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#Leadership : #MangingPeople – Why Companies Should Stop Trying So Hard to Make their Employees Happy. A Must REad for Every #Manger !

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Companies often promise their employees happiness to attract and retain the brightest talent—but in reality, if you want happy employees, you need to hire happy people.

The thing is, happiness isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and is extremelydifficult to deliver. Offering perks like free yoga in the office, catered lunches, or gym reimbursements could theoretically make some employees happy. However, it may not mean anything at all to those who value flexible work programs or better learning opportunities.

Guaranteeing your employees happiness will result in an ongoing uphill battle. There will always be individuals in the organization who are unhappy, no matter what the company provides in terms of perks and benefits. To create a great workplace environment, you need to make a simple paradigm shift. Stop trying so hard to make your employees happy, and focus on their satisfaction instead. Here are three ways that you can do that:

1. GIVE YOUR EMPLOYEES OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AND DEVELOP

Employees won’t be engaged unless they’re doing meaningful, challenging work. That goes beyond leveraging their skills and knowledge in the current role.

You might argue that just like happiness, “meaning” is a subjective thing that differs from employee to employee, and you would be right. However, there is a way for you to cultivate this kind of environment. As Stephanie Vozza previously wrote for Fast Company, you can remind your team why their work matters in the context of bigger organizational goals. As Bill Donoghue, CEO of the training provider solutions Skillsoft, told Vozza, “Every individual needs to feel a sense of ‘I matter,’ that showing up every day makes a difference.”

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2. CREATE A CULTURE OF CONSISTENT FEEDBACK

Of course, you can’t help an employee grow without understanding their goals, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. That’s why you need to ensure that there is a culture of continuous feedback.

Don’t create the expectation and practice that feedback only happens within the confines of an annual review. This kind of structure makes it drastically less effective and creates more anxiety than improvement. According to a 2016 survey by data firm Clutch, 68% of employees who receive accurate and consistent feedback feel fulfilled in their jobs.

Creating this kind of culture goes beyond instructing your managers to do so. You need to establish transparent processes and guidelines, and train managers so that they’re aligned and consistent in how they approach the employee experience.

Feedback shouldn’t be a one-way street either. Employees need to be able to provide feedback up, down, and across the company, and they need to have the opportunity to share their ideas for improvement with the company. Employees that feel their voices are heard are nearly five times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work, according to a 2018 Gallup survey. When companies encourage employees to take an active role in their own growth and development—as well as contribute to the development of their manager, peers, and company culture via feedback, they will naturally feel more invested and engaged.

3. FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

The third pillar of employee engagement centers on creating a strong sense of community, belonging, and support within the workplace. Companies should make it easy for employees to connect with those who have similar interests or experiences—like creating affinity groups for women in tech or new parents. While the company can’t possibly form and manage all of the employee interest groups that people want, you can provide a platform for employees to do so organically.

Many companies spend time and effort trying to bring happiness in the workplace—but they’re putting their focus on the wrong thing. Companies should strive to maximize employee satisfaction. When you create an environment where employees feel engaged, you’ll probably find that happiness comes naturally.

Author: Deena Fox is the CEO and Founder of Brightfox.

 

FastCompany.com | July 21, 2019

#Leadership : #Managing – The 3 Magic Questions Leaders Should Ask When #Delegating .

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Too often leaders conclude their task assignment/delegation process with the most useless question on the planet , “Now, do you understand?” or the equally impotent “Any questions?” The simple truth is that both questions feel rhetorical and don’t tend to elicit any authentic feedback on the recipient’s true level of understanding or comfort with the task they’ve just been assigned.

In fact, these completely ineffective, reflexive type statements do just the opposite – they tend to create the appearance of clarity, consensus, and understanding when the employee may indeed be internally struggling with questions or concerns or worse yet may be stuck in the land of unconscious incompetence where they don’t know what they don’t know.

This false sense of security can bring grave consequences indeed. While the leader moves on mentally to another task or project completely unaware that the task they’ve just assigned is flailing at best, the employee might be riddled with anxiety, spinning their wheels doing the wrong work, or worse yet, letting the task fall through the cracks completely.

The truth is that delegation only works when both parties have a common understanding of the expected deliverable, timeframe, and scope. Without that common understanding, the “delegation conversation” can become nothing more than a massive waste of time creating an illusion of progress.

As a strategy consultant years ago, we realized the hard way that our projects couldn’t afford the significant cost associated with ineffective delegation. To minimize that risk we began using these three “magic questions” of delegation.

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The 3 Magic Questions of Delegation

Question #1 – What is your understanding of the task?

What you say and what they hear are often two different things, so asking this question is key. When they repeat the task back in their own words, you get a sense of what they actually internalized. For example, if you’ve just asked a subordinate to develop some slides for an upcoming client presentation focused on your company’s new focus on research and development, you might say something like this….

”Ann, thanks so much for taking a stab at this. I know this is a new area for all of us and some of the back and forth emails can get confusing. Just to be sure I haven’t confused you, would you mind just summarizing your understanding of the task before we finish up?”

While it may seem like overkill to conduct this additional check, it’s interesting to note that many mission-critical jobs require these types of confirmations (e.g. pilots repeating back air traffic control issued coordinates for example). In life or death situations this quick check to ensure everyone is on the same page is well worth the additional time investment, and it’s a great best practice that many leaders should adopt.

Question #2 – What does the final product actually look like?

During my strategy consulting years, we incorporated this best practice after getting burned by delivering an extensive market research focused Powerpoint deck when we later found out that the client expected detailed financial analysis/projections instead….oops! Our team and the client’s team both kept throwing around the term “business plan”, but we hadn’t actually taken the time to break down what that deliverable would actually look like, and by the time we realized there was a disconnect, it was indeed too late.

For this question you want to ask the person doing the work to give you an early view, mock up, or example of what the final product will look like. To help move away from the vague labels and toward specificity, you might ask them to clarify issues like these:

  • What application will be used to produce the deliverable (e.g. PPT, Excel, Word, MS Project, etc.)?
  • How long will the deliverable be (paragraph, 1 page, 10 pages, etc.)?
  • What format will it include (prose, bullet points, table, chart, diagram, visuals, etc.)? If it’s a table, what will be the fields? Which axes will define the chart?

Remember that you can achieve this clarity a few different ways: asking them to describe the deliverable, asking them to produce a small sample, or asking them to share a previous similar deliverable from a different project. Yes, you can absolutely take this too far and inadvertently wander into micromanager boss territory so remember that the goal is not to pin down every detail at this stage but instead to get a general sense of what the output will actually look like so that when you see the final product you’re not blindsided.

Question #3 – What will be your first three next steps?

Most leaders know the dread of that feeling like they can’t sleep at night because they’re riddled with anxiety not knowing what is happening (or not happening) with that critical task they just delegated. They can’t help but wonder whether critical next steps are being attended to. They may be mentally overwhelmed with questions like… “Did Jessie remember to carve out time on the VP’s calendar to be sure she can attend the client presentation? Has someone really vetted the new vendor to be sure they’ll deliver on time?

Did someone make sure to reserve enough conference rooms for demos so we don’t end up scrambling at the last minute to find rooms to conduct key meetings?” While it’s important to recognize that delegation absolutely requires the ability to relinquish control, asking the simple question “What are the first three next steps you’ll be working on?” can help minimize that nagging anxiety.  This feedback reassures the leader that the project is on the right track or more importantly, provides a window for them to provide additional input or course correct if things aren’t moving in the right direction.

Admittedly, you’ll want to use your own discretion to determine when and with whom to use the three magic questions. It’s not a one size fits all best practice, and for some (tasks or staff) it might be unnecessary. While the questions might seem a bit didactic, the truth is that delegation only works when expectations are crystal clear.  These three simple questions can evoke that clarity that can mean the difference between a successful delegation and an unmitigated disaster.

Forbes.com | June 5, 2019

#Leadership : Leadership is a Role, & the Best Managers are Brilliant Actors…You were Selected to the Role of Leader for a Reason, to Perform. That Performance goes Beyond Delivering Results. It Includes Portraying That you Know What you’re Doing, even Though you Sometimes Don’t.

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Imagine having your team go from five people to 80 in an instant.  That’s what happened to Mike Calihan, a senior executive with Aldridge Electric Inc., a national infrastructure construction company based in Chicago.

Free- Man on Skateboard with Sign on Ground

He had been a project manager, managing relatively small electrical projects. He had been involved in crafting a response to a bid put out by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

As he tells it, “It was a longshot, because we hadn’t managed a project for this type of work at the scale specified in the bid.”

Calihan had a big-gulp moment when the bid was opened and he saw that Aldridge had won the contract. He was tapped to lead the behemoth project, which meant leading a team that was 16 times larger than he had ever led before.

As he explains it, “At first, I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I was in way over my head, and scared as hell.” When asked how he went from being a manager of five people to a leader of eighty, he replied, “Sometimes you have to fake it till you make it. You don’t start with the skills; you develop them along the way.”

A lot of leadership and organizational development books have started to underscore the importance of authenticity. When you’re a leader, the people you’re leading want to know that the power that accompanies your leadership hasn’t gone to your head.

They want to know that you “get” that leadership is a privilege, not an entitlement, and that you still pull up your own britches, just like they do. People want to know that you remember your roots and that you haven’t forgotten where you came from. In short, they want to know that you’re real.

 

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It’s important to remember, though, that leadership is not just a way of being and behaving, it’s a role. And when you’re in the role of leader, you have to perform that role. What you display to others sometimes has to be based on what the role calls for, and what others’ need, versus what you may actually be feeling.

For example, if people are freaking out about a large new acquisition the organization is making, you’ll only get them more upset if you freak out, too, even if you quietly are. What you portray and what you’re actually feeling may sometimes be at odds. But you don’t lead people according to where they are, you lead them according to where they need to go.

Often that means that your leadership demeanor needs to be compensatory to your followers’ demeanor. When people are freaking out, you need to portray confidence and resolve. When people are complacent and apathetic, you need to portray worry and concern. This may not exactly be authentic, but it’s what people need and what the role of leader calls for you to portray.

You, authentically inauthentic

The trick is not to be so caught up in your leadership role that you look like a histrionic Shakespearean thespian. You’ve still got to be real and unpretentious.

When you don’t know something, you still have to be honest about it. It’s just that you also have to cloak your true feelings every now and then. When you do, you’ll often start out with one set of feelings and end with another anyway.

At the start of a big hairy project, you may be full of knee-knocking fear — and keeping your anxiety under wraps will serve the project better than if you inject it into everyone else.

The more you get into the project, the more the fear will start to lift and confidence will start to grow. Yes, as Calihan suggested, after faking it you start to make it.

By the way, feeling like you’re faking it will be a predominant feeling throughout your career.

It’s normal and natural for leaders to have a nagging feeling that this is the day they’ll be found out.

No leader has all the answers to every problem, so it takes a lot of improvisation. You’ll be making up a lot of stuff as you go along.

As you do, people still need to see you as competent. They don’t expect you to have all the answers, they just expect you to not shrink from the questions. Here are some tips for being a Genuine Faker:

  • Let ’em see you: People need to know that you have a life outside of work, just like them. They need to see your non-work identity. Occasionally share stories from your family life. Let people know what you like to do for fun outside of work. Include pictures from your outside-of-work life in your workspace. Show people who you really are when you step outside of the role of leader.
  • Plumb your unconfident past: Think about moments in your career when you felt in over your head. What was the situation/opportunity, and how did it come about? How did you deal with your lack of confidence? How did your confidence evolve as the situation/opportunity progressed? How transparent was what you were experiencing to others around you? How might the lessons from that situation/opportunity be used as a reference point when you feel over your head in future situations?
  • Clarify Point B: Leadership often involves moving people from Point A to Point B. The behaviors required to be successful at Point B are usually different than those at Point A. As a leader, you have to practice the behaviors that the future requires before others will catch on. People take cues from you. Draw a line down a piece of paper and create two headers: Point A and Point B. Differentiate between the behaviors that make a person successful today (Point A) versus the behaviors that will make a person successful after they’ve moved to Point B. Acting as the leader means adopting the Point B behaviors before others do.

Bill Treasurer is the chief encouragement officer of Giant Leap Consulting, Inc. He is the author of four books, including “Leaders Open Doors: A Radically Simple Leadership Approach to Lift People, Profits, and Performance” (TD Press, 2014). Learn more atGiantLeapConsulting.com.

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Read the original article on SmartBrief. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email listfor our daily newsletter on being a better leader and communicator. Copyright 2016. Follow SmartBrief on Twitter.

Businessinsider.com | April 28, 2016 | Bill Treasurer, SmartBrief

#Leadership: 9 Brilliant Business Books you can Read in an Afternoon…Best Business Books under 150 pages. All you Need is an Afternoon to Read Through these Greats.

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Starting a new book can seem daunting and overly time-consuming. The good news is there are several short business books loaded with powerful information about selling, managing, and investing. We compiled a list of the best business books under 150 pages that you can start and finish in an afternoon.

man reading book london

All you need is an afternoon to read through these greats.

It’s no secret that reading can help you get ahead. The most accomplished people tend to love to read.

However, starting a new book can seem daunting and overly time-consuming. The good news is there are several short business books loaded with powerful information about selling, managing, and investing. We compiled a list of the best business books under 150 pages that you can start and finish in an afternoon.

 

‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ by Spencer Johnson

'Who Moved My Cheese?' by Spencer Johnson

Penguin Books/Amazon

“Who Moved My Cheese?” made it on “Shark Tank” investor Daymond John’s list of business books that changed his life.

Johnson’s parable was an instant hit when it came out in 1998 and has continued to be a bestseller over the past decade. It tells the story of two mice, Scurry and Sniff, and two sprite-like people, Hem and Haw, living in a maze where the location of the cheese suddenly begins changing every day.

Johnson wrote the book as the internet started becoming more accessible, causing companies around the world to adapt and learn new ways of doing business. Its lessons on how to let go of a fear of change are timeless.

‘As a Man Thinketh’ by James Allen

'As a Man Thinketh' by James Allen

Tribecca Books/Amazon

This short classic should be on every entrepreneur’s bookshelf. Published in 1902, “As a Man Thinketh” contains wisdom that transcends time. Author and coach Tony Robbins says he often recommends it to people “because it’s so small and easy to read and so profound.” He’s read it at least a dozen times.

In the book, Allen emphasizes that your life is completely under your control rather than in the hands of fate, luck, or external circumstances. To be successful, he says you must first be successful in your mind.

 

‘How to Lie with Statistics’ by Darrell Huff

'How to Lie with Statistics' by Darrell Huff

W.W. Norton & Company/Amazon

If “How to Lie with Statistics” worked for Bill Gates, it could work for you. The business magnate and bookworm included Huff’s 150-page book about how statistics can be deceptive on his list of summer must-reads.

Although it was written in 1954, Gates promises it doesn’t feel dated. Rather, it will make you feel smarter and more skeptical of the things you read.

‘The Greatest Salesman in the World’ by Og Mandino

'The Greatest Salesman in the World' by Og Mandino

Bantam Books/Amazon

To be great in business, you need to be a great salesman. If you can’t sell your ideas, product, or services, you won’t make it.

In “The Greatest Salesman in the World,” which has been around since 1968, Mandino offers several simple, yet powerful, truths in a very clear and compelling style. His parable takes place in ancient Jerusalem and is about a camel boy, Hafid, who’s master is a very wealthy trader. Hafid hopes to uncover his master’s key to success, and the trader guides him by passing on 10 scrolls filled with wisdom.

 

‘The One Minute Manager’ by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

'The One Minute Manager' by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

Blanchard Family/Amazon

Another one of Daymond John’s picks, “The One Minute Manager” is a guide to effective communication between bosses and their employees.

Blanchard and Johnson say managers can explain a task to employees within a minute, as well as take just 60 seconds to offer praise or criticism. In addition to describing the “one-minute manager,” the authors offer advice about lowering barriers between managers and their employees, and how to communicate as directly as possible.

A new and updated edition of this business bestseller, “The New One Minute Manager,” came out in May.

‘The Investment Answer’ by Daniel C. Goldie and Gordon S. Murray

'The Investment Answer' by Daniel C. Goldie and Gordon S. Murray

Hachette Book Group/Amazon

Goldie and Murray’s guide to investing, “The Investment Answer,” is under 100 pages and focuses on five decisions every investor has to make. These include whether to invest alone or with a professional; how to allocate among stocks, bonds, and cash; and when to sell or buy assets.

Murray, a Wall Street veteran, and Goldie, a financial adviser, keep their guide brief and jargon-free for any investor — experienced, beginner, and everyone in between.

‘The Richest Man in Babylon’ by George S. Clason

'The Richest Man in Babylon' by George S. Clason

Classic House Books/Amazon

Clason’s celebrated bestseller will teach you everything you need to know about personal finance through a compelling series of parables that take place in the historical city of Babylon.

“The Richest Man in Babylon” teaches you the principles of paying yourself first, living below your means, and investing in yourself, among other timeless financial lessons.

‘Marketing: A Love Story’ by Bernadette Jiwa

'Marketing: A Love Story' by Bernadette Jiwa

Bernadette Jiwa/Amazon

Jiwa compiles several popular blog posts in her book about great marketing in a digital age.

“Marketing: A Love Story” encourages a different approach to business and entrepreneurship: to stop selling things and start telling stories. In a day when consumers are much more aware about how they’re being marketed to, it is becoming more important to see through the eyes of customers and convey exactly how they are going to feel if they buy into your product or idea.

‘Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals’ by Thomas Corley

'Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals' by Thomas Corley

Langdon Street Press/Amazon

To be successful in business, it’s important to establish good personal finance habits.

“Rich Habits” author Thomas Corley spent five years studying the lives of both rich people and poor people, and managed to segment out what he calls “rich habits” and “poverty habits,” meaning the tendencies of those who fit in each group.

His 94-page book outlines these findings and shows how even the simplest of habits, such as regular exercise or calling friends on their birthdays, could increase your chances of attaining wealth.

 

Now check out the best business books to read in your 20s:

Now check out the best business books to read in your 20s:

Flickr / Francisco Osorio

30 business books every professional should read before turning 30

http://www.businessinsider.com/9-brilliant-business-books-you-can-read-in-an-afternoon-2015-6?op=1#ixzz3crgB9Dlz