Teamwork is often touted as a big positive in the workplace. As a leader you need to be aware when teamwork is a positive and when it is a negative. Research has shown that teams can reduce the input of members, especially as team size grows. The size of a team often correlates to the following demotivating factors. One, it can diffuse a team member’s sense of individual responsibility. Two, and this includes one of my favorite phrases, “sucker aversion” can make a member think it is not a team effort and most likely one or two people will do all the work without getting all the credit And finally, good ole fashion ROI plays into team members’ minds as they calculate the rate of their efforts/contribution in correlation to the rate of return on their invested time/energy. It is all about dynamics. As a leader, make sure you are individualizing the dynamic to the desired outcome.
Yes, this.
This quote needs no explanation. It is clear. It is genius. It is the path to success.
Dear Control Freak
Dear Control Freak…This is not a judgement, but a confession. I use to be a control freak. The whole giant amalgamation of every stereotype that comes with the term. I wanted to control time, outcomes, visions, dynamics, etc. I like to look back and think to myself, ‘how adorable you thought that controlling everything was possible or productive.’ Is wanting to have control understandable? Absolutely. Is it productive? No. Does it lead to the best outcomes? No. Why? Several reasons, and here they come… You are not a mighty fortress, no matter what you think. Process is an organic activity and if you try to control it all by yourself you will fail. You will fail on so many levels it would make a clown cry. One, you fail yourself as control eliminates your perspective to actively balance your own life. It also limits the incoming flow of knowledge you have access to, as well as the potential for growth, as you will most likely feel you already have things under control. You will fail your business/employer by placing limits on outcomes forcing them into the realm of your desired picture. You will fail those who have to collaborate with you as they will no longer provide their “A” game, knowing it will not matter as you will shape outcomes the way you want to. You will fail your friends and family on multiple levels as they will see less of you while you are busy being master of the universe, as well as, you are probably limiting their potential on some level when you are around. What will you get from being a control freak? All the blame, as no one else has a claim to the input on a project that fails. And perhaps even something like high blood pressure. And of course that golden moment when it all comes tumbling down and you have to admit to yourself that you, along with the rest of us, really have no control after all. The good news, what you do have is the capacity to deliver your best day to day efforts and know that is enough, without having to have control.
How To Be Professional
How to be professional… Workplaces can be full of all types of thinking, both good and bad. The challenge with over 75% of the national workforce being unhappy at their current jobs comes when you see how that spirals out throughout the workplace dynamic/culture. So how do you protect yourself and remain professional in a world that has a large percentage of disengaged workers? I suggest two things. One, if you do not hold the target, the arrow will be less likely to come your way. That is to say, your integrity is what you have going into and leaving a job, guard it and don’t open yourself up to the engagement of counter-productive activity. Two, focus on facts and quality within your workplace, and the specifics of your job. Don’t get distracted. Facts and quality are solid. Regardless of workplace politics facts and quality are two items that will support your integrity day in and day out. The bottom line here is people on average don’t enjoy a negative atmosphere, but do often participate in it. So note to self, you can’t change what you feed.
The Positive Impact Of Complaining
As for the positive impact of complaining…there is none. There are positive outcomes to constructive feedback, offering alternatives, and/or taking ownership of a potential new course of action. I’m not saying that your life is happy, joyful, fun-filled all the time as we know this is not the case. I am saying framing action addressing the less desirable components of your life and/or job, is an amazing step and opportunity to add more fun, joy and happy into it.
How To Motivate
I read this article today and enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it. My favorite part: “Autonomy means we don’t like being told what to do. Once we feel we’re being pushed around, we check out.” The article is brief, but has some excellent advice/reminders of the simplicity of actually engaging workers and creating a rewarding workplace. Click below if you’d like to read it. How To Be Motivated
Survival of the Fittest? Competition vs. Cooperation
Survival of the Fittest? Competition vs. Cooperation? Our culture has the propensity to value competition over all else. Often rooted in the Darwin alleged theory of survival of the fittest. I’m not sure how Darwin’s theory morphed into the manner of how we often flippantly interpret it. I am however sure that interpretation is off base when it comes to the workplace. Cooperation and adaptability is what Darwin was focused on. Darwin himself only mentioned survival of the fittest twice. In contrast he mentioned the concept of love/cooperation/adaptability (call it what you want) ninety-five times. He was correct. Cooperation will win every time when you look at the big picture. And in the workplace it will create a more productivity, higher return on ongoing efforts and perhaps even re-engage the over 70% of employees out there that are actively disengaged in their jobs. That is a lot of unproductive dollars going to wages for unproductive work. Creating a culture of cooperation increases your culture of adaptability and will result in increased ROI, increased employee retention, higher productivity, etc. It will maximize both time and results.
Planning vs Doing
First of all, I love Seth Godin. If you haven’t ever read any of his stuff please do so immediately following the end of this blog post. He is a genius. I love him for many reasons, but mostly because he speaks to my urgency addicted, results driven frame of mind while helping me embrace that positive results require pulling the trigger, and that it is okay to do so prior to the ever so illusive ‘perfection’ of whatever it is you are putting out there. It is the beginning of a new year. A time when so many are reviewing, creating, and implementing plans. A perfect time to remember planning without the ‘doing’ component is not a exercise in production, but merely a writing exercise. Create your plan. Then put it in motion. Action without a plan is equally futile as a plan without action.
“I Want”
Unless you are a toddler or a 17th Century Monarch the words “I want” really don’t belong in a leader’s vocabulary. The difference between “I want” and “I’d be interested in knowing why…” are the difference between creating a culture of indifference or creating a culture of engagement and productivity. The response you may receive from how you frame your thoughts is equivalent to the level of productivity you’ll see. An interesting article along the lines of engagement follows, http://www.management-issues.com/opinion/6989/morale-a-moving-target/