"Good job."
"Nicely done."
"Thanks for everything."
Who doesn't like to hear these words? In truth, all of us like to hear praise or gratitude passed our way; we should utilize both in leading our teams. We can, however, improve upon praise by being more specific, i.e.:
"Good job, the way you formatted the report makes it incredibly easy to see the bottom line and reach conclusions."
"Nicely done - what I really appreciated about your presentation was that you didn't rush it. You gave people time to absorb the information and to ask questions."
"Thanks for everything. Not only did you complete the outline I requested, but the detail you provided really will enhance the entirety of the project."
By being more specific, you are accomplishing additional things with your communication:
You are making the individual feel that much better. When you are more specific with praise and gratitude, you are likely calling out individual traits that distinguishe that team member. For instance, multiple people may do a "good job" on a report; what made one individual's contribution noteworthy was that they formatted it in an easy to digest template. By using praise to distinguish, you are not only expressing appreciation, you are also calling out what makes a team member special.
It shows you are paying attention. Seriously, (and everyone knows this) you can sleep through a presentation and at the end of it still say, "Nicely done." By adding qualifiers to praise, it shows that you really are paying attention to an individual's performance. This builds your credibility as a leader as well as strengthens the bonds between you and your team members.
Specific praise shows the way. You can be very general in your praise and people will feel good; you can be more specific and not only will people feel good, they will know your expectations for the future. For instance, ". . .but the detail you provided really will enhance the entirety of the project," lets people know that you appreciate added detail in their work. The next time they do a project for you, they will probably add those extra details that you appreciate.
Certainly, at this time of year (and every other time of year, too!), we should express appreciation to the people we have the privilege of working with. This year, make it go a little bit further by being more specific.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Leadership Lessons from a Smart Phone
Several months ago, I got my first Windows phone.
I loved it. I accessed many of the great things this little piece of tech wizardry could do for me. Several days of wonder were filled with the discovery of voice recognition, the cornucopia of games, an amazing world of apps. I looked forward to months of learning my new communications device/toy and then reaping the added ease it would provide to my life.
Then, the novelty wore off. Other parts of life prioritized themselves to the top of the list and my new phone became more of a utility vs. a technology that could make my life easier. I fell into a routine of using the most familiar features. . .which was just a small percentage of what the phone can do.
The idea that my phone could do more for me just kind of disappeared from my field of vision. At my own disservice, I settled into the world of the usual.
Often, that's what I believe we do as leaders. As a passionate believer in human potential, I trust that everyone has a roster of great talents. . .and we have the ability to continue to learn. There is a world of options and abilities for us to access to drive business and improve our own professional satisfaction.
Unfortunately, due to all of the priorities we face and the resulting lack of time, we often fall into the routine of the familiar. While the familiar serves us well, there are also those challenges we face and people with whom we interact that utilizing a different skill set would work to a better advantage for us.
A different way of listening. A new way of leading a group discussion. A different point of view when facing a difficult issue. We have a great variety of tools available to us, plus, we have the ability to learn so much more than we know.
Not only does a different way of approaching things often work to our own advantage, but it often works better for those with whom we are communicating and working.
To be able to access the talents and skills beyond our familiar routine, it takes the dedication of time to reflect:
I loved it. I accessed many of the great things this little piece of tech wizardry could do for me. Several days of wonder were filled with the discovery of voice recognition, the cornucopia of games, an amazing world of apps. I looked forward to months of learning my new communications device/toy and then reaping the added ease it would provide to my life.
Then, the novelty wore off. Other parts of life prioritized themselves to the top of the list and my new phone became more of a utility vs. a technology that could make my life easier. I fell into a routine of using the most familiar features. . .which was just a small percentage of what the phone can do.
The idea that my phone could do more for me just kind of disappeared from my field of vision. At my own disservice, I settled into the world of the usual.
Often, that's what I believe we do as leaders. As a passionate believer in human potential, I trust that everyone has a roster of great talents. . .and we have the ability to continue to learn. There is a world of options and abilities for us to access to drive business and improve our own professional satisfaction.
Unfortunately, due to all of the priorities we face and the resulting lack of time, we often fall into the routine of the familiar. While the familiar serves us well, there are also those challenges we face and people with whom we interact that utilizing a different skill set would work to a better advantage for us.
A different way of listening. A new way of leading a group discussion. A different point of view when facing a difficult issue. We have a great variety of tools available to us, plus, we have the ability to learn so much more than we know.
Not only does a different way of approaching things often work to our own advantage, but it often works better for those with whom we are communicating and working.
To be able to access the talents and skills beyond our familiar routine, it takes the dedication of time to reflect:
- What else do I do well that I don't often use?
- What skills have I learned in previous situations that I'm not currently accessing?
- What have people told me are strengths of mine that I take for granted?
- What skills, talents, approaches can I learn that would help me with bosses, peers and others with whom I have the privilege of working?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Forgive. . .So That You Can Lead
Last week, in the HuffPost's Blog, Oprah Winfrey's entry was entitled, "Forgive. . .So You Can Truly Live." The point is incredibly valid. The holding of grudges, the desire for revenge and the stagnation of looking back at the past keeps us from living better lives.
Taking a cue from Ms. Winfrey, I would also suggest this: Forgive. . .So You Can Truly Lead.
I'm uncertain why often we separate what are good ideas in our personal lives from our professional personas. Often a good idea at home is just as valid in the office, if not more so. Forgiveness is such an example.
Yes, you may have been wronged. Yes, you think it may be sweet to see revenge. The problem is, it's not getting you any place and, in all likelihood, it's holding your team back as well. The very idea of forgiveness is to let go of the past; one of the key success factors in any business is the ability to move the work forward. You can't very well accomplish both. If you're focusing on the bad things that have happened to you, likely you aren't moving forward, or moving your team forward, to grow the business.
It isn't always a matter of forgiving others; sometimes we really need the ability to forgive ourselves. Nobody is perfect in the workplace. We all make mistakes. Sometimes I have found that it is extremely difficult for people to let go of their own errors and move on. It is of paramount importance that you own the skill of self-forgiveness and that you can coach your team in this ability as well.
And what if someone hasn't forgiven you? It can be seen as "their problem." Truth is, it's everybody's problem because their inability to let go ends up being a major block to teamwork. If someone is holding a grudge against you, be sure that you have properly apologized, and if necessary, work through a longer process of talking it out and learning how to work together again.
Oprah's right (of course!). Forgiveness should be a priority. At home and at work.
Taking a cue from Ms. Winfrey, I would also suggest this: Forgive. . .So You Can Truly Lead.
I'm uncertain why often we separate what are good ideas in our personal lives from our professional personas. Often a good idea at home is just as valid in the office, if not more so. Forgiveness is such an example.
Yes, you may have been wronged. Yes, you think it may be sweet to see revenge. The problem is, it's not getting you any place and, in all likelihood, it's holding your team back as well. The very idea of forgiveness is to let go of the past; one of the key success factors in any business is the ability to move the work forward. You can't very well accomplish both. If you're focusing on the bad things that have happened to you, likely you aren't moving forward, or moving your team forward, to grow the business.
It isn't always a matter of forgiving others; sometimes we really need the ability to forgive ourselves. Nobody is perfect in the workplace. We all make mistakes. Sometimes I have found that it is extremely difficult for people to let go of their own errors and move on. It is of paramount importance that you own the skill of self-forgiveness and that you can coach your team in this ability as well.
And what if someone hasn't forgiven you? It can be seen as "their problem." Truth is, it's everybody's problem because their inability to let go ends up being a major block to teamwork. If someone is holding a grudge against you, be sure that you have properly apologized, and if necessary, work through a longer process of talking it out and learning how to work together again.
Oprah's right (of course!). Forgiveness should be a priority. At home and at work.
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