What They Need, Not Just What We Wantā€¦

Earlier, as I emphasized that even the most powerful organizational or individual purpose won’t completely replace the need for equitable compensation, I shared that we can’t communicate with all of our team members the same way and expect the same results, suggesting the idea of...

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How Are You Answering These Questions?

If empowering our team members requires a significant change in our approach, as compared to what they’re used to seeing from us, we’ll likely receive some curious looks and even some resistance - at least at first. We recently heard an example detailing exactly that as we kicked off...

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Identifying Their Approach

Once we’ve been intentional about adjusting the pace we use to help each of our team members latch onto a purpose that drives them and yields engagement, we can shift our attention to the second piece of the pattern that Marston identified; is our team member more focused on the task at...

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Determining the Proper Pace

Verbalizing a specific purpose that each of our team members identify and connect with can play a critical role in earning that 57% increase in discretionary effort that I referred to throughout What’s KILLING Your Profitability? (It ALL Boils Down to Leadership!) and several times as...

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Following a Pattern

As we work to verbalize a purpose each of our team members find fulfillment in and connect with, something they can rally around as a genuine purpose in their life, it won’t be as simple as throwing the proverbial mud against the wall and hoping something sticks. This will require us to be...

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Verbalizing the Purpose Theyā€™re Driven By

Please don’t mistake me referring to something as being simple for thinking that I’m saying it will be easy. Even when we’ve invested the time to listen to what our team members are telling us and we’ve paid close attention to what their behaviors are showing us,...

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Seeing the Big Picture

When we cast a vision we know requires more teamwork than our people are currently demonstrating, leaders need to message The Big Picture. The team must hear that the goal is more important than the role and help their people see the big picture. 

Everyone on the team matters. The more we...

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Why the Mismatch?

The things we learn by asking our team members the right questions, and actually investing the time to listen to their replies, and by intentionally observing their behaviors provide a tremendous framework for understanding what makes them tick - even with the occasional mismatch between what...

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Actions Tell the Rest of the Story

As a kid growing up, or even as an adult, how many times have you said this to someone (or heard it said); “Action speaks louder than words!”? Anytime I hear that in my head, it’s in the voice of Margaret from the original “Dennis the Menace” series or Judy Hensler...

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Are We Really Listening?

OK, it’s time for complete transparency… How often have you asked someone how they’re doing and prayed their response was limited to just one word? So maybe you didn’t come to a complete stop and get done on one knee, but I’m guessing you’ve definitely had a...

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Listen to (and Watch) What Theyā€™re Telling You

If we’re interested in attracting the best of the best to be part of (and stick with) our team, it will most certainly not be (just) about the pay - regardless of what any internet troll says, who’d rather whine about what he’s owed instead earning it for himself. Just like you...

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We Canā€™t Treat Them All the Same

One of the things that Cindy and I enjoy most about customizing our Emerging Leader Development course for many of the bigger clients we work with has been providing them with the tools to communicate more effectively with each individual on their team. As we teach them how to quickly recognize...

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