Monthly Archives: December 2017

Welcome back!

The process can be as difficult as the people trying to carry it out. It’s also an areas where you can have a lot of fun creatively solving problems. How you do things is just as important as what you are doing, and why you are doing it. If your process is out of whack, it will throw your people off. Many times, friction between people can be traced back to an operational process that has sticking points, bottlenecks, or other snafus that once identified, are reasonably overcome. Master the art of streamlining the process and you will have added tremendous value to all aspects of the organization. Products / services will move through the system more quickly and easily, people will get along better, barriers to success will be broken down, and you will help ensure that your organization is operating at peak efficiency and effectiveness.

Next up we’ll talk about how to achieve this streamlining by focusing on daily deliverables, the mission, and the culture.

With compassion & respect,

Deb

Welcome back!

The people are the messy part of any leadership job! 😉 Sometimes they will bring you joy, sometimes heartache, but at the end of the day the journey with them is well worth it. Nearly everyone we meet is a growth opportunity. Many of them are a gift. A few of them will be total blessings in your life, enriching your leadership in ways that positively alter the trajectory of your career. A few others will be exceedingly difficult or painful to deal with, but they too deserve your best.

View your team as just one group among many, and strive to help them be their very best and deliver exceptional results. Keep in mind that the golden rule of leadership is that you will not get good results if you do not treat your people right. The marginal productivity gains you might accomplish by coercing or forcing people to work beyond their max capacity are not worth the long term decline in bottom line results. You have to find the balance between holding people accountable to deliver company minimums and their personal best, which will fluctuate day to day. Define a zone of required and desired performance, and facilitate each team member’s ability to stay within those navigational buoys. You want each individual working at their own sustainable pace, not just because it fosters employee retention, but because it is the right way to treat people.

Respectfully and with compassion,

Deb

Welcome back!

The product is the easy part of the job. You either sell or deliver a service or product. No matter how simple or complex, you will have operational procedures that are necessary to create and distribute the product or service. Your job is to participate in and oversee production and delivery. Do your part well, and make sure your people are doing their part well. That includes collaborating with your internal and external stakeholders, partners, and customers. Be known as the go-to group that treats everyone well, whether they work in the mailroom, the boardroom, or are a member of the public. Be a difference maker for your organization.

Until next time, take a bottom line look at your organization’s ultimate deliverable, and refocus your sights on that objective.

Respectfully and with compassion,

Deb

Welcome back!

In addition to leading yourself and your team, you are also responsible for leading the organization. You’ve been entrusted with serious responsibilities to help shepherd the group as a whole. You are one of a cadre of managers that should all be working towards the common good of the people, the mission, and the bottom line. It really doesn’t matter if the bottom line is about profits, championships, or being a wise steward of taxpayer dollars. What matters is that you are part of a larger team of leaders working together to achieve those objectives. You don’t operate in a vacuum, and what you do or don’t do impacts the organization as a whole. One corrupt leader can corrode the functioning of an entire organization. It is imperative that you work in concert with your fellow leaders to do the right thing, at all times. Not when it’s convenient, or easy, or politically expedient, but every single time. Whatever you do, don’t reduce yourself to a stereotype and be part of a good old boys or girls club. Rise above that high school level social system and be a leader among leaders. Just like you owe your team your best, you owe your organization your best as well. You were hired and are being paid to achieve goals. Earn your paycheck. Carry out the responsibilities you are tasked with, whether they are operational or supervisory. Your job is to get the best results possible, which includes the process, the product, and the people. You need to be actively engaged in all three areas on a daily basis. This isn’t about you. This is about the organization as a whole.

Until next time, I’ll be praying for you to gain a higher level perspective on the organization and your role within it.

Respectfully and with a heart full of compassion for the tough job that leadership is,

Deb

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