Elevated Leadership Blog

Communicate, Communicate

If you have a problem with someone on your team, talk to them about it. Letting bad feelings brew will only make you sour and want to isolate yourself from the group. Not only does it feel good to get it out; it will be better for the team in the long run.

Don’t Blame Others

People on your team loose respect for you if you’re constantly blaming others for not meeting deadlines. Your not fooling anyone. People know who isn’t pulling weight in the group. Pointing the finger will only make you look cowardly. Group members understand if you have a heavy workload and are not able to meet deadlines. Saying something like, “I’m really sorry, but I’ll get it to you by the end of today.” will earn you a lot more respect than trying to make it seem like it’s everyone else’s fault that you missed your deadline.

Support Team Members Ideas

If a teammate suggests something, always consider it – even if it’s the silliest idea you’ve ever heard! Considering the team’s ideas show that your interested in other people’s ideas and not just your own. This makes you a good team member. After all, now one likes a know-it-all.

Listen Actively

Look at the person who is speaking to you, nod, ask probing questions and acknowledge what’s said by paraphrasing points that have been made. If you’re unclear about something that has been said, ask for more information to clear up any confusion before moving on.

Effective communication is a vital part of any team and the value of good listening skills shouldn’t be underestimated.

Get Involved

Share suggestions, ideas, solutions and proposals with your team members. Take time to help your fellow teammates no matter what the request is. You can guarantee there will be a time in the future when you’ll need someone’s help or advise, and, if you’ve helped them in the past, they’ll be more than happy top lend a helping hand.

For many years, those in the Baby Boomer generation have held the reins in most companies, leading the Generation X workers in the day-to-day activities. However, with the members of the Boomer generation ranging in age from 44 to 62 now, in just three short years the oldest of the Boomers will start exiting the workforce. And as the years tick by, more and more Boomers will be retiring, leaving the leadership reigns in many companies up for grabs.

What does this mean for Gen-Xers? Namely that they’ll be moving into leadership positions rapidly. In doing so, though, they’ll not only be leading their fellow Gen-Xers and the younger Millennial workers, but they’ll also be leading Baby Boomers and possibly some older workers from the veteran generation who are still in the workplace. It’s a leadership transition the likes of which corporate America has never seen before due to the stark differences in values between the two dominant generations.

In order for this to be a successful transition, you need to understand both how the younger people lead and how to harness their natural leadership style for the company’s best interests. After all, if these young leaders don’t have the right leadership skills in place, then the whole company is affected.

Article by Anne Houlihan

Put a group of strangers together, ask them to work side-by-side in the same building or office for eight or more hours each day, and you’re bound to have some conflict. And when that group of people contains people from differing generations, all with different values and views of the world, the amount of conflict your office experiences can greatly multiply.

Managing and motivating a diverse workforce can certainly be challenging. As more and more people from the youngest generation enter the workforce and work alongside the most senior employees, many managers are learning that a one-size-fits-all management style simply does not exist. That’s because each of the four generations now working side-by-side bring unique viewpoints to the table and let generation specific values guide their daily actions.

If you want to effectively lead your staff despite any generational differences and encourage others to learn from the diversity of the group, then consider the following guidelines.

 2. Draw on the strengths of each generation.

Once you know which of your employees fall into the various generation groups, you can help them understand each other so they can focus on each other’s strengths. Current research indicates that the majority of conflicts arise from the value differences of the age groups rather than the actual age difference itself. So it’s more about “my values are the right ones and yours are not.” For example, Veterans may think the “young kids” in the workplace are lazy, while the Millennials or Generation X’ers may think the Veterans and even Baby Boomers are too rigid. However, if all the generations are open-minded, they can learn much from each other.

Realize that each generation brings wonderful strengths to the workplace. And while focusing on our own individual strengths is certainly important, imagine how much more effective everyone on your team could be if you each learned from the strengths of others as well. So publicly acknowledge what each generation’s strengths are and encourage everyone to share their viewpoints and values with the group. Once you get the dialogue started, the learning: naturally follows.

To read the full article, visit http://www.elevatedleadership.com/Articles/the_new_melting_pot.htm

“7 Tips for Dealing with a Company Setback” written by Carolyn M. Brown, published by INC. Magazine on October 19, 2010. I posted Tip #4 as this blog entry.  With signs that the economy is on a rebound now is the time to take a look at your marketing strategy.

4. Take Stock of Your Marketing Strategy 

(from “7 Tips for Dealing with a Company Setback” written by Carolyn M. Brown, published by INC. Magazine October 19, 2010)

Your existing customers are your No. 1 asset. Always know where your customers stand, says Houlihan, noting that about 80 percent of your revenues come from about 20 percent of your customers. Fine-tune your marketing if you want to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Tweak all your marketing messages, including your web site, brochures, and sales letters. Don’t just sell a customer the same product. Even if someone has been a customer for years they may not be familiar with all you offer. Stay connected with customers via surveys and other customer awareness tools. Ask what do you need, how are we being responsive, and what can we do differently to better serve you?

To read this article in its entirety click here or post this URL in you web browser. http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/10/7-tips-for-dealing-with-a-company-setback.html

1. Take Personal Responsibility for Problems.
Have you ever noticed how people who are the problem never recognize they are? We all have blind spots that inhibit our growth. People who are the most successful have learned the importance of identifying where they are shunning responsibility. Look at areas in your work life where your always blaming or complaining. What are you failing to be responsible for here?

2. Stop Trying to Change Your Work Mates.
Focus only on changing your own feelings, thoughts and actions in order to change your attitude. In truth, most people don’t invest much time developing self awareness so they remain unconscious of their behavior and their impact on the people around them. You simple cannot change these people. Well, you can. But the only proven way to see amazing changes in other people is to change yourself first.

3. Practice Being Grateful for Your Job and Your Workplace.
It is said that the healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude. Rather than looking for what’s wrong at work, start to focus on what’s right. Zig Ziglar calls this shifting from being a fault finder to good finder. A great way to cultivate a positive attitude in the workplace is to keep a daily list of 5-10 things your grateful for at work. You’ll be surprised how this simple postive self talk exercise will shift your perspective at work.

4. Look for the Opportunity.
In every bad situation the Law of Polarity dictates there is also good. Napoleon HIll made a compelling observation about the Law Of Polarity in his book Think and Grow Rich. He said,

“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune,or temporary defeat.”

Whenever you perceive that something bad is happening or has happened, get into the habit of practicing positive self talk by switching your focus to see the hidden opportunity. There is always one there.

5. Make a Consious Effort to Think Before You Act.
If you have an attitude that needs shifting, it requires shifting thoughts ,feelings and actions that have become habit. This requires greater mindfulness in each and every minute. Learn to practice more control in how you respond to work challenges minute -by- minute. This can be as simple as focusing on positive self talk and filtering out negative messages.
The Power Of Positive Thinking And Positive Attitude In The Workplace: The Benefits You Can Expect
We all want to feel good and enjoy our careers. But many of us have lost our way and no longer know how to find the joy in the everyday mundane tasks our jobs require. By cultivating a positive attitude in the workplace, you will slowly shift the energy and attitude of the people around you. Just like some people can really bring you down, your attitude and behaviour can elevate other people to great heights and new possibilites.By focusing on improving your attitude in the workplace you will quickly become an influential source of strength to those around you.

According to a study carried out by linguists, words constitute 7% of the effective communication skills. Other elements of effective communication techniques like body language, facial expressions, oration skills and confidence constitutes 93% of effective communication skills.
Let the Other Party Speak First
Let others make their point first and come up with issues that they think are necessary in order to solve the problem. If you don’t let the other party speak first, you may miss an important point. Besides, the other party may think you are not considerate about their viewpoint and this can turn the communication to a wrong track. Don’t interrupt the person in between and start your own stream of arguments. Be it business or personal relationship communication, let the other party speak first. You will get your chance to speak!
Listening is an Art
Listening is a essential part of every sphere of communication. If you are not listening to their views (remember “Listening” not just “Hearing”) you may be wasting your time and also hampering a good relationship. Listen to the arguments and points put forward by the other person and then leave some to think. If you can develop the ability to listen well, it’s like mastering a skill that will pay you rich dividends in the longer term of your career. Effective listening is of utmost importance.
Reach a Decision
Instead of beating about the bush and just trying to play the blame game, try to reach a decision. Present your concerns and feelings about the issue and then ask the person what are the common things on which we take a common stand. It is better to finish the issue once instead of carrying the burden of it into the future.

 1. Focus on what you already have.

Your existing customers are your number one asset. Therefore, survey them and talk to them about their needs, operations, and product lines. Is there an unmet need you can fulfill for them? Can you supply parts for another product line they carry? Can you make their business easier to run in some way? A simple way to find out is to ask, “What other product lines do you carry?” or “Where do you need additional help in your business?” You may discover that they carry another product you can supply materials for. Even though they’ve been your customer for many years, they may not be familiar with all you offer. The fact is that most of the time we sell people the same product or the same line. In a changing economy, you need to find out what else your customers do or what else they need. Since their industry is likely changing too, they’re probably adding new products and services to stay competitive. You may just be the perfect supplier for their growing needs. But until you ask them, you’ll never know.