This may seem a bit vague so let me clarify a bit. People want to know how they and their teams are doing. If your company is like most, this happens during assessment times or sometimes if something is really serious it may happen immediately.
Why Wait? Why does input on status need to be only during set times? If we subscribe to the idea that reinforcement is best used as close as possible to the behavior you want to drive, then waiting for an annual or quarterly review is not going to cut it. Organic If you care about creating connection on your team, then providing regular status updates on how each of them are doing is essential. This does not have to be formal! In fact, it should be "organic." As you provide active supervision or when you are interacting with individual team members practice providing specific and meaningful input on how they are doing. Be truthful and be sincere otherwise it is going to get awkward during the formal review process. And oh yes, it is a huge display of respect. We Are Competitive By Nature In times of down turn (like now in the Energy Sector) people not only want to know how they are doing (read: Am I contributing to the success of the team?) but they want to know how the company is doing compared to the competition. Don't miss out on a powerful opportunity to unite your team around a common challenge! No matter where I provide training for Operational Excellence when groups really get going with this process almost universally they will start exploring how their performance is stacking up against the competitions. I recall in one case where every time I came onto a lease I would be greeted with either a chorus of questions about how the competition down the road was doing or a chorus of "inside" information that the other company had suffered a six hour down time and so on. Client representatives were actually pretty impressed by the competitive spirit on these crews and commented on it several times. Create A Habit A personal or team status update is a meaningful way to communicate that someone is in fact part of the group. Practicing regular updates individually and with the team is an easy way to foster connection. Get into the practice of when you see something you like, make sure you tell that person. It is a great habit to foster. Performance Leadership - Think About It! Whether you are going through a major change initiative or simply working to get your team to a higher level of performance and innovation this is a principle that should always be practiced. Providing connection and meaning requires that we provide a mechanism or process to include those closest to the action in a meaningful and ongoing dialogue.
It Never Hurts To Broaden Your Perspective This principle is valid not only because processes or initiatives may impact those individuals directly. It is valid because those closest to the action have the best perspective of how things work and where potential innovations could be applied. Don’t Wait For A Crisis In his work, “The Power of Habit” Charles Duhigg discusses how this principle plays a central role in times of crisis. In one study a hospital in Rhode Island was struggling with a series of mistakes and errors including fatalities in the operating room. They had one of the worst safety records in the state. In two instances nurses that attempted to point out mistakes were called to task during the surgery and in front of their peers. The atmosphere was toxic to say the least. However, the crisis created by these issues forced the hospital team to reexamine their culture and their processes. Hospital leadership including doctors were forced to concede that the nurses and other staff were a necessary part of the delivery of quality care and particularly in the operating room. They moved from a culture where is was dangerous to speak up to one where it was required to do so. It did not happen overnight but because everyone was committed to changing the hospital’s dismal record the change did happen. Key to the change was the recognition that those closest to the action had a pretty good idea of where improvements could be made and were a good second set of “eyes” regarding potential issues. Use Your Team This principle is most often applied with first responders, police, military, hospitals and other organizations where decisions involve life or death consequences. However, it works just as well across every industry sector. If you want to drive performance, innovation and create connection for your team, then don’t forget those closest to the action! Performance Leadership – Think About It! I believe that this is something we all "intrinsically" know but don't like to acknowledge as leaders. The reason for this is that we would then have to admit that perhaps what we see on our team is a reflection of the example we are setting.
Leadership For All To See The reality is that leadership never occurs in a vacuum. From the President, CEO or Executive Leadership Team down to front line managers or supervisors the character and culture of a company is a reflection the sum of its leadership behaviours both good and bad. What Do Your Choices Communicate? As people we are highly tuned to the "double standard" of do as I say not as I do. You may have noticed this concept has framed a large part of the dialogue in the U.S. election cycle this year! I see it every time I fly WestJet when I see pilots and crew prep aircraft on a connecting flight. I read on social media of the siting’s of WestJet executives showing up on flights and helping out with aircraft prep as well. Is it any wonder then, that every Christmas I expect to see something novel thought up by WestJet staff to make the season a bit more special for clients? Positional & Relational Influence By the way you have influence even if you don't have an official leadership title. There are those who influence because they care about the folks on their team. One of the most respected men on a crew I worked with had a position in the area that all the new guys started at. He saw it as his job to mentor them and set them up for success. He liked the role he had made for himself and everyone one on that crew had been trained by him and respected what he had to say. What Are Your Decision Priorities? Whether you are a front line supervisor or a CEO know that your action or inaction when confronted with an issue is being watched closely by those who report to you or work with you. Do you act in their best interests? Do you act in accordance with the company's best interests? Or do you act in your own best interests? Performance Leadership - Think About It! |
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