How will you explain things to yourself this week?

May 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Your explanatory style, which is how you explain events to yourself and others, affects your ability to perform optimally according to work Martin Seligman does in the field of positive psychology.  Daniel Pink explains it like this in his new book, To Sell is Human, “the key is to “dispute” and “de-catastrophize” negative events or circumstances.

TRY THIS:  Ask yourself these 3 questions the next time something negative happens.  Is this permanent?  Is this pervasive?  Is this personal? You are looking for ways to answer “no” to each of the questions and explain why to move to a mindset that will serve you to move more quickly past your negative emotions.

THINK ABOUT THIS:  Instead of seeing a situation as personal, permanent or pervasive, explain the bad event as temporary, specific, and external.  By asking yourself what the overall consequences might be and why they are not nearly as bad as you thought they might be, you will learn to keep you and your team moving forward.

USE THIS:  Interrogative self-talk.  Studies now show that using questions to prompt you towards better performance are more effective than statements.  For instance, asking yourself “Will I do a good job on today’s presentation?” is more effective than saying to yourself “I will do a good job.”

WATCH THIS:  Bill Gates and Warren Buffet discuss two things they think can help you stay focused.  In this 1:24 video, they talk about an inner scorecard and getting great at saying no.

You are dedicated to excellence in yourself and others or you wouldn’t be reading this.  Remember to take time to celebrate the successes that you and your team have.  Focusing on what you and others are doing right will keep things on track and moving forward in the right direction.

Welcome aboard to our new clients in CA, ME, GA, and Abu Dhabi.  It’s fun doing our work in different states, countries, and cultures.  Thank you for your support!

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Will your team’s project be successful this week?

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Utilizing all 4 phases of a team work cycle for your next project or initiative could help you move from good to great as a leader.  Research shows that teams often skip essential phases and instead spend time on work they prefer to do, which leaves gaps in the team’s thinking and successful execution of a vision, concept, or idea.  By skipping phases, your team might be going straight from idea to execution without stopping to fully evaluate it.  A leader with vision could skip the ideation phase and go straight to elaboration where the whole project could get stalled or stuck.

As a leader, you will probably be strongest in one of the phases or maybe two.  For that reason, it’s important to know which one you are best at and develop a process of teamwork that allows different members to take the lead at different phases of the project or initiative.

READ THIS:  This short article explains the team work cycle quickly.  Basically, “The Team-Work Cycle can be divided into four phases: Initiation (when the task is analyzed and defined), Creation – also know as Ideation (when alternative ways and methods to approach the task are generated), Elaboration (when the various ways of accomplishing the task are developed in detail), and Completion – sometimes known as Execution (when an approach is selected and the work is planned and carried out).”

DO THIS:  Take the same amount of time in each phase and move through each one, in order, for best results.  To be sure this is occurring, keep track of the time you spend on each phase.

TRY THIS:  for your team member’s and your deepest level thinking.  Stay focused on the phase you are in.  If you’re in the ideation phase, don’t allow other team members to start elaborating (saying why the idea won’t work or focusing on the details) until you move to that phase.  Sometimes it’s helpful to have separate meetings for the elaborators and the idea generators.

Leading important initiatives can be one of the most important jobs you’ll have as a leader.  Learning how to lead your team through the phases and roles of the team work cycle can help you generate the best possible outcomes.  (Hint… at Voltage, we can coach you on how to do this.)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the dedicated, hard working, beautiful woman I know that sacrifice their time and energy to be fantastic role models for their children and so many others!  I wish you the most encouraging week of the year to know that what you do and who you are is more than enough!

 

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Will your team benefit from an after action review this week?

May 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Do you make it a regular practice to review a project after it’s completed to determine what went right and what was missing?    If you don’t, it might be because of the limited time you believe your team has.  The truth is that spending a small amount of time on reviewing what occurred during the execution of a project or initiative could save you LOTS of time in the future.  The time you spend to obtain insights during an after action review will most certainly be a high return on your investment.

READ THIS:  Some excerpts from this article include:  An AAR is an assessment conducted after a project or major activity that allows employees and leaders to discover and learn what happened and why.  The art of an AAR is in the obtainment of mutual trust so that people will speak freely. Innovative behavior should be the norm. Problem solving should be pragmatic and employees should NOT be preoccupied with status, territory, or second guessing “what the leader will think.”

  • It does not judge success or failure.
  • It attempts to discover why things happened.
  • It focuses directly on the tasks and goals that were to be accomplished.
  • It encourages employees to surface important lessons in the discussion.
  • More employees participate so that more of the project or activity can be recalled and more lessons can be learned and shared.

ASK THIS:  You can make the AAR process very simple by asking several questions and allowing everyone on the team a chance to submit thoughts or share in your next meeting:  What went right?  What was missing?  What would we do differently in the future?  What do we appreciate about what just happened?

WATCH THIS:  This (2:43) video will help you understand the methodology of an AAR, who should be involved, and how it is best executed with your team.  The process is a learning tool, NOT a disciplinary action.

As a strong and competent leader, you create the vision and direction for your team.  Finding out what went right and what is missing can be valuable in accomplishing your highest level directives for the future.  Make the time to do one this week.

Welcome to just a few of the new leaders joining us in receiving this week’s Joltlist, including Dan Essad, Laurie Carroll, Suzi Cutchins, and the most delightful Ms. Madeline Johnson.  My trip to Richmond was fun and informative.  Can’t wait to go back!

 

 

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What will your executive brand be worth this week?

April 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

When you received your W-2 for last year were you satisfied with the number it showed you?  If you want to know where you’ll see the result of the effort you put into developing your executive presence, or brand, it will show up in your paycheck and net worth.  The more credible, connected, trusted, and competent you are perceived as by others, the higher the number will eventually be on what counts the most in business – your personal bottom line.  Here’s some tips to increase the value of your executive brand:

DO THIS:  Know that everything communicates something.  The skill is in knowing how your executive brand is being perceived by others.   Getting objective feedback is a great way to be sure that you are hitting the right target with your brand.

READ THIS:  A Forbes article about what Executive Presence is and some insights on how to improve it.  Karen Friedman says “Oftentimes people who exhibit executive presence exude a “wow factor,” or magnetism, and are able to easily influence others. They often speak up, use strong and clear language, communicate with passion and energy, and display positive body language by standing tall, making eye contact, offering a firm handshake and using an authoritative tone of voice.” 

 WATCH THIS:  to find out what is the worst thing that can happen to your executive brand.  

 BE THIS:  On time, skilled in your field, comprehensive in your approach, friendly in your demeanor, and global in your thinking.  Top level performers get paid the most because they can communicate their vision and objectives effectively. 

As a leader, being aware of what your brand is communicating about you is essential to gaining the financial success you may want.

We are well above 800 weekly readers now to the Joltlist!  A few of our newest subscribers, Cathy LaPrade, Phil Peters, Lyle Oberto, Kamilia Lawson, and Sheila Brewer.  Welcome to the land of leaders.  We are glad you are here.  Your comments and suggestions will be valued.

Our Executive Presence classes fill up quickly and sometimes sell out within a few days of being announced like the EP II class we offered for this summer did. Watch for a notice about upcoming classes being offered this Fall or contact me if you’d  like one-on-one executive coaching or to have a class at your corporation.

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What return will you receive from your investment of time this week?

April 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It’s an illusion that we can actually manage time itself.  Time just is.  The more important question we need to ask ourselves is how will we use our time this week to net us the highest return on investment.  Stop trying to manage time and start using time to design the business and life you want to create.

CONSIDER THIS:  You have exactly the same amount of time in your day as the CEO of Google or Sheryl Sandburg, COO of Facebook or Mark Burnett the Producer of shows like Survivor, The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice, and more recently, The Bible).  What do those leaders do with their time differently than you do?   What have they done differently for the last 20 years than you have done?  Time is the only resource we all have in common.

DO THIS:  Assign everything on your task list a day and time to do it.  Don’t pile up tasks and commitments that aren’t assigned a time to complete.  Tasks are wishes, not realistic actions you will take, when they are not assigned a real day and time for completion.  No sense in piling up tasks that together add up to more than 24 hours in a day.  Go back and measure how long things actually took, versus what you estimate when you booked them.  Trust me on this.  You will get better, quickly, at using your time wisely and appropriately.

BE DELIBERATE:  with who you spend your time with.  Look ahead at your week and schedule time with the people most important to you in the areas that you desire successful outcomes in.  Schedule time with your most important who’s.  Measure how much time you are spending with them.  Go back at the end of the week and see if you kept those commitments to yourself.  If you didn’t, readjust to face current reality for next week, or change your commitments so you can fit in your most important who’s on your calendar.

TAKE THIS ASSESSMENT:  Wonder how you are doing with utilizing your time effectively.  This assessment is free and fast and can give you some insights that may be helpful.  

What you do with your time, as a leader, is a critical factor to your long term success.  Who and how you spend your time will determine the return on investment you receive.  If you are a leader and all of your time is spent doing, who, exactly, is leading?

Our job, at Voltage Leadership Consulting, is to provide leaders, like you, with the insights you need to achieve your desired outcomes.  Let me know if you are looking for a keynote speaker or facilitator for your next corporate event.  Our price is much lower than the value we will deliver you and your group.

Thank you, this week, to Brian Duvall, for his tireless work on helping us build our business and brand.  Also, we we say goodbye to Taylor Ricotta, our Communication Coordinator, we welcome in a new structure for our company and a dawn of exciting growth and opportunity.  We thank Taylor for her hard work, dedication, and reliability.  We appreciate all that she did to keep us going and growing!

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How will you be remembered this week?

April 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

As leaders, we make tiny impressions each day on people in our lives.  Those impressions make a difference.  You make a difference.

You are more than a task list.  You have so much more to offer than “doing” for others.  Your gift this week might just be in the “being” with those important to you in your life and on your team.

 Be deliberate with your time. Be specific with your visions and interactions so you can construct the life you want to be remembered for.  Reflect back on how you spent your time last week and use that information to construct how you will spend your hours and minutes this week.

DO THIS:  Schedule your most important who’s first.  You know, the who’s that are important in your life and at work.  Make sure your who’s are on your calendar regularly.

READ THIS:  A Harvard Business Review article that explains how great leaders leave legacies.  Great leaders engage in open and candid dialogue about the future, they transfer knowledge, practices and relationships to prevent surprises, and they manage their feelings and are sensitive to others.

WATCH THIS:  A music video from Phillip Phillips that reminds us that people will love us long after we’re gone.

Grant Plaskon, a brilliant videographer, left us this week, too soon and as dramatically as he lived. It was Grant that gave me the confidence I needed to create a new life and career for myself 15 years ago.  Grant was talented, fun, and sometimes, a complete mess. I remember him most for helping me believe in myself and for some pretty crazy times together.

I ran five miles yesterday because Grant couldn’t.  My daughter, Melody, and my husband Allen, ran 3.2 miles in the Remembrance Run at Virginia Tech because the 32 victims of the shootings couldn’t.  It was a sunny and beautiful weekend to reflect on the gift of life we so frequently take for granted.

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What will you focus on this week?

April 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Focusing on a clear vision of what you want will lead to success for you and your team.  Many times, we instead, focus on what we don’t want which can lead us straight into the Dreaded Drama Triangle.

LISTEN TO THIS:  A session recorded just for you and our clients.  It’s our brand new Joltcast.  Joltcast is a 15-minute, quick coaching session with Jeff Smith, President of Voltage Leadership Consulting and a national author.  This podcast is with David Emerald, author of The Power of TED – The Empowerment Dynamic.  If you want to be in a successful mindset this week, this is worth your time!

KNOW THIS:  You have a choice of what to focus your mind on.  Many times, we can’t immediately change our circumstances, but we can choose to change the way we are perceiving them.  Simply ask yourself and your team this week, “What do you want?”  Sometimes you need to ask multiple times to get your highest level thinking.

READ THIS:  A quick overview of what the DDT is and the antidote to it – TED – The Empowerment Dynamic.

Choose this week to be a coach rather than a rescuer, a challenger instead of a persecutor, and a creator instead of a victim.  You will change, your team will change, and so will the results you are getting.

Thank you to David Emerald for being our first guest on Joltcast, to Jeff Smith, who always leads in a way that empowers the CEO’s he coaches and the rest of us, Kevin Scott, our most enthusiastic participant of this work and super talented radio personality and leader, Taylor Ricotta, our trusted and reliable Communication Coordinator who was a big part of making this happen, and Brian Duvall, the man, behind the scenes who is always a part of anything we do that we are proud of on-line.  It was fun to see my vision of what I wanted come to shape as I was producing this.  What a blast!  Let me know what you think.  Your feedback will help us with future ones.

 

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Will you use the power of vulnerability this week?

March 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Courage isn’t the absence of fear.  Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.  Serving Leaders have courage.  Someone asked me this week if I thought he has what it takes to lead his company.  My answer, because he had the courage to be authentic and even ask the question, was a resounding yes!
After years of research on vulnerability, Brene Brown delivered her now famous TEDxTalk. In this 20 minute video you’ll learn:  (CLICK HERE TO WATCH)
  • Shame is the fear of disconnection – Is there something about me that if someone else knows it or sees it that I won’t be worthy of connection? (hint: the less you talk about it the more you have it)
  • Authenticity - In order for connection to happen, you have to let go of who you think you should be and simply be who you are.
  • Worthiness - the only difference between people that feel a strong sense of love and belonging and those that don’t is that they believe they are worthy of love and belonging.
  • Vulnerability - the same people believed that what made them vulnerable was necessary and also made them beautiful.
  • Numbing - we numb vulnerability.  We are the most  in debt, medicated, obese, addicted, cohort in US history.  Unfortunately, you can not selectively numb certain emotions and not others.
  • Willingness - to invest in a relationship with someone that may or may not work out.
It’s okay to be uncertain.
On this Easter Sunday, I share with you that you are enough.  You are strong enough, smart enough, capable enough, to be vulnerable, connect and lead.
Just do you.  Be alive.  You are enough.
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How will you use your influence this week?

March 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment
We sometimes mistake confidence for leadership.  Because someone has the confidence to stand in front and take charge does not mean they are qualified to lead.  When you stand up you influence others.  It will be up to you whether you are deliberate and intentional about the messages you deliver.  Here are some things to consider when you have an opportunity to influence others this week.
 
BE PREPARED:  before you speak.  Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.  If you own the company, are in a position of authority or are a parent, you can get away with emotional or negligent decision making processes.  As a person of influence, your significance will be measured by your diligence to a decision making process that is both researched, measured, and fair. Take this free test to determine the level of skill you have in decision making.  (You don’t have to supply any of your information to take it)
 
LEAVE TIME:  to receive feedback.  It matters what someone you are influencing thinks and feels about the message you are delivering to them.  When you are planning your delivery are you leaving space and time to solicit and be affected by their feedback?  Here’s some tips on how best to receive and encourage feedback.  
 
RESPECT OTHERS:  Time and point of view.  Rihanna showed up 4 1/2 hours late to an event at a Chicago High School last week.  Her message appeared to the waiting students that her time was more valuable than theirs since she did not apologize or explain her tardiness.  Here’s some tips on how to demonstrate respect at work.  
 
EVERYTHING COMMUNICATES:  something.  You will  influence others not just by what you say.  If your words are not in alignment with your actions you will not achieve your desired outcomes.  If you are consistently late, are frequently dismissive of other people’s feelings or opinions on your team, non-appreciative, or speak more than you listen, these actions communicate something to those you want to influence.  Just like your frequent hard work, timeliness, concern, and appreciation communicate your willingness to put your team’s needs above your own.
 
The road to success is not sexy.  True leadership is truly selfless.  Power is a privilege. Significant influence is a gift that others give you because you have earned it.
 
Take each step as a leader this week knowing that everything that you do will communicate something. Choose wisely.

A big thank you to my husband Allen who is always communicating through his actions and words his support and encouragement.  I am blessed to have people like Jeff, Taylor, and Brian who communicate dedication and devotion to our work and someone like Kevin McAllister (Scott) and so many others of you who are consistently an inspiration for our course work.
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What would you do if you weren’t afraid this week?

March 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Spencer Johnson, MD, author of Who Moved My Cheese  made famous this question, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” which is now a staple at Facebook headquarters.  Fear can paralyze innovation.  So, what would you do if you weren’t afraid this week?  Afraid of failure or shame or loss.  What would your team members create if they weren’t afraid to be daring and bold with their thoughts and ideas?  Here’s some inspiration and information that might help shut off the fear valve this week:

WATCH THIS:  In this short video Steve Jobs tells us how learning he had terminal cancer changed his priorities:  “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know of avoiding the trap of thinking that you have something to loose.  You are already naked.  There is no reason not to follow your heart.”  Steve Jobs

READ THIS:  This article about Mind Tornadoes helps you find a few ways to reframe fear.  Some of the best were not to believe everything you think and become a practiced observer of your thoughts. 

GET IDEAS FROM THIS:  This 6 minute TEDTalk with Candy Chang created some great ideas for me and might for you.  Could you create a space in your office with intriguing questions for team members to comment on?  What type of thoughts might you generate from a question like, “If I could do one thing differently, I would….”

TRY ONE OF THESE:  68 ways to move from fear to action.  The list includes things like not giving energy to fear, doing what scares you most, get comfortable being uncomfortable, and do that one thing you resist. 

 As a leader, you are going to do some scary things.  Feeling anxiety, as you move through them, is a normal part of growth.  Just because something feels “bad” doesn’t mean it is.  Some of the things in my life that felt the best turned out to be some of the worst for me.

Is the fear of something holding you or your team back from reaching your potential?

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