Tag Archives: leadership

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Children and Parents and Spouses…Oh My!

Learn to help people with more than just their jobs. Help them with their lives. – Jim Rohn

No one lives in a vacuum. We don’t work in one, either. My team has lives and marriages and kids and parents. We’ve gone through cancer, surgeries, tragic death of loved ones, divorce, problems with kids, chronic illness of parents, job loss of spouses…the list goes on and on… As a leader I can’t focus on their work-life and job performance without taking home-life into consideration. I am human, so sometimes I’ve handled these situations better than others, but I always try to err on the side of grace.

My goal is to serve my patients and my team. My team is my most valuable resource and is indispensable in the success of my practice. That means I need to make their lives better with the resources I have and genuinely care about their well-being. If I haven’t improved the lives of the families represented on my team I have failed, regardless of what the report from my accountant says.

It goes without saying that hourly wages should be fair. Bonus/incentive programs, insurance and retirement plans are always welcome. The problem with ending here? These things are the expected minimum. They are necessary but don’t actively “pour into” the lives of your team members. Here are just a few things I’ve found that seem to improve the life and well-being of my team:

  • onsite chair massage
  • back-to-school gift cards/supplies
  • seminars/certification/continuing education
  • flexible days off
  • including family in events
  • FOOD!

Maybe your team and workplace look very different from mine. Maybe you can offer working from home or in-office daycare. Maybe you’re just starting out and have ZERO extra funds to allocate. The important thing is to be observant and sensitive to the needs of your team and be creative in improving their lives at work and at home.

  • As a business owner or leader what are some creative ways you (could) invest in the lives of your team?
  • As an employee what would make a difference for you in your workplace?
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Leaving a Legacy

Memorial day has come and gone. Graduation ceremonies abound. It’s a perfect time to think of the potential that is within all of us and the legacy we will leave behind. Do you ever think about the legacy you will leave? Psalm 112:1-3 says:

1 Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord
    and delight in obeying his commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
    an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
    and their good deeds will last forever.

Their children will be successful EVERYWHERE. An ENTIRE generation will be blessed. Their good deeds will last FOREVER. Now that is a legacy! Our good decisions can bless an entire generation and our good deeds can last forever. Conversely, our poor decisions can become our legacy and influence generations to come. The decisions you make in business and in life have eternal consequences. What a privilege and responsibility!

Even if we don’t have children of our own or a protege training directly under us, we all have successors. Any child near you is watching everything you do (much more than they are listening to what you say.) You have teams at work and church. Maybe you lead a class or hold a political office. I have nieces and patients and young church friends and members of my community who are watching the decisions I make and how I handle myself.

Who is YOUR “next generation?”

What legacy do you want to leave? What are you doing to cultivate your legacy?

 

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It IS What They Hear!

“I am responsible for what I say…not what you hear!” I’ve seen several friends share something similar to this on Facebook over the past couple of years. It sounds perfectly logical…if you live in a vacuum and don’t care about relationships or communication.

It’s true that you can’t MAKE someone understand you. You can’t GUARANTEE that your words will be understood and your feelings will be conveyed. However, it’s your responsibility as a leader, mentor, parent, student, teacher, doctor, etc to communicate with your audience in mind. You can throw up your hands, turn your head and say “Oh well! I told them. Not my fault if they didn’t get it!” or you can take a little time and effort to do your best to communicate your thoughts, feelings and intentions. In my life I do this on a daily basis by:

  • Not using jargon. Words, phrases and abbreviations might be very commonplace to you but sound like a foreign language to others. Your audience might not ask you for clarification because they don’t want to look “stupid.” Don’t put them in that position. Often our jargon becomes second-nature. Ask someone to bring it to your attention if you have trouble catching yourself.
  • Mirroring my audiences communication style. On a daily basis I might talk to a surgeon, elementary teacher, factory worker, teenager and an elderly patient with dementia. I don’t change who I am depending on who I’m talking to, but I certainly change my communication style to make sure I am understood. Always remember to whom you’re speaking.
  • Restating key points in a different way. Don’t be needlessly repetitive, but make sure to state the same key point using different words at a different time during the conversation. It might be that second phrase that really sticks.
  • Reading (to the best of my ability) my audience’s expression and body language. Granted, some people don’t HAVE expressions or appropriate body language, but you can often tell if someone is confused, uncomfortable or bored. This is important information. Use it!

If you take an “it’s not my problem” approach to communication you’ll never grow as a leader or a person. What techniques do you employ to assure you are understood?

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Intrapreneur???

Hopefully you read the previous post “Every Walt Needs a Roy.” If you haven’t read it yet, just go ahead and click on it over there on the right —> and read it now.

Every Walt needs a Roy and intrapreneurs are an important asset to a business of almost any size. Intrapreneur is a term that you might not be familiar with. It has been coined just in the past 30 years or so. Intrapreneur describes a person within an organization who is given the resources and freedom to make things happen but doesn’t take on the risks and responsibilities of the entrepreneur. They are often responsible for turning an idea into a finished product.

We’ve all heard and read about the importance of delegation. We can’t be everywhere and do everything. As a business owner, the risk and responsibility ultimately ends up on our desk. Some very talented people don’t have the desire to take up that role but can still take “ownership” over some of the operations. If you can give some resources and freedom to a trusted team member you might be surprised at how much more can be accomplished within your organization. Give someone the opportunity to grow and surprise you. Show appreciation when they do.

If you are in an organization where you are not the owner don’t ever underestimate what you can bring to your employer. Taking ownership of a project or some area of operation is a great way to expand your skill set and increase your team’s confidence in your abilities. Think of yourself as being in business for yourself. Your product is you! You can package, market and sell your benefits to your employer and everyone wins.

If you are an entrepreneur, recognize a good intrapreneur when you see one. If you are an employee, don’t be afraid to step up and be that team member who makes things happen.