Let Your Light Shine
Leaders should be a beacon and help others find their light. The more people on your team who are shining their light, the easier it is for the entire group to see. Problems are easier to identify when there is sufficient light. Improper behavior is exposed when there is light.
Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 16 NIV
Give me a word, give me a sign, show me where to look, tell me, what will I find - “Shine” Collective Soul
Ways that you can shine your light:
· Complete your work to the best of your ability
· Be present
· Stand up for truth
· Run toward problems, not away from them
· Help others
· Be an example for others to follow
· Be confident in your abilities
· Celebrate your accomplishments without boasting
· Be polite: say “Please” and “Thank you”
· Smile
Walk The Talk
In my new book, Step Into Leadership, I list my top ten books for new leaders; Driven by Compassion by David Zechman is one of them.
In his book, Driven by Compassion, David Zechman lists “Walk the Talk” as one of the eight values for successful servant leaders. It sounds easier than it is to “walk the talk.” Things happen, leaders must attend meetings, the day goes by fast, and on and on. Leaders who want to be credible and relatable to staff must make a commitment to “walk the talk.”
Dave lists these key points for leaders:
· There is no special sauce for walking the talk, other than doing it. Remember, your staff are watching your actions.
· Do not ask someone to do something you are unwilling to do.
· Exhibit genuine encouragement and enthusiasm. You can make someone’s life better.
· Focus on your own personal growth.
· Do not waver when the pressure is on. Hold to your principles.
· Be true to your mission.
· Be approachable and accessible
PICK YOUR BATTLES WISELY
We all have plenty on our plates! Assess your capacity to add another challenge. Ask these questions to determine if you have the capability to handle something new:
1. How important is it to your mission?
2. Is it urgent? Must it be done now?
3. Do you and your team have the resources to pull it off?
If you answered yes to these questions, go for it. If no, make room for the challenge by rearranging priorities, delegating something to others, stopping something, or sourcing the necessary resources.
None of us are super-human. There is only so much energy that each of us can expend. Use it wisely!
The Power of Resilience
Do you wonder why some people are resilient? They have developed the ability to remain calm and focused in the midst of adversity. Resilient people have traits that help them work through difficulty. They are:
· Embrace the challenge - stuff happens, be flexible, adapt
· Learn from your mistakes - make appropriate changes & move on
· Rely on your support system – lean on those who have your back
· Practice self-care – find balance between work & life
· Don’t overreact to problems – don’t panic, break things down into manageable steps
· Accept feedback – constructive feedback makes you better
· Be optimistic – believe you can do something to improve the situation
A lot of us learned resiliency the hard way, through life experience. Developing the traits listed above will help your learning curve. Build a support system if you don’t have one. Take care of yourself. Develop work/life balance with hobbies and other non-work activities.
Effective Employee Evaluation
Do you look forward to the annual review process like doing your taxes, or going to the dentist? Has your evaluation system lost its effectiveness? If so, you are not alone!
The truth is that evaluation of your team should be a continual conversation between you and your employees. Once a year is not nearly enough. The conversation should be about what is working, and what isn’t working. Ask employees if they have the resources they need. Ask if they understand the communication that is coming from you. Employees deserve real-time feedback on how they are doing. Invest your energy in giving feedback on a regular basis. An annual review should not contain surprises for an employee.
I worked at an organization that had a thirteen-page annual evaluation form! Yikes! Many companies have scrapped the annual review process or streamlined it. The Glenstrae team has developed a one-page evaluation that can be used for this purpose. If you are giving real-time feedback to your employees, our form will get the job done for your annual reviews. The form is available for free on my website at www.richard-mcgee.com/subscribe.
The Power of Mentorship
Mentoring is more than coaching and training employees. It is investing in their career path; it is helping them to find their calling. I was lucky. I had mentors who guided my career and supported me in good times and bad. Their advice and support was key to any success I achieved.
You may feel you don’t have time to be a mentor to each of your staff, but a mentoring relationship doesn’t necessarily require a large time commitment. You can provide mentoring during daily interaction and periodic evaluation. I have found that most employees who desire support and guidance will seek you out if you have a good relationship. Those who are curious about advancement will typically ask.
KNOW YOURSELF
Who are you? What makes you tick? What are your hot buttons?
An effective leader will be aware of their strengths and weaknesses; a great leader will address them. The better you know yourself, the better leader you will become. If you are blind to your weaknesses, they will set you back until you understand them. Take some time to honestly evaluate yourself. Be alert to cues from those around you. You are truly blessed if you have relationships with people who will be completely honest with you. Two of my weaknesses are: an inability to know when I am tired, and not knowing exactly when to recognize someone. I relied on people around me to help counter these weaknesses.
Richard Branson is a successful entrepreneur and CEO. He is open about his dyslexia. Branson believes dyslexia has made him a creative person. He also admits he struggles with financial statements and must rely on others. Branson is creative, bold, and forward thinking. He hasn’t let his weaknesses hold him back.
The Power of Self-Care
The effects of the great pandemic are still being felt. A primary impact of the pandemic was the effect of stress on everyone in the workplace. Workers were worried about getting sick, concerned about family, and saddened by the death of millions. They were tasked with getting a job done in a difficult time. Most of us lost a friend or family member. Many of us did not have the option of working from home. The importance of self-care was magnified. Self-care will always be important. Leaders won’t last long if they can’t learn how to cope with the stressors of the job.
Staff won’t remain with you if the stress of the job is more than the stress of leaving. Insist that staff take their vacation. Encourage them to space it throughout the year.
Jim Valvano has been given credit for giving one of the most inspiration speeches of all time. Jim was dying of cancer when he spoke during the ESPY award ceremony on March 9, 1993. His words are appropriate to self-care: “I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have to spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going, to be enthusiastic every day.” Daily enjoyment, daily laughter, daily emotion. Jim would say “that’s one heck of a day.”
The Power of Presence
Leaders must learn to strike a balance between office work and field work. If you don’t leave your office on a regular basis, you risk alienation from the workforce. I can honestly say that I could have worked in my office 100% of the time and remained busy. However, that would have separated me from the front line where the work is being done.
Sam Walton visited each Wal-Mart store once per year in the early days of the company. This speaks volumes to his desire to interact with employees and observe operations. He would learn what was working and relay this information to other stores.
The advantages of regular interaction on the front line are numerous. Staff are more relatable when you interact with them in their environment. They see you as a real person. They are more comfortable saying what is on their mind. They will appreciate you listening. I know it can be tough to meet with employees where they are, but the rewards are worth it!
Never Stop Learning
I graduated from kindergarten the same year my Uncle David graduated from high school. I had learned how to write my name and I knew my ABCs. What else was there to learn? I was six. There was more to learn, of course. A lifetime of learning.
Coach John Wooden says in his book Wooden on Leadership, “A leader who is through learning is through. You must never become satisfied with your ability or level of knowledge.” It is imperative to embrace the curiosity to learn new things. We become stagnant and outdated if we don’t. The world is all too willing to pass us by. Four decades in the business world has taught me that learning is the great equalizer. Learning provides knowledge than can give us an edge. Learning can give us hope!
Empowerment
People won’t grow if you don’t give them the reins. Giving away some of your power to staff can be daunting. Start somewhere and try it. Coworkers have more ability than they get credit. Tom Peters has studied operational excellence his entire career. He says, “the chief reason for our failure in world-class competition is our failure to tap our work force’s potential.”
When you empower employees, you must be comfortable to live with their decisions. They won’t do everything the way you would do it. And that might be a good thing! Give them leeway and don’t override them unless it is absolutely necessary. Empowerment is a formidable tool when staff have the ability to fix problems as they occur.
Change Management: The Max Lanier Story
Max Lanier was a major league baseball pitcher from 1938 to 1953. He was a left-handed starting pitcher for three clubs. Max won 108 games and lost 82 with a stellar career earned-run-average of 3.01. Twenty-one of his wins were shutouts. Max was a two-time all-star and a World Series champion with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942 and 1944.
Max wasn’t left-handed. He started out as a right-handed pitcher but suffered severe injury to his right arm. Max did the only thing available to him at the time, he switched pitching arms. Sometimes the conditions in the workplace reduce our options. We may have only one option available with an unknown chance of success. Don’t be afraid to run with the only option available. It will require commitment and hard work. The odds may be against you but there is only one way to find out. It just might work!
Change Management
The boundary city of Berwick-upon-Tweed has changed hands thirteen times between England and Scotland, the last time being 1482. The changes were the result of wars between the two nations and the people of the city paid a high price.
Nothing improves without change. Humans tend to be resistant to change, mostly because of fear of the unknown. This can be managed with good communication. It is best to communicate as far in advance as possible so people can get accustomed to the upcoming change. It is even better if you can involve them in the process so they can have some ownership. Five Star leaders involve their teams in the process of change, communicate in advance, clearly explain what is happening, and make themselves available to answer questions and address fears. Successfully leading people through change will decrease their apprehension. They will develop a level of comfort with change.
The Power of Trust
The first step to building trust is being reliable in what you communicate. Trust is essential to a Five Star culture. Coworkers are more likely to stay if they believe your message. They see that your actions align with what you are telling them. You have achieved trust when coworkers believe you have their best interests in mind.
People will not follow you if they do not trust you. Employees will not buy into a culture where trust is lacking. They won’t recruit their friends to change jobs and come work for you. Customers will not do business with you if they do not trust you. Leaders build trust by being reasonable, caring, respectful, and good at communication.
Problems are communicated quickly to management of a Five Star Culture. Employees are comfortable bringing serious problems to their boss because trust has been built. I would much rather become aware of problems as early as possible so they can be addressed. Problems that are not addressed quickly can take on a life of their own.
What is a Reasonable Amount of Employee Turnover?
A reasonable expectation for employee turnover is to be below a national benchmark.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data can be a source of benchmark data. They post a monthly report on employee separation data. They have a table that compiles data on Quits, or voluntary separations. This number does not include layoffs and retirements. Make sure that your data is calculated the same way if you want to use it for comparison. BLS national average in June 2023 was 2.4%. For every 100 employed persons, 2.4 voluntarily left their positions in June. This is equivalent to 29% annualized (2.4 x 12).
The Quit rate for Healthcare and Social Assistance was 2.5% in June 2023, or an annualized rate of 30%. If your organization is under 30% voluntary quits, you are doing better than the national rate. BLS categories are broad and may not be the best benchmark tool for your organization.
Calculate your own annual data so you can determine whether you are improving each year.
The link for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quit report is:
Rationale for a Five Star Culture
The rationale for a Five Star culture is happy employees and happy customers. A direct benefit of happy employees is low turnover. Employee turnover is costly. Estimates to replace an hourly employee range from a few thousand dollars to one to two times the annual compensation. Whatever the true cost, it is expensive.
Workplace efficiencies are maintained when your company retains its skilled workers. It is normal for a new employee to require a few months of ramp time to become proficient at their job. Some take longer, depending on the skill level required. Customer satisfaction can decrease when customers must interact with new employees with lower skills. Staff satisfaction can decrease because staff must share the burden when a coworker leaves.
The loss of corporate knowledge can be high when employees leave. Long-term employees know how processes and policies have developed over time. They know what worked and what didn’t. New staff will not have this frame of reference.
Reasons for a Five Star Culture:
Expense of replacing employees
Maintain efficiency
Maintain customer service
Retain corporate knowledge