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#YourCareer : It’s Possible To Humanely Lay Off People With Empathy And Compassion. What Leadership Should Do When Laying Off People. Great REad!

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The United States has already seen around 17,000 job cuts in the tech sector and more are likely coming.

Most workers who have been terminated describe a cold, cynical process that’s devoid of any empathy. Others tell horror stories about mass Zoom firings and 48-hour holding patterns in which their future is in limbo.

What Happens When Human Resources Asks For A Quick Talk

You may get a call or email from a human resources representative saying, “Could you please come to my office at 4 p.m.?” When a company is not doing well, you have a sense of what’s about to happen next. The walk to the elevator banks, going up a few floors seems to last an eternity. You are hoping that you’re not getting a pink slip, and it’s for another matter.

In a whirlwind, you are told that your services are no longer required. You are offered papers to sign, and before you can process what happened, you’re escorted by a security guard to collect your belongings. All the technologies are cut off and you take the elevator of shame down to the lobby and walk outside feeling numb and bewildered.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Airbnb Demonstrates How To Empathetically Lay Off People

Letting a person go doesn’t always have to be a harsh, humiliating experience. One standout example is the way Airbnb handled separations from the payroll in May 2020, during the early months of the pandemic. In a message to employees, Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky said that he had “sad news” and told his staff that they were forced to downsize, in light of the company’s financial situation and the uncertainty of how badly the virus outbreak could impact its business. The short-term home and apartment rental app downsized 25% of its workforce, representing around 1,900 people out of the 7,500 international workforce.

Instead of using one-way Zoom calls to extend the message, he provided color and context as to why this had to be done. Chesky acknowledged that the pandemic could have a major impact on the travel industry for an unknowable amount of time, and as a result revenue could be hit hard.

Chesky told his team that anyone who was laid off, it’s not because of anything they’ve done wrong nor a reflection on their work ethic. Rather than providing platitudes, the company was prepared to offer severance, equity and healthcare packages. Its intent was to treat everyone in a compassionate and thoughtful manner. The company offered its team 14 weeks of base pay, plus an additional one week for every year at Airbnb, and the tenure will be rounded up to the nearest year. Health insurance was covered through COBRA for 12 months.

The short-term rental company provided an Alumni Talent Directory to help people find new jobs. Departing employees were given the option to have their profiles, résumés and work samples available for future employers to see. The company allocated its recruiting team to help the impacted workers find jobs. The departing staff also received four months of career services and were permitted to keep their Apple laptops to help with their job searches.

The Cold, Impersonal Zoom Firings During The Pandemic

It’s never easy nor pleasant to let a person go or enact mass layoffs. Airbnb acted honorably with empathy and compassion. This was juxtaposed with how a few other companies acted during the pandemic. While white-collar workers were primarily still working from home, the cold, impersonal one-way Zoom firings became commonplace.

At around the same time, scooter-sharing startup Bird fired 406 employees in a manner that you could only imagine on an episode of Black Mirror. The unfortunate workers were told all appointments were canceled and that they should log into a one-way Zoom call. A disembodied voice read from a script telling the listeners that they’ve been picked for layoffs. Their Slack and employee accounts were discontinued and end dates were supplied.

Ridesharing app company Uber announced a layoff of 3,500 employees. The remote workers were informed of their job loss via an online Zoom call. Ruffin Cheveleau, the head of Uber’s customer service, informed workers that it was their last day at the company. Wonderschool, ZipRecruiter, WeWork, the Wing and other companies all used video calls to inform employees that they’ve been terminated.

Recent Tone-Deaf Offer Recissions And Layoffs

Recently, Coinbase, the large cryptocurrency platform, announced it will place a hold on hiring and rescind job offers, due to the difficult economic and geopolitical events. Pulling the rug out from under the job offers didn’t sit well with many employees.

There was an immediate online backlash against the cold and cruel treatment of those who had their job offers abruptly taken away. The company said in response, “We will apply our generous severance philosophy to offset the financial impact of this decision” and will help the people who had their offers overturned. A talent hub was created to help the impacted people. This includes job placement support, résumé reviews, career coaching and access to the company’s network of people.

Coinbase employees started an online petition, leaked Thursday by crypto site Mirror, to remove top executives, including chief operating officer Emilie Choi, chief product officer Surojit Chatterjee and chief people officer LJ Brock, “in a vote of no confidence.”

In a tweet storm, CEO Brian Armstrong tweeted, “If you have no confidence in the execs or CEO of a company, then why are you working at that company? Quit and find a company to work at that you believe in!”

The polar opposite of how Airbnb acted is the story of Vishal Garg, CEO of unicorn mortgage lender startup Better.com. The chief executive coldly told his 900 employees that around 15% of the workforce will be fired in a one-way video.

To add insult to injury, Garg accused “at least 250″ terminated staffers of stealing from the company. In an email to employees obtained by Forbes in 2020, the Better.com CEO wrote, “HELLO—WAKE UP BETTER TEAM. You are TOO DAMN SLOW. You are a bunch of DUMB DOLPHINS and…DUMB DOLPHINS get caught in nets and eaten by sharks. SO STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE EMBARRASSING ME.”

What Leadership Should Do When Laying Off People

Getting laid off is a crushing blow. In addition to the financial aspect of losing a job, it can cause serious mental and emotional stress. Leaders need to focus on the messaging to make the best out of a bad situation.

Leadership should start by offering color and context of what is happening. There is no reason to shame the staff. Instead, management needs to praise their work and accomplishments. Let the impacted workers know about available severance packages, healthcare options, what happens to their stock and options and give access to recruiters, career coaches and connections within the firm’s network of contacts.

Human resources and managers need to take the time and energy to speak one-on-one with the people who are being let go. Listen to their feedback, offer words of encouragement and write a glowing recommendation. Offer to keep in touch, as “boomerang” hires have become popular.

 

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Forbes.com | June 14, 2022

#CareerAdvice : 5 Steps to Become a #Manager …What are Some Other Steps #Professionals can Take toward Becoming a #Manager ? Share your Thoughts!

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Many people reach a point in their careers when they decide they’d like more responsibility. Becoming a manager can be an excellent way for professionals to advance their career development and even earn more money.

Managers are responsible for coordinating and overseeing many company projects and everyday tasks. That makes their position a unique one within the company – one that holds particular importance for maintaining business success. But becoming a manager isn’t always easy, you’ll often find yourself competing against other qualified candidates and co-workers to snag the position.

Here are five steps to take toward becoming a manager in your company:

1. Let your aspirations be known.

If you aspire to become a manager, don’t stay quiet about it! While you don’t have to border on obnoxiousness, it’s still important to let the right people know you’re thinking about taking the next step so they can help you get where you want to be. Let your current manager or boss know you aspire for more, and work with them to develop the skills you need to eventually make the transition.

10 Interview Questions to Answer If You Want to Be an HR Manager

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. Become a mentor.

Ask your manager or boss if opportunities exist for you to become a mentor, or join a professional organization in your industry that will set you up with a mentee. This can be an excellent way to show you have the expertise to work closely with others and develop solid interpersonal relations – a must in any managerial position. Or, consider taking on a mentor yourself – someone who has more experience than you can help you to prepare for more responsibilities.

3. Strengthen your skills.

As a manager, you’ll experience less leisure time, more authority, more leading, and tons of other new requirements. For this reason, it’s important to strengthen your skills to ensure you’re prepared to step up to the plate. Actively assess the skills you already have, and talk to those already in managerial positions to determine what skills you need to acquire. Do your research, stay up to date on industry trends, and seize any opportunity to strengthen your abilities.

7 Small Gestures Managers Can Make That Will Go a Long Way

4. Show your worth.

It’s important to put your ambition into action. If you feel as though you need to show your boss how valuable you are before you can have a chance at landing a higher position, consider setting up a meeting and prepare a presentation that highlights your accomplishments and commitments to the company thus far. Provide concrete numbers to describe your accomplishments (“increased client leads by 40 percent,” or “managed accounts of advertisers contributing to a total budget of $200,000”) to make your arguments irrefutable.

5. Ask for feedback.

Ask your higher-ups and coworkers to assess your performance so far. Do you do a good job of responding to conflict? Do you react well to stressful situations? Are you able to lead a group without trying to take too much control–or too little? Glean feedback from your coworkers or managers to determine where your strengths are and where you need to improve. Not only will this show you’re open to feedback and continual improvement, but it will show you value the opinion of individual group members, something that any manager should commit to.

3 Ways Managers Can Empower Team Members With Mental Health Struggles

Becoming a manager can be an excellent way to advance your career and prepare you for further professional opportunities. As 2012 comes to a close, make a commitment to taking these steps next year to increase your chances of landing a higher role in your company. Good luck!

What are some other steps professionals can take toward becoming a manager? Share your thoughts below!

Glassdoor.com |  | Posted by 

#CareerAdvice : #SuccessfulLeaders -7 Warning Signs that Your #Career is Stalling…What Got you Here won’t Get you There. After you’ve Achieved #Success , it’s Common to Stagnate. Look Out for These Signs & Turn Things Around.

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It’s not unusual to see a leader turn a company around and bring it to success, only to fail at the next challenge. Some call it the sophomore slump, but it’s really a case of, “What got you here won’t get you there,” says John Hillen, coauthor of What Happens Now? Reinvent Yourself as a Leader Before Your Business Outruns You.

“Leaders are often victims of their own success,” says Hillen. “They wanted the change; they put the business plan in place. Then they themselves don’t make parallel plans to change with the organization. That’s why leaders often stall on the other side.”

What it takes to become a successful leader is not what you need to remain a leader. Playing at the higher level requires different skills, capabilities, mind-sets, behaviors, and attitudes. “Most leaders get it intellectually,” says Hillen, executive in residence and professor of practice in the School of Business at George Mason University. “Unfortunately, what they often do is focus energy on tinkering with the organization instead of reinventing themselves.”

Only a small percentage of organizations make deliberate plans to grow their executives alongside their business. As a result, leaders need to take it upon themselves to adapt to the new playing field, or they’re at risk of hitting one of seven career stalls, says Hillen.

1. YOU HAVEN’T RE-ESTABLISHED YOUR PURPOSE

Leaders often fail to establish new purpose and direction once they succeed. “When things change and new people are coming on board, purpose and direction must be modified,” says Hillen. “Leaders often struggle to tell a coherent narrative, and people start making decisions at odds with culture or value.”

A warning sign that you’re hitting the purpose stall is when you think you need to hire an outsider to get to the next level. Break through by holding a story-creation session with people from all levels of the organization, suggests Hillen.

“Ask, ‘What are we about here?’” he says. “Engage teams to rearticulate values and purpose that will be easy to communicate to the ranks and out to multiple stakeholders.”

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. YOUR TEAM ISN’T WORKING TOGETHER ON GOALS

After a success, team members can start acting like freelancers, concerned with their own departments and not agreeing on priorities or strategies, says Hillen.

“The single most critical success factor for high-performing teams is having a shared understanding of why the team exists, what it is trying to accomplish, and how it will work together,” he says.

Work through this career stall by holding frequent meetings or off-sites to ensure team alignment, suggests Hillen. “Create team ‘rules of engagement’ and require team members to hold each other (and you) accountable to them,” he says. “Be explicit about the culture that ties the team together.”

3. YOU AREN’T TALKING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Working at a new level can cause leaders to not make good use of their time. If you feel frustrated that people aren’t following your orders, or if you’re too busy to talk to stakeholders, you’re career’s in danger.

Push through by creating a stakeholder management plan, Hillen suggests. “Who will you put on your calendar regularly?” he asks. “What kinds of conversations should you be having with them?” Concentrate on developing a strategic network, allocating time for people who control your future.

4. YOU CAN’T ARTICULATE YOUR VISION AND MOTIVATE PEOPLE

If you can’t seem to energize employees to own the strategy or spring into action to tackle a new initiative, you’re at risk of another career stall. Instead of blaming others for their inability to “get” it, reassess your communication skills and think of yourself as the “chief explaining officer,” says Hillen.

“Whenever possible, make communication two-way; achieve true communication, not mere transmission,” he says. Communicate more than you believe is necessary to ensure sufficient understanding, and change your style of communication to reach different people.

5. YOUR AUTHORITY IS WANING

Once you’ve achieved success, you need to keep performing at a high level to maintain your team’s respect. If you give people direction but they don’t follow through, or you start getting passed over for promotion, you may have hit a career stall.

“Shift your actions and behaviors to come across to followers in a more authentically and emotionally,” he says. “Empathy works, and builds character.”

Accept a position on the board of a nonprofit, for example, take a community leadership role, or be more involved in your industry, Hillen suggests.

6. YOU FEEL EXHAUSTED AND OVERWHELMED

Once you’re operating at a new level, it can be easy to lose sight of your focus. The danger signs of a career stall here are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and less energetic and passionate about what you’re doing and its impact, says Hillen.

Decide which tasks to do, which to delegate, and which to drop. “Allocate your time as if you’re going to ‘make history,’” he says. “Enforce, with the help of an accountability partner, rational percentages of time on your calendar to the leadership work that matters most.”

7. YOU’VE ABANDONED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

A successful leader’s job is to be a leader of leaders, says Hillen. If you’re unsure of your current leadership team and are starting to no longer trust their capabilities, you could be about to hit a career stall.

“Take command of shaping your organization’s leadership-development programs and play a meaningful role in leading them,” he says. “Commit to becoming a coach as well as a boss, and dedicate discrete time for both.”

While every stall is different, every leader will stall at some point, says Hillen. “They might not hit all of them and not all at once,” he says. “When you’re in a meeting where you are the decision maker, but everybody else has more information at hand, you’re at risk. It should be an epiphany that it’s you and your behavior that needs to be changed.”

 

 

FastCompany.com | July 9, 2018 | CAREER EVOLUTION

#Leadership : Quality Advice on How to #Communicate During Stressful Times… Even on a Good Day, #Communicating Well is One of Life’s Toughest Daily Challenges, and It’s Especially Difficult to Do Under Pressure.

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Even on a good day, communicating well is one of life’s toughest daily challenges, and it’s especially difficult to do under pressure. Thankfully, by applying a few practical tips, you can significantly improve how you talk with friends, family, coworkers, and others.

Focus on Your Goal

For instance, facing more than one challenge at a time can be overwhelming. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, focus on one or two important objectives per conversation. Successful exchanges will encourage others to approach you, and over time you will have increasingly productive dialogues. But it’s not only other topics that can be distracting. Anger, frustration and apathy can divert you from your main purpose if you let them.

QUIZ: What’s Your Communication Style?

Take a Deep Breath

You’ve probably heard this advice a dozen times, but it works. After studying a group of nerves in the brain, biochemistry professor Mark Krasnow concluded that breathing affects overall brain activity. He explained, “This liaison to the rest of the brain means that if we can slow breathing down, as we can do by deep breathing or slow controlled breaths, the idea would be that these neurons then don’t signal the arousal center, and don’t hyperactivate the brain. So you can calm your breathing and also calm your mind.”

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Laugh First and Hardest

Research indicates that laughter reduces the amounts of stress hormones in your body and increases levels of endorphins — chemicals that make you feel good. According to Stress Management with Intelligence, the effects of laughter are more than chemical: “Laughter connects people, and social support is good for stress relief.”

Talk to Someone (Else)

Yes, it sounds counterintuitive, but discussing your issues with an unbiased outsider is helpful for two reasons. First, venting your frustrations may relieve tension and allow you to talk more calmly the next time you confront the situation. Also, your listener may have some relevant advice.

However, choose your confidant with care. Avoid anyone with a reputation for gossip. If you can’t think of anyone in your immediate social circle, search for an online support group.

Set a Realistic Objective

If you or the person you are talking to is stressed, adjust your expectations. Stress isn’t always a bad thing. If you’re excited about something, your body releases adrenaline and chemicals that heighten senses and help the brain focus, according to HolisticOnline.com. However, the website says that the positive effects are short-lived: “As you spend more and more time under stress, your ability to concentrate lessens.” Therefore, if you’re on a tight deadline, it may boost you to accomplish more in one sitting. On the other hand, if you’re in an ongoing feud with a colleague, your discussion may end in a compromise.

Listen

Don’t be so focused on trying to get your point across that you forget to listen. It’s a life skill, according to SkillsYouNeed.com: “Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood. As a result, communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.” How can you show the speaker you are paying attention?

9 Tips to Listen Like a True Leader

Practice Positive Body Language

If your body is sending negative signals, you may be inadvertently sabotaging the conversation. Leaning away from someone or crossing your arms while they speak may convey that you’re not open to conversation.

You can change your posture with a few easy adjustments. For example, lean slightly towards the other participant. Let your arms hang by your sides or bring them together in your lap. Make brief eye contact throughout the interchange. These minor alterations send the message that you are actively listening, a factor which will make your conversational partner feel valued and more open to what you have to say.

Know When to Keep Silent

A stressful moment may not be the ideal time to bring up sensitive issues. You may decide to let a matter drop altogether or wait until a more opportune time. If the issue is unavoidable, take a few minutes to organize your thoughts in writing.

Listening, breathing and taking time to respond are just a few strategies to help you keep your cool. Even if you’re not facing a stressful situation now, keep these tips on hand to help you communicate in everyday life.

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GlassDoor.com |  | Posted by 

#Leadership : How To Build A #ProductiveTeam (And Weed Out #ToxicBehavior )…Whitney Johnson’s new book, Build An A-Team, is Based in Understanding where Collaborators are on their Learning Curves.

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Whitney Johnson isn’t afraid to challenge people to be their best selves. From her books Dare, Dream, Do, to Disrupt Yourself, Johnson puts forth a framework for innovation that starts with empowering the individual to take charge of making change. It’s something she’s learned from personal experience.

Originally a classically trained pianist, Johnson went on to become an equity analyst on Wall Street despite having no financial background. Between speaking engagements, writing, mentoring, and advising startups, Johnson also co founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen.

In her latest book, Build an A-Team, Johnson discusses her experience and advice for creating the most productive collaborations. Here’s her advice for building an innovative team and weeding out toxic behavior.

Fast Company: What was the most challenging team you’ve ever been on?

Whitney Johnson: I was still working on Wall Street, I had been an award-winning stock analyst for about eight years and effectively at the top of my learning curve. I loved to coach and mentor people, so I went to [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][my boss] and said I wanted to go into the management track. Rather than being supportive, he was dismissive and discouraging, basically saying, ‘We like you right where you are.’ This is a big challenge that plays out in companies all over the world every day. People get to the point where they are ready to disrupt themselves, but the ecosystem makes it impossible, even though they may have a great boss. It’s basically the “innovator’s dilemma” but with people.

FC: How did you resolve the dynamic?

WJ: I left.

FC: Is there such thing as a bad team? Or is it only a matter of getting a good manager/leader who can make it good?

WJ: There is such thing as a bad team. Sometimes you have bad players who are toxic–and we all can be toxic at different times, it’s not that a particular person is toxic in every situation. But often you get people not performing well, and/or they’re in the wrong role. Other times, frequently there is a strong performer who got to the top of their learning curve after four or five years on the job, and they’re bored and they start to underperform. They may feel they paid their dues and are entitled. That impacts everybody on the team.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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FC: What’s the best way to deal with that?

WJ: If there is truly a toxic player, you need to weed them out. Otherwise, recognize that every single person is on a learning curve, including you. You build a great team by optimizing those curves. At any given time you have 70% of the people on the steep part of the learning curve, and 15% who are on the low end asking questions like, ‘Why are we doing this?’

The other 15% are people at the high end who aren’t necessarily innovating, but who are willing to set the pace by teaching, training, and collaborating. They know that shortly they will jump to a new curve of learn, leap, repeat, continuing the cycle. You have to constantly have people in a slot either learning a little more, or getting ready to learn again, then you’ve got people who are engaged, happy, and productive.

FC: What do you personally look for in others when collaborating, and how would you advise others to seek the same?

WJ: A lack of entitlement. A lack of either, ‘I’ve paid dues,’ or somehow I am owed for something. A willingness to learn and be humble enough to say I don’t know how to do everything, and I’m willing to learn from every person, not just my betters. To demonstrate domain expertise and excellence around the work they’re doing. A willingness to show up and be all in.

One of the ways you know people are excited to work with you is that they ask you questions about the work, and not about what’s in it for them. One advantage of the gig economy is working on short-term projects with someone. To me, that is the best way to test if they are all in.

FC: How would you hire to build a great team?

WJ: Look for the questions they ask to see if they are invested in the business. Ask them about times in their career or at school that they’ve taken a step back to slingshot forward, or if they were pushed back and what that looked like.

This will show how self-aware they are if they are taking ownership, or if it is someone else’s fault. You will see how agile and nimble they are, which is required for disrupting. Then talk about something that’s not worked and what the return on investment of it was. You’ll be able to see resilience, and how intact their sense of identity is if their failure is an event and not a person.

FC: How would you advise someone who’s contemplating joining a team to make the right decision?

WJ: Bosses are pretty good at telling you what you want to hear about a job, and it all looks really exciting. Ask the manager where the people are who worked for them in the past, and what they are doing today. Ask if there were women or people of color on those teams. Ask if they helped them to get to where they are–even if they moved to another organization–and if they are proud of them. That is the person you want to be working for, because this boss will make it possible for you to jump to a new learning curve.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lydia Dishman is a reporter writing about the intersection of tech, leadership, and innovation. She is a regular contributor to Fast Company and has written for CBS Moneywatch, Fortune, The Guardian, Popular Science, and the New York Times, among others.

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 FastCompany.com | May 1, 2018 | Lydia Dishman

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#Leadership : This Is How To Turn Procrastination Into A #Management Technique…Sometimes the Best Thing you can Do is Not Answer your #TeamMembers’ Questions Right Away.

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You’ve just been promoted to a supervisory role, and you reallydon’t want to be the absentee boss who inspires articles like this one. So you make a concerted effort to be attentive and responsive–answering questions whenever your employees ask, and making yourself available whenever they need you. So much so that some days, you feel like you barely have any time to get your work done.

But it’s just part of being a manager, right? ……..Well, yes and no.

It is important to train your direct reports on the skills they need to do their jobs well–because if they excel, that’s going to reflect well on you. However, sometimes that training involves knowing when to put off their requests. Yes, you heard right: There are times when procrastinating can actually be a powerful management strategy. Here’s when and why.

Related: The Five Hidden Benefits Of Procrastination

YOU TEACH YOUR EMPLOYEES TO BE RESOURCEFUL

Think of a time when you desperately needed an answer to a question, but there was no one to ask. What did you do? You probably tried to find the answer yourself–whether it’s typing questions into Google, Slacking a coworker, or searching the company’s server because you know those files are in there somewhere.

So if your direct report comes to you for help, consider procrastinating. Push the request off a few hours. If someone approaches you in the morning, tell them you’ll get back with them to help first thing in the afternoon if they haven’t figured it out by then. Similarly, punt afternoon requests to the next morning.

As a manager, putting off certain requests–at least for a little while–prevents you from becoming a one-stop-shop for your direct reports. That way, they’ll learn to search for things themselves before coming to you. Over time, many of the issues, questions, and requests they approach you with initially will begin to evaporate. Everybody wins: You get some time back, and your team members learn to solve more problems on their own.

And when they do come to you with a question, you can be confident that they’ve attempted to find the answer themselves–and you’re more likely to have a productive discussion about the issue.

Related: Why Trying To Be A People Pleaser Makes You A Bad Boss 

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YOU HELP YOUR TEAM MEMBERS BECOME BETTER LEADERS

More importantly, when you don’t leap to help with requests immediately, you’re teaching a lesson about leadership that your direct reports wouldn’t otherwise learn. Some day, some of your team members will be sitting in your position fielding the requests that you’re fielding.

By encouraging them to solve problems on their own beforecoming to you, you’re developing them into more efficient, high-value workers and reinforcing the fact that you have your own priorities (which they should respect). Likewise, they’ll learn that it’s perfectly acceptable to prioritize their own work as long as they help out their teammates in a timely fashion.

Related: Five Questions You Should Ask Before Accepting A Management Position

When you push back a request a few hours, encourage the person who’s made it to keep working and not use your delay as an excuse to put the task aside.

Of course, sometimes the person making the request has exhausted every option, and they’re coming to you because they’re at their wits’ end on how to proceed. When their words or body language tell you this, go ahead and help. It really is okay to drop everything and help every now and again–just not all the time.

FastCompany.com | January 29, 2018 |  BY ART MARKMAN 2 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : 4 Ways To Go From #Manager To #Leader ….. #Managers are a Necessary Part of any Organization, but #Leaders will take Things To the Next Level.

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Perhaps you’re in a leadership role but don’t feel like you’ve earned the respect from your team. Maybe you feel like they don’t even like you. As a career coach to millennials, I’ve had plenty of new managers come to me, desperate to win approval from their team. It’s a classic case of manager versus leader: they are managing their team effectively, but they aren’t leading them. So what separates a manager from a leader, and why does it matter?

A manager knows how to execute. He follows the rules and does everything right. He effectively delegates work, manages timelines, and meets deadlines. A manager can be counted on to get it done. Managers are a necessary part of any organization, but leaders will take things to the next level.

A leader has a vision and knows how to inspire a team to go above and beyond.  A leader uses emotional intelligence to draw the best out of each teammate and empower them. Research shows that teams managed by motivators (aka leaders) perform better than those that are too heavily controlled by a designated supervisor (aka managers). In short, managers control while leaders grow.

Here are four practical steps you can take right now to elevate yourself from a manager to a leader.

1. Leaders Leave Their Egos At The Door

A true leader does whatever is required to get the job done. If that means running the copier, making the midnight coffee run, or assembling folders, that’s what the leader does, even if his paycheck and title suggest otherwise. This approach not only guarantees that the work gets done; it also does wonders for the energy levels on the team.

One way to implement this is to pay attention to the unique brilliance of each employee on your team. If you see that people are exceptionally good at something, offer to take some work off their plate so you can free them up to make better use of their skill set. If you’re coming up blank on ideas for them, ask them what they’d like to do more of. They will respect you for getting your hands dirty, and they’ll appreciate you for making them feel seen and heard.

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2. Leaders Know How To Listen

Leaders listen to everyone, even those who might not have as much “experience” as other people in the room. The best leaders treat brainstorming as a democracy of ideas. They ask “what do you think?” and get everyone involved.

One way of getting more invested participation from your employees is to introduce a weekly team meeting where new ideas are solicited from each person. This is a great way to strengthen the team mentality, showing your employees that you want and welcome their brilliance.

3. Leaders Have Emotional Fitness

Emotional intelligence—the ability to read and connect with just about anyone in the room—is great, but it doesn’t sustain you in times of uncertainty and instability. It wasn’t until I became a career coach that I learned the importance of emotional fitness. Emotional fitness is your ability to flexibly endure the ups and downs of business and life. The difference between managers and leaders is the way they react to and process the failed deals, the lost clients, and even the busted refrigerator in the break room. Managers freak out, sending tiny ripples of panic and chaos through the rest of the team. Leaders tap into an inner Buddha, an unwavering stillness that empowers them to take a deep breath and keep moving forward.

4. Leaders Live Outside Their Comfort Zone

Playing a big game doesn’t always feel natural or comfortable, but it’s a choice that true leaders make again and again. As kids, we are often conditioned to go with the grain and to avoid disrupting our environment. We often keep ourselves from really being seen, and from being different. The problem here is that this encourages us to grow into very average adults who only feel comfortable when we’re playing small.

I’ll never forget the moment I stepped backstage at TEDxBerkeley. As the least seasoned speaker at the time, I thought I’d definitely be the most nervous in the room….The entire group backstage was panicked. Nothing this rewarding can possibly exist in your comfort zone, and it’s the leaders who are willing to wake up daily, stepping outside of theirs.

Leadership is part art, part science. A leader, like any manager, knows how to make things happen, but it’s often the leader who comes up with the ideas or inspires their team to innovate in the first place. If you’re truly ready to step into a leadership role, it’s time to go above and beyond what is required, and empower your team to do the same.

In the end, leadership is a choice. And the choice is yours.

Ashley Stahl coaches job seekers to find their purpose and land more job offers. She also runs CAKE Publishing, a ghostwriting house that helps influencers create content.

 

Forbes.com | January 26, 2018 | Ashley Stahl , CONTRIBUTOR

#Leadership : 7 Ways to Outshine a Tyrannical #Boss …Sure, you could Look for Another #Job but How much Sweeter would it Be to #Work you Way Up until you can #Fire that Miserable Person?

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There is little worse than working under a self-righteous boss who refuses to help make us or anyone else more successful. These types of bosses make life miserable, sometimes so miserable that we forget that we’re even passionate about what we do.

Bosses should act and perform like leaders. When our boss is inconsistent, unprofessional, placing us in no-win situations, who backstabs, sarcastically puts us and others down, and who put obstacles in our way to make our success nearly impossible, we must do all we can to outshine this person, and give them as little of our time, power and attention as possible.

Related: 4 Signs of a Terrible, Toxic Boss

1. Strategize

We become frustrated with difficult bosses because they consistently display unprofessional behavior. However, the one thing we can count on is the consistency of who they are and how they treat us.

Whatever behaviors are consistent in our boss allows us to create solid strategies to fend against them. We must put a plan of action and expectation in place by anticipating what is coming. Being proactive gives us the edge. If our boss is in a “good mood” toward us, we should mirror that mood back. When our boss is acting tyrannical toward us, we must force ourselves to act as if we’re hearing them out, when really we’ll be turning our ears off. This helps us take their ranting with a grain of salt.

The more of a quiet confidence we can demonstrate, the more the spotlight lands on our boss in a negative light. Most importantly, we must display confidence and an unshakable demeanor toward him/her regardless of what we’re feeling inside.

Related: 9 Ways to Show More Confidence in Business

 

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2. Be prepared.

Wherever we are well-prepared, we are more likely to come out on top. Before engaging with our boss, we must take some time to formulate our responses, behaviors and reactions. It is helpful to write our actions or responses down, or to envision and practice conversations in our mind before delivering them to our boss. Rehearsing helps us to have the guts to confront our boss by saying, “when I am treated in this way, it makes it difficult for me to feel motivated, in fact it does just the opposite.”

It is also appropriate to say “This type of treatment is not effective.” The other thing that is powerful is to “okay” them but to continue behaving just as we are and doing what we know works for us. The best way to prepare is to predict our boss’s comeback and our desired response. Its also important to prepare for threats and a possible fall-out by entertaining recruiters and/or seeking other employment opportunities.

Related: 4 Ways to Love the Job You Hate

4. Remain composed.

As hard as it is to keep our composure, this is critically important. Remain professional. As hard as our boss may sarcastically provoke, ignore, humiliate or cut us down, we must train ourselves to always take the high road. If necessary, follow the proper procedures with HR and file the necessary complaints.

Whenever possible, talk to executives with higher-level superiority and maintain a calm and professional demeaner when doing so. Be straightforward, assertive and patient. When others talk about our boss, as much as we want to trash them, stay out of the gossip. We must be mindful to vent our frustrations to anyone other than other abused coworkers who may throw us and what us said under the bus as a way to avoid having the spotlight on them.

Related: 11 Rebellious and Fun Songs For When You Hate Your Job

5. Remain consistent.

Because our boss is inconsistent, our dogged consistency will win in the end. It isn’t likely the situation with our difficult boss will change overnight, so if we want to stay with our organization, we must be ready for the long haul.

We must commit to being rock solid in our work effort, and in communicating with our boss about what we will and won’t tolerate in terms of how we’re treated. If we show we can do this, it is likely our coworkers will have more courage to follow suit. Moreover, we must be persistent in calling out our boss’s bad behavior, and putting a plan into action. The key is to not let our boss get away with continuing his/her bad behavior.

Related: 4 Ways to Handle a Boss Who Steals Credit for Your Ideas

5. Grit

Regardless of our boss, we need to have the grit to continue doing our very best work. We must show up on time, be mindful not to overstay on lunches, do exactly what we’re asked without complaint or argument and demonstrate that our success is under our control, not that of our boss.

When our boss cannot complain about our work, our effort or our attitude we give our boss nothing to go on. Succeeding in spite of this person is key. We do this by having the grit to follow through regardless of obstacles placed in our way.

Related: Why ‘Grit’ May Be Everything for Success

6. Be visible.

There are many other higher-level executives in each organization we can seek to aim to impress outside of our boss. We must do all we can to make ourselves visible to these other people.

How do we do this? We make our results known, we begin conversations with them, offer to help them in any way we can, be great to customers so there is no evidence that we are performing below standard, and express interest in our own growth. We must make sure that our name is on everything we do, from every email, every invoice and that we are mentioned in every meeting. We must take initiative to introduce ourselves on conference calls by stating who we are, what our position is, along with showcasing our positive outcomes and results when asked.

 

Related: 5 Ways to Work Remotely Without Being Overlooked

7. Move up.

There are two ways to get out from under a horrible boss; change jobs or work hard to get promoted. To create a chance at promotion, we must keep our focus on our own personal plan, goals and objectives. We must do all we can not to take the bullying coming from our boss personally. We must not, at all cost, allow our work performance to suffer under these types of people. Over time if we can stick to this program, we have the best option to move up and beyond this person, maybe even into a position where we can fire him/her.

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Entrepreneur.com | January 26, 2018 |  

#Leadership : How To Lead A Productive #PerformanceReview …How Can you Make the Performance Review something of Value for You & your Employee?

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Employees dread the performance review. They look to this yearly evaluation with angst, annoyance and anger. It’s a measure of their whole year bottled into a one- to two-hour meeting that will determine their promotion, raise, etc. They often don’t even leave with feedback on how to grow; it’s mostly a waste of time.

Leaders don’t like the performance review much, either. The process typically takes them at least five times longer than it takes their employees — and they often see a less engaged employee on the other end.

It’s a hard process. It’s time-consuming, vague and not focused. Still, the performance review process shouldn’t be scrapped. It can be done better — it can serve as a tool to align leader and employee, connect your team and organizational goals and be a catalyst for employee growth.

How can you make the performance review something of value for you and your employee?

Let’s start with the intention of the performance review process. The purpose of the performance review is to assess your employee’s work over the past year (or quarter, etc.), agree on actions for improvement, and align on next year’s (or quarter’s) goals as they relate to the company’s core objectives.

I’ve broken the process down into a few simple steps to remove the vagueness, provide concrete actions to take and set you up with a framework to hold more productive performance reviews for your team.

Step 1. Assess successes and opportunities. You can’t just walk into a performance review meeting and wing it. It does take preparation. It should not, however, take more than 60-90 minutes to prepare for each employee.

In reviewing their performance, look at each of your employee’s goals in the following ways.

• Analyze the outcome. Did she reach her goal, yes or no? What are her tangible metrics? 

• Identify actions you want her to repeat. What did she do well that helped her towards this goal? What was the impact of her actions? Make sure to provide specific examples.

• Identify actions you see as opportunities. What could she have done better? What was the impact? What is the potential impact of adapting? Share specific examples.

Write down notes and examples. It’s okay to use them during the conversation, it shows your employee you care about their growth and have dedicated time to giving thoughtful feedback. Ask your employee to do the same. Have her come to the meeting prepared to share her results. Following this structure will set each meeting up for success.

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Step 2. Hold the conversation. This is your employee’s meeting. Sit back, listen and ask questions for clarity. Then give your feedback.

For an ideal review, follow the four As: ask, add, agree, align.

• Ask and listen. How did you see your performance over the last year? What were some of your significant accomplishments? What didn’t quite go as planned? What happened, and what did you learn?

• Add your feedback. This is the time to share your feedback. What actions did she do well? What are some opportunities for growth? Share specific examples for each.

• Agree with the assessment. Do you agree with her assessment? What do you have to add to it? Does she agree with your assessment? What does she have to add?

• Align with new goals. Now that you’ve agreed on the assessment of her performance, it’s time to look forward. It’s a chance to set new goals based on company objectives and her desired areas of growth. 

Where should she focus her energies to achieve business objectives for the next year (or quarter)? Where does she want to grow and develop herself? You should leave with three to five S.M.A.R.T goals for the upcoming year (or quarter).

You’ll know if you’ve been successful if your employee does most of the talking. It’s her meeting, about her work, and her success is your success.

Step 3. Follow up and follow through. This is where most bosses miss the mark. We spend all of this time preparing for the meeting, the meeting happens, and we never bring it up again. In turn, nothing changes.

There are a few simple elements that will help make it easy for you to follow up with your employee and follow through on the actions you agreed to in the meeting.

• Follow up on review outcomes. Send a recap email summarizing the results of the conversation and the three to five goals set. Ask your employee to review and confirm. This is a great way to make sure what you heard in the meeting is the same as what she heard.

• Track follow-through on action towards goals. Once a month, review progress on these goals with your employee. What’s working? What’s holding her back? How can you support her? Asking her about these goals highlights their importance and your dedication to her growth and allows room for adaptation and adjustments in real time.

Stop looking at reviews as a burden and time suck. They’re an opportunity to align and lead your team more powerfully.

When done well, the performance review process will engage your employee, create more clarity and make your role as a leader easier in the long run.

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Forbes.com | January 12, 2018

#Leadership : Lessons In Leadership From Alabama Football’s #Saban, Tagovailoa & Hurts… Make Sure you’re Building your #Team for the Future – When it’s your Turn to Be the Next Man Up, be Ready to Go, No Excuses.

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So many great moments in last night’s college football championship game. So many people stepping up in different ways. Three stand out as leaders: Coach Nick Saban being ready to make required changes and having the courage to make the changes when he needed to do so; freshman reserve quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stepping up to do what he needed to do to win the game; starting quarterback Jalen Hurts keeping his head in the game even after being pulled out.

For those of you who missed the game (and you missed quite a game), Georgia crushed Alabama in the first half, completely choking off the Alabama offense and heading into half-time with a 13-0 lead. Saban went with his back up, true freshman quarterback for the second half, leading to a heart-stopping 26-23 win in overtime.

Nick Saban

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll describes Saban’s (and Belichick’s) philosophy of “Next man up, ready to go, no excuses.”

Let’s unpack that.

“Next man up” is the result of future capability, succession and contingency planning. Saban is already building his 2025-2026 team. He’s got people scouting all the rising grade school and high school stars. He’s getting to know the players he wants on his team. He won’t get all of them. But he knows what capabilities he’s going to need on his future teams and is working to fill the gaps.

With a more short-term perspective, he does succession planning. He creates opportunities to give his future starters playing time. Back up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for example, played in over half of Alabama’s games this season, completing 49 of 77 pass attempts for 636 yards.

Saban’s contingency planning is closely linked to his succession planning. The players on his depth list need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Saban says he trusts players. “Players that do things the right way. Players who prepare the right way, practice the right way. They’re dependable.”

The “no excuses” part of the philosophy goes both ways as well. No excuses for coaches that do not give their rising stars the opportunities to learn and grow. No excuses for players that don’t get themselves ready. No excuses for not making the right moves at the right time. With Hurts struggling, Saban had Tagovailoa ready and was ready himself to make the move.

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Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa was the next man up. He was ready. He made no excuses. To be clear, he did not play perfectly. He threw an interception and suffered at least two big sacks on plays in which he should have thrown the ball away for no loss. He made a bunch of other mistakes. But, and it’s a big but, he ignited the team, made big plays to keep drives alive and score when he needed to do so. Bottom line, he delivered what the team needed to win the game.

Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts kept his head in the game, switching roles with Tagovailoa at half-time. That’s a hard switch for a starting quarterback. Throughout the second half he was right by Tagovailoa’s side on the sideline, paying attention to everything the coaches were saying and encouraging Tagovailoa and the rest of the team every step of the way. Had Saban needed to go back to Hurts, he was the next man up, ready to go, no excuses.

Implications for you

Your organization needs all sorts of leaders: artistic leaders, scientific leaders, interpersonal leaders, strategic leaders planning the alignment of forces before the battle, tactical leaders moving forces in the battle and supportive leaders. Make sure you treasure all of them.

Make sure you’re building your team for the future – with future capability planning for the long term, succession planning for the mid term and contingency planning for, wait for it, contingencies.

When it’s your turn to be the next man up, be ready to go, no excuses.

When it’s someone else’s turn, make sure you’re supporting them and ready yourself.

Click here to see all my Forbes articles and get a summary of my executive onboarding book: The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan.

Forbes.com | January 9, 2018 | George Bradt , CONTRIBUTOR