Category: Teamwork & Leadership

Article Contributed by Colleen Slaughter

A client of mine recently received a lot of pressure at work from one of her supervisors to accept an overseas position.  Don’t get me wrong, the position itself was quite attractive:  a promotion and all the trappings that come with an evolution of this sort, international exposure, and – very importantly – validation of her work.  The question lay more with the timing and location of the new position.  The position’s start date just wasn’t fitting with the needs of her family.  And the geographical location posed some key complications for her partner’s professional aspirations.  So what was a woman to do?

The feedback she received from one of her managers just wasn’t helping.  He was a, shall we say, transactional manager who snapped to the attention of his superior’s wishes without a moment’s reflection. He laid on the fear pretty thick for my client: “if you don’t take this position, you’ll make [the big boss] very angry, there’ll be nothing else for you.”  Needless to say, his foreboding words left my client with a tightness in her chest and a heaviness in her heart:  it seemed like she would have to choose between the well being of her family and her career.  Not a very motivating situation for anyone concerned.

Luckily, she had the wherewithal to consult a different supervisor, one who went on to exemplify more leadership traits.  This boss adopted a gentle, father-like tone to her very apparent stressed out demeanor. He explained that there would be times in her career when family and career would clash and that she would need to make a decision about what was most important to her.  In this case, he went on to say, the decision seemed clear:  family comes first.

Armed with this clarity and encouragement from her leader, my client was able to make her decision with more peace, turned down the offer with graciousness, and burned no bridges in the process.  What’s more, guess which of her bosses she respects and follows more wholeheartedly?  You guessed it:  the leader.

This story brings to mind some of the distinctions between a Manager and a Leader which Warren Bennis and Joan Goldsmith point out in their book Learning to Lead:

• The Manager relies on control; the Leader inspires trust.
• The Manager has her eye always on the bottom line; the Leader has her eye on the horizon.
• The Manager accepts the status quo; the Leader challenges it.
• The Manager is the classic good soldier; the Leader is his or her own person.
• The Manager does things right; the Leader does the right thing

Will you, too, do the right thing?

About the Author

Colleen Slaughter, founder of Authentic Leadership International, is a proven coach with a remarkable ability to motivate women to cultivate greater authenticity and fulfillment at home and in the workplace. Colleen’s dynamic experience allows her to skillfully guide her clients to navigate roadblocks and develop practical solutions to accomplish both personal and professional goals.

Article Contributed by Dr. Joey Faucette 

Regardless of who you pulled for in the Super Bowl this past Sunday, you have to admire Peyton Manning. This five-time MVP has recovered from adversity, been criticized and told his passes look like “ducks,” and yet holds numerous records and is humble with a sense of humor.

What are his keys to success?

He prepares for hours on end, watching video of the opposition.

He plays like himself. He doesn’t try to run because he’s slow. He is smart on the field and throws the ball accurately.

He prepares well and plays like himself. Great way to play football…and play to win at work.

Here are 3 Ways to Positively Win at Work:

Prepare and Play: Core Values

If you wait to choose your core values until the pressure of business is breathing down your financial neck like a blitzing linebacker, you’ll get sacked for a loss every time.

What are your guiding principles at work? If you prepare to be honest, or act with integrity, or to highly value your customer relationships, when the heat of doing business goes up, you play like yourself. You react out of your core values which you’ve chosen ahead of time, in practicing moments of quiet each morning. You don’t have to think. You play your core value game.

Prepare and Play: Priorities

Manning analyzes the defense’s set and implements the play with the greatest probability of success, all in a matter of seconds. He’s prepared by studying opponents’ game films and sets his priorities for what to first try on his observations.

What are your priority plays at work? You have a myriad of options daily for how you’ll do business. Your preparation—product development, market assessment, customer feedback, client relationships, etc.—sets your priorities. You know your first and best option, second and better choice, etc. for achieving your business dreams daily. You simply execute the plays.

Prepare and Play: Unique Contribution

Manning is a QB who calls plays quickly and throws accurately. Yet he can’t block for himself. Or, kick field goals. Or, play cornerback. He understands and prepares to fulfill his role on the team.

You have a role to play on your Work Positive team. If you could do it all alone, why would you be on a team? Perhaps you can do anything, but not everything…at least not all at once.

What is your unique contribution on the team? Prepare and play your unique position to the best of your ability. Line up in your space and give it your total effort.

Prepare and play out of your core values expressed in your priorities while making your unique contribution. And watch as you and your team win as you Work Positive!

About the Author

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), Positive Success coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.

When it comes to running a successful business, there are few factors that are more important than the motivation of your own staff. Keep in mind that your employees are the ones who are doing a large amount of work with regards to the various projects that your company is trying to complete. Motivated employees are typically both happy and productive, which are two qualities that businesses absolutely need to move forward. If you’re worried that your business has a few motivation problems or just feel like the staff motivation could be higher, there are a few important things that you should be considering.

Feedback

A very effective way to increase motivation in general is to provide regular feedback to all of your employees and team members. It is always important to remember that feedback isn’t only reserved for when an employee has done something wrong. If you see an employee working hard and putting forth their best effort, or generally see someone who has been churning out quality work day after day, make sure the person is aware of your thoughts.

Rewards

Rewards are another proven way to increase the motivation of your staff. Rewards don’t have to be huge displays of gratitude – sometimes even a simple gift certificate to a local restaurant or a gift card for gasoline can do the trick. Even small tokens of your appreciation will go a long way towards getting employees to work as hard as possible on the work in front of them.

Before you start thinking about cutting back on employee hours to save money, always think about other areas where you can cut costs around the office. Cleanitsupply and other online ordering sites are a great way to save money on various types of cleaning products and supplies for your business.

Clear Communication

One of the biggest reasons that employee motivation can begin to deteriorate around an office is due to a lack of communication. If employees aren’t really sure what is being expected of them, they likely won’t work as hard or as well as they would if they had clear directives to follow. Always make sure that your goals for a particular project are clearly defined and that every employee is well aware of what he or she needs to be doing.

Suggestions

Another great way to maintain staff motivation is to allow employees to offer their own feedback and criticism with regards to certain aspects of the business. If an employee has a great idea on how to further progress on a particular project that everyone is working on, that employee should be allowed to speak his mind. Doing so will help him feel more involved in the overall process, which will give him a very real sense of ownership over the work that he’s doing. Even though you might not necessarily implement every last suggestion that your employees give you, the fact that you’re willing to receive those suggestions at all will go a long way towards showing employees that they are valued.

Michael Ferguson was a factory supervisor for three decades. Now that he is retired, he enjoys sharing his sage advice with others on various Internet blogs. He recommends Cleanitsupply.com for DIY office cleaning if you are looking for one.

Four years ago this month, Solo-E hired its first contractors: 3 fabulous VAs. Between them they handled the details of hundreds of items of content for the website, scores of newsletters and uncounted correspondence with subscribers and clients. Two of them still work for me (the third took time off with her third child and is now pursuing a career in financial planning!)

Having a long and successful working relationship with a team of virtual contractors is somewhat of an anomaly among solo entrepreneurs. In many ways I’ve been very fortunate to have such talented and caring people working for me. But I also recognize some critical pieces of making it work that can be planned for — because it’s not just luck!

Part I: Setting up the relationship

   1. Hire people that are a good fit for you. Seems obvious, but sometimes our criteria can hinge too much on things like cost and not enough on “can I see myself working well with this person?” Establish upfront what is important to you — consider skills, work habits, communication style, friendliness, etc. — make a list and use it when interviewing and making your hiring decision.

   2. Establish written expectations on both sides. Do you expect emails answered in 4 hours or 48? Want a weekly update? Not interested in chit-chat? You may have talked about these things in the interview, but getting them down on paper gives you both something to refer back to. And this should be a two-way street: what are their expectations? Do they need to hear from you when they are doing a good job? Is it ok to contact them on the weekend?

   3. Keep the lines of communication open. Talk ahead of time about the best way to let each other know when things aren’t working (even better, put it in writing so you don’t forget). Think about how you best receive feedback — on the phone, via email, scheduled ahead of time or on the spur of the moment, etc.

   4. Life happens. If you work with another self employed solo business owner for any length of time, it’s likely that one of you will face at least one personal issue that takes you away from the business at hand for some period of time. These issues can be difficult to talk about…illness, depression, family issues, death. But not telling the other person will leave them frustrated because things aren’t getting done and they don’t know why. Most people are very understanding and willing to accommodate changes in deadlines, leaves of absence, etc., but you have to communicate first. Talking about “what would we do if” ahead of time may help.

   5. Show me the money (plan). This is one place to be absolutely crystal-clear. How often are invoices sent, how much detail do you need to see, what are the payment terms, how do they want to be paid. Do they want a minimum monthly commitment? Do you want to set a monthly maximum? What about referral agreements, profit-sharing, etc.

Part II:  Building and Strengthening the Relationship Over Time

   6. Pay on time! If the terms say pay within 10 days — why not pay in five? Your virtual support team is the lifeblood of your solo entrepreneur business — what better way to let them know you appreciate and value their contribution?

   7. Put away the fine-tooth comb. If you’ve done a good job of hiring a team member, you don’t need to fuss over how many hours for this or that. If you don’t trust them, you shouldn’t have hired them.

   8. Always say please and thank you. One of my earliest lessons in business — treat everyone with respect. They may be contractors but they aren’t your minions! I take time to go over every email before I send it to make sure I’ve said please, and I send a quick thank-you when the task is completed.

   9. Let them know you appreciate them. Send a note when they’ve completed a big project for you, or a small gift on a special occasion. Celebrate company milestones by thanking them with a card. Be creative! Sometimes it’s fun just to let them know you appreciate them, with no particular occasion attached.

  10. Encourage team input. They know your business and clients perhaps better than you do! Ask them for input when you are considering a strategic change. Encourage them to offer unsolicited suggestions to improve processes, etc. — and implement them when they make sense for your business! This also goes two ways — if you share with the team your vision for the business, your strategic goals, etc., they will be better equipped to execute the plan with you.

  11. Bonus: Let my people grow! If you are like most solo entrepreneurs you are a life-long learner — and so probably are the members of your virtual team. Give them opportunities to take on new tasks. Encourage them to make decisions and take action without asking your input (set the boundaries for this so they know when you do want to be consulted.) Ask them what they’d like to learn, and teach them new skills. You may be surprised how much better they will be at certain things than you are!

Building a great support team takes time, effort, and caring — but you will be rewarded many times over!