Three Giant Leaps

Beyond Sports

Watching the Olympics this week reminds me of one of my childhood aspirations, to become a world class gymnast. Unfortunately, I lacked the talent or discipline to get close to my dream and I decided to retire from competitive gymnastics when I was 14.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about those athletes who do have the drive and skills to be stars in High School and then go on to devote themselves to their chosen sport in college.

I sat and wondered how many of them actually are able to pursue these opportunities beyond college. In my research, I was shocked to discover that only 5% of college athletes go on to a sports career. I have also found out that many of them are often unprepared and unsupported during this difficult transition. However, there is an organization helping students, their families and schools do a better job in dealing with this potential problem called www.lifeaftersports.org. It is lead by two individuals who have experience with the harsh realities and disappointments that can come with a career in the realm of sports; a former football star and a gymnast.

Giving up on a dream and creating a new one, whether you are an athlete, an entrepreneur with a failing business or an auto worker who loved a job that no longer exists is a daunting proposition. Whether you are sure about what is next and need help going after it, or you haven’t a clue about what type of work you would really enjoy, we want to help you.

Principle and Practice #6: Love- Honor All Relationships

The word love is not normally used in the workplace, and I feel that it is a huge opportunity being missed. Avoiding a topic near and dear to everyone’s heart, in this case quite literally, is shame.

Solid leadership requires building relationships with your employees and customers but extraordinary leadership requires more. It requires the love of family and friends as a foundation and a strong understanding that the people you lead need the same. Great leaders know that their customers and employees have lives beyond work and are not afraid to acknowledge and support this. They strive to get to know people deeply and come from a place of compassion and caring.

When planning how to create a remarkable workplace, think about how you can better honor relationships and create an environment in which your team is free to do the same.

Leader Activity:

Think about each category of relationships and come up with one action for improving those relationships:

1.       Family

2.       Friends

3.       Mentors

4.       Work Subordinates

5.       Work Peers and Bosses

Team Activity:

Think about each category of relationships and come up with one action for improving those relationships. Discuss the results and any insights that may come about with this activity:

1.       Personal

2.       Mentors

3.       Work Subordinates

4.       Work Peers and Bosses

5.       Customers

Do You Fear Success?

It has surprised me how many of my clients struggle with the fear of success.

For some, this fear stems from being successful in the past and associating success with loss. These losses include lack of privacy, health problems and serious damage to important personal relationships.  In this situation, creating a more holistic definition of success for the future is critical.

Then there are people who are afraid to even admit they have successful in the past. This reluctance may be associated with other things, such as a fear of appearing as an overly preachy parent or sibling who was successful and now feels the need to force their advice onto others. It can also be possible that they may associate success with unappealing qualities such as greed or flamboyance. In some cases, people have held an unconscious fear of success because they believe they will have to distance themselves from their friends, peers or family in order to reach new heights.

In truth, everyone should create a definition of success that is in alignment with their own values. For one person, success can mean launching a business and becoming a millionaire while another person can define success through being a great friend.  For some both are important aspects of success.

Ultimately, it is more difficult to fear success if your own definition fulfillment is in sync with your talents, purpose and passions. To get you started with creating your own personal goals, here is a definition of success from Ralph Waldo Emerson for some inspiration:

To laugh often and love much,

To win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children,

To earn the approbation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends,

To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of oneself

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;

To know that one life has breathed easier because you have lived-

This is to have succeeded.

Principle and Practice #5: Balance - Encourage Sustainable Work/Life Practices

One of the most important roles of any leader is promoting a healthy culture in the workplace so that his/her employees are taken care of both on and off the job. It is necessary to strike a balance between work and extracurricular activities, and as a leader, you are in a prime position to set this example. In the long run, endorsing this type of balance results in an office with greater overall productivity, retention and morale; something that every employer desires. Sadly, many teams and companies have strayed away from this, thus fostering a “more is more” work ethic, which grinds down both the mental and physical health of its team members and is ultimately unsustainable at the end of the day.

As a leader, the best way to create this atmosphere is to closely examine your own health and work/life balance. I know this will not be easy, in fact for most of you, this will probably be the most challenging leadership practice in our series of twelve. However, it will not only make your team more effective, it may add years to your life and I guarantee it will improve the your ability to lead.

Leader Activity:

1. Write five things you already doing to make sure you have good physical health and work/life balance?

2. Write down three things you can do to improve this over the next three months.

3. Create a plan in your calendar to accomplish at least one thing from question #2.

Team Activity:

1. Write five things you already doing to make sure you have good physical health and work/life balance?

2. Write down three things you can do to improve this over the next three months.

3. Discuss the results and ask your team how you can encourage them to take better care of themselves.

4. How does the idea of sustainability apply to our industry, organization and team?

National Talent Chest

As a nation, we are currently focused on creating jobs as the next step in our economic recovery. As we do, extra emphasis needs to be put into helping guide and encourage the future of the economy: our younger entry-level graduates. With many recent college graduates leaving their respective universities with seemingly insurmountable amounts of debt and facing a job market with some of the worst hiring conditions since 1983, it should not come as a surprise that there will be no shortage of struggle in their immediate future.

Here are some statistics recently reported in the LA Times that help paint a picture of just how dire the situation has become.

·         For 20- to 24-year-olds, the rate rose four-tenths of a percent to 16% in November of 2009, even as unemployment nationally slipped to 10% from 10.2%

·         Last year, an average of 67% of students had full-time jobs within six months of graduation, according to reports from 557 four-year colleges. That was a decline from a placement rate of 75% for the class of 2007.

If you feel you are in a position to help someone during these troubled times, here are some suggestions that will start you off on the right track:

1.      If you are parent of a young person who is currently out of work, be patient and loving. The job market is tough and if you are being impatient or fearful, you are probably making the problem worse.

2.      If you are an employer, consider creating internships or extra entry level positions during this turbulent time. Recently, my small company created several unpaid three month internships and are helping provide young professionals with resume building experiences while we benefit greatly from their diverse talents. The response to these opportunities was overwhelming.

3.      Consider offering help by reaching out to mentor those in need in this employment drought. These younger workers need tips on how to apply for jobs, interview, and most importantly need emotional support to prevent getting discouraged and giving up.

Creating a New Direction

Question from a reader:

I am currently one year away from graduating with a business degree. I have been in construction for ten years and have had my own construction business on the side. I deal with customers, quality, and money daily. This experience however doesn’t translate to business experience when I am applying for jobs. Any ideas?

Thank you for your question. I encounter a lot of people who want to make a transition from their old career into a completely different line work but are left frustrated when hiring managers are not always open to this.  

Here are some steps you can take as you move forward:

1.       Do some soul searching and research on what your dream job would be.

Do you want to put your efforts into building value at your own company or go work for someone else? Do you want to work for a small company or large company? Do you want to stay in an industry related to construction or move into a completely new direction? How can you use your natural talents and abilities to create work you love?

2.       While you are in school, build your resume in a way that gets you on your way to your dream.

If you want to stay on a path that will value your construction experiences, apply to a company in or related to that industry. If you want to change industries, consider applying for an unpaid internship within your new field; any experience or connections in your desired career path can really make your resume stand out from the rest of your graduating class. If you want to build out your own company, take classes that will help you become a better entrepreneur and if possible seek out other entrepreneurs to mentor you.

3.       Bring your specific dreams, plans and enthusiasm to your interviews.

Hiring managers respond to confidence and clarity. Do as much research as possible about the company and its environment before you interview for a job. Be ready to communicate why you are interested in the particular company you are applying to and how the job fits into your plans for the future.

Principal and Practice #4: Truth - Challenge Limiting Beliefs

It is said that a leader needs one thing in order to be considered a leader: willing followers. Gaining the trust and respect of your employees is one of the most difficult challenges that a boss must undertake, but it is vital step in the creation of a productive office environment.

According to a recent study performed by the Saratoga Institute, the number of employers who believe their people leave for more money is 89%; the actual number of people who leave for a higher paycheck, 12%. It is not only the promise of better pay that can lure a valued employee away, quite possibly they are leaving because they don’t have positive relationships with their managers, they don’t feel respected, or of any real value to the company.

As a leader, fostering positive relationships with your employees and retaining extraordinary talent may begin with taking an inventory of the beliefs that make up your overall attitude. For the purpose helping managers develop I define limiting beliefs as those ideas that hold you back from being an effective leader and moving your team toward a vision. These ideas can be very subtle yet extremely powerful.

Here is a list of some common limiting beliefs that have been held by executives I have coached and how they can be challenged and transformed into a more positive reality.

My team is too inexperienced- I need to provide more coaching and training for my team so they can reach their potential

My company has not given me the tools or resources I need to succeed - I have to present a cost/benefit analysis to my boss so I can get more resources for my team

We will not succeed in this economy- In this economy I have to encourage more innovation

The top leaders in this company do not know what they are doing- I believe in the mission of this organization and its leaders are doing the best they can

This job is beyond my skill level- I need to invest more time in my development as a leader

Leader Activity:

1. What limiting beliefs do you have as a leader that may be holding you back from your personal, team and organizational visions?

2. How can you challenge these beliefs and transform them into more empowering/actionable ideas that can move you toward your vision?

Team Activity:

1. What limiting beliefs do you have as a team that may be holding you back from your personal, team and organizational visions?

2. How can you challenge these beliefs and transform them into more empowering/actionable ideas that can move you toward your team’s vision?

Principle and Practice #3: Awareness- Learn From The Past

In this leadership practice we will explore the principal of awareness. With a higher level of awareness in the workplace your team will be able to learn more from their efforts on the job, regardless of their turnout. Promoting awareness to your team is the key to efficiency and vital in the prevention of actions that waste valuable time and resources.
An easy way to build the awareness of your team is to encourage them to study and learn from the past. It is important to note that in order to be completely effective your employees must closely analyze company successes and failures. All too often leaders spend a majority of their time dwelling on the improvement of poor performance areas, instead of leveraging those activities that are producing positive results.

Another trap a leader can sometimes fall into, especially in this current environment of fewer employees and twice the pressure to create profit, is focusing too much on production without dedicating enough time to analyzing and developing strategy. Ultimately, pausing and learning from the past will increase overall company sustainability and profit, while at the same strengthening the ability of your team to work together more productively

Here are activities that will help you begin this practice immediately:

Leader Activity:

1. Identify the three most important challenges you faced as a business in 2009 and what you learned from those experiences.

2. Identify the three most important successes you had as a business in 2010 and what you learned from those experiences.

3. Make a list of five things you did well as a leader in 2009.

4. Make a list of five things you can do even better in 2010.

Team Activity:

1. Share the highlights from you leader activity with your team and ask your team for feedback.

2. Make a list of five things you did well as a team in 2009.

3. Make a list of five things you can do even better as a team in 2010.

Principle and Practice #2: Faith-Connect to Inspiration

Discussing faith and inspiration is a topic often avoided in the workplace, due to its extremely divisive nature. Faith is an all too often missed opportunity for leaders; I believe that embracing the idea of faith in the workplace presents a unique opportunity to strengthen their ability to act as guide to others.

It is important to note that in our model faith is not synonymous with a particular religion or spirituality, but instead, is simply a powerful and positive belief. For some individuals, this belief comes from their families, for some it can be found in religion and for others it may come from a deeper connection with nature or art. Faith does not always have to come from an outside source, it can also be instilled by competence, trust, and understanding demonstrated by solid leadership.

Take a minute and ask yourself, do you know what inspires your team as a group and as individuals?

My experience as an executive coach tells me even if you think may know chances are you do not know your subordinates well enough to answer this question completely and accurately. However, this does not mean that it cannot be done. Begin developing the principle of faith in the workplace today with a few of the following activities:

Leader Activities:

1. Make a list of up to 10 ideas that you know inspire you. Formulate a plan to become a more driven leader by exploring a deeper connection to your own faith and inspiration.

2. Create a plan for how you can help your employees tap into inspiration. This is a very sensitive subject due to its personal and individual nature so make sure to speak with your team in a way that allows for communication rather than closes it down.

Team Activities:

1. Have your team offer definitions of Faith and Inspiration.

2. Ask the team if they can see either having a connection to their work and why

3. Have team brainstorm how the team can co-create a more inspiring environment.

4. For a follow-up meeting, have your employees bring in a personal story, object, image, or quote that provides them with inspiration. Then, if they are comfortable with the idea, have them share it with the group and explain its meaning.

I was heartened by most of what President Obama shared on Thursday concerning the job market in 2010, as we face 10% rate and attempt to recover the 7 million jobs lost of the past two years. He laid out specific actions for stimulating new jobs, including diverting more capital from banks to small businesses, government “green job” projects, and helping big business seek out new markets by increasing exports.

However, I believe anyone addressing this issue should consider more than job creation, they should consider job happiness. In a study released this month by the conference board, only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their work, the lowest rate since this study began 22 years ago.

Economists report that this job satisfaction trend will stifle innovation, and hurt America’s competitiveness and productivity if it continues. I believe it has hurt us already and we need to improve satisfaction at work while we create jobs. However, we cannot depend on our government to fix this. It is up to us.

So if you are concerned about our economy and want to help, here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. If you are unhappy with your current occupation, seek help in formulating a plan to change to a more appealing career path.

2. If you are consistently stressed with your employment situation, and find yourself unmotivated at work, challenge yourself to do the best you can with what you have. Not only will this help with your  overall productivity and morale on the job, but with your self-esteem as well.

3. If you love what you do, try and help others follow their dreams. Make it your business to share your good fortune and become a mentor.

4. If you are a boss, strive to be a better boss. Some morale problems can stem from your style of management and attitude towards your employees. Work hard at creating an atmosphere that is a balance of happy and productive. Consider seeking training or coaching if you do not know how to do this on your own.