Habit forming. We all know that phrase. But, did you know that for adults to acquire a new habit, it has to be a conscious activity for 21 days? Then, on the 22nd day, it becomes habit. If you are like me, I go through my day doing so many things unconsciously; I have to consciously check that I got them done. With all of these unconscious activities, there is little room for new ones. That’s why the gazillion New Year’s resolutions that we plan on doing often fall by the wayside within a month.
Try this:Try one new habit at a time. If you take the 52 weeks in a year and divide by 3 weeks (21 day period) you find that you can develop 17 new habits each year. Think about it – that’s a LOT.
My first resolution is to get my emails under control. I have started to schedule when I check my email inbox – 4 times a day. Wouldn’t life be grand with email under control? It’s vital to communications, but it can be a big time-drain. So, it’s my top SMART business priority.
If you are trying to steer a new course, be sure your seasoned veterans and new recruits are on board!
It Takes Many Hands to Move a Ship
Maybe you have heard from, or commiserated with, other owners and managers who have been trying to “turn the ship” and feel that it is a solitary endeavor. Steering a new course is always challenging, but if you agree with the premise that it is easier to steer a ship when all hands set the rigging toward your intended heading, then it makes sense to bring your “crew” up to speed with your plans and not to consider them as adversaries. If you see yourself as solely responsible for bringing about change, your employees will probably wonder where, if at all, they fit into your plans. When they know “something”—but not “what”—is going on, they may fear that any action might hinder rather than assist your change, or they may take incorrect action. This can take the “wind out of their sails” and cause them to step back and avoid any actions that you may potentially welcome.
Keep an Open Mind
If you are coming into a new situation, keep an open mind about an individual employee’s performance. Most people perform differently under various circumstances. Evaluate any information given to you by previous management in light of your own observations. Communicate and interact with employees to learn more about their strengths and weaknesses and how they interact and work with others. You may be able to inspire a disgruntled or underutilized employee to step up and meet new challenges. Going into a new endeavor with a “clean house” approach usually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and can cripple your business, leaving it short on valuable experience. Better to go with a “clean slate” approach.
Address Employee Fears
Employee resistance to change is largely based on fear of change. If your employees appear to be resisting change, ask questions to find out why. They may fear that the company will not survive a change or that they will lose their job. Change may bring specific challenges to them that they feel ill-equipped to meet. Communicate your reasons for bringing change to the company and the negative consequences of not taking action. Listen to and acknowledge your employees’ thoughts. Try to minimize the hardships of change for employees. If job responsibilities are changed, offer an opportunity for training. If an employee wants to take this opportunity to try something different, see if this can fit with, or even facilitate, your plans. If you need to cut staff in some areas, retained staff will judge how you handle it. You might shuffle staff in different groups; give ample notice; or provide outplacement assistance, severance, or re-training.
Communications priorities sure have changed as email tries to take over our professional and personal lives. We are all inundated with emails. It’s overwhelming. We need to be selective – we understand all of that and do our best. Yet, it doesn’t stop with emails. There are those which I call the email permutations: texts, tweets, IMs, Facebooking, Pings, etc. And as if that’s not enough, there are the pre-recorded phone calls, cluttering the way for the poor sales person who does attempt to make cold phone calls (I still have a soft spot for them). Then, there is snail mail. And, between all of those, there are the many phones and voice mails we seemed to be chained to – for whatever reason.
The dilemma is: how to respond?
Let’s put them in perspective or – dare we say – priority with a corresponding responsibility when you are on the receiving end.
The personal phone call (or voice mail) – When I want to speak with someone, I pick up the phone and call them. It still has the most professional impact, and personal interaction goes a lot farther than any other means of communications. Yes, I know the college kids today mostly communicate via text message, but that should change in the workplace. At least I hope it does!
Responsibility: Call me old fashioned, but if someone takes the time to call me personally, I return the call. I may not be able to do it immediately, but I do respond. It’s professional courtesy. And, people don’t forget.
The personal email – Amidst all of the email clutter, there are emails from people who just feel more comfortable sending an email. Or, maybe it’s the best way they can communicate. I’m a perfect example. While I would rather pick up the phone to communicate, sometimes I run out of hours in the business day. Being a business owner, my day doesn’t stop at 5pm. As a night owl who is productive when the phone stops ringing, I can crank out a lot of responses and outreaches via email.
Responsibility: If someone takes the time to send me a personal email, I either respond via email or phone. It may take me a while to either get to it or find the time to craft an appropriate response, but I usually respond. I say ‘usually’ because with the number of emails (400 or so a day), some can get inadvertently lost in the ever-growing inbox or deleted in the semi-weekly purge.
The rest – And then there is the rest of the story. Depending on your chosen method (or generation) of communication, you brand yourself by your outreach and by your response.
Responsibility: No matter what your choice of communication, your response brands you. It demonstrates your image, professionalism, and respect for clients, colleagues, and business associates.
Your Professional Business Courtesy makes the difference When SMARTBusiness Matters.
Could this be a period of disruptive innovation by small business owners?
I marvel at the talent, innovation and speed of the entrepreneur. After spending many years in corporate America, I find the entrepreneur refreshing and challenging. Always keeping me on my toes! But, it’s that innovation and do it now movement that is setting the pace for this economic recovery. The entrepreneur doesn’t have time to lick wounds or trim fat – they run lean operations and are always on the lookout. And, they are willing to take risk and move quickly.
Call it: Disruptive Innovation.
Disruptive innovation is an innovation that improves products or services in unexpected ways, affecting existing markets. These innovative products and services are often offered at a lower price than similar existing products and services or to a different set of consumers. Tough economic times often bring out the best from small business professionals and can foster a period of creativity. That’s why Professor Clayton Christensen at Harvard Business School feels like this economy will have a positive effect on innovation. Small business owners have the ability to change quickly and shake things up. They can also benefit by partnering with larger businesses that may be too big or cumbersome to change quickly and may be in need of a swift change-up in technology, services, and products that small businesses can provide.
Small business employs upwards of 50% of Americans. Disruptive Innovation has my support – When SMARTBusiness Matters.
It is easy to explain leadership; however, it is not so easy to practice. It is about behavior first and skills second. Good leaders are followed because people trust and respect them—not for the skills they possess.
What do effective leaders do?
Leaders create a set of values and beliefs and passionately pursue them, show respect for and support their employees, focus employees’ efforts on challenging goals, and provide the resources needed to achieve these goals. Leaders also communicate with their employees, value their diversity, celebrate their successes (and share in their failures), and encourage creativity. Finally, leaders maintain a sense of humor, set clear goals, share their vision, and behave with integrity.
What are the keys to effective leadership?
Leadership relies on management skills too, but more so on qualities such as honesty, humility, integrity, courage, commitment, sincerity, passion, confidence, a positive attitude, wisdom, determination, compassion, and sensitivity.
What are some effective leadership techniques?
Two principal techniques are coaching and counseling. Coaching involves giving advice, direction, or information to improve performance; saying to an employee, “I can help you do something better.” Counseling involves helping someone understand and resolve a problem him/herself by displaying understanding; saying to an employee, “I can help you recognize that a problem exists.”
Effective leaders make it easy for employees to follow them. They are comfortable with dissension and explore complaints thoroughly. Leaders do not defend their actions until they have heard all of the employee’s concerns. In addition to hearing negative feedback, effective leaders also identify the positive emotions that motivate employees.
Leaders need to be a source of motivation, relief, and strength. Leaders need to make it personal and show they care!
“Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.”
– Dr. Robert Jarvik
“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Great leaders know there is no sense in blazing a path if nobody will follow. You have to own the responsibilities of leadership as well as the trappings in order to create an effective team.
A simple definition of leadership is “the ability to lead.”
As business owners and management, you are expected to direct, guide, or command a group of people and a variety of business activities. Leaders are people who set the path of and the tone for their companies’ objectives. Hopefully the path you’ve chosen will be a good one, but it is important to remember that you also have to take responsibility for the weaker decisions you will ultimately make. More often than not, how you handle the bad times defines your leadership ability to your staff and others.
Recognize your strengths and weaknesses.
Nobody is perfect. We all have strengths, and we are all flawed in some way. Often, leaders are tripped up because they don’t recognize their weaknesses or their strengths. At other times, they stumble because they don’t realize that, if overused, their strengths can become grave weaknesses and that a weakness may, at times, be their strength. Great leaders are self-aware.
Be willing to learn what you don’t know.
Great leaders recognize what they don’t know and are willing to learn from their staff, associates, and others. They listen to their staff and customers, solicit input, ask questions, analyze information, and then make the best decision they can with the information they have. While they are willing to redirect their course when necessary, they don’t vacillate in decision-making.
Keep the lines of communication open.
Communicate your vision for the company and its programs. Outline the mission to be accomplished so that everyone understands in which direction the company is headed and what is expected of them. Encourage all your employees to communicate. You want to keep communication flowing up and down through the chain of command. Great leaders “connect” with their staff and others and have the ability to pull many people together to achieve their goals.
Build a culture of trust.
Be honest and open with your staff in order to foster a climate of mutual trust. Engage your staff’s talents and rely on their strengths and advice. Provide constructive criticism to them but also be a system for support and a sounding board for them. Hold your staff accountable for their actions, but be sure to hold yourself accountable too.
Recognize and applaud the efforts of your staff.
Let employees know when they’ve done a good job, and be sure that they are recognized for their hard work, their brilliant ideas, and their many contributions to the company. Resist the urge to take all the credit for a project. Your recognition is important in encouraging employees to reach new heights. Great leaders realize that they get more done by effective delegation to employees willing to take on new challenges.
Great leadership comes with experience and continued growth.
Assess your leadership style and skills, and continue to learn and grow in areas where you may lack expertise. Your staff will appreciate your abilities and your dedication to your responsibilities. If you lead, they will follow.
Your employees’ ideas and passion for their work can help your business grow and succeed. Are your employees giving your company their all? Do they believe that what they’re doing is important? Do they feel appreciated? Do they arrive for work filled with purpose?
If you can’t honestly offer an enthusiastic “yes” to these questions, consider how you can improve your work environment and relationships to encourage employees to work with energy and enthusiasm. The results could be profitable –– personally and financially.
Provide tools. Make sure your employees have everything they need to do their jobs. Ask each staff member, “Do you have everything you need to be as productive and successful as you can be?” Be willing to act on worthwhile responses. Be willing to reconsider any policies they consider counterproductive.
Set expectations.Clearly communicate what’s expected of employees, what the company’s values are, and how the company defines success. Employees need to understand their roles, where they fit in the big picture, and how they can make the company more successful.
Share information.Provide as much information as possible about the company. Explain where it’s making money, where it’s losing money, how its products are doing in the marketplace, what new initiatives are being considered, and why and how employees can contribute. Even when the news is not encouraging, people will appreciate your openness. And, it may help to spark some creative ideas that you hadn’t yet considered.
Get personal.Take the time to get to know your employees, especially their goals. Without prying, show a genuine interest in your team. When employees feel understood, they’re more likely to contribute to the team’s success.
Commit to training. Most people like to learn, to grow, and to improve their marketability, and the more education and training you provide, the happier and more engaged they will feel. Cross-train employees in a variety of jobs when possible. This not only improves productivity, it builds cooperation and appreciation when team members understand the challenges of other positions. Also, be sure employees are trained in problem solving and conflict resolution skills. These critical skills will help them communicate better with you, their coworkers, customers, and suppliers.
Be inclusive. Include your employees in planning and decision making. Facts “on the ground” may differ from perceptions at 30,000 feet. They may see issues differently and offer ideas for working smarter. If you need to create a more efficient delivery system, ask your delivery staff how they would improve the current system. Use their ideas, and give them credit.
Reward and recognize.Personally thank an employee for a job well-done. Specify what was good about it and why you appreciate it. For example, say: “Thank you for organizing that project so well. You made it very clear what should happen, when and why.” Remember to celebrate effort as well as accomplishment, to give employees working on long-term goals a boost.
Following these strategies will help employees feel valued and enthusiastic about their jobs. Not only is this more fun, it’s good for business, improves retention, and reduces burn out.
Quick and Easy Ways to Recognize Employees
Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your customers. Here are a few inexpensive ways to make staff feel valued.
Free time:
Let high-performing teams leave early to miss rush-hour traffic.
Give an afternoon off to employees who have exceeded expectations for a particular customer or project.
Free food:
Sponsor a free lunch or breakfast for hard-working teams.
Subsidize the price of food in vending machines.
Provide gourmet coffee (this will also help to reduce excursions to the nearest Starbucks).
More ways to say thanks:
Create an events committee to plan fun outings, such as trips to a sporting event, a picnic, or a holiday party.
Say thank you with a handwritten note.
“People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.”
– Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
On the field, courts, or in the office, successful “coaches” are getting more notice and may very well be their institutions’ “most valuable players.”
In the small to mid-size business, that means the entrepreneur or general manager takes the role of coach. And, it is the most important role you have within the organization. You lead the charge by setting the example.
Winning Ways
As a manager or owner, it is important that you coach your team to success. Coaches may take different approaches to assembling, motivating, and running a team, but they also share certain habits. They have the ability to create a strategy and set short- and long-term goals and energize the team to strive to accomplish them. Coaches assess, communicate with, and recognize their employees. A successful coach can be the edge a team needs and the difference between winning and losing—whether in sports or in business. To infuse winning ways in your team, put on your coach’s hat, and fire them up to help them make the most of their skills.
Strategize for Success
A good coach has a solid game plan—one that has been well thought out and detailed but not so rigid that it is never altered to meet unexpected problems and changes in the marketplace. The competition is always shifting, and—to a degree—your plan should track the shifts. As coach of your team, it is vital that you share with your employees your vision for your business and your action plan. Be sure everyone understands the goal and that you and your team remain focused on it.
Assess Individual Strengths
Assess the strengths of each of your employees and give them roles they can accomplish and that will also provide professional growth. Consider each employee’s demonstrated and transferable skills as well as skills requiring improvement. Don’t discount an employee’s enthusiasm and willingness to take on a new challenge. Also, learn the individual goals of each employee. The more you know about your employees, the better you will be able to fit them into your game plan.
Encourage Professional Development
Providing employees with proper training to learn new skills and improve on their abilities is important. For entry-level employees, that may mean showing them how you want them to perform crucial tasks. For management, focus on expected results and negotiable and non-negotiable actions. Cross-training employees for various roles can be a win-win: a well-rounded employee becomes more of an asset to your business, and new experiences allow an experienced employee to stretch her comfort level, cultivate new proficiencies, and feel better about her work.
Recognize Positive Behaviors and Actions
Managers are often so focused on catching the negative that they forget to reinforce the positive. As coach of your team, it is important that you recognize achievements and efforts when an employee exhibits positive behaviors or performs a task well. This encourages those actions to continue in the future and provides a blueprint for further success.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Good coaches communicate well on a number of levels. Their expectations and directions are clear and tailored to each individual. They often alter their coaching style to get the best out of each employee. Their ability to individualize communications often fosters a greater rapport and understanding between coach and player. Effective communication should not be limited to meeting time. To begin to build that rapport, provide immediate feedback regarding problems or successes, pass along your knowledge where appropriate, and solicit ideas and opinions. Be sincere in your actions and encouraging in your words.
In these days of challenging business dynamics, your team needs to be on top of their game. It takes a good coach to get the best out of each individual and to assimilate their talents so that the strength of the team is unparalleled.
Call it: Disruptive Innovation. 
Your employees’ ideas and passion for their work can help your business grow and succeed. Are your employees giving your company their all? Do they believe that what they’re doing is important? Do they feel appreciated? Do they arrive for work filled with purpose?
On the field, courts, or in the office, successful “coaches” are getting more notice and may very well be their institutions’ “most valuable players.”