Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Difference-Maker

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Tom Cocklereece

EQ

A true story:

In March 2013 Susanna Rohm’s seemingly-healthy two month old baby had stopped breathing causing mom to go into a panic. She began screaming for help as loudly as possible.

In the panic Susanna had lost her cell phone and had the presence of mind to go get help rather than search for the phone. She ran outside and saw two boys playing across the street. Susanna yelled to them for help and screamed for them to call 911.

Ethan Wilson, age 11, and Rocky Hurt, age 9, immediately placed the emergency call but Rocky ran across the street to see what else he could do to help.

Noticing that Susanna was not administering CPR correctly, he coached the panicking mom to give proper chest compressions and breaths to her distressed baby.

Rocky later told a reporter, “I told her to push on the baby’s chest five to 10 times with only two fingers, tilt back the baby’s head, plug the baby’s nose and breathe into the baby’s mouth.”

Suddenly, the baby began crying at which point Rocky told Susanna, “That’s a good sign because it means the baby is breathing.”

Paramedics soon arrived and transported the baby to the hospital for further treatment but Rocky certainly saved the day. Rocky and Ethan said they had learned CPR from a restaurant poster.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence is the ability and presence of mind to make rational decisions and to take action that may be directly opposed to the inner emotional stimulus. More broadly is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.

Emotional Intelligence may be explained best using stories in which it may be illustrated. The story about Rocky helping to save a baby illustrates a great human interest story but also Emotional Intelligence, also known as EQ or EI.

Rocky clearly did not panic as might be expected of a nine-year old boy. He maintained control of his own emotions, recalled memory of a poster describing CPR of an infant, and through his composure he calmed the emotions of Susanne so that she could follow the instructions and resuscitate her baby.

This is not to suggest that Susanne has a low EQ but rather that Rocky certainly is a good illustration of high emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability and presence of mind to make rational decisions and to take action that may be directly opposed to the inner emotional stimulus.

Emotional Intelligence is Leadership Intelligence

Rocky Hurt appears to have natural Emotional Intelligence at an early age, with limited education, maturity, or training. His presence of mind and control of not only his own emotions but also those of Susanne is compelling. Historically this is an ability of the best leaders.

  • Bvt. Maj. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain serving as a regiment commander in the battle of Gettysburg overcame the overwhelming sense of defeat by his soldiers on the second day of the battle. He ordered a bayonet charge of Confederate forces and took over 100 prisoners and restored confidence as his position on Little Round Top was held.
  • Lee Iacocca was an incredibly successful executive at Ford Motor Company in 1978. Even though the company posted a $2 billion profit that year, Iacocca was fired. While many people get down on themselves after being terminated, Iacocca quickly rose to the top again as the chief executive of the troubled Chrysler Motor Company and is credited with turning the company around.

True Control: Controlling One’s Self

Whether in the military, business, politics, church, or any other endeavor, leaders with high Emotional Intelligence are able to change the mood, motivate the people, and lead the organization to success.

Emotional Intelligence is the difference-maker for leadership. It requires that the leader suspend their own mood and emotions and communicate optimism and a positive vision.

It is the difference between leadership that creates dissonance and leadership that creates resonance. There are many examples in history of leaders with high Emotional Intelligence.

Dissonance or resonance may be seen in the culture of a leader’s organization by how he or she motivates people. Dissonant leadership can motivate for a while but requires great energy to sustain. On the other hand, resonant leadership that is actuated by Emotional Intelligence coupled with effective leadership abilities is self-sustaining by the synergy of the whole organization.

Developing a Higher Emotional Intelligence

Many scholars of Emotional Intelligence believe that people can improve and grow in this area of development. The premise in virtually all of the books and resources on the EQ subject suggest that one may improve his or her Emotional Intelligence area.

However, developing a higher Emotional Intelligence requires determination and presence of mind.

It requires moving from:

  • UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE >>> to >>>
  • CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE >>> to >>>
  • CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE >>> to >>>
  • UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE.

The last stage shows the presence of mind that Rocky Hurt dad as he helped save that  baby.

For those of the Christian faith, actuating Emotional Intelligence is the realization of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It requires that one internalize the principle until it is lived value.

So what are some examples you remember of emotional intelligence from history? Why is it difficult to act contrary to emotional stimuli? Are you growing in emotional intelligence? Does your workplace exhibit resonant or dissonant leadership? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Tom Cocklereece
Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC
He is an author, professional coach, and leadership specialist
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3 Great Ways to Scare Off Potential Employees

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Anil Saxena

I Quit

Here are three sure fire ways to not only lose the people you have but also scare off any great potential employees.

 3 Great Ways to Scare Off Potential Employees

1. Use Layoffs as a Way to “Meet the Quarterly Numbers”

Although proven time and time again, somehow organizations STILL use layoffs as a tool.  Layoffs are NOT a good tactic to remedy short term budget crises.

More than anything, layoffs — and the potential for layoffs — causes a sense of panic within the employee base. ~ Mr. Van Gorder, CEO Health Scripps

2. Don’t Allow for Flex-Time, Working from Home, Job-Sharing or Other Alternative Work Arrangements

Somehow during economic programs like flex-time, working at home or alternative work weeks seem to lose their luster.  But why?  Is it because they are less effective?  No.  Most organizations see these types of work arrangements as “perks.” But they are not perks.  They are the new way of work and actually work to INCREASE productivity.

Companies are finding that flextime boosts productivity, and more and more of them, including Kraft Foods, Texas Instruments and First Tennessee Bank are taking advantage of it. When employees manage their own schedules, their stress levels decline and they focus better on their tasks. ~ Emily Schmitt, Forbes

Recently, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announces that employees can no longer work from home and must report to a Yahoo office by June. The stated reason was to create more innovation. The company has been struggling and Mayer thinks that this will help them increase business through innovative creativity.

However, there is a large group of people think that this move will hurt more than help. They simply point to Google.

3. Don’t Focus on Results

There are still too many organizations that operate under the misconception that working longer hours (night, weekends, through holidays, etc.) shows how dedicated an employee is.  Often, employees that don’t put in that “face time” are seen as “not dedicated”.  Unfortunately, there is nothing further than the truth.

Simply put, punching a time clock makes no sense for professionals. Their contribution is not the time they spend on their work but the value they create through their knowledge. – Robert C. Pozen Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School

All three of these facts indicate that employers need to start thinking of how to KEEP their best employees. What are you doing to make sure your best are not thinking of leaving AND you can hire the best when you need them?

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Anil Saxena
Anil Saxena is a Senior Consultant and Business Partner with Coffman Organization
He helps organizations create environments that generate repeatable superior results
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | (888) 999-0940 x-730

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Hey Leaders: No One Values Bland Corporate Values

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Anil Saxena

Corporate Values

It seems like most businesses, from mom and pop shops to corporate giants, are getting caught up in the trend of “defining company values.”

While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can be pretty useless if not executed correctly.

Creating Unity

Companies want to create unity among their employees as well as project an image of solidarity, value, and respectability to potential customers or clients. This is all well and good, of course.

But what happens when every business is making a move to show it?

We end up with a great deal of generic, trend-following value statements that are ambiguous to both customers and employees. This diluted mass-minded approach defeats the purpose of defining values in the first place.

Corporate-Speak

Often, the problems have been that the values are typically expressed with meaning-neutral (if not meaningless) corporate-speak, or that the values aren’t of a first-order nature.

That is, they don’t touch on what truly constitutes the “good” for people inside and outside the organization.

Of course “customer service” is valued at any given company.

Q: What business doesn’t value their customers?

They would be foolish not to provide great service to their patrons.

Q: But does this really have to be defined as a corporate value?

The same is true for other generic values like “market leadership” and “commitment to employees.”

Do a quick Bing search, and you can probably find 200 companies with these same phrases listed among their company values – hardly a unique position.

Getting Real

If the point is to select and identify values for all employees to embrace, then these values have to be relate-able  and more importantly, specific to each unique business.

Overly-generalized value statements come off as corporate jargon, and most employees will simply let this kind of talk go in one ear and out the other.

To present values that are actually valued by employees, owners, and management teams have to find factors that the staff actually identifies with.

They have to be tangible.

Creating stellar core values isn’t exactly easy. You’ve really got to dig deep and figure out what is at the core of you business. That kind of soul searching doesn’t happen overnight and often takes someone outside of the company to take a look at your business.

Great Examples of Values

For workers constructing skyscrapers, perhaps “fearlessness” is a value that is both identifiable and extremely important to a job well done. For those handling dangerous chemicals, a “commitment to proper use of safety equipment” is something that employees can get behind.

Corporate values should be important to the success of the business AND the direct interests of employees.

There is a great deal of emphasis on how to make corporate values “sticky” to staff members, but this is a classic case of putting the cart before the horse.

If the ideas are to be truly valued, they have to be valuable to the people adopting them – specific, well-thought corporate values will be perfectly “sticky” all on their own.

So, how is your organization doing in creating honest and authentic core values statements that reflect the true essence of your mission? What steps can you take to recalibrate your core values statement to better align with your people’s true heartbeat? How can you improve your internal communications to help your team(s) improve their values alignment? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Anil Saxena
Anil Saxena is a President & Senior Consultant Cube 214 Consulting
He helps organizations create environments that generate repeatable superior results
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Change Leaders Don’t Need Titles

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Andy Uskavitch

Bigger Picture

Change is vital to growth and expansion.  It gives organizations a competitive edge and gives employees a spark of energy.  We must have change in order to grow.

Whether you may like it or not, change is a normal part of any successful business.

With or Without You

Why not help lead that change?  Change will happen with or without you.  And if the rate of change exceeds your own rate of change, you’re going to have some real problems.

You don’t need a title to be a change leader.  In fact, you don’t need a title to be any kind of leader.

It just takes special people – who want to lead.

Grabbing the Reins

To have success in a merger, for instance, requires flexibility and adaptability.  And if you can grab the reins and act as a change leader yourself, you’ll be personally helping in leading the organization to great achievements.

With change normally comes resistance.  In order to lead change you need to know just what kinds of resistance there are.   Here are just a few, listed in “Individual Resistance from Employees to Organizational Change”, by Dr. Chuang,Yuh-Shy:

  • Personal loss.  Right or wrong, people are afraid they’ll lose something, particularly job security and pay.
  • Loss of pride and satisfaction.  A concern about ending up with jobs that no longer require their abilities and skills.
  • Reduced responsibility.  Jobs will be reduced to menial tasks without responsibility.
  • Loss of status.  Loss of job titles, responsibility, or authority.

But on the other hand, there are probably more positive things to think about than negative.  Yuh-Shy lists things such as:

  • Personal gain.  New job titles, more responsibility, more money, and more authority.
  • More security.  Greater job security because of the need for increased skills.  Possible salary increases.
  • More status/prestige.  Possibly a new title or new office.
  • More responsibility or authority.  Maybe new responsibility or a new supervisor who assigns more responsibility than the previous one did.  This could lead to future promotions.

People Love Change

You know, if you really think about it, people actually love change.  People constantly pursue promotions and new job responsibilities; buy personal development books and start their own businesses.  They change careers, jobs, and even organizations – all in the name of change.

People love change – they just hate having to be forced to change.

You can help guide change no matter where you fall in the organizational chart.  Being a change leader can put you in the position of being someone who has greater career potential.   Christina Tangora Schlachter and Terry Hildebrandt, authors of “Leading Business Change For Dummies” say that you can begin to spark positive change by doing one simple thing . . . becoming proactive.

How to Become Proactive

Learn to live with uncertainty

There will usually be uncertainty during change.  Maybe managers haven’t answered all your questions – because not all of the details have been worked out.  They may also have legal reasons for not releasing information.

So sometimes it’s in your best interest to just roll with it. However, if you feel that uncertainty is disturbing your work area, ask questions and let your manager know the impact.

Change what YOU can change: Yourself

Leaders can sometimes make things more confusing than not.  If you’re not in a position to formally influence the change, take the opportunity to change your own attitude and behaviors.

Influence what you CAN’T change: Others

Even if you’re not the one in charge, you can still influence the direction of the change.  And your position of being “one of the guys” could even give your opinions a boost with your coworkers.

Cultivating an atmosphere of openness among your coworkers will help you influence change, because knowing others’ motivations and interests will help you to explain how the changes will meet their needs.

Help others cope with change

Even if you’re excited about change, not everyone is.  Some may find it to be extremely tough, feeling confused or angry.  You can help them make the transition easier by being on the lookout for signals that someone needs help coping – absenteeism, depression, argumentative.

BELIEVE in the change and speak up

 As soon as change starts happening, start talking it up – how great it will be.  Talk about past accomplishments in order to recapture your coworkers’ emotions, excitement, and energy.

Igniting Change

Whether you’re the most junior employee in your organization or the CEO, showing YOUR enthusiasm for change is a benefit.

Change comes from ones heart.

Remember that a sense of opportunity and possibilities for the future of the company is contagious.  If you see a change that needs to happen, bring it up – don’t just sit back and wait to be told what to do.  Be proactive!

When you show that you’re committed to making your organization succeed, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to be the one running the show sooner than later.

Are you ready to lead?  Will you be an influencer?  What can you do, today, to grab the reins and become a change leader? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Andy Uskavitch
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
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Leadership Follies: Telling the Truth or Just Lie?

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Anil Saxena

Truth or Lies

Why is telling the truth so hard?  What is it about being honest about results of a survey or project that makes organizations want to run for the hills?  

There is a tendency in many organizations to shade or soften bad news so that “people don’t feel bad” about it.

Shading the Truth

Over and over again, smart and dedicated people purposely alter how they communicate data to make very bad survey results seem positive, or at least “not that bad.”  They alter results on Employee Engagement, Customer Satisfaction, Exit Interview, etc. This is very bad because it skews reality and creates an atmosphere of distrust.

Being unable to relate results honestly is yet another symptom of Organizational Learned Helplessness (OLH).

Organizational Learned Helplessness  occurs when people in an organization believe there is nothing they can do to make a difference.

Symptoms look like this:

  • Performance spirals downward
  • Communication and respect for others decreases
  • People fall back on primitive self-protection behaviors

Killing the Messenger

Results shading is a symptom of organizational learned helplessness because somewhere in the organization’s history telling and dealing with the truth is not rewarded.

This is called ”Kill the Messenger” management.

Unfamiliar with this form of management?

Here is a simple description:

Senior leaders belittling or reprimanding a junior person (anyone that reports to them) because they deliver results or news that is not favorable.  The junior person is not in control of the results (they are not the thought-police or enforcers of any kind) and therefore are simply reporting.

We have all seen it. It is not to say that you should be unkind or demeaning in delivering results.  Even (and especially if) they are bad.  But, killing the messenger does nothing but tell people that the truth is only good when its favorable, even if that is not what meant.

Over time, organizations that suffer from Learned Helplessness almost never let data, results or news go out without “shaping it” or softening it or whatever colloquialism is used to say “change it to make it sound better”.  Therein, leaders never really hear the real unfettered truth.

This is one of the big reasons that consultants are brought in to uncover why things are really going awry (if they are.)

Setting the Truth Free

It is not easy to tell the truth, but in the long run dealing with bad news or results head on enables the organization to learn and recover quickly.  Sometimes, it even makes them more effective. Here is a simple process.  The problem is that the process will take some work, as most simple things do (…think diet and exercise.)

Making it easier/better to tell the truth:

1. Build the Ark 

There is a tendency to be afraid to tell bad news because telling bad news because it does make people feel bad when there is nothing you can do about it.  It can leave the person(s) receiving the message as if there is no hope.  That makes them either angry or depressed.

The best way to avoid this is to couple a solution or method to uncover why the news is bad with each piece of bad news.  That takes a bit of work, but its important that bad news isn’t just left out there without something that can be done about it.

2. Prepare leaders 

Let senior leaders know that the news/results are not good.  It’s never a good idea to blind-side leaders with bad news.  So make sure they are aware of it, potential rationale for why it is bad and what could be done about it.

3. Let everyone know the “real” results QUICKLY 

One of the worst things that can be done with bad news is to hide it or “shape it to not sound so bad”.  It’s important that accountability for the results at every level is discussed.

Don’t point the finger at mysterious forces out of the organization’s control like “The economy” or “Outsourcing”.

Of course those things will have influence, but they are not the only (or sometimes even the primary) reasons for the bad news/results.

4. Take action 

This is the most critical part of the process. Inaction is a contributing factor to on going OLH and why employees don’t trust “management”.  When an issue is uncovered, action must be taken.  Organizational inertia has a tendency to stifle action that may disrupt the status quo, but if nothing is done to impact bad news or results people see ongoing failure as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Then the next bad news/results are found they don’t believe anything will be done about it and so its better not to admit them at all…sound familiar?

Taking action doesn’t have to be bold or splashy, but it must be done.

  • Q: Wonder why employees don’t think engagement matters?
  • A: Look at the lack of action from previous results.
  • Q: Wonder why employees don’t believe that the consultants were really brought in to make the organization more effective?
  • A: Look at the lower earnings that were released or the layoffs that occurred after the last consultants were brought in.

If there is not a commitment to follow though with action, talking about the bad news is not worth it.  If there is not commitment to taking action on results, conducting an employee engagement is counterproductive.

5. Follow up

Don’t just leave the news/results lingering in employees memories. Follow up with news of the action taken.  Then ask for more input, conduct another survey, etc.

Shining the Light of Truth

The truth is vital to shine a light on real issues within the organization.  It is so important to tell the truth because no matter what the truth always comes out (think Enron) and dealing with it head on make the organization more credible and builds employee trust of leaders.

Not telling the truth will continue the shaping, double speak and distrust found in many organizations.

Have you seen instances of “kill the messenger management?” What are you doing to help encourage more openness about results?  Please let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts!

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———————
Anil Saxena
Anil Saxena is a Senior Consultant and Business Partner with Coffman Organization
He helps organizations create environments that generate repeatable superior results
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Blog | (888) 999-0940 x-730

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Time Management For Leaders

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Wayne Kehl

Time Mangagement

Many people complain that they do not have enough time and can never get caught up. I want to share something with you that you might not expect.

 “You will never have enough time for everything no matter how hard you try.”

Being Busy is a Good Thing

People who are always caught up and not busy at work usually become redundant fairly quickly and you don’t want to be one of those.

As long as you are in the workforce, work will keep coming your way. If you are adding any value at all to your business, every time you walk through the door of your workplace a new challenge will be waiting.

The first step to time management is to accept that you will never get everything done and embrace it as symptom of success rather than a symbol of failure or poor performance.

Manage Your Time

In order to better manage your time for maximum efficiency, you must understand and admit to yourself that the problem is not a shortage of time…it is ineffective use of time!

The most successful people manage their time effectively, and then take action to accomplish more every day.  Good time managers have a laser-sharp focus on their work and an abundance of energy to get it done.

If you are constantly distracted from your work by outside, intervening forces, you will never manage your time effectively.

If you are lacking in energy and find your work to be drudgery or just too much to handle, you will never get ahead.

When you are often pulled away from the task at hand you will find yourself in a constant state of crisis management which can lead to misdirected action and burnout. If everything around you seems to be going wrong, you need to evaluate why you are being distracted from your real work.

It could be that you are being affected by old prejudices, bad influences from co-workers or a lack of clear direction. Anything that distracts you from your primary tasks must be eliminated if you want to enjoy good time management.

If you find yourself having constant interruptions from co-workers or family members that are not directly related to your immediate task, ask them to wait until a more appropriate time. I must repeat that time management requires focus and you cannot focus if you are paying more attention to other people than you are to your own job.

Keep Your Energy Up

If you find yourself being regularly short of energy, you must evaluate what is causing it, and then do something about it.

Low energy levels can be physiological or emotional. I would recommend that if you are tired all the time, you talk your doctor to rule out any sort of medical condition. If your health is good and you are still lacking in energy, you need to consider whether your lethargy is a result of family matters, personal problems, or a lack of engagement in your work.

When you have low energy levels and low focus, you will procrastinate and show up in body alone. You will hesitate to take initiative to get things done…often until it is too late.

It is possible that your procrastination is a result of having little or no belief in your own abilities, perhaps you have a fear of failure, or maybe you have had a negative experience in the past which is preventing you from taking action.

No matter what is causing your procrastination, you must push past it because it is one of the greatest killers of good time management there is.

Disengagement is a Killer

Disengagement can be identified by liberal displays of apathy, excuses and cynicism.

People who do not enjoy their jobs tend to fall into negative moods which prevent them from enjoying their work. When that happens they will do what my Mom would call “busy-work.”

In other words they will do all sorts of unnecessary, ineffective things in order to avoid the important, pressing issues before them.

Disengagement is one of greatest killers of time management.

If you are not engaged in your work, you must determine why.  Some causes of disengagement include, (but are not limited to) feeling unappreciated, believing you are overworked or not being paid enough to make ends meet. If any of those things apply to you, there is a good chance that your energy levels are low.

If that is the case, you need to make some changes in your workplace situation in order to recharge your batteries and bring your energy levels back to where they should be.

That might include speaking with your boss about your concerns and working out a plan for improvement.

Focus, Focus, Focus!

Without energy, you cannot have focus.

So, why do you need focus? When you have focus you:

  • Are not prone to radical emotional reactions.
  • You are less likely to become distracted by unimportant things.
  • You place full attention on truly meaningful things.
  • You are better able to manage your time.

Once your energy levels are up and you are able to focus on your work, your life will improve immeasurably.

Time management is not about the clock or too much work…Time management is all about you!

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Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
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Leadership Perspective: Not Just a New York State of Mind

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Erik Engberg

Empire State BuildingAs I watched the coverage of the shooting around the Empire State Building last month, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the frightening Gallup poll results that were documented in the first chapter of Mindful Stress Solutions for Today’s Leaders.

It went like this:

  • 14% of workers feel like striking a coworker
  • A quarter feel like screaming or shouting because of job stress
  • One out of ten is concerned about an individual at work they fear could become violent
  • Almost the same number are aware of an assault or violent act in their workplace
  • Eighteen percent of those same respondents have experienced some sort of threat or verbal intimidation in the past year.

The alleged shooter, Jeffrey Johnson, had been fired from his job at least a year ago (details still coming in as I’m writing this) and fatally wounded a co-worker who may have been his boss at the company where Johnson had worked.

Turning Tragedy Into a Teachable Moment

  1. If a tenth of us are afraid that a colleague could actually become violent, we have an obligation as leaders to be fully immersed in the culture of our respective work places. Because it is natural for us to be concerned about how the image of our work environment reflects upon us as individual leaders, we can oftentimes choose to portray the culture of our business to others as better than it actually may be.
  2. Although there are no guaranteed strategies that could prevent a similar tragedy, there are steps we can take as leaders to lessen the risk.  For example, a former employer of mine went to great lengths to assist affected employees during a recent downsizing by providing job placement and other services that helped many to walk away with a less bitter taste in their mouths.
  3. It is critical that we build cultures of impermanence in today’s workplaces.  In this economy, it is financially suicidal not to constantly think five steps ahead of our customers and keep adapting our strategies, processes, work flows and training to align with where the market is heading.  That means we must constantly evaluate our organizations, from job applicant screening questions to coaching and colleague engagement efforts, to ensure that we view ongoing change as an indicator of a company’s success and of an individual’s job security.  In fact, the litmus test of this culture of impermanence is the presence of a large number of colleagues who view their employer’s lack of change as a possible indicator of future instability.

Building a Culture of Impermanence

As leaders, we oftentimes work very hard to calm the waters of uncertainty within our teams by portraying impermanence as the evil to be eliminated.

When change inevitably appears, it is hardly surprising that the stress levels of our workplaces increase exponentially and push the statistics mentioned earlier even higher.

We must work every day to help our teams to focus on their roles as they pertain to the overall sustainability of the larger organization.

In a prior Linked 2 Leadership post, I stated this:

Even with existing colleagues, we can adopt a culture of impermanence through training and the practice of mindful techniques.”

Within that paradigm, we need to make sure that we all understand that those roles will change over time and why those changes should be welcomed as a sign that our company’s top leadership is focused on staying ahead of the competition.

Communicating Change

Therefore, we must watch the language that we use with our colleagues and ensure that it aligns with this shifting culture.

As we design our PowerPoints and whiteboard diagrams, we must be mindful of how we box ourselves into roles and responsibilities that can mislead employees into thinking that there is no gray area.

In fact, we need to make sure that, to the extent possible, we stay very transparent about the likelihood of workplace impermanence (e.g., having a front-line worker responsible for communicating pending work-flow changes and gathering input to help peers feel that they are a part of the change process).

The Benefits of Proactive and Mindful Leadership

As with all proactive leadership, we have an opportunity to evaluate our individual and company’s preparedness for change.

We may never know the extent to which our efforts in this regard might possibly dissuade someone from causing harm to others but is the lack of tangible proof enough to keep us from, at the very least, taking another look at our work cultures?

It will be easy to chalk up the incident in New York as the violent act of a disgruntled ex-employee.  Mindful leadership reminds us that we have the ability to relieve the suffering of others by giving them options when responding to stressful situations.  Or as William James put it,

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

Mindful Follow-Up Questions

  • What mechanisms do you have in place to evaluate the culture of your work-place? 
  • What is the template for taking action based on regular workplace culture assessments?
  • Do most of your employees yearn for stability vs. change? 
  • Do leaders in your organization understand the impact to stress levels by assuming stasis should be the cultural and colleague engagement default setting?
  • What are the teachable moments from well-publicized workplace violence events that can be applied to your business today and in the long term?

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———————
Erik Engburg
Erik Engberg is the Founder of Mindful Solutions
Erik specializes in mindful leadership online solutions and consulting
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Filed under: Conflict Management, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, Future Leadership Issues, Leading Change, Organizational Health | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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