Motivational Leadership Consul.Everyday the spirits of millions of people die at the front door of their workplace. There is an epidemic of workers who are uninterested and disengaged from the work they do, and the cost to the U.S. economy has been pegged at over $300 billion annually. According to a recent survey from Deloitte, only 20% of people say they are truly passionate about their work, and Gallup surveys show the vast majority of workers are disengaged, with an estimated 23 million “actively disengaged.”
This issue presents a tremendous challenge for organizational leaders. Even worse than dealing with the effects of people who leave your organization (studies show replacing employees can be 1.5 to 3 times their annual salary), you have to manage these disengaged workers who have decided to “quit and stay.” You’re still paying them to under-perform and ultimately undermine the effectiveness of your organization! In conducting over 19,000 exit interviews of employees who voluntarily left their jobs, Leigh Branham, author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave, identified four basic needs that weren’t being met that started people on the path to disengagement and ultimately quitting a job. The Need for Trust — The number one priority for any leader is to build trust with his/her team members. Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, and in the workplace it’s a non-negotiable if leaders desire to tap into the full effort and passion of their employees. Employees won’t give you their best if they don’t believe you have their best interests in mind. They will shy away from taking risks or making themselves vulnerable if they don’t feel safe and trusted. They expect company leadership to deliver on their promises, to be honest and open in communication, to invest in them, and to treat them fairly. The ABCD Trust Model is a helpful tool for leaders to understand what it means to be trustworthy and build trust with others. The Need to Have Hope — I’ve had the privilege of meeting football legend Rosey Grier, a member of the “Fearsome Foursome” when he played with the Los Angeles Rams, and now a Christian minister and inspirational speaker. He said something I’ve never forgotten. When speaking about his work with inner city youth in Los Angeles, Rosey said “Leaders aren’t dealers of dope, they are dealers of hope!” So true…leaders are dealers of hope. We need to instill a sense of hope in the people we lead. Our people need to believe they will be able to grow, develop their skills, and have the opportunity for advancement or career progress. It’s our job as leaders to foster that hope and support our employees in their growth. The Need to Feel a Sense of Worth — Despite its struggles and challenges, work is an intrinsically rewarding experience for people. We derive a tremendous amount of self-worth from our work, whether it’s something we’re employed to do or whether we volunteer our time and effort. Employees have a need to feel confident that if they work hard, do their best, and demonstrate commitment and make meaningful contributions, they will be recognized and rewarded appropriately. The Need to Feel Competent — Employees need to be matched in jobs where their talents align with the challenges of the work. If the work is too simple, then it’s easy for people to lose interest and become disengaged. If the employee is in over his/her head and the work is too challenging, it can lead to discouragement and frustration. Leaders are on a constant quest to find ways to place employees in that sweet spot where they are challenged at just the right level. But it’s not all on the shoulders of leaders to do this work. Employees need to take responsibility for their own development and learn how to manage their motivational outlooks. Ignore these four needs at your own peril! Poor leadership results in tremendously high costs to organizations, as my colleague, David Witt, discussed in a webinar yesterday. I encourage you to view and listen to the recording. He shares a wealth of research and information that illustrates the importance of effective leadership. You’ll be exposed to several resources, including additional research from Leigh Branham, that will help you improve your own leadership practices. |
NetworkingAs an early-stage entrepreneur, networking is everything. It's your lifeline to success. You want people to know about your product and why it’ll take over the world someday because if they don't, well, there isn't much money to be made in product un-awareness.
Maybe, though, you’re up to your eyeballs with raising capital, product development, hiring talent and myriad other time consuming tasks and the thought of attending yet another networking event makes your stomach churn. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, I'm one of them. I hate networking. What I dislike the most about networking is the term "networking" itself because it connotes self-promotion. While there are plenty people out there who believe their "stuff" doesn't stink or that they're doing a service for the world by blessing us with their presence, there are others who just genuinely enjoy meeting people -- no self-promotion required. (Note: “Stuff” stinks, and it stinks horribly. Don't be that person.) As uncomfortable as networking can be, it's a necessary evil. However, there's a right way and wrong way to do it. If you want to build better relationships at your next networking event, make sure you avoid the following: 1. Placing “me” before “we.”By taking the “what’s in it for me?” approach upon meeting new people you can’t help but come across as someone who only cares about yourself. Signs of people who exhibit social retardation are:
Related: The 6 Worst Opening Moves for Starting a Business Relationship 2. Believing the event exists to serve you.Everybody else attending a networking event is there with the same purpose: to build relationships that lead to sales. This doesn’t mean you should turn every conversation into a used car salesman-like pitch in hopes of breaking Steve Woodmore’s record of most words spoken per minute. Instead, use this to your advantage by inquiring about them as people, asking powerful questions, making them feel comfortable around you. The best way to build rapport is by inquiring about the one thing everybody enjoys talking about: themselves. Related: 13 Habits of Exceptionally Likable People 3. Spray and pray.Making the rounds to fill your pockets with business cards as if they were dollar bills, while foregoing meaningful conversation, is an effort in futility. Here’s why. First, you’re passing up the opportunity to really connect with people and get to know them in person. In this day and age, never sacrifice the opportunity to make a first one-on-one impression. Second, the metric for success is skewed. The number of business cards you receive pales in comparison to the impact of worthwhile conversation. Following up with them later via Twitter or LinkedIn is good, but only after personalizing the connection. Let's be real. How many followers or connections within your social media fan club do you really know? My guess is not many. Seize the opportunity when the opportunity presents itself. Don't hesitate. If you want to move the needle on the social front, be present. Listen more than you talk. Start more sentences with “you” than with “I” and you’ll build not only worthwhile relationships, but a brand of "we" as opposed to a brand of "me." Related: 6 Ways to Demonstrate Kindness in Business and the Rest of Your Life |
Formation ClinicA COMMUNITY FOR ALL GENERATIONS - TEENS AND ADULTS WORKING TOGETHER
A discussion guide to help teens and adults talk and together The purpose of this discussion guide is to create an opportunity for teens and adults to talk together, and find ways to make our community a place where young people can grow up successfully. Most public issues involve and affect young people as well as adults. But there if often little chance in most communities for all of us to work together on community problems in a positive and respectful way.Our ultimate goal is to create positive community change that includes everyone, and we believe that our tools, advice, and resources will help foster that kind of change. Whether you’re grappling with a divisive community issue, or simply want to include residents’ voices in city government, the dialogue to change program can help community members take action and make their voice heard. |