The Advisor's Corner Archives

The Advisor’s Corner – How Do I Build Ownership?

September 10, 2014/in Management & Leadership, The Advisor's Corner/by Roxi Hewertson

Question:

How do I build ownership of the team with the team so I don’t dominate as the leader?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

It’s really good that you have the self-awareness to even ask this question. Too many leaders simply plunge into ‘task’ mode without even considering the dynamics of their teams or how to get them most from team members.

When you decide to put a team together, you need to have a reason. Explicitly identify WHY the team exists in the first place and why each individual is important to success. Make sure that everyone is connected to that shared purpose.

Then, make the time to create your team’s Ground Rules, or Rules of Engagement. This is one of the most ignored and yet one of the most important things you MUST do so that all the members know, not assume, what behaviors and actions are acceptable and not acceptable within the group. For instance, do the members care about starting and ending on time, silencing technology, making it an acceptable norm to pass in a ‘round-robin’? Of course, your team members must hold themselves and each other (including you) accountable to those Ground Rules or they will become meaningless.

Here are a few more things you can do as the leader:

Don’t speak first unless you have to. Rotate facilitation and/or process observer roles.
Ask more than you tell.
Develop your mission, vision and values with the team and for the team.
Be clear how decisions – each and every one – will be made. This will often vary based on the topic and the decision. It’s critical to be clear about who the decision maker is and how the decision will be determined and when it needs to happen.
Prepare – make the effort to ‘design’ the agenda and plan your meetings and gatherings so that everyone’s time is well spent. Check in regularly to find out whether improvements or changes are needed.
Always have an agenda and always send it out ahead of time – with input from the team about priorities and topics if at all possible. Make sure that info sharing is no more than 20 percent of the agenda and that most of the time is about discussion and/or decisions. This includes when you are building the team with various activities to assist members to know, trust, and work well with one another.

There is a great deal to learn about building high functioning teams. This is just a start – and it will get you a long way.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – When Should I Remain Quiet?

December 18, 2013/in The Advisor's Corner/by Roxi Hewertson

Question:

As a leader, are there times when I should hold back my opinions?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

It is a balancing act for leaders to know just how much to talk and how much to listen. Extroverted leaders have a particular challenge because they talk to think as an important part of processing information and ideas. They risk grabbing too much airtime and shutting others down. Conversely, Introverted leaders think to talk and can be challenged to communicate enough information at the right to meet their followers’ needs. Leaders make fewer wrong decisions when they ask more than they tell. Our focus today is on the more verbal leader. You should consider staying quiet when…

It’s emotional – people need to believe they are being heard. Ask how you can help rather than assume you know.
You come in during the middle of a story – no need to embarrass yourself!
You are wondering if what you’ll say is offensive – if you have to wonder, and then it probably is.
You are tempted to ‘fix’ the person’s problem and about to give advice no one asked you to give.
Someone asks you a question that you should not or cannot answer fully or accurately.
You think your idea is the best thing since shelled walnuts.
When you ask a question, it is a good idea to wait and listen for the answer.
You feel yourself jumping to conclusions without much information – not a good way to get your exercise!
You’ve been drinking, partying, etc. and someone from work calls you – it’s far better to stay off the phone.
You are angry or upset. First, take time to figure out why you feel the way you do, and then determine the best course of action to resolve the problem.

Consider a leader I worked with who was unable to say he did not know. He would give anyone an answer on any question asked of him. Yet, it would have been so easy, and correct, to say, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I’ll find out and get back to you.” He isn’t stupid, just misguided about what is expected of a good leader, including telling the truth. Of course, his credibility was negatively impacted.

I know another leader who routinely asks questions and listens intently to the answers. People tell her the truth because she honors them by deeply listening and with her thoughtful responses. She observes a great deal, is rarely fooled, and does not claim to have all the answers. Her credibility and reputation were beyond reproach.

It is true that quiet and contained leaders need to speak up when they have something meaningful to say. People need to understand and hear about their opinions, vision, values, decisions, and expectations. Staying quiet when you need to be heard can be just as problematic as talking too much.

Leaders need to engage others, share their ideas, and make decisions. It’s the balance of listening and talking that makes all the difference. It’s not an accident that the ratio of ‘listening’ body parts to ‘speaking’ body parts is 4:1 (ears and eyes: mouth).

For a quick indicator, try this: next time you are in a meeting, make a tic mark every time you open your mouth to say something. Keep track of whether you are telling or asking. Keep score for a day or two and you’ll have a good indication of whether you are talking too much, sharing too little, or have a healthy balance.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – Am I an At-Risk Leader?

December 4, 2013/in The Advisor's Corner/by Roxi Hewertson

Question:

Is there a way to tell if I’m an ‘at-risk’ leader?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

Sure. You can ask yourself the questions below to get a good start and then you can and should regularly ask for direct or anonymous constructive feedback from your direct reports, peers, leader and others. You attitudes and behaviors are the biggest differentiators for leadership success. The four well researched core emotional intelligence metrics of: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness and Relationship Management are directly correlated with successful or failing leadership.

Here are some key attitudes and behaviors to pay attention to because just being proficient in your technical area of expertise ignores the fact that a leader’s success is highly dependent on others’ contributions.

Ask yourself, do I…?

Read/understand emotions and recognize the impact of them on self and others. By developing an accurate view of, and aptly managing, one’s own emotional responses to situations, the rest of you skills and talents are magnified and leveraged. You regularly seek feedback and acknowledge when your impact and intent are out of synch. ?

Know your strengths and limitations. The best leaders understand they can never know and do everything… and don’t pretend to. Instead, they recognize what they are good at and leverage those skills. You surround themselves with people who are smarter and more experienced in areas where you have gaps, and you listen to them.

Know and have a good sense of your own self-worth and capability. There is a big divide between confidence and arrogance. Confidence comes from a strong sense of self-worth and self-awareness. Arrogance comes from fear in many cases, and a sense of entitlement in others. You are confident based on an objective, not assumed point of view.

Think and act with optimism – see the ‘upside.’ There are two kinds of world view attitudes people project in the world—those who think and act through the lens of abundance, and those who think and act through a lens of scarcity. You go for solutions, new ideas, and silver linings, even in the worst of times. You may change course, but you never give up. You thoughtfully navigate your staffers to a better place – often to places they didn’t know or believe possible.

See and seize opportunities for contributing to the greater good. Despite conventional thinking, great leaders have low ego needs precisely because of their solid confidence and self-worth. You don’t waste time and energy shining up your image. Your integrity is without question. You are willing to partner with others and you listen with an objective and compassionate for the greater good of the organization.

Or Do I…?

Discount others’ emotions and perspective. Failing leaders don’t pick up on other people’s signals. Or, if they do, they don’t care, demonstrating a fundamental lack of empathy and social awareness. You cannot be a good leader without empathy, period.

Miss key organizational clues, norms, decision networks and politics. ?These ‘leaders’ have very little emotional intelligence in terms of self-awareness and organizational awareness. You are missing clues, haven’t developed a wide network, and operate more like individual contributor than a leader.

Blame others for outcomes. Failing leaders don’t ask; they tell. You need to make someone wrong to be right. The difference between accountability and blame is the way the issue or problem is approached. You go for blame not solution.

Avoid dealing with and resolving conflicts. ?Failing leaders avoid dealing with conflicts and don’t provide constructive feedback to others. They duck key relationship issues. You often think, “If I ignore it, it will go away.”

Isolate myself and/or my team from others in the organization. You think you and/or your immediate team are better/smarter/righter than everyone else. These leaders are happiest in their ‘silo,’ rarely sharing resources or knowledge. You believe no one understands you or your work.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – How can I build relationships with key stakeholders?

November 20, 2013/in The Advisor's Corner/by Roxi Hewertson

Question:

How can I build relationships with key stakeholders?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

Competition for our time has never, in the history of human kind, been so intense. Yet, if we fail to make time to connect in authentic and meaningful ways with other people, we cannot lead well and our business results will suffer dramatically.

By connecting well, we can discover where we have opportunities for synergy with others. Synergy can be defined as two or more people (or things) functioning together to produce a result NOT independently obtainable. Synergies are important both within and outside our primary workplace. There’s even a new word to describe this when we connect well with our competitors – ‘coopitition’ or ‘coopertition,’ meaning two or more competitors working together to achieve a common goal.

Here are three things you can do to connect and look for opportunities for synergy:

1. Ask don’t tell. Too often people are ‘telling’ others what they think, want, know and feel. Stephen Covey reminds us to “Seek first to understand, then seek to be understood.” This wisdom comes from the native peoples throughout the world and is found in every scripture known to human kind. Yet, we are often too busy or too focused on our own ‘stuff’ to remember this.

2. Find common ground. When two or more people choose to take the time to look more deeply, they can and will find common ground where they can build a powerful foundation for trust and collaboration. Try this:

Seek out things you have in common with others – values, family, books, artwork, background, education, passions, experiences… you’ll find them.
When you’ve made a connection, build upon it. Allow yourself to share some vulnerability. This gives others more safety to do the same. The more authentic you are, the more authentic others can risk being with you.
Sometimes the best place to grow connection and common ground is with people with whom you disagree. When people have a common goal, a common enemy, or a common dream they can overcome differences in other areas. So next time someone disagrees with you consider saying: “Help me understand why you feel/think the way you do. I would like to learn more about your point of view.”

3. Get out of your chair. This is not a brilliant new idea, but more than ever we get stuck on our computers, notebooks, and phones. When you walk around, notice what people have placed in their workspace that matters to them, pictures, sayings, colors, etc. You will hear conversations you’d never hear otherwise, and you’ll be present. If you go with the intention to observe, connect, and catch people doing something right, and if you are listening, people will begin to look forward to the opportunity to see and interact with you. No time? Think again.

Randomly book 30 minutes once or twice a week to wander- with no agenda, no plan, and no goal. Come back to your workspace and write down what you observed and learned. Do not to jump to hasty conclusions – just note your observations and check them out the next week you wander around.
Randomly schedule 15-30 minute no agenda ‘chats’ with your employees, peers, others. Meet in their space, for lunch, for a walk around the work site.
Call up a few external people every month, to reconnect and keep your network fresh and alive.

Everything we do and how well we do it, in any enterprise, is impacted daily by the quality of our relationships. Building and strengthening our relationship, and finding win/win synergies with all our stakeholders, must be an integral part of every leader’s strategy for success.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – Can Failure Be My Friend?

November 6, 2013/in The Advisor's Corner/by Roxi Hewertson

Failure Question:

How can I stop being so worried about failing?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

Too often, our self-worth and confidence are all tied up with having to succeed all the time at everything. No one succeeds at anything, even their best skill set, all the time! Absolutely NO ONE. Think about it. Thomas Edison had it right when he said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

To jump-start an internal paradigm shift about failure, consider these 6 ways to lead using failure as a tool.

SAFETY: make it safe for people to experiment and fail within reasonable ranges.
AGILITY: expect and encourage agility and flexibility to move from a non-working idea to a possible one.
LISTEN and encourage fast feedback on results, concerns, no matter whose idea it is.
LEARN: consider every failure, every mistake, to be a learning opportunity.
TEST: pilot test new ideas and projects and welcome mistakes and failures that show up.
SHARE: what you’ve learned and the mistakes you’ve made to help prevent repeats and others having to re-invent your wheel.

The fear of failure often runs a close second to the fear of dying for a lot of people. Consider this – the fear of giving feedback to your boss equates, for some, to dying, which is… failing to live. Let me prove it to you. The under-a-second internal dialogue goes like this: “If I give my boss feedback, he/she might not like it and fire me; if I’m fired I won’t have any money; if I don’t have any money, I can’t buy food; if I don’t have food, I’ll die.” Snap! Just like that we’ve equated the risk of telling our truth to the boss to… dying. Wow! How did that happen? It happens because the amygdala in our brain sends us all kinds of fear signals, rational or not. Unless we stop, pay attention, and put other parts of our brain to work, we’ll keep letting fear of failure rule too much in our lives.

All failures are not equal. While some carry more baggage than others, they can also carry more opportunity. It’s a choice point every time we and/or those we lead, ‘fail.’ How do we choose to respond? What good can we gain from our failures?

It’s up to each of us to choose whether or not to make a paradigm shift. We know it’s impossible to experience joy with out knowing sadness, or appreciate the calm without ever having seen the storm. We often tell ourselves that if we don’t risk much we can’t fail much. Is that really true? Well, it depends on what you want and need out of your relationships and career. The phrase, “No pain, no gain,” has it’s roots in this very premise.

We can choose to look at failures, at least in our daily lives, as life practice, learning, a pilot project, as experimentation, or even a legitimate part of any innovation process. Failure can be our friend when we take another, deeper look. After all, when children learn to walk and talk, they fail constantly. We happily cheer their successes, but let’s remember, it’s all those failures that got them up on two feet in the end.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].