by Guest Author | Jan 19, 2015 | Leadership
Sometimes it’s the simple things that have the biggest impact on our effectiveness – InPower Editors
Many people in the past week have provided me with appreciative feedback about my recent Ideas & Advice post. I wrote about a friend who has joined a new company in an important position. During his first number of months, he has emphasized having conversations with people throughout the company. He has learned a wealth of helpful information, gained valuable advice, and has developed widespread, genuine relationships. It’s so true that relationships— especially quality relationships—are everything in business.
We develop quality relationships by having conversations. We don’t do this via emails, conference calls, multi-person meetings and newsletters. Instead we must speak with people 1:1, assuming a genuine and curious posture, asking questions about the other person, and letting her or him know that we care and are listening attentively to understand and learn.
Further, if we have an opportunity to allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to ask for advice, ideas, and or feedback, we should do it. Being vulnerable is a sign of strength, will be respected, and paves a path to trust.
Body language is also important. Smile, lean forward, give affirmations, let the person know you are interested and that you care.
And, finally, don’t bore the person with talk about you. Ask about the other person. Shoot to listen 80% and talk only 20% of the time.
Some of the people I heard from said they are inspired by the leader I profiled and they intend to have even more conversations with their co-workers. Others said they wish that my friend were in their company and that they would love to work with him.
We all so busy. Way too busy! Pretty much all of us, whatever our position. So what must we do?
- Develop a system where we spend a lot less time in front of our computers and we must question all the meetings we attend. Are they really necessary?
- Make having quality conversations and relationships a top priority.
- Think of our co-workers are our internal clients.
Remember, solid relationships founded on trust help us get our work done, and done well! Conversations are the work of a leader!
Originally on: Common Sense Leadership
by Guest Author | Jan 15, 2015 | Career Development
“What does “retirement” mean to you? Though it might mean different things to each of us, it’s not a bad idea to imagine that whenever you might encounter it, “retirement” might mean “doing what you enjoy and making a living”. How early can you retire? – InPower Editors
Even when I was much younger the notion of “retirement” seemed strange. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that at some point, after working and saving for many years, your best, most indulgent life would begin. I could never see that the magical time would be one of no big agendas, no “must do” this or that. In my view, some form of work and play should be on life’s To Do List throughout every age and stage.
Most Americans now will not have a choice. The all play and no work retirement is becoming farther and farther out of reach. Many will work well into the traditional retirement years to make up for savings shortfalls—but is that a burden or a hidden blessing? Though returning to the workforce and/or continuing to work in “retirement” will be a necessity for many women, it’s also valuable time for exploration, purpose, fulfillment and personal growth.
The “no work” retirement may not in fact be as wonderful as it sounds. Too many days with too slow a pace leave too many hours to ponder ailments and advancing age. Many of the most interesting women I know are working well into their 70s and 80s with great energy and enthusiasm. The work makes them feel vital, connected and current. They both learn from and mentor younger workers. And they all have a lot of fascinating things to talk about, never giving the impression that they are removed from the mainstream or “old”.
The secret among many I know in the 50+ demographic is to shift to work that feels as compelling as play. A former communications executive runs a B&B. An art historian has lectured aboard cruise ships. A former advertising pro is now an adjunct professor. The IT professional who set up a complex trading floor is now a part-time troubleshooter for a local bank. The founder of a big accessories company now runs high-end seminars for women. The former English teacher writes resumes for outplaced employees. A consultant helps high-profile family offices and corporations build better teams. A former college alumni director counsels people battling addiction. That’s just a few, and they’ve all repurposed their skills and experience, thought creatively about the work that fits their lives—and found ways to keep money flowing into their retirement accounts.
A great article, “Face the New Retirement Reality”, aptly states that “retirement in the modern era likely will be a time of new work, not no work”. Most importantly, they note that it provides more financial security to retirees, as well as positive psychological benefits. “Those who work in retirement typically report feeling happier and more fulfilled than those whose professional lives shift into idle.”
The end goal is a secure retirement and a sense of fulfillment—and you need to have a positive vibe throughout the retirement planning process, too. It’s not easy because all the retirement statistics engender feelings of failure and defeat. The 15th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey, for example, says that Baby Boomers have a median nest egg of just $127,000—to fund a retirement that could last 30 years or more. Though it’s important to motivate people to save, these statistics point fingers and induce guilt—when not all savings shortfalls are due to financial ineptitude or many years of living it up. You are where you are in terms of retirement planning—and you have the power to make positive change. And if you need to keep working or return to the workforce to live comfortably in retirement, see it not as a punishment but an opportunity.
Perhaps you will be more content if your thirty-year retirement is not filled with thousands of “extended weekend” days. While two-day weekends can provide fun and relaxing recharge time, we all tend to feel more vital and energized as we tackle projects and tend to commitments during the week. It’s easy to lose your edge and feel out of touch when too many days have too little structure. And as noted in a Brookings Institute study, “Why Aging and Working Makes Us Happy”, late-life workers (those working past retirement age) working full-time or voluntarily employed part-time are typically happier and more satisfied with their mental and physical health than their fully retired counterparts.
Just about everyone needs to fill their retirement coffers, and it’s never too early to consider how some kind of work can keep you mentally and financially fit as you age. Work doesn’t have to be boring, stressful or very high paying to boost your savings or your zest for a long and happy life. –KAS
Originally on: 9LivesForWomen
Take charge of your career development to get the job that supports your work and your life. Check out the tools and resources in the InPower Coaching Career Center.
by Guest Author | Jan 13, 2015 | Coaching Advice, Communicating With Confidence, InPower Women Blog, Personal Mastery
We are all familiar with that little voice in our head that likes to sabotage our confidence – our inner critic. Henna gives some very practical advice for how to deal with her. – InPower Editors
We all have an inner critic. She’s usually telling us:
– “You’re not really going to ask for that raise are you? They’ll laugh you out of the office.”
– “C’mon you don’t actually think you deserve that corner office, do you?”
– “Don’t be bragging now. Just do the work and hope they don’t fire you.”
– “You were never really good at convincing people, so just shut up now while you’re ahead.”
– “Wow, you look really fat in that outfit”…right before you enter the boardroom for your presentation.
Our inner critic pops up without notice to give us unsolicited advice. Its constant whispers keep us from reaching our potential. It saps our energy, kills our creativity, fans our fears, and squelches our spirit. What to do? Here are five steps to work with our inner critic.
1) Name Her – A client of mine calls her inner critic “The Roberta Anderson” tapes, named after her mother. Identifying your inner critic and giving her a voice and persona helps her step out of your unconscious where she can create a lot of havoc and into the conscious where you can watch her. Describe what she looks like. Get creative and find her a good personality. Mine is called “Erma”. She dresses in large muumuu’s, has red hair and a really sarcastically funny sense of humor.
2) Befriend Her – Most people suggest that we ignore our inner critic. I tried that and it didn’t really work for me. Erma is persistent. So I decided to befriend her. After all, I reason, she’s just trying to keep me safe from what she perceives as the dangers of being a high-ranking executive. I am a firm believer that anything we resist persists. Erma’s voice represents limiting beliefs I have and the only way to deal with them is to bring them to the surface. I talk with Erma and hear what she has to say from a place of empathy. I write down her points of view in my journal. Writing down her points of view helps me see her beliefs and create some distance so I don’t have to own them as mine. I can then examine them from an objective view point as if Erma were a candidate for political office. It’s really fun discerning her track record of being “truthful”.
3) Gather The Evidence – Once Erma’s points of view have been noted and put on paper, we can be good journalists and gather the evidence. It’s important to ask the right questions here. A good investigative journalist might ask “How do you really know you’re not good at (insert limiting belief here)?” Another question might be “What evidence do we have to the contrary?” Examining the evidence gives us a balanced point of view rather than just seeing what we believe. Most times I come up with evidence that Erma’s just paranoid. Each of us has stories or assumptions about ourselves and the world that can limit us. Turning these limiting beliefs to empowering beliefs can be done by gathering the evidence for the empowering belief.
4) Learn the ways she sabotages you and plan for it – As you get to know your Erma well, find out how she sabotages you. For example, I was a painfully shy kid and Erma’s voice always reminds me I am completely inept when it comes to socially polite small talk with human beings (with aliens, I’m completely comfortable by the way). So when it comes to networking or being in large groups of people, I expect Erma to be in my ear telling me I’m incredibly boring and talking to me is like watching paint dry. I give Erma a big hug, thank her for protecting me from talking to strangers, put on a big smile and go.
5) Find Your Inner Coach – If Erma is Political Candidate A, then Political Candidate B is my Inner Coach. She’s the person I’ve named Ms. Wise. She was my favorite teacher from high school who completely believed in me and thought I could save the world. She’s got bright blue eyes, short white hair, lots of wrinkles, and a great big smile. I just have to think about how much she believed in me and any challenge becomes easier. I talk with her frequently too and she helps me discover all kinds of hidden strengths, be resilient in the face of failure, and comforts me when Erma is being harsh.
Originally on: Transformational Leadership
by Guest Author | Jan 12, 2015 | InPower Women Blog, Leadership
The stats still aren’t good for women in executive leadership, but they’re particularly poor in STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math). Today at 3:30pm Eastern, Dana will interview Teresa Vanhooser, Deputy Director of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center about women, leadership and STEM careers. – InPower Editors
The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that while only 28% of scientists and engineers are women, this number shrinks to 17% in leadership ranks. The reasons why women are not prevalent in STEM careers are more nurture than nature, but social and cultural stories that keep women away from more analytically inclined careers are strong in our society. As a result, it’s been challenging to bring enough female leaders into STEM industries to provide good role models.
Teresa Vanhooser is an exception to the statistics. Not only does she help run one of the largest NASA facilities in the country, responsible for making rockets, but she has taken on a personal goal to help women in NASA and everywhere see how fulfilling a STEM career can be.
Watch live at 3:30pm eastern as Dana Theus and Teresa discuss women, leadership, NASA and the opportunities for women in STEM careers today.
Some of the topics they will discuss include:
- What’s your experience in a STEM career? Has it been really difficult to excel?
- What’s been your experience as a leader? How difficult is it to get women into STEM leadership positions? What works and what doesn’t?
- What have you noticed about women and leadership generally?
- What are you teaching your daughters about their career opportunities? How do they view STEM career options?
- What’s your experience with sponsorship and mentorship – in your career and as a leader?
FREE PDF
Guide to Women in Leadership
Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel in higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
by Guest Author | Jan 6, 2015 | Career Development
You don’t need additional hours in a day to get more done.
How do some entrepreneurial leaders get more done in a day than the rest of us?
Here are four simple strategies, used by the world’s most successful people, that will increase your productivity and save you an hour — or more — each day:
1. Reduce Decision Fatigue
Decisions are costly.
Making an unnecessary decision not only wastes time while you’re doing it, it also saps mental energy for later, which means the next decision you have to make will take even longer.
Save your decision-making power for things that actually matter by reducing the need to make decisions on mundane tasks you repeat everyday. The more things you can put on autopilot, the more efficient you will be throughout the day.
President Obama wears the same color suit all the time because he doesn’t want to waste a decision on thinking about what he should put on each day. Steve Jobs was another famous example of a leader who wore the same thing everyday, as is Mark Zuckerberg.
But wearing a uniform is not the only way to reduce decision fatigue.
For those who prefer a bit of wardrobe variety, try finding other parts of your daily routine that could benefit from some decision-trimming, like what you eat for breakfast and lunch.
Find a routine that works for you, and save your mental energy for the stuff that counts.
2. Go on an Internet Diet
Focus, focus, focus. You probably know you should be focusing on just one thing at a time because you’re unlikely to be one of the lucky 2 percent who can actually multitask effectively. But odds are that you’re multitasking more often than you should be, and that it’s killing your productivity.
There is one very simple way to get yourself to focus on the task at hand: unplug.
You may be wondering how that’s even possible in this day and age, but the truth is that many of the world’s most successful people are able to achieve so much precisely because they’re better at unplugging than the rest of us.
Some people go to great lengths to avoid wasting time browsing the Internet. George R. R. Martin, for example, writes on a DOS computer that has no Internet access at all.
Unplugging entirely may not be practical if your work requires you to use the Internet, like it does for many of us. But that doesn’t mean you have to be constantly checking email, Twitter, Facebook and Reddit, all at the same time, and all while trying to get some real work done.
Try scheduling designated times during which you allow yourself to read email or social media, and be disciplined about keeping your browser tabs closed otherwise.
3. Just Say No
Most of us are bombarded with requests for our time. It can be tempting to say ‘yes’ to every interesting opportunity that comes your way, and tell yourself you’ll just buckle down and work harder to fit it all in. But overcommitment is the enemy of productivity.
You can’t do it all.
Instead of letting yourself be pressured into overcommitting, have the courage to say no more often than you say yes.
Sheryl Sandberg ruthlessly prioritizes in her own life by being proactive about deciding what matters most to her, at the beginning of every month, and saying no to anything that does not fit within that.
4. Get a Hammock
When was the last time you let yourself swing aimlessly in a hammock, and just do nothing for a while?
Most of us only allow ourselves that sort of luxury when we’re on vacation, because swinging in a hammock seems like an utter waste of time. But giving your mind time to wander aimlessly can actually be great for productivity.
We often think that high-powered CEOs are going nonstop from morning to night, but many of them are careful to fit ‘lazy time’ into their crazy schedules.
Arianna Huffington is a big believer in the power of breaks to improve productivity, so much so that she’s had nap rooms built at the Huffington Post office.
So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a break — go for a walk, swing in a hammock, listen to music, take a nap, have a beer. Do something that will allow you to truly relax.
You might be surprised by how much more you’re able to accomplish with a fresh mind.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.
Originally posted on The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)
Take charge of your career development to get the job that supports your work and your life. Check out the tools and resources in the InPower Coaching Career Center.
by Guest Author | Jan 5, 2015 | Leadership
Feeling overwhelmed is directly related to a sense of control. As soon as you feel you are losing control over your time, relationships and life, your responsibilities feel like burdens piling up on your shoulders. You then feel anxious you can’t do everything or feel resentful about the expectations people have for you.
In order to regain your sense of control you have to review the choices that led to the overwhelm. Make a list of everything you feel you are responsible for. Include your work projects, your to-do list at home, and the outcomes you are expected to create in your professional, family and social lives. Once you create this list, complete the following three steps to regain your sense of control.
1) Be clear on why you are doing what you do. The greatest organizing factor of your life is to be able to answer the question, “For what purpose am I doing this?” Did you say “yes” to a task because you didn’t want to disappoint someone or you were afraid to say no? These tasks will drain your energy. Instead, look at tasks that energize and ones where the results make you smile. These tasks add up to your personal “why.” You will probably find that your enjoyable tasks are generally focused on 1) making something happen for the greater good, 2) assisting others to realize potential or make a difference, or 3) changing what is not working now. Your most motivating “why” can change over time. Determine what most fuels your motivation now. Then before you take on a new responsibility, ask yourself if the task or outcome adds to your personal “why.” Don’t just look at what you want to say “no” to. Be clear about why you say “yes” as well.
2) Put limits on your trade-offs. There will be chores you have to do even though they don’t inspire you. Will these actions help you do something more inspiring in the long run? If not, you have better things to do. Try making decisions about what you will and will not do before you have a conversation with your boss, friends or partner. Good negotiators prepare before their meetings. They know what they are willing to give up and what their bottom line is where the negotiations stop. They also know how to explain the reasons for the bottom line. Then stick with your plan no matter how emotional the plea to distract you.
3) Trust other people to do the work. Are there any items on your to-do lists that are keeping you from doing more important tasks? Can someone else do these things or at least help you? Even if no one will do the job as well as you, there could be someone who can learn to do these tasks satisfactorily. What will it take for you to trust others enough to do your less important tasks so you are freed you up for more significant work? If you show people you believe in their capabilities, they might surprise you. Help them develop their own mastery and then let them make their own decisions. Coach and mentor them instead of criticizing them. Be patient. Breathe through your irritation. Other people learn from mistakes just as you did.
Now, do the following two activities regularly.
4) Outline priorities. Schedule a five minute “priority-setting” session for yourself every day, even non-workdays. Force yourself to do this before you check your email. Look at your appointments for the day and list out the things you want to complete. Then make a priority list. As your busy day progresses, stop and determine if you are sticking to your priorities. Notice when you get distracted and try to set the time you will return to your priorities. If you don’t do this, you risk feeling as if you haven’t done anything useful with your day.
5) Pace yourself with useful distractions and friends. Do you need to account for every minute of your time or are there “non-productive” moments that are priceless? Creativity demands you have periods of time where you don’t think about work or problems. The more complex a situation, the more you overload your brain. When you occasionally distract yourself with something mindless or a physical activity, you give your unconscious a chance to sort through possible solutions. When you return to your work, you might discover a new solution. Also, call a friend at least every other day. In 2002, a landmark study was completed at the University of California Los Angeles that found that one of the best ways for a woman to combat stress is to call a friend. When female friends connect, oxytocin is released which counters stress. In other words, when you connect with a friend, you free up creative resources in your brain. And possibly, your friend will give you good ideas to consider as well. Put break times and connecting with friends on your priority list.
For more tips, read Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction
Originally on: Psychology Today
by Guest Author | Jan 1, 2015 | Coaching Advice, Insights & Inspiration
New Years Day is a special time for many reasons. Primarily it’s a time when the world slows down and gives you the choice to take a breath, review where you’ve been and decide how you want to start again.
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by Guest Author | Dec 31, 2014 | Leadership
The last day of the year is a great opportunity to focus on what’s important. Henna gives us a good perspective. What’s most important to you at the end of 2014? – InPower Editors
As I sat down this week to write a blog post about taking stock of the year, helping us all think about accomplishments, failures, learning, I found myself rather uninspired. I started, and stopped—multiple times. It wasn’t until I happened to visit a friend in the hospital that I was truly inspired to write this post—because it gave me a glimpse into what really matters as we take stock of our year and our leadership. Shelley is a cancer survivor—for the fourth time. Here is her story and what I learned from the experience.
Shelley and I had met in a meditation class and had lost touch for a couple of years until a mutual friend mentioned she was in the hospital. When we arrived it was a bit of a shock to see her. She had lost most of her hair and was about half her size. She was in great spirits though. We visited a while and caught each other up about our lives. She shared with me that somewhere in the midst of her cancer treatments she had suffered a stroke and lost the use of the right side of her body—so while her body was free from cancer she was not able to use much of it. She was going through physical therapy and was grateful for how her body was responding to it. Fascinated by her resilience, I asked her what she was learning from the experience.
She laughed. She told me that she’s learning to be less of a perfectionist. You can’t really be much of a perfectionist when you don’t have much control over your own body. She told me she’s learning humility. She described a couple of times when she rang the bell for the nurse so they could move her because she was uncomfortable. It took them an hour to get to her— during which time her pain reminded her again of all she had no control over. When the nurse did come, she had no apology. She just seemed annoyed. Shelley mentioned how angry she was on the inside, yet how powerless she was to express the anger because she was so dependent on the nurse. Shelley told me that the experience was teaching her to practice forgiveness. She laughed and said she wishes she was more enlightened so she wouldn’t be so annoyed. Instead, each day she now takes an inventory of the people who annoyed her and prior to going to bed she closes her eyes and forgives them. She said she does it for her own peace—but she’s finding that as she forgives people they are warmer and friendlier to her.
So what was the big lesson Shelley taught me about taking stock of the year? Sure, we can make a list of what we did that was a “success” and what we learned from that was a “failure”. Let’s do that. But ultimately what I learned from Shelley is that “success” and “failure” are just labels we place on what happened relative to what we wanted or expected. So much of what happens is outside of our control. And it is how we respond to the circumstances we face that shapes who we are becoming.
Ultimately, the important question to ask ourselves is how we evolved this year as human beings and as leaders. Our leadership impact comes not just from what we accomplished but who we ARE—our qualities of “being”. How did we grow in our capacity to be strong, to be humble, to appreciate, to experience, to forgive, to love? How did we deal with the circumstances that were dealt to us to grow in our own humanity? That is the question I am asking myself as I take stock of this year, and that my friends is the question I ask you to ask yourself. Shelley inspired me not because of what she did, but who she IS. And so it is for the leaders we follow.
Originally on: LinkedIn
by Guest Author | Dec 23, 2014 | Career Development
The holidays are bearing down! Hurry! Run! Work late to finish that todo list before you enjoy your family. . . . or not. Maybe you should just go enjoy your family and take a break. Good advice from young executives to chill out and enjoy the holidays. It’s good for your health—and your business! – InPower Editors
Question: What’s one tip you’d give a fellow business owner who wants to take some real time off before the new year?
Do It
“If your business can’t run without your presence for a week or two, then you have bigger issues at hand. With that being said, take some time to get refreshed, gain perspective and return to work with a clear head and new ideas. ” DARRAH BRUSTEIN Network Under 40 / Finance Whiz Kids
Book Your Trip Now
“If you want to guarantee your time off, then book your trip now. Put it on the calendar, and make the trip non-negotiable by booking with others. It’s inevitable that something will come up attempting to deter your plans. However, when we commit to others, there’s an accountability that doesn’t exist otherwise. ” ANTONIO NEVES THINQACTION
Automate Your Processes
“Want to create a situation where you can leave for good amounts of time? Great! Automate your processes. I don’t just mean turning what is manually done into a digital program — although that helps as well. You need to alter the processes that you are involved in to function when you can’t be there. If your business falls apart with your absence, you need to rethink your strategy.” ADAM CALLINAN Beachwood Ventures
Mirror Your Clients
“Take time off when your clients take time off. For a lot of people, this is during Christmas or Thanksgiving because work typically slows for everyone. For most businesses — other then retail — November and December are generally slow periods.” PHIL CHEN Systems Watch
Leave Your Electronic Devices at Home
“Take a brief, electronic-free vacation. Commit to avoiding the Internet, and only use your smartphone for phone calls. Arrange for someone back at the office to handle all responsibilities, and tell them to communicate with you only in extreme emergencies.” ANDREW SCHRAGE Money Crashers Personal Finance
Talk to Your Family First
“I don’t consider spending time with my family at the holidays to be a true vacation — but it can be crucial to healthy family relationships. Before you plan your time off for this time of year, I’d suggest finding out what your family has planned and your obligations to those plans.” THURSDAY BRAM Hyper Modern Consulting
Share the Wealth
“Take the time you need, but before you do, make sure your employees know that you value their hard work as well. Encourage your team to strategically recharge, and make sure you’re providing the means for this.” SAM SAXTON Salter Spiral Stair and Mylen Stairs
Implement a Good Leadership Structure
“As executives, it’s our responsibility to structure our business, so we can enjoy some form of balance in our lives. This means having the right leadership structure in place beneath us, so we can take some time off without the whole thing falling apart. But, this only applies if your startup is in a good place! If it isn’t, then there’s no vacation or sleep for you until it is.” DANNY BOICE Speek
Do a Trial Run
“Before I go on vacation, I do a trial run. I unplug for a “mini” vacation to test it out. I’ll immediately find out how well I delegated, who needed something from me and what came to a halt when I left. All these problems come to light through trial and error. Do a trial run, fix the issues and then do the real thing. You’ll be able to more comfortably disconnect. ” PHIL DUMONTET DASHED
Make Sure Your Clients Feel Supported
“If you have daily interaction with your clients and customers, be sure to make them feel supported, and have a strong backup plan in place just in case. Disconnecting is valuable for your sanity, but it can be really scary for your clients who rely on you regularly. By ensuring that they feel supported and have direction on what to do while you’re out, you’ll be sure to come back to happy clients.” ERIN BLASKIE Next Dev Media
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.
Originally posted on The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)
Take charge of your career development to get the job that supports your work and your life. Check out the tools and resources in the InPower Coaching Career Center.
by Guest Author | Dec 16, 2014 | Leadership
Research tells us that women are good for business, but sometimes we forget why this is. John reminds us in terms we can all relate to! – InPower Editors
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of facilitating a webcast for the Association of Talent Development (ATD), which is the world’s largest professional training organization, with 40,000 members. ATD provides important training, information, learning opportunities, and services that significantly help their members.
During the webcast we discussed the critical need for more women in business leadership. This is truly the most effective way businesses are running companies right now. We must combine the proven leadership skills and talents of women with men’s leadership strengths.
We discussed how men and women generally have different, yet very compatible leadership strengths. Where men tend to be aggressive, bold and decisive, women tend to be collaborative and inclusive, caring and risk aware. Each of these skills is equally important. Men and women together have a lot to offer, and all benefit from this dynamic combination of talent!
Let’s face it, companies should not be run by men only, or predominantly by men – nor by women only. Our skills complement one another and we need all of them to thrive in this hyper-competitive global economy.
[Tweet “To succeed in the long term, companies need winning cultures. @johnkeysercoach on #InPower #Women”]
To succeed in the long term, companies need winning cultures. Women often bring a genuine concern for the spirit of the people who are working very hard to achieve outstanding results. This is critical.
Think about it. If the people of a company do not feel appreciated and valued, if they do not feel they are heard and that their ideas matter, if they are not being encouraged to learn, grow and succeed, they will lose their passion for their work, for their company, and they may lose respect for senior management. A company can have breakthrough results for a year or two or three, but they will not sustain them without strong culture.
Take a look at this: 70% of people in business in the U.S. do not feel fully engaged. About a third of these people are actively looking for a new job and about a third do not like their boss. These statistics point to a real problem! But it’s a problem that can be resolved with careful attention and follow through.
It’s really not that difficult to develop a winning culture. First, it’s our attitude – are the senior executives thinking of their people as teammates? Do they ask for their ideas and advice? Remember, the best ideas are bottom up ideas! Want something improved, ask the people doing that work. Empower them and they will rise to the level of your trust.
I know, senior executives are way too busy today, spending about 50% of their time in meetings. Actually, earlier this week I spoke with a very accomplished executive, who thought for a minute and then said he bets he spends 75% of his time in meetings.
So many managers I speak with in my work say they seldom see their top people, who tend to stick together on the executive floor or wing. In our hearts, we know this is not true leadership. We must get out of our offices and limit those endless meetings to make time to be with our team members. Conversations are the work of a leader! Let’s ask our people how they’re doing, what they need, and their opinions on what our priorities should be going forward.
Just today, a friend, an astute businessperson, told me that she worked for a company for years and contributed a great deal. When she resigned to start her own consulting practice, a senior person came to her office to speak with her about it. In her many years with the company, that was the first time he had come to her office.
Contrast that with this story. A VP of a large company said she called her EVP about an issue, he said let’s discuss and make a decision. She asked if he would like her to come up to his office, and he said, “No, I’ll come down to your office.” That may seem like a small gesture, yet it was very thoughtful on his part. That is a senior person with the humility to reach out.
After all, the only true open door policy is when we walk out our doors to be with our team members.
Here’s another relevant story. This summer, Bill Curtis of Porter & Curtis was in Rome on business, had dinner with a friend, a priest from Philadelphia who is on assignment in the Vatican. The priest told Bill, “You won’t believe this, but I was working at my desk late yesterday afternoon and I hear a soft knock on my door so I look up, and there is Pope Francis! He simply asked, ‘How are you doing?’ Pope Francis likes to walk the halls and check in with his people.”
There you have it, from the top! If we’re too busy to check in with our teams, we need to change our priorities. Yes, our results are critically important, but our people and our cultures are equally important.
Do some of our senior executives think that speaking with their people is not their responsibility? I surely hope not. Remember, to sustain our success, we need strong and responsive leadership, including the emotional intelligence and soft skills that women can bring. And we need to be approachable, and reach out to build people’s confidence and enthusiasm.
Every business is a people business. It’s about our relationships, including our internal relationships. Our team members and others co-workers are our internal clients!
What can we do to raise morale and productivity? Share leadership with women. Learn from women just as they learn from men. Also, explore emotional intelligence. With simple, daily practice, we can significantly raise our EQ and have a positive and energizing effect on our teams. If anyone would like to find out their EQ baseline, I would be happy to direct them to resources that are available.
The bottom line and take-a-way from the webcast was that we must have talented men and women working together at the highest levels of our companies. That is the strongest leadership possible, and we owe it to our people.
This is not a gender issue, it is an economic issue! Stronger culture means stronger results.
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Guide to Women in Leadership
Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel in higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
