Employee Voice as a Strategic Priority

We've all heard, and most of us (hopefully) have adopted employee voice strategies in our organizations, right? We've built formal systems that allow our 'most valuable assets' to participate in our success.

More Than Talk
Plenty of organizations wrestle with the concept of the war for talent, addressing culture change, empowering staff, and on and on. 

It is the precious few though, that put those words into action. 

Policy changes that formalize employee voice channels...leadership visibility on a massive, sustainable scale...and taking action based on employee feedback are hallmarks of the most successful organizations. 

Do you have these systems in place yet?

Head In the Sand
If you are not one of the organizations that has committed to a positive employee culture, be warned. Simply because you have a long list of justifications as to why certain things need to be done (which oddly enough lines up exactly with your way of thinking); that does not mean your team is blindly following along.

Do you believe all of your employees simply follow you regardless of their insights?

How About You
Right now is the perfect time to pause and consider how you can provide a new level of leadership for your organization. What communication channels can you establish to create the culture you desire? What are you afraid of hearing from your people? 

It's better to be proactive now, instead of facing a dramatic shift in morale later, right?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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If Not Us, Then Who

"That's not my job."
"Those issues are outside my scope."
"I don't have authority to address that."
"I'm in HR, that's an Operations issue."

It's About Action
What in the world is happening?

Have we lost our way in HR? Is there something inherent in how we view our roles, that has inadvertently backed us into a position where we feel we are not leaders of the organization?

Check out this recent example of HR in action:

A hospital's laboratory department [not a client] was struggling with turnover, scheduling, and low morale. The HR leader proactively joined in the solutions process and pulled schedules, department financials, and reviewed employee concerns. 

The result? She built a new schedule that solved both the morale and staffing problems. The Lab Director was thrown off initially, but once the progress became apparent, was appreciative of the support.

Leadership (Not Just HR)
That my friends, is real HR leadership. 

Was that in the HR Director's job description? No.
Was that "old school" HR? No.
Was that taking a risk that the organization could not recover from? No.

Here's the part that so many of us miss, including me, multiple times.

We have the authority as leaders to do any damn thing we need to do. There is no one holding us back. There is no one telling us 'no.' If we are going to earn the respect that we must earn, it is entirely up to us to take action.

Action trumps excuses every time.

How About You
What's holding you back from being a leader, not just the "HR person?" HR means so much more than the HR department, right?

Am I wrong? Should we lead for real...or just keep processing all of that paperwork?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Winning at Project Management....um, or not

...an almost completely 'true-ish' team meeting story...sort of...
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"Wow. This is quite a project! We need to pull a task force together to get into the weeds on this one."

"Yes, a good multi-disciplinary team will be great. I'll have my assistant set up recurring monthly meetings so we can stay on top of things."

"I'm in. Of course I'll have to reprioritize the research I'm doing into that other leadership initiative that takes a hard look at where we'll need to be by 2025, but I can probably make it work."

"Me, too. But I think we'll need to push back a bit before we get too far along. I mean, c'mon, do they expect us to turn this around in 12 months?"

"I agree. 12 months is going to go by in a snap. I don't mind taking the lead on the initial project plan, but it'll be 60 days before I can realistically get something in front of the group."

"Whoa! Are you sure you can turn it around that quickly? Aren't you also on one other project?"

"I'll have my group take a serious look at the plan once you've wrapped up the first draft. Maybe we should have our next meeting at the 90 day mark, just to make sure we're not getting ahead of ourselves?"

Every. 
Head. 
Nods.

How About You
Have you been in a meeting like this one? Was your head nodding too?

Leadership is about action. Cut the BS and get moving.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Then Everything Changed

"I felt like I was the ultimate brand champion for my company. Then suddenly...the economics didn't make sense anymore and I was gone."

"Everything was on track for so long. But then I realized things were just wrong. How did it all get so messed up?"

"I was a rising star. Everything I touched turned around and was a big success. But one day I was called into the office...my position could no longer be supported."

"I had worked so hard for all of it...my career, my personal life...all of those crazy lists of goals over the years. Now, this happened."

Unlimited Potential
Some people just seem to have it all together. They have great jobs, full personal lives, and seem to be involved in the coolest projects. I'll admit I've been jealous of those folks over the years. It all looked so exciting.

But real life doesn't always match the action we see, right?

When you believe there is no stopping you one day...and the next day you feel like you've hit a brick wall...even the strongest among us can fall into a bit of a tailspin.

Back in the Game
The old adage that one door closing usually means another door opens is not only over used...it's true. The key issue here is not about opportunities though. In fact, the "doors" have absolutely nothing to do with it.

The reason this phrase has lived on for so long is because people...at their core...are resilient as hell.

We are driven to succeed. We not only deal with setbacks, we use them as an energy source to take things to an even higher level of success both personally and professionally. We attack our future. We make all of that "action" that we dreamed about for so long become our reality.

We. Make. It. Happen.

How About You
Think about the times life has dealt you an unexpected twist or turn. Did you fold up and drop out of sight forever?

Of course you didn't. You dusted yourself off...got a little pissed...and kicked that 'new door' down.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Consequence

Consequence.

...something that happens as a result of an action...

First Thought
When I think about "consequences" I typically jump to a negative conclusion.

"Ken is being disciplined as a consequence for his error."

It's almost as if those of us in leadership naturally assume we have not made the error. It is always someone above or below who has stumbled. 

Really? 

Quick poll question:  ...all those who are perfect please raise their hand...

Anyone? Anyone at all?

It's (Almost) Always the Leader's Fault
What if we made a conscious decision in our organizations to frame every single problem in terms of how effectively the leadership team did the following:

- clearly articulated the vision and plan

- set expectations in a public setting so every team member could ask questions and understand

- reported regularly when projects (not people) were drifting from the expected outcome and had to publicly state how they were making course corrections

Our actions have a huge impact on the success or failure of our companies. Our influence is staggering, yet sometimes we forget and simply go through the excuse-filled leadership motions.

For me it is simple...the burden is on the leadership team.

Period.

How About You
Who takes the blame in your company? Does it flow downhill quickly; or, is there someone who consistently steps in and takes the fall for the team? If you have a leader like that hang on tightly to them. Otherwise, I might just recruit them away.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Morning After

I spend a lot of time focusing on action in my work. Building plans, developing complicated and sensitive relationships, and making decisions quickly to keep a long list of priorities moving forward.

Lots of time, energy and words invested in my daily life.

Action
One of the greatest leadership failures in my opinion is when a decision is not made. The never ending quest to ensure success; or rather, lack of mistakes, is a clear signal that the leader is anything but one. 

The ability to make timely decisions is a mandatory competency for leaders today. (It has always been this way!) But sadly, we see many who show their fear of leading with phrases like "review" or "take a closer look at" or "we'll follow up on that" instead of deciding.

Why invest so much time and energy into a plan and not execute it?
Why set expectations with your colleagues and not meet them?

Words
The ultimate test of any leader is their ability to deliver. If you have a terrific plan and never execute it what is your worth as a leader?

Nothing.

If you talk up how great things will be once you set your plans in motion but never actually build those plans let alone launch them, what is your worth as a leader?

Nothing.

If you are the classic all talk no action member of the team what is your worth to the organization?

Absolutely nothing.

How About You
The words we say are powerful. They represent who we are and what we do for our organizations every day. Don't be the one who wakes up the morning after it's all slipped away and wonder what happened.

Don't just talk about the work, get started. It doesn't matter if the plan is perfect. Get started now before a different decision is made about who the organization believes in to lead the way.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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(Caught) In Your Words

I want you to try a 3 second exercise with me. Here we go: say something, any phrase will do...

...now try to take those words back.

Could you do it? No?

Leader Messages

As leaders we say many things each day. Our colleagues, teams and customers listen closely to those words. They search for honesty, hidden meanings, subtle cues, or downright strong words that motivate them to take action.

Words are powerful...they inspire, motivate, encourage, develop, betray and a host of other things. Think of the last important meeting you had with your supervisor or group of colleagues. How did you feel as you walked out of the room? Did you feel supported, lied to, or set up? Your teams feel the exact same way depending on how you conduct yourself when you have one of those meetings with them.

Words matter. Integrity matters. The truth matters.

Unspoken Messages

There are another set of messages that can be just as powerful as the spoken word. It's the look. You know what I mean. That glance during a meeting. A signal that says, "well done" or conversely "that makes no sense."

Have you used this powerful leadership tool?

Non-verbal messages sometimes are much louder than the spoken word. Consider the weight of silence when an employee is clearly not understanding the magnitude of the work they need to accomplish, and you ask a direct question...

...and wait.

...and wait some more.

You don't let them off the hook. If you don't think silence is powerful, try staring at someone for 5 seconds without breaking your stare. It is very powerful, and effective, and can often make the point better than any words you could dig out of a thesaurus.

But be warned. 

Make sure you have your facts straight before you start accusing your colleagues or team members...because when you're wrong, your credibility as a leader is permanently gone. No one follows the ill-informed CYA-style leader.

How About You

Do you appreciate the impact you have on the workplace? What about your team? Are you so caught up in "your" work that you carelessly toss around strong words and glares simply to protect your own self-interest?

Be intentional in your words and actions. As leaders, our moves must have an agenda based on integrity and truth...otherwise, we are simply an embarrassing failure that all can plainly see.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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We Who Are About To Die (from your noise)

I've recently made a breakthrough...of sorts. It turns out that despite all the different kinds of people in the world, there are actually only two types of leaders. It wasn't a research study that I stumbled upon that opened my eyes. It wasn't a fascinating journal article that raised my level of awareness. Nor was it some ancient text that was discovered in a far off land.

I learned this from experiencing the same behavior over and over, and I could no longer deny the truth.

Talk

One of the most important skills leaders must possess is the ability to influence others with their words. Inspiring those around us, motivating our teams, and supporting our own leadership team is a core competency for the contemporary leader.

There is a significant risk however at only being a skilled communicator, let alone someone who throws around the latest jargon but clearly has no idea what they're talking about.

Execution

We all recognize those leaders that are not able to move from talking...and planning...and talking some more...

...with those leaders that demand action.

Planning appropriately, and following that plan is always the best path. However, the balance point between planning and paralysis can be a fine one. The action oriented leaders sometimes need to push across that line in order to maintain momentum.

"If there is no momentum, there is no execution. If there is no execution, there is simply no need for that leader."

Noise

For those leaders that can not move from words to action the result is a swirling cauldron of noise. Noise damages credibility. Noise forces team members to critically examine if they can still believe in that leader.

Noise kills.

The secret sauce of leadership if finding the balance point between words that inspire action, and the ability to make decisions to ensure momentum and execution.

How About You

Do you find every excuse in the book to avoid leading? You may think "following up with your team" or "looking into that issue" is part of leading.

Well, you're wrong. That's not leading at all. That's actually killing the rest of us.

Don't be that person. Lead the way instead.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Last 10%

I have a serious bias when it comes to the world of work. My friend and colleague Joe Gerstandt does a terrific job of helping us "see" the hidden biases we all have (yes, you have them too.) Some of them are not so hidden however. They are front and center for us, and candidly that is where they are going to stay whether we want them to or not.

So here's one that I've put at the top of my list: making it safe for every employee in the company to feel safe coming to talk to me. About any topic.

Including me.

Job Titles Are Scary

I've been fortunate ( and continue to be) to serve in senior leadership roles for several organizations. The downside of that role is that the darn job title gets in the way sometimes. Here's what I'm talking about...

...employee wants to raise an issue or concern...starts to worry that raising that issue with a "VP" might make them look bad at best, or be career-limiting at worst...

The job title blocks getting to the real issue. That's not good. But there is a clear solution. Can you guess who is responsible for executing that solution every day?

Job Titles Are Also Opportunities

We've all heard the phrase that "talk is cheap." Well I disagree. I think words are powerful. I think words move people to action. I think words can make all the difference...

...words can do all these things when they are combined with action.

That fancy job title that gets people flustered opens the door for you to make it safe...literally...for your team members to come to you with any issue. 

It's not easy. You have to start fresh every day. Forget that you built a strong rapport with the team last month, last week, or even yesterday.

Make it safe again today. Never stop reinforcing that you are available and will not over react, or for God's sake punish them for stepping forward.

This may sound very simple to you...but when was the last time you intentionally thought about making your workplace safe for every employee to come forward.? I'm not talking about your peers, or those in "higher level roles." I mean everyone.

How About You

I hear many leaders lament that they don't know the "real story" of what is going on in their organizations. Well here's a tip...when leaders make it safe for everyone to come forward and share the last 10% of the story (which is always where the real issues are hiding) the truth will come out. It is entirely up to you to make it happen.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Arise and Purify

Sometimes we find ourselves feeling...well... stuck. It often comes in waves. Work gets complicated despite our best efforts to add value...we miss more workouts than we should... and personally life seems a bit off track.

We feel low. I hate that feeling.

Arise

When was the last time you decided to stand up for yourself?  What was the tipping point that made you realize you needed to take action? Doing something, even what most would consider a small step, can do wonders for your mindset.

Don't let others define you. You know who you are and what you have done and will continue to do. Stay true to yourself. Lead with that attitude!

Purify

Once you've allowed yourself to focus on you, block out the noise from those who judge you unfairly. Create a plan to literally move yourself forward. 

Maybe that is a new way to manage your workload; maybe it is a transition to integrate technology into your world; or maybe it is time to find a new job that will meet your personal and professional goals.

Allow yourself the freedom to go for it. Recognize that you might feel nervous or afraid. That's okay. Allow yourself to be overwhelmed with the fear of an unknown future. That's okay too.

There is nothing wrong with fear. But there is something wrong with living a life where you never stare fear down and take control.

How About You

Today is your day. Not tomorrow, not next week, and for God's sake not during New Year's resolution season. Today. Arise and purify yourself.

 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I Don't Wanna Be Me

Have you ever taken a step back from your current role and compared it to what you thought you would be doing at this point? What were you expecting? Was it a certain title...or salary...or span of control? How close are you to achieving that vision?

For many...that vision is a cruel reminder of what their career is not. That can really hurt.

Wallow

When those feelings get churned up we often try to suppress them as quickly as possible. After all, we're professionals! Being under control is a hallmark of our leadership skill set. Except the suppression strategy is not real. Feeling disappointment...frustration...and even some bitterness is normal. Don't bury those feelings, and please don't disregard them in some sort of artificial cleansing exercise.

Wallow in the pain. Let it consume you. Allow your honest feelings to flow hard through your mind and body. Experience those raw emotions...and feel the pain.

And only then...begin to release them.

Allowing yourself to feel alive...even when it is painful...actually turns out to be quite empowering. As counter intuitive as that may sound, life has a way of using our frustrations and disappointment as fuel to bring the future into greater focus.

Get Moving

Once your self-inflicted pain session is complete it is time for action. Get yourself organized. Start a list of what you want...now. Don't sell yourself short as you document what it is you really want. Put it all down on paper (or Wunderlist if you've committed to a digital life like me.)

This list...regardless of how long...is your new beginning. You don't have to achieve anything on your list today...but you absolutely need to acknowledge that it exists. 

Your new plan has just been born. Give yourself credit for starting. Nothing keeps disappointment and bitterness going strong more than inaction.

So take action!

How About You

Titles..money...power...all may have a role to play in your plan. However, being someone other than you makes no sense, so stop the comparisons and focus on your list. Organize it...take small steps...and start being the real you. After all, it's a lot more satisfying to say "I Wanna Be Me!" Don't you think?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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