I was next in line at a store and the person ahead of me was becoming increasingly frustrated by the answers she was getting from the salesclerk. The person helping her was rude and had a big attitude.
Regrettably, this isn’t so unusual.
At one time or another, entrepreneurial leaders face the challenge of transitioning from “doing the doing” to leading their organizations. Over the years, many of my clients have passed through various stages of this transition, and frankly, it’s not an easy one.
The challenge comes because many entrepreneurial leaders think that no one can do it as well as they can. Their mindset is that it’s their business, they put in the hard work and sweat, and they know what’s best.
One of my clients shared a success formula that has worked for his team. It’s by no means a “be all, end all” recipe, but certainly one that can be adapted for your employees.
The elements of the formula are: technique, strength, and practice.
How do your employees represent your business when you aren’t looking? Obviously, you can’t be omnipresent but are you comfortable that your employees are good brand ambassadors?
If you haven’t done so recently, you’d be well served to see how your people are doing in this regard.
I attended a meeting of an organization whose board I serve on. I was in the back of the room, and seated behind me were two disgruntled people who were loudly dissing everything that was reported during the meeting.
During the Q&A portion of the meeting, these people went a few rounds with the moderator of the meeting, until one of them stood up and shrieked an acerbic comment. After this drama, she declared, “I’m a communications professional and I know I’m right.”
How would you rate yourself on asking for help?
I’m not talking about being a slacker and asking others to do your job. Instead, this is about chipping away at your “I can do it all” mentality and gaining benefits from someone who is willing or even eager to help you.
We deal with losses in the workplace all the time. We lose new opportunities and established business. We lose employees. We lose momentum. We lose market share.
When leaders deal with these losses, they often view them tactically. They evaluate the immediate impact, come to conclusions, and move on. They don’t necessarily think deeply about how the immediate impact affects the long term.
Out of nowhere, you receive a surprise. It can be professional or personal, big or small, welcome or not, but a surprise in any case.
If it’s positive, you’re probably feeling pretty good. On the other hand, a negative surprise can knock you out.
We’re approaching Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., which means a three-day weekend for many people and the unofficial beginning of summer. It’s the time to stop and smell the roses, the coffee, the golf course, or whatever makes you take a pause and refresh.
Many of us function at warp speed, and don’t take nearly enough time to reboot, reassess and reflect. This is a good weekend to do so, and hopefully you’ll do something that fits one of those categories.
I’ve been working with a leadership team where three out of four people are aligned around organizational goals, while the fourth is singing to the tune of his own agenda.
Although this leader is valued in his role, if he doesn’t work to achieve alignment with his colleagues, over time it will infect the leadership team.