September 2020 Edition

Atomic Habits

I'm reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, which focuses on how to change habits incrementally. Clear describes a habit as "a behavior that's been repeated enough times that it becomes automatic. It is a mental shortcut that you learn from experience."

I also like Jason Hreha's definition. He says, "Habits are, simply, reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment."

When you think about habits this way, they can be beneficial, because they free up mental space and brainpower for more important tasks. But, here's the kicker. To change a habit that is not so beneficial, you have to first change who you are on the inside.

For example, if your default leadership style is to fix every problem instead of teaching your team how to, you're going to find yourself saddled with non-essential work. To change this habit, you have to decide to be a "delegator" and then transfer some responsibilities to your team. Long-term, you get more free time to work on other tasks, and your team gains new skills and learns to be self-sufficient, which creates a win-win for everyone.

Clear says, "Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe."

To me, that says, to change the results you are "getting," you must change what you "believe" and improve what you "do."

Click HERE to buy the book. ​

Strategic Leadership Challenges

Strategic leaders make decisions that not only meet current demands but also position the organization for the future. They focus on many areas of the business instead of just one. This type of leadership means the challenges strategic leaders face are different from other leaders.

In "How to Overcome Strategic Leadership Challenges," we learn the value of being a strategic leader and three things you can do to manage any challenge. They include:

1. Think strategically. Instead of tackling challenges by yourself, invite internal and external experts to the table to help you solve them.
2. Act strategically. We must act with the speed of change, so when situations arise, take decisive action and work quickly to stay up-to-date.
3. Influence strategically. As leaders, we must use our influence and persuasion skills to partner with key stakeholders inside and outside of the organization.

To read the full article:
https://www.ccl.org/blog/strategic-leadership-overcome-challenges/

Dealing With Performance Issues

"At some point in your leadership journey, you'll most probably need to deal with performance issues in your team. Performance issues can be stressful for both leaders and team members, but they are a natural part of work life."

And like most things, the question isn't if performance problems will happen, but what to do when they do. In an article by Ben Brearley, he talks about:

1. What Counts as a Performance Issue? Ben describes a performance issue as a situation where a team member is unwilling or unable to perform their job according to standard. The key words in this statement for me are "unwilling" or "unable" because they help you determine if the root problem is "skill" or "will." 
2. The Impacts of Performance Issues on Your Team. Brearley looks at the problems that performance issues cause for the team as a whole, such as low motivation, morale, confidence, unhappy team members, and damaged team reputation, impacting organizational perception. If we don't address performance issues, they affect the team, organization, and bottom line over time.
3. Common Causes of Performance Issues and How to Fix Them. Brearley looks at performance issues from both a leadership and individual perspective, which is vital because they may differ. Sometimes employees think they're performing at the desired level, but their manager thinks differently. These differences in opinion can cause misunderstandings and motivation and morale problems if managers don't address them timely and effectively. 

To read the full article:
https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/performance-issues/

Leadership Lessons

​These days I think a lot about people that I've met over the years and lessons that I've learned from them. In the early part of my career, I worked in logistics. I was straight out of college, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready for the world.

That world turned out to be trial by fire. One of my managers told me, "We are bridge builders. You have to figure it out yourself."

I remember thinking, "What the @#! I'm a new manager. I don't know what I'm doing. I need help!"

I never got that help, and I failed miserably in the beginning. What I learned from that experience is how to be resourceful and make decisions. Even though they weren't always the best decisions back then.

The other lesson I learned is what great leaders do differently. Great leaders:

• Listen, give direction, and provide feedback.
• Train when their employees don't know how to do something, and coach when they do, but need guidance and support.
• Collaborate and set goals with their employees to gain buy-in and commitment.

So, even though that experience wasn't the most positive, I learned everything I could from it and came out better. You can, too, regardless of the situation, because that is what great leaders do — learn everything they can from anyone they can.

I saw this Email Like a Boss infographic by Dani Donovan on LinkedIn and thought it was just incredible, so I wanted to share it. It includes a list of statements that we sometimes want to say in emails, but shouldn't, along with more diplomatic replies. Here is an example: 

• What you want to say: I took a while, but you can deal. 
• What you might say: Sorry for the delay. 
• What a boss would say: Thanks for your patience. 

I plan to use more "boss phrases" going forward.

​Until next time...