Active Listening in the workplace (and the rest of life) does not come naturally for many--myself included, and I lead this group! Those who master this skill build better relationships, find more meaningful clarity, achieve goals, maximize potential, and develop superior problem-solving skills. For these reasons alone, and there are several more, we as leaders must enhance our listening skills.
Every great leader starts by defining the Culture of their team and organization. The Culture is determined by thinking about the organization's Mission, Vision, and values as well as why it does what it does. Sometimes, even more importantly, how it does what it does and by what rules it behaves!
Every leader must make time to do this! These behaviors determine team engagement.
I do not know about you, but I do not like being or feeling stuck! However, I do find myself from time to time in a stagnate state. Stagnate in mindset and action. I believe this to be a function of lack of discipline and inattention to results. Or ... just being human!
From a personal standpoint, to be innovative might seem to be fake or not being yourself. But to be the same person 5 years from now does not seem too smart either. To be authentically innovative from a personal standpoint sounds much better.
Ethics bleed into all we do and wherever we do it in our lives. Understanding our individual and organizational compass is critical in leadership. As circumstances evolve and technology expands and tests our limits, what keeps our personal and corporate behaviors in check? Our ethics does that. How we behave when no one is looking is critical for success in any organization but sometimes overlooked or assumed to be a certain way.
When building your mindset and behavioral beliefs, my question is, does your model of mindset and behavior beliefs align with the organization? If not, why? If so, how can you grow and expand it?
Recently I had a conversation with a client that made me stop and think about my own performance and attitude. Our conversation centered on why some people seem so much more successful than others do. More importantly, why are some more successful than others? After all, we all have 24 hour, 7 day weeks right?
It became clear to me very quickly, some did what others were simply unable or unwilling to do! More over, the ones who were held accountable – grew by leaps and bounds. Why you ask… because they were coached and held to a higher standard! They were able to set goals and maximize their output without getting burnt out.
What we discussed was a few simple character traits that seemed to contribute to their overall success:
Elevated leadership skills are necessary for the constantly changing business environment we face daily. Current advances in technology and digitization have rapidly increased the pace of change. Change is needed to remain relevant in the business world, yet many organizations F.E.A.R. (False Expectations Appearing Real) change!
What drives employee engagement? Commitment in the family business requires priority from everyone. The word "priority" might be a strange qualifier, but let me explain.
I believe commitment begins on a personal level. Without the foundational personal commitment skillset established as a priority, one cannot have high professional or organizational Commitment abilities.
Further, I think a connection links character with commitment. Commitment reflects what you want, and Character indicates how you will do it as a leader. Therefore, developing and maintaining a family business organizational Vision, Mission, and Values Statement is imperative. If you are serious, a family governance constitution formalizes with priority all family expectations, deliverables, and responsibilities.
Why do you feel stressed? This is a straightforward question with a surprisingly complicated answer.
I might also add that we are unique human beings in various ways, and stress triggers are unique to each of us. There are several accepted types of stress, and a better understanding of these types will help us understand why we undergo stress in the first place.
