During the last few weeks, people have seemed busier. New business opportunities are cropping up and people are responding with appropriate enthusiasm. One of my colleagues commented that work is flowing her way and she’s delighted with the influx.
Although leaders are thrilled with the inflow, the challenging aspect is managing it. This obviously flows downstream in the organization. Managers are complaining about their grouchy team members who are balking at the increase in work.
Do you settle for less? It doesn’t matter what you settle for or when you do it, it can begin a pattern where your expectations and standards slip, and you’re not even aware that it’s happening.
This is an observable pattern. If your employees see you settling, the behavior can be contagious. I know managers who say, “just this time” and before they know it, they’re doing it all the time.
I had coffee with a former colleague a few weeks ago. We worked together years ago and have stayed in touch occasionally.
I was startled when I saw him, because he had aged beyond his years and appeared gaunt and frail. I don’t know what’s wrong, but he’s not well. I was glad that we got together, and we have tentatively set another time to connect several months from now.
Happy New Year! What’s exciting you as this new year begins?
Many people greet other by asking perfunctory questions, such as, “How’s it going?” or “What’s happening?” These questions aren’t very interesting and people tend to respond automatically, such as, “not much” or “same as usual.”
Have you taken time to pause and reflect on your accomplishments in 2023? As usual, it seems like the year zoomed by in a flash, and in a few short days it will be 2024.
Busy executives often don’t take enough time to acknowledge their achievements. You need to savor these moments because once they’re gone, you’re on to the next thing and it’s harder to recall un-savored moments.
Don’t you just love that expression? I learned it from Joanne, who participated in a management offsite that I facilitated. We had been discussing the need to “over communicate,” especially given enormous information overload. Her comment made a great impression on everyone around the table.
People become frustrated when their colleagues or co-workers don’t recall what they said. The fact is, people cram in so much information that some things just don’t get processed.
Your employees go through a maze of “dots” every day that are directly related to how they can and will perform on the job. Unfortunately, rarely are they equipped to find the answers on their own. To set the stage, here are some examples:
+ People begin a new job and it’s up to them to figure out how to navigate through the firm’s unique culture.
The timing of Thanksgiving was a week earlier than usual, and it feels like we have an “extra” week before the onslaught of the December holidays. Even if you haven’t thought about this, it’s not too late to take advantage of it.
Many of my clients are on some part of what I call the “scramble spectrum.” If your work reaches a crescendo at year end, then you’re definitely somewhere on this continuum. Let’s take a brief quiz:
Have you ever had a “Murphy’s Law” day where everything seems to go wrong….and then something unexpected happens that gives you a burst of energy?
Nearly everyone has experienced something like this. The event that triggers the burst of energy is amplified because it happens when you least expected it.
I’m a student of the art of asking questions. My experience is that the quality of the questions you ask can make an amazing difference in your professional (and personal) discussions.
Leaders who ask great questions have more interactive dialogue with their team members and hopefully create an environment where questioning and curiosity becomes the norm, not the exception.