Pause...

Pop Quiz: Which of the following are good reasons to pause before you respond?

  1. To give you a chance to gather your thoughts
  2. To give you time to you choose a better mindset
  3. To stop you from interrupting
  4. To ensure you understand the underlying concern
  5. ‘Cause you get paid by the hour, might as well take your time
 
 If you answered yes to all (except #5) you are correct!  

Taking time to pause can build your credibility and deepen trust with your team.  How?  They believe you are really listening.   Being too quick to respond feels like you are just waiting to speak – that’s not good listening.
Give it a try this week, see how taking a pause can help your interactions.  

Why?

It’s a good starting point for a conversation about feedback.  Being curious is a better mindset to take into the conversation than being right or judgmental.

Here’s an example I hear quite often.

Bart is lazy. 

 First, identify the specific behavior you observed and share that with Bart in a factual manner.  "Bart, I noticed that you didn’t take the initiative to help out last week when we got slammed with that huge project.  In fact you sat at your desk, completed your own tasks and then left.  How come you didn't offer to help?

Hmmm, why didn’t Bart help out?

Maybe; 

• No one told Bart this was part of his job.
• The last Manager didn’t have these expectations.
• We’ve never been this busy before.
• Bart is worried about making errors
• Or he might not care.

 You don't know until you have the conversation.  Give Bart the benefit of the doubt, approach the discussion with a curious mindset, use specific language (ie NO lazy) and ask him why. 

The decompression chamber

Just wrapped up a successful webinar with some great managers.  We talked about the importance of choosing how you show up in the office each day.  Tip: You set the tone with your entrance.

Showing up rushed, stressed, grumpy, or distracted leads to a team that feels the same way. I know you have a life and that things can get hectic before the day even begins.  Our  smart phones are helping either, we start reading our emails before our feet hit the floor. 

What to do?  Use your office lobby or your car as a decompression chamber. 

Take a moment to breathe, smile and decide what kind of day you want to have and then be THAT guy (girl)!

If you need another reason to manage your entrance, read this 12 Personality Traits of a Great Boss.

Friends, waffles and work

Studies by Gallup found that when employees have a close friend at work their level of engagement goes up a whopping 50%.

Why?   

• Friends welcome you to work with a smile and your name.
• They give you a reason to smile back.
• They listen when you vent about important things like how the dryer is shrinking your pants, or how that last caller was really tough.
• Most of all, having a friend at work reinforces the fact that you matter.

Encourage your team to enjoy their friends and their waffles.  Happy employees make happy customers.

 If you are looking for ways to motive your team this season, sign-up for our webinar on September 23rd at 10am.  

Click here for more information and to register.  

Get up offa that thing...

...was James Brown ahead of his time?

“Sitting is so incredibly prevalent we don’t even question how much we’re doing it and, because everyone else is doing it, it doesn’t even occur to us that it’s not OK. In that way, sitting has become the smoking of our generation,” said Nilofer Merchant, in her 2013 Ted Talk ‘Got a meeting? Take a walk’.

And now the good news.  

You can help your team by inspiring, asking or even rewarding them for getting up and moving.

How?  

• Have a contest for most number of squats per day.  (put the score board on the opposite side of the room so they have to walk to it and update their totals)
• Start a competition for greatest number of steps per week.  (consider buying everyone an inexpensive pedometer to kick off the race)
• Put thumb tacks on their chairs, no wait, just kidding. 

 Get the point? 

Don't bury the lead

If you need to have a tough conversation or deliver bad news, get to the point.  

Start with the punch line, then talk specifics.

Power to the people!

Research shows that people are more productive when they feel like they are in control.

Now I'm not suggesting you turn them loose in the candy shop, but how about giving them some choices.

- What projects they take on

- How they complete their projects

- Who they hire 

- Hours they work 

Choice = thinking = engagement.  Give it a try!