Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Leaders hold the key to solutions for their teams. Leaders who own their journey and story, share in a way that teaches others, and continuously work to write a courageous ending, know that life is still a struggle at times. It’s all a part of the journey. They know that leaders of all abilities experience life and work and ever-present challenges. They also know that the responsive and responsible leader has a key to progressing through these challenges in a way that provides guidance and direction to the team that she/he leads.

Challenges exist. Leaders who are aware of what matters now and what is truly important, view and handle challenges differently than those who get stuck in the challenge. They have a unique key. It’s the key to their success and the success of their team.

In my work with clients and their teams, I guide them through work and life challenges and keep them on the tract to success. Learning on the journey is an experience that benefits us all.

I have a client who’s had a tough first quarter. His company is facing financial woes of serious levels and, of course, this is impacting his team.

Some of the distress can be attributed to the economy. Yet a major part is due to three errors of a freshmen employee’s continued poor judgement. Let’s take a look at those three, correctable errors:

• lack of knowledge
• limited insight
• need to be viewed in a specific manner

My client is not communicating effectively in a way that supports his senior team. The senior team [all with ten or more years in their roles] is failing to hear from him what is important and what matters.

They [the team] are frustrated with his style and his ability to personally remain calm and peaceful in the middle of the current events. It gives them a sense that he doesn’t experience the stress and concern in the same way that they do and this creates a divide, instead of a sense of cohesiveness in the face of adversity.

They admire and want his key to a more meaningful, satisfying and joyful trek but, without communication, it seems like they are doing it wrong. They’re stressed, concerned, and anxious and his calm demeanor only serves to heighten their concerns, increase their stress, and raise their anxiety. Each of them has no idea how to have calm and satisfaction. They could learn if he shared his key with them.

Things are tough. The team is stressed, fearful, and, in some cases, falling apart. Their leader is following up, holding people accountable, and getting work done, amid emotion, conflict and, sometimes, the extraordinary push-pull of people.

The call of distress from one of this leader’s team came on a day when my own challenges for the first quarter have been tough. These are the times I am most true to myself and cautious to do my best not to compromise who I am, and, sometimes, that can be very hard for me.

My question for the caller was: “Do you really want his calm, peace, and level of satisfaction?”

The reply: “Yes.”

Follow up question: “What are you willing to look at and/or change to have it?”

His reply: “I don’t know.”

Follow up: “Give that some thought and we can set up a career chat call on [day and time] to discuss your answer.

Often people want what others have. Calm, peace, meaning, and a level of satisfaction rarely come without the willingness to give up something.

If you are ready for a change and your own career chat give me a call.

Elevating your team provides endless opportunities.  It also requires focus and clarity.

Understanding what may be blocking your team’s success takes energy, time and a willingness to deal with tough issues and uncertain outcomes.

One leader I love working with says elevating a team is, “Like standing on a mountain top each day and breathing in the cool clear air and seeing the world unfold in the valley below.”  Cool vision, right?!

Another leader in the same organization [who I also love working with] says, “I agree, it can be like breathing cool clear air, yet some days it is like breathing in smog, dirt and who knows what from that valley below.”  Both visions paint a vivid picture.

For some leaders, elevating a team is a hustle, for others, a struggle, and for some, a joy.  I work with those who are in the joy space.  Yet, most of those will tell you to get to joy you have to walk the hustle and struggle paths, too.

There are four phases teams tend move through:  forming, storming, norming, and performing.

To elevate your team now, understanding each phase helps.  To fully unlock the potential of your team and have consistent growth — both in people and revenue — take a look at how you can move beyond the current phase where your team resides.

Beliefs and behaviors either drive success and growth or slow or block success.  Elevation requires a look at the drivers — what beliefs and behaviors are accelerating or slowing your growth . . . and why.

What are the beliefs and behaviors of your team?  Here are two belief areas to examine:

1. Determination and decision to grow

A team has never “made it.”  People evolve, business changes, the world shifts.  What do you know about the dreams and goals of your team members?  What are their plans for growth this year?  Who is happy and stable and who isn’t seeking a challenge?

Stable teams may have developed an ‘”we are fine” attitude.  Teams can become like the ostrich burying his head in the sand to avoid danger, risk or growth.  Take a look at your team.

Who is sharing and generating ideas?  Who knows what your competitors are doing or not doing?

Who is striving and seeking ways to bring in new business?  Who is playing, has too much time, or busy trying to be liked or stand in the lime light?  Is everyone on the team determined and committed to growing?

2. Current flow of business

Business flows — it has ups and downs.  Keeping a business growing means delivering value above expectations, always looking for ways to improve individually and as a team.

Is your team always asking and thanking existing customers for their business?  Do they ask customers for referrals?

You can’t take business for granted.  Values change for your customers as they grow and evolve and therefore your customers will come and go. If business has shifted and you team prefers the status quo, it is time to undercover the beliefs and behaviors driving the preference.

Some resistance to change is human nature.  However, a strong push or pull not to change or an unwillingness to be open to shifts may indicate a BIG red flag.

Your customers are people.  All people have a lot on their plates and your team is responsible for helping customers see value, share what’s valuable about what you do and why it matters and to ask your customers for referrals and how to add value.

Are you asking these important questions?

• Who do you know that needs our product and/or service?
• How can we increase the value of our service and/or product to you?
• How else could our products and/or service meet needs that matter?

Teams are small communities, connected for a purpose. The beliefs and behaviors of the members of a team have an impact on the collective results.

When you are serious about elevating your team and having more meaning and satisfaction from your work, take time to think about the beliefs and behaviors of your team.  Clarity about who is on the team and what they do helps you quickly eliminate beliefs and behaviors that do not support the current work and your long term goals.

Understanding what leads to success and what may be blocking your team’s will be well worth the effort and time. Here is to a year with filled with purpose and impact.  To a year that matters to you and make the world a better and more peaceful place.