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Have you ever worked for a leader or an organization where the culture was focused on satisfying the customers, clients or board of directors rather than the employees? Were you engaged, going above and beyond on work assignments? On reflection, assuming you left to join another company, how valued did you feel by the leaders of the organization? I'm not saying that customers and boards are unimportant. I am saying that you won't truly satisfy your customers or achieve your board's strategic priorities if your employees play second fiddle to them. I've debated this perspective with countless leaders. Although I haven't been able to convince every leader to drink the water, many have switched the way in which they looked and approached their leadership. Here's why taking care of your team should be your number one priority:
Your team is the gateway to the quality service (or lack thereof) your customers receive, the innovative product line, and the brand/reputation your organization's name/symbol/tagline stands for. If you take care of your team, your team will perform in ways that satisfies your customers, clients, board of directors, and members or shareholders. Your customers count but taking care of your team counts more. What was your best employee experience? Share it with me in the comments. Know someone who would benefit from receiving the Fierce Leadership weekly emails in their inbox? Share this link with them!
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Propel your leadership in a crisis9/15/2020 High fives to all of you for continuing to put one foot forward during one of the greatest economic disruptions in history. Although some of us have returned to the office and children have headed back to school, COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives.
When the pandemic first began, you and your leadership team likely shifted all attention and resources to understanding and mitigating COVID-19's immediate threat to your business, employees and markets. Though eyes will need to remain on short term contingency planning, leaders must shift their focus on inspiring a shared vision for the future. Sitting in that space with your leadership team and your organization's employees helps to create a shared understanding of what's possible in the future. It creates excitement and engagement towards the organization's goals and aspirations. This is even more applicable if your business was forced to pivot in light of the current economic state of the world. James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, authors of The Leadership Challenge, define leadership as, “The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations”. They also highlight leadership practices that inspire a shared vision:
Your team is craving visionary leadership now more than ever. It is the positive change they need to see in the world. If you're unsure of how to start, connect with me and I'll support you and your leadership team to envision and take action towards a better future. If you know someone who would enjoy receiving the Fierce Leadership weekly emails in their inbox, have them subscribe here. Achieving your unthinkable goals9/1/2020 I have a feeling many of you are like me in that you really enjoy enriching conversations with people - familiar faces or fresh ones. It's one of the many things that fill my cup. One of the questions I'm often asked and was just asked once again last week is, "How do you do what you do?" That's a pretty broad question so I always ask them, what exactly do they mean. Inevitably, they respond with, "How do you have the courage to do all that you do at work and at home? I just don't have your confidence."
It doesn't matter the number of times I'm asked this question, I'm instantly humbled. One of the things about me is that I march to the beat of my own drums. As my business names implies, I'm The Live Fiercely Coach. I named my business as such because I live life fiercely. Of course, I clue into social norms and cues, and align myself with the right side of the law, but otherwise, from my lens, the world is my oyster (and I believe it's yours, too!). To live life fiercely, your mindset has to be clear, your values must be the driver of your decisions, and your goals must light a passion in you that even the greatest ninja warrior couldn't slow you down. I welcome you to embody my mantra. It will change your life forever! "Think of the career and life you dream. Ignore all the naysayers. Surround yourself with cheerleaders. Go after your dream with fierce determination." - Michele D. Cameron Life is to be lived fiercely, my friends. Now is the time to fulfill your dreams. I can help you. Know someone who might be inspired by these weekly Fierce Leadership tips? Share this link with them! Have you ever attended a meeting that felt like a waste of your precious time? Did you start thinking about the 100 better things you could be doing other than sitting in that meeting?
I had a leader who had a habit of creating an agenda and like clockwork, about 20 minutes into the meeting, threw the agenda out the window and started digressing to talk about anything that came to their mind. It was frustrating. It threw off my whole day's schedule! I tried to tell them there was a better way but it didn't matter. They used the same approach every meeting. Are you guilty of leading meetings where your employees are thinking the same thing? Be honest. What does your team think about your meetings with them? Have you asked for their feedback? Effective communication is a skill especially as it relates to leading diverse teams. We either over or under communicate, are micro managers or relinquish responsibility all together, or we switch between the two options. Trust me, fierce friends, there is a better way. Lead one-on-one meetings with your team members with the below guiding points so they're empowered to succeed:
What are your thoughts on these guiding points? What have you found to be effective with your team meetings? Know someone who might be inspired by these weekly Fierce Leadership tips? Share this link with them! Consistent action is key8/25/2020 My husband and I were recently on a mini getaway in Banff (physically distancing, of course). I’m talking sun beaming, heat pumping, trees swaying kind of trip. Have you been?
A little about my husband...he’s adventurous. He will try anything not just once but twice. It’s not about me convincing him it’s about him convincing me. He loves trail riding. I like trail riding and I enjoy doing it with him. Truth is - I do it scared. Some of the paths and angles have sharp drops. And I don’t categorize rolling off of my bike to inadvertently test the quality of my safety gear as “fun”. I almost stayed on my bike but then I fell. Falling to the left would land me in bushes. A trip to the right would have me two feet off the edge onto some rocky sand, muddy edge water and a big rock. I "chose" to go to the right because...I had no choice! I saw the rock, protected my head and landed two feet below in some muddy water. That’s why I like trail riding and don’t love it as my husband does. I’m still building my skills and one wrong move could end with an undesirable outcome. But it didn’t. I got up, checked for cuts, washed the mud off of my entire right side and got back on my bike without second thought. I had such a realization after my tumble! I had been working on consistently not allowing life’s events slow me down. I always get back up but I’ve been working at getting back up consistently faster. It’s part of me building my resilience. The quick mental and emotional processing leading to a quick recovery showed me that the deliberate and conscious action I am taking is working. I could have stayed there, felt embarrassed and sorry for myself but what’s the point? The same applies to you my fierce friends. Consistent action is key. In what areas are you looking to succeed? What does success look like to you? And what steps have you taken to achieve it? Take one step forward and do it consistently. Did you hear that?8/18/2020 I was chatting with a friend the other day who’s experiencing some challenges at work. They have a family with young children, a partner with a demanding job, and all of the other pieces that life has in store for us (like stress, home responsibilities, little time for play). To try to make life a little easier for themselves, they asked their boss for flexibility with their work schedule.
Their request was denied! My friend was devastated. They tried another option with their boss and were denied again. Things weren’t looking up for them. They quickly became stuck in a negative headspace wondering what was wrong with their boss, their workplace, and the organization. We’ve all been there but you and I know that’s not a headspace that’s going to move us forward. (Easy to see that when it’s not about us.) I don’t know about you, fierce friends, but I’ve had my friends for decades and I’d give the shirt off of my back to them. I asked and they accepted my offer to coach them. We had a productive conversation. You know what their big A-HA! moment was? They realized the universe had been speaking to them for over a year about moving on. Oh my! Have they been ignoring what they’ve been hearing and getting nudged towards doing this whole time? My soul sank. My friend is a smart, beautiful human being yet they weren’t walking towards their destiny. Fierce friend, don’t let that be you. As scared as you might be, listen to what you’re supposed to be receiving and lean into it even just a little, and then a little more, and then a little more! Ignoring the signals will keep you right where you’re at, and like I’ve said, there’s abundance out there for those brave enough to take it. Are you playing small?8/8/2020 Do you ever have one of those grandiose dreams? I mean the ones that make you ask yourself, “How in the heck am I going to achieve that?” I had one. I wondered how in the heck I was going to create space to develop a vision, put together a business plan and execute on it all while working a full time job, music lessons, taking care of my mental, physical and spiritual self, and nourishing my marriage. What was I thinking?!
I know that playing small or big is a state of mind. If you want to play small then you’re likely to keep thinking how I was thinking. If playing big is more of what you aspire to do in any area of your life, then it’s time you start thinking that way. Sometimes we restrict ourselves because we think there isn’t enough to go around. You need to remember that there is abundance available to you if you want it. Let’s say looking to play big in your career means moving into that next level which may be the C-suite or Minister’s Office or starting your own entrepreneurial adventure you’ve been dreaming of. And now let’s say that dream job is offered to you. Are you ready for it? Have you put the pieces in place to be able to thrive in it? If you want to play big you have to be prepared to receive the windfall:
Sometimes we’re fearful because we don’t think we can win, have what it takes, or have the grit to do what needs to be done to be successful. That’s a lie unless you believe it to be true. Think about what you really want. Write it down (Yes! Even the wildest thoughts!). Take one action towards it today. There is abundance available to you. How big will you cut your piece of the pie? |
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