need of improvement and the strength most valuable to continue to improve.  The strength is usually not difficult to arrive at and doing so in a collaborative way with your report is likely to increase the success rate for achieving the improvement.

To determine on which issue your report should improve, obtain the feedback of three to five people (the peers, people reporting to your report and one person who is either outside your company (customer) or who is outside the employee’s department.  Complete a start, stop and continue questionnaire/interview (simply asking what the person completing the questionare/interview thinks Sam or Jane should start doing that they are not now doing; continue doing something that is liked/good and what should they stop doing)

Let the subject of the start stop and continue have a list of those issues, on one condition:  They have to choose one issue, from the list, on which they will improve.  Then they must meet with each of the people providing feedback; show them the list; tell them on which issue the report has chosen to work; and (this is key) ask each of those providing feedback to help she/he with the chosen issue for improvement. 

Your job then becomes:  adding one strategic/longer range point on which they work and coaching to make sure the report is a success around the chosen issue. 

Keep on walking around.  Keep providing immediate feedback.  Just focus yourself on making the feedback serve you and your employee.  Define and agree on what that focus will be and what will be the outcome.  Create measures.  Coach, teach and mentor to those defined issues and create consequences for the outcome(s).   

You may even find you aren’t dreading employee reviews anymore.  So, what do you do to make reviews more effective?