Advice for transforming leadership, culture, Curiosity, and communication from Beth Wonson
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I used to have a very bad habit. I would apologize in advance for what I perceived to be my shortcomings or weaknesses. In fact, sometimes I still do. Luckily I have some great friends and colleagues who don’t hesitate to point it out to me. Why did I do it so often? I thought it was a way to protect myself in the event that my ideas had flaws.
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When You’re Promoted From Within
I often have managers come to me saying things like:“I have this person who reports to me but they don’t respect me. When I give feedback, they talk back to me. When I delegate they complain. And I don’t know what to do.”When I hear these kinds of things, I always ask, “Were you promoted from within this team?”
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How’s your confidence these days?
A pattern I’ve been noticing is that some of my usually confident clients are reporting that their confidence is shaky these days. It’s no wonder. The pandemic has been a long-haul (darn, I’m sick of saying that). And it isn’t over yet. If you, like so many of my amazing clients, are feeling your confidence a bit shaken, try this.
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Managing is Nuanced
A client came to our session with an inquiry about what he’s learning. The lesson he just completed focused on how involving employees in decision making can be empowering and lead to deeper engagement in the work. Had this manager continued with his thought process of empowering his staff to discuss deadlines that were already fixed, he’d be soon dealing with confusion, chaos, and even worse, a lack of trust.
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The Importance of Feedback Culture
When a culture of feedback exists, a team’s culture and morale will not be shaken by feedback. In fact, individuals and the team as a whole, expect feedback. They view feedback as a tool to improve how they communicate and collaborate to make work more enjoyable, productive, innovative, and meaningful.
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The Great Resignation
I’m seeing a new theme emerging in my coaching work. It aligns with what the media is referring to as the “Great Leaving” or “Great Resignation”. In fact, I just read that as of May 1, 2021, over 4 million Americans have quit their jobs. This is not great news for companies already scrambling to find qualified candidates. Let me tell you what I see in this shift.
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Why? Can Be THE Most Effective Question
Are you someone who people often bring their problems to? Do you find yourself spending a lot of time advising others on how to solve their problems? Do you find that with some of those people, no matter how many times you advise them or provide solutions, they show up again and again, stymied by the same challenge in a different situation?The next time someone shows up seeking help, there is one thing you can ask that will propel them to gain deeper insight which leads to sustainable change.
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Does this time sink happen to you?
Do you sometimes communicate something without being clear about what you want the other person to do with the information? And does that lack of clarity sometimes result in wasted time?
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Raise Your Hand if You’re Tired Too
Here’s a question I get all the time now: “How can I keep my staff motivated and engaged when I’m exhausted myself? I can’t keep trying to fake it — that’s even more exhausting. And if I talk about it, I’m afraid I’ll open a can of worms and it will turn into a whine-session.”
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What Reward Do You Desire?
When you are preparing to have a challenging dialogue, it is critical that you are crystal clear on what outcome you desire. Not just for yourself but for the other party as well. When you take the time to identify the reward or desired outcome for each party, you are able to express that at the onset. Expressing this in a clear, clean, and nonemotional way helps to keep the conversation focused and less personal.
Leveling up Leadership and Culture Through Healthy and Candid Communication
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