After the Storm

"After a storm comes a calm." Matthew Henry     Happy Friday!   Based on the reactions I got from the last Daily Crumb, I know many of you can relate to the Storming phase of a developing and dynamic work environment.  Whether you are in a small, intimate work environment or a large one, the process of evolving into a high performing team is the same.   There is much pain and emotion required to drive out the behavior that disrupts a teams ability to perform while providing an environment of safety and inclusion.  That process is necessary, because as I have heard it said,  "You can't conquer something you won't confront."  Many organizations get stuck in the Storming phase because they won't confront.  Conflict is sometimes necessary to provide resolution.  That mandates that a company not be afraid to stop making widgets and focus on the people.  Focusing on the people requires a champion - someone who can arbitrate fairly...without prejudice and bias .   Once a champion is identified there are 5 things a leader can do to get the team through the Storm;    #1 - Listen. - There are many sides to any story.  Consider every point to be valid.  Even in what appears to be complaining and finger-pointing, there is a multi-dimensional challenge presented - which will point to a multi-dimensional solution.    "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway       #2 - See their perspective.  There is an Native American proverb that says, "Never judge a person until you walk a mile in their moccasins".  Empathy means going beyond what you think or feel and seeing things through the eyes of the people on your team.  From the broom room to the board room, everyone has a unique perspective.  Get in touch with it!   #3 - Find the common ground.  I understand that not everything can be agreed upon and every strategy can not be built on consensus.  The best leaders can take a collage of ideas and build a unified plan that people can get behind and execute.   "I like to see myself as a bridge builder, that is me building bridges between people, between races, between cultures, between politics, trying to find common ground." T. D. Jakes     #4 - Build agreement. Once the plan of getting the team through the storm has been developed, you have to get buy-in.  Sure, not everyone will agree on every point but once the plan is made, there can be no dissention or distraction.  This is the moment where everyone should "speak now, or hold their peace".   #5 - Stick to it.  Some of the detractors of the team are waiting to see if the plan will be followed through.  The worse thing an organization can do is announce something and then not do it.  That is where some of the storming comes from - not being able to rely on the last memo or initiative.  Good leaders follow through on promises.   "Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there." Josh Billings     To my leaders that are fighting to get their teams to work together, to accomplish greater things, I know what is like to fight the complex battles.  I also know what it is like to take people through this difficult stage into high performance.  I can tell you it is worth it.  Let me encourage the leaders and the members of the team that it can get better and that there is high-performance peace...    After the Storm!   Until Monday, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Survive the Storm!

"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship."   Louisa May Alcott    The storm of Disagreement.    It is going to happen anytime you put more than one person in the room.  I have counseled many small business owners that have their first real problems when they hire their first employees.   What was once a simple unilateral decision now involves second guessing, debate and dissension if the people don't agree on the strategy.  That is why organizations have to have leaders.  Someone to direct the strategy and provide guidance...someone to break the tie.   It can be a power struggle.  That is why so many managers and leaders engage a autocratic "my way or the high way". approach.  While it cuts down on the energy it takes to get things done, it is not effective in building an inclusive high-performance culture.   That takes time.   We know that the 4 stages of the team are  Forming - Storming - Norming - Performing.   Disagreements will be high in Stage 2 - Storming. It is the stage where employees will "test the fence" and see what the real boundaries are.  They will act out passive aggressively or point fingers at others.  Cliques, coups and water cooler sessions serve to undermine the organization.   This is normal.   That is why there are 4 stages.  As I have told my kids often -   "You don't get to skip any steps on the road to greatness... only mediocrity allows shortcuts."   Don't panic - Storming is the hardest phase, but it is the most important. It is when you will find out what you really have.  Some of the people on your team won't make it through this period.  That is ok - it is better that they leave now before the critical missions.  Structure, process and true leadership are developed through storms.  You find out who is committed in the storm.    It wont be pretty...but it is necessary.   How do I know Natalie has my back?  How we endured storms.  How do I know I can count on my sister, Donna?  She was there before, during and after my storms.  Many of my friends and  colleagues are gone...they didn't endure the storm (In fairness, I may not have endured theirs either!).  LinkedIn and Facebook likes are good for social media statistics and networking, but you can't build a life on superficial relationships!   You need storms to know who is with you.  It may not be the people you thought.  Nonetheless...   When the storm is gone, look around and see who is still standing... that is your team.   If you have something at stake, if it matters, if you want more than just a sample of the good life, then you will have to face storms head on.  Don't worry, as my momma used to say, "   "Trouble don't last always...this too shall pass.  If you got a made up mind you will"...   Survive the Storm!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

A Simple Misunderstanding!

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Stephen Covey     I have worked in dynamic work environments for many years.  I am first and foremost a strategist.  The things an organization does has to be focused on results.  Those results will come from The People and The Process.   The Process can be spelled out very linearly, in progressive steps  - 1,2,3,4.  It has metrics that allow it to be objective and quantified.  It works...or it doesn't.   The People - that's another matter entirely!  Each person wanting things to go their way, for their voice to be heard to be respected. It is hard to predict or control what people will do in any given moment.   Besides being a strategist, I am also a diplomat.  That does not mean I pander to two sides hoping they both like me.  I try to see the bigger picture realizing that each person brings part of the problem, but also brings part of the solution.  There is no place for emotion with diplomacy, but emotions can run high when the stakes are high.   When I sit with two people I know chances are neither of them is totally right...or totally wrong.  Motives often drive the way people see the situation.  If they only see their side then they will fight to "hold their ground".    Myopathy, or "see it my way" mentality is at the heart of their dissention that sometimes manifests in disruptive or passive aggressive behavior.  They become Paul Anka...I Did It My Way!   You can not run a business, a marriage or a family that way.    What is the hardest thing to achieve?   Agreement.   What is the easiest thing to do?   Disagree.   What will people have to do to achieve real success?   Understand.   I will bring more insight into this challenge that married couples, parents with their kids, and organizations with 5, 10, or 1,000 employees face everyday...    A Simple Misunderstanding!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

You Got Heart Kid!

Happy Monday!   Over the next few weeks, you will notice some changes in this daily feature.  I have come to realize that over half my readers aren't in sales but correlate the things I talk about to their life.   The reality is...everyone is in sales.  From the kid trying to get his first fast food job, to the college graduate doing their first oral presentation.   "To me, job titles don't matter. Everyone is in sales. It's the only way we stay in business" Harvey Mackay     Don't worry sales folks, there will always be a lesson in it for you, too! You Got Heart Kid! What does the number 145 represent?   I won't leave you in suspense.  That is my I.Q.  Impressed?  You should be.  That is considered highly intelligent.  Just 25 points away from being the next Einstein.  The number 25 never looked so big...right?   Do you remember this carton?  It was called Pinky and the Brain.  One lovable and one despicable.  The two characters are reminiscent of Lennie and George from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (those 25 points are shrinking fast!).   If you recall, Brain relies on...well his brain and Pinky...his heart.  No matter the situation or circumstance, the Brain is continually foiled while Pinky emerges unscathed. Makes the case that the heart knows best.   "What the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow." James Stephens      Despite my high I.Q, I would tell you that my heart rules me. I understand that the brain is an organ, but the heart is a muscle.  By definition, that means that your heart can grow by exercise and use.  It's power of intuition, inspiration and instinct can be cultivated and enlarged by strenuous activity.   The brain knows...but the heart feels. We give the brain too much credit when it is our heart that does the heavy lifting of our lives.  For example, take the mouth.  The words you speak.   People think that the brain controls the mouth.    Dead wrong.   Your heart does.   "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34   Sometimes the brain and the heart play tug of war.  Many people let the brain win.  Not me.  Sure I have the same battle everyone else does, but my heart usually wins.  Some examples;   Just the other day, a older woman on the phone said some insensitive things about race (not knowing my ethnicity).  My brain had every snappy comeback since the Emancipation Proclamation, but my heart said, "No...just love on her".  I did.    I felt better.   I had a client that I drove an hour to see only to find that she had to sign up under an retiree exchange and not an independent broker.  She was confused and told me the exchange was very little help.  My brain said, "This is your last appointment, go home".  My heart said, "Here is your chance to be a blessing...you can spare an hour".  I did.  She cried and hugged me.    I felt better.   Think of the last time your heart overruled your brain.  I bet it felt good.  People don't say and do cruel things because their minds are small...their hearts are.  My momma used to say,   "Don't think before you speak... feel before you speak."    I tell people to get HeartSmart.  It is a mindset of service and genuine gratitude for the opportunity to serve.  Not subservient or acquiescent where people will run over you, but a mindset that allows people to feel your genuine nature.  It fosters trust - the single greatest factor in closing a sale (see, I told you there would be a connection!)   Want to sell better? Get HeartSmart   Want to connect better? Get HeartSmart.   Want to live better?  Get HeartSmart.   Today, allow your heart to win an argument or two against your brain.  It is possible since...    You Got Heart Kid!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

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