Apr
22
See my latest blog post on the ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) website … Click Here! Also, follow that link to the ASTD website and click on “Wesley Woods” located beneath the title of the blog post to view my other posts on that website.
Apr
11
There is no ominous music playing when people enter your office. You don’t have an evil master plan sitting in the middle of your desk. There is no sinister grin frozen to your face signaling your desire to take over the world. So, why does your staff treat you like the world’s worst villain?
If you are in the leadership seat during a period of severe budget cuts, massive restructuring and ultimately layoffs, you will probably get some of the blame (whether it’s fair or not). There is a natural tendency to blame the leadership (administrators, managers, president, ceo, etc.) of the organization when restructuring takes place. What determines whether or not you will be viewed as a villain is how you handle those situations.
Here are some specific steps you can take as a leader to shed your image as an organizational villain:
This isn’t Hollywood – You aren’t a movie star and the rest of your employees aren’t the paparazzi. Stop hiding! Make yourself available for informal discussions about the current state of the company, school district, etc. It’s great to have a policy where people can call you via phone, but it’s better to give the option of meeting with you in person during a select time. To be most effective, you need to frequently reiterate your interest to meet with others and give your office hours more than once to ease employee apprehension about speaking with you (Note: Many people have apprehension about meeting with/voicing concerns with their boss – make it easy for people to meet with you).
Keep people informed – Do you want to know a quick and highly effective method for fueling fear, worry and gossip? The answer…SILENCE! Keeping your staff in the dark about potential layoffs will add stress to your employees and negatively affect their confidence in the organization. Just be honest. Let them know in advance the best-case and worst-case scenarios due to economic conditions so that people can mentally prepare for whatever future decisions need to be made (Note: Let all communication be as positive as possible, but show how the changes will help the organization as a whole stay afloat and become stronger).
Make firm/fair decisions (and live with your decision) – Don’t second-guess yourself. Make a firm/fair decision and speak with confidence (not arrogance) as you are articulating your decisions. People are analyzing you more than what you actually say.
Ask for opinions – Want to know the three ways to reduce waste in the company? Want to know the two key methods for bringing in more customers. Would you like to know the four ways to make your organization more efficient and streamline processes? It’s simple, ASK! People are ready and willing to share multiple ideas to strengthen the organization. The key is that you will have to go to them first. Encourage employees to share ideas but ensure that your motives are pure so the endeavor won’t appear as mere window dressing to pacify the masses.
As a special bonus, you can receive “The 3 Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make and How to Avoid Them” for FREE! Click Here!
Mar
30
I recently took a road trip through parts of the southern U.S. It was a scenic trip filled with lots of relaxation and a whole lot of eating, uh hmm, to support the local economies of course (don’t worry…my doctor doesn’t believe that excuse either).
On one of my “supporting local economies” food excursions, I visited a nondescript restaurant that had amazing food, but that’s not what impressed me. What impressed me most about this restaurant was the impact the waitress had on my dining experience. Now, it’s often said that people in the southern U.S. are hospitable/friendly, but the attitude and actions of the waitress made me think of the overall impact that we can have on our organizations.
No matter what your official title is or your pay grade, you have the ability to make a difference in your organization and with your customers. It doesn’t matter if you are an Administrative Assistant or CEO, each day you are making some kind of impact (whether positive or negative) in the organization. Don’t ever think for a moment that what you do is insignificant or that “doing the right thing” doesn’t matter.
You may be wondering at this point what the waitress did that was so significant. It’s simple, she cared. Not only did she care about each customer, she cared enough to make my experience memorable by treating me like another member of the family. Question – Do you care about your organization? Are you making a positive impact in your organization on a daily basis? What can you do today to make a memorable experience for your customers or end-users? Remember, everything that you do in your organization matters.
What did you think about this post? Please leave your comments below.
Mar
02
Simple question – who are you? Think about that for a moment. Do you define yourself as Mr./Ms. Smith who works at ABC Company? Does your job title, position, automobile or home location define who you are? Better yet, think of it this way. If the job, car and home were all gone, who would you be then?
All too often in business there is an unhealthy merging of our personal identity with what we do as a profession (this is not a discussion of branding were you may in fact infuse your identity with your product). The problem with attaching your personal identity to your job is that if you lose your job, what do you do then?
As a result of working in corporate America for 13 years, I’ve seen countless individuals devote all of their heart, mind and soul to their profession at the expense of destroying family/personal relationships. They would be quick to attend the after-work event but never had time to attend their children’s baseball games. They could spend an entire day in a horribly boring meeting but never find the time to listen to their spouse at home.
The purpose of this post isn’t to make you feel guilty, but rather to make you think about what’s really important in life.
This is what I want you to do. Take some time to identify who you are. No, not the corporate “you” that everyone sees each day but the real you. Next, identify what’s really important in your life. Lastly, decide to make one change today that will create greater balance in your life.
What did you think about this post? Please leave your comments below.
Feb
22
Here’s the typical scenario. You make the announcement that there will be a staff meeting after school and instantly, the atmosphere in the building changes. You can almost feel the teachers cringing at the thought of another wonderful (catch the sarcasm) meeting. Why is your team so resistant? Don’t they want to improve the school and share best practices to engage and inspire students?
Let’s be clear…your teachers support school improvement initiatives and are very interested in new ways to engage students. That’s not the problem. There is a specific reason why your staff is so resistant. I’m forewarning you, this may hurt. The reason teachers hate staff meetings is because most meetings are boring and/or pointless. How many times have you scanned the room during your meeting and observed teachers using their smartphone, having side conversations, or looking as if they would rather have a root canal as opposed to being in the meeting?
Here’s the solution
Let’s start from the beginning. The purpose of a meeting is to inform, align and implement strategy. Oftentimes, too much time is wasted on topics or discussions that have nothing to do with implementing the strategy. So, instead of focusing on enagaging and inspiring students, let’s focus for a moment on how to engage your teachers to get the most out of each staff meeting.
5 tips to breathe life back into your meetings
Following these simple steps will help you create more effective meetings. As a special bonus for school administrators, you can receive “The 3 Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make and How to Avoid Them” and “How to Keep Your Sanity as an Administrator” for FREE! Click Here!
The 3 Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make and How to Avoid Them