Thriving in Your Environment

What kind of environment do you thrive in? I think most of the time when individuals are looking for a job they are looking primarily at the role they will play, the responsibilities they will carry and the compensation package that comes with it.

In my previous posts I have written regularly about the importance of identifying, building and then leveraging your personal talents and strenghts for maximun success. Today, I would like to challenge you to consider, in addition to all of this, the environment in which you work.

In most cases the environment in which you work will have as much impact on your level of satisfaction as the duties and responsibilities. Certainly the people you work with and especially the person you directly report to are important. But, it goes beyond that.

Let me give you an example. In Gallup's StrengthsFinder language one of my talent themes is Learner. In very simplified terms this means that I absolutely love to learn. One clear ramification for me is I thrive in dynamic work environments because I am constantly being challenged to learn new things quickly. A stagnant or slow moving environment, or one in which I am doing the same thing day in and day out, would become stifling and boring for me.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to assess your current or future environment and its fit for you:

• Do I like the people I work with?
• Do I like my supervisor?
• Do my personal core values align with the values of the organization?
• What is the pace of work?
• Are the policies & rules rigid or pretty flexible?

Have a great weekend.

Seize the day!

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www.alliantleadership.com

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Getting Things Done

I am very passionate about supporting people in their personal and professional growth and in their efforts to get more of what they want and less of what they don't. My work is all about results, personally and practically. So, I was very intrigued when I received an email from a colleague recently that talked about results.

Research conducted by the American Society for Training and Development in 2004 to measure the likelihood of completing a goal and effecting change as a result, found the following:

Percent likelihood that change will happen after:

Hearing an idea……………………………………………………..................10%
Consciously deciding to adopt an idea………………........................25%
Deciding when you will do it.................................................…..40%
Planning how you will do it……………………………….......................50%
Committing to someone else that you’ll do it…………….................65%
Have an accountability appt w/ the person you committed to....95%

Amazing, but true. I see this all the time with my clients.

So, what is it that you really want to get done? To whom have you committed and when are you meeting with them to tell them how it went?

Seize the day!
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The Soft Zone

Some CEO's and other top executives tend to shy away from conversations about what are called "soft skills." They like to talk about the tangibles of strategy, vision and execution. But, you cannot get away from the critical role that those soft skills play in the success of an organization.

In their book, The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz reference observations from Gallup by noting that:

No single factor more clearly predicts the productivity of an employee than his relationship with his direct supervisor. More specifically...the key drivers of productivity for employees include whether they feel cared for by a supervisor or someone at work; whether they [have] received recognition or praise during the past seven days; and whether someone at work regularly encourages their development. (Loehr and Schwartz, p. 75)

So, whether you like using the soft skills or not, you need to find a way to work them into your repertoire. If this is an area where you are weak, another wise move would be to have at least one person in your top circle of leaders who is really good at this stuff.

I will admit that early on in my career this was an area where I was severely lacking. Over time, and with consistent effort, I significantly improved in this area. I am still viewed as a fairly serious and probably somewhat aloof person in my leadership style. But, the effect of the growth that I experienced was stronger and stronger teams, especially marked by dedication, loyalty and productivity.

Where can you apply some soft skills today? Who on your team needs to know that you care? How can you invest in your relationship with them?

If you are interested in growing in this area I would encourage you to contact me about a program I offer called, "Conversational Leadership. Download my color brochure and Fact Sheet for more info. One of my former trainees referred to it as "the best real-time training" he'd ever experienced.

Seize the day!
www.joedenner.blogspot.com
www.alliantleadership.com
www.twitter.com/joedenner

The Cycle of Trust

In my newsletter that is going out in less than 24 hours I talk about why it is so important to build trust if you want to be a leader - i.e. a person of significant influence. In the newsletter I make reference to a concept I learned years ago called the Cycle of Trust.

The Cycle of Trust is a simple, but powerful concept. Basically, it states that we tend to trust people we perceive trust us and tend not to trust people we perceive do not trust us. Part of the concept rests on the fact that we tend to communicate our trust (or lack of it) in many non-verbal and subconscious ways that other people pick up on. So, even if we try to hide it, we give off "vibes" that we don't trust someone and they are able to pick up on that and it creates a sense of mistrust toward us...and the cycle goes on. On the surface it seems almost too simple. When I first learned about it during some management training I was skeptical, so I decided to experiment with it.

At the time there was another manager that I didn't trust at all... not at all. And, I was pretty sure they didn't trust me either. So, I began to intentionally work on trusting them. I made specific efforts to give them the benefit of the doubt in situations where the facts weren't clear and gave them outward support that I hadn't previously. Slowly, I noticed my attitude toward them changing for the better. I really began to believe in and trust them more readily. Surprisingly, I began to notice their attitude changing toward me. Long story short, our relationship was radically affected. We became friends and worked very well together for years.

Who can you apply the dynamics of the cycle of trust with? When will you start? If you do your part, you too will be amazed at what can happen.

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Register for my newest, 1/2 day training class called, "Making Great Managers!" There is an early bird special available until this Friday.

Seize the day!

http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliantleadership.com/

Leisure - Follow Up

It is hard to believe that July is over (in a few hours anyway). At the very beginning of the month I wrote about "capacity for leisure." In that post I mentioned that for some of us (like me), leisure doesn't come very often or easily. There's always more work to do...and I enjoy working, whether it is my job, or things around the house.

I am happy to report that my capacity for leisure increased dramatically during the month of July. Here is a brief recap of our adventures.

From the 6th to the 11th our family participated in and served at a children's bible camp. We played games, ate great food, sang fun songs, heard great Bible lessons, did fun crafts and built great friendships. Here are some pictures from camp.

On the 15th our family headed for Kansas City to spend an extended weekend with my parents, my sister and her family. We ate, we bowled, we swam (and got sun-burned), we went to the zoo, we played Wii and we stayed up late watching movies. It was a very relaxing, ejoyable weekend with family. Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend. These are all my children and my sister's children. I have 8 and she has 6 (plus 1 on the way).

During the week of the 20th-24th my 17 yr old daughter went to a dance camp in Kansas City, my 16 yr old son went to a strategic intelligence camp at Patrick Henry College in Viriginia and my 15 yr old son spent the week with his cousins in Kansas City. All three of them had a blast.

At this point we are attempting to get back to our normal rhythm. It has been a very hectic, but very fun month for our family. I hope you have had (or made) some opportunities to enjoy some leisure with those who are most important in your life. If not, there are a still a few weeks before school starts. Go for it!

Seize the day!

http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliantleadership.com/

What is Leadership?

So, what is leadership anyway? Wow! That is a huge question. Ask ten different people and you will likely get ten different answers. Common words or ideas that you will hear would be: vision, strategy, communication, execution and courage. These are all good words and each are accurate for certain leaders. But, rarely will you find one person that reflects all of them at level of excellence. For me, and Webster's dictionary there is one word that sums up what leadership is all about. Watch the following video (0:33) to hear my answer.

So, what about all of those other words we mentioned earlier? They are all valid. But, they are expressions, or vehicles, of influence. They are not an end to themselves. Some exert influence through their ability to cast vision, others through their silver-tongued communication. But, at the end of the day it is all about getting our "followers" moving in a particular direction to achieve something meaningful (hopefully).

Who is in your sphere of influence? What skills or abilities do you use most effectively to influence them in the direction you want them to go? How are you honing those skills? Who are you partnering with that possesses other skills you don't so together you can be even more effective in your leadership?

Make sure to sign up for my free monthly newsletter. It's packed with value you can apply right away. Click here to sign up and receive a FREE leadership resource.

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Seize the day!

http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliantleadership.com/

What Should You Do About Your Weaknesses

After a week off due to a family vacation, we are back to our look at leadership from my recent interview. This clip (0:46) covers what leaders should do about their weaknesses.

So, what are you spending time on that you shouldn't be? What energy are you wasting that you could be using to focus on your natural talents and strengths? How should you redirect that energy? When will you start?

Seize the day!

www.joedenner.blogspot.com

www.alliantleadership.com