Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘naperville’

Oct 14

The Best – And Worst Leadership Advice In One Sentence

The best, and worst, leadership advice given to me came in the form of a single sentence. It was delivered more than 20 years ago by the managing editor of a newspaper in California.

The comment resulted from a conversation I initiated concerning a colleague in the process of deciding whether to leave the paper. Her reasons for quitting were easy to address, and I went to bat for her because she was, and is, a very talented writer (who became a national best-selling author) who made the paper better. Plus, she served as an important mentor to several reporters, including myself.

After I finished pleading my case for action, he leaned back in his chair and said I should not concern myself with what decision she made because, “the paper will be printed and delivered tomorrow morning whether any of us quits or stays.”

The Good

Intentional or not, the statement’s wisdom is that no matter how important anyone thinks they are to an organization, it will not fall apart because one person leaves. This insight keeps me from getting “too big for my britches,” and is a reminder that no single person, regardless of title, is stands above the entire enterprise.

-the paper will be printed and delivered

The Bad

However, once I settled into my first leadership position, I learned that while the statement is true – it is dumb. The top priority for all leaders is to build, and sustain a great team. That means creating a positive culture, re-recruiting high performers, ensuring adequate education, and providing advancement opportunities.

When leaders, such as my former editor, infect a workplace with the attitude that employees are simply interchangeable cogs in a machine, it de-humanizes people.

The Ugly

Not surprisingly, one of the half-jokes in the newsroom was that reporters were going to be replaced by specially trained monkeys from Honduras (not sure why they were from Honduras). The culture resulted in poor productivity. It sank the point the managing editor created story quotas for news reporters.

Unsurprisingly, the quota system created a disincentive to work. Story length was not taken into account, so reporters who had beats that tended to result in short stories simply went home once they hit their quota because they were “done.” That aggravated many people, and added to the divisions and distractions already festering in the newsroom. The quota policy eventually faded away, but the damage was already done.

The Lesson

I have done my best to not emulate that editor. And if I could go back in time and respond, I would have said, “perhaps, but when you hire, value and support the right people, the product will be much better.”

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and Marcom consulting.

Sep 29

6 Ways To Deal With A Narcissist Leader

There seems to be at least one narcissist leader in every leadership group. In short, a narcissist leader is a person with an unrealistic or inflated sense of self-importance, lack of empathy, unable to see others’ perspectives, and is hypersensitive to what they perceive as criticism. For the official American Psychological Association definition, click here.

When the narcissist is the CEO or they are peppered through the ranks of leaders the culture is going to be much harder to manage. If that describes your workplace, you are excused from reading the rest of this column, because you need to quit as soon as you possibly can.

From Tolerable to Toxic59ee4e7eba7ca4a9c4eb3eb8938b2066

Narcissists often make very good leaders – for a while. When the good times are rolling, they can be easy going and charming. However, when the accolades dry up, they begin to feel challenged or threatened.

I once worked for a senior leader who pitched a screaming fit about twice a year when she wasn’t getting her way with a peer or team member. We never knew when it was coming, but the message was always a variation of “it’s your fault I am not reaching my goals.”

At this point a leader is toxic. Instead of accepting responsibility when a project fails to perform as anticipated, he will blame and then sacrifice followers as necessary to protect his self-image and position in the company. Trust among team members in the leader then evaporates and people become very task oriented in an effort to keep their heads down and not be noticed.

The Need for Loyalty

Many narcissist leaders are more concerned with how they present themselves than their actual effectiveness. When they feel others are turning on them (by “making them look bad”), they begin to demand loyalty. If someone has to ask or demand loyalty, they don’t deserve it.

I worked for a senior executive who pulled his direct reports into his office on a regular basis and asked us to help him “get the goods” on the current target of his ire. If you didn’t appear to be interested in helping him gain revenge by ruining someone else’s career, he took it as a sign you were not loyal. Needless to say, many “non-loyal” people simply “disappeared” from work.

What To Do

This list will help you, for a time, make peace with a narcissist leader.

  • Set your expectations low
  • Make them look good
  • Don’t demand or expect credit
  • Whatever hurtful thing is done or said, remember that it is not about you
  • Don’t give negative feedback – even (and especially) when asked
  • Line up a new position

If you need help managing a narcissist leader, please reach out to me via my website to schedule a free, no obligation one-hour Power Session.

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and Marcom consulting. Learn more at http://acceleratedcoachingandconsulting.com

Sep 12

Are You Stuck?

Many people seek a coach when they feel stuck in a job, a specific work role, or a relationship. The first step in the coaching process is to help people clarify their goals. But fear, doubt and other negative emotions can block people from taking action to reach those goals.

Striving for something better is scary because the status quo is known and provides some level of emotional comfort and security. However, almost nothing good in life happens until we take action. You have to apply for a job before you can hope to be hired. When you want a promotion, you have to step up and ask for or accept new responsibilities. When you want to go on a date with someone, you have to either make or accept an invitation.

-There is no happiness without action.- (1)Action can be scary. In my early 20s, I wanted a better career and knew a college degree would make it happen. I was a poor student in high school, and didn’t know if I could handle college coursework. But, I swallowed hard and enrolled.

Sitting in my first class (Journalism 101), my stomach churned, knees knocked and heart pounded so hard I could barely hear the instructor. But, I lived to tell the tale, and eventually earned a Master of Science degree in Psychology. My education opened doors I never would have known existed  — if I had given into my fear and not taken action.

Take a look around your workplace and notice those people who are unhappy with their career. They are easy to find, just try to ignore someone who expresses their unhappiness every day. These co-workers exert more energy complaining about being stuck than it takes to make positive change. Still, they make a choice each day to remain in a state of inaction.

As a coach, I help people create a plan, break it into small manageable pieces, and build supportive structures. The first action is usually the most difficult. Experience has taught me that when people take the first step toward their goal, the next steps are a little easier. With each step forward, confidence grows as action becomes the new norm and people begin to feel “unstuck.”

It is a privilege to follow the progress of my clients as they take action and rebalance their lives, build stronger relationships, grab that promotion or find a better job. In each case, success was the result of their willingness to take the action necessary to reach their goals and dreams.

If you are feeling stuck, please reach out to me via LinkedIn or my website for a free Power Session.

Sep 9

6 Ways Work Makes You Stupider

The number of ways our workspaces and workplaces conspire to make us dumber is pretty amazing. At times, I wonder if an evil genius sat down and thought, “how can I create an environment that ruins everyone’s productivity?” And after much thought, created the modern workplace.

Below are a few examples of how our brains are drained at work, and what you can do to preserve productivity.

Your E-mail

I am positive you can recall the last time you were “in the zone” as you worked on a complex project only to hear the Ding! or see a the ghostly image of an email notification on your computer screen.   The distraction is momentary, maybe one second. But when you try to pick up where you left off, your train of thought has left the station.

A 2005 survey of 1,100 workers found that interruptions such as email, a ringing phone, or the co-worker who drops by to tell you how great his weekend was, have a greater impact on your concentration than smoking marijuana.

A simple fix is to turn off all email notifications, and silence the phone to remove distractions when you need all of your attention focused on work.

Add subtitle text (7)

Your Chair

Parking yourself in a chair for long periods of time not only slows down your body – it slows your brain’s ability to process information. Research finds working memory functions improves when you walk at a natural pace. Researchers from the British Psychological Society speculate that walking at a comfortable pace provides a boost of energy to the brain and expands its processing capacity.

So those people who set up a work station on a treadmill may look a little strange, but they may be onto a good thing. But for most of us, our best option is to get up and take a walk, outside if possible, to help reset your brain for high concentration work.

Meetings

Research from Virginia Tech finds IQ test scores drop for those who attended a meeting compared to those who work on their own. Specifically, post-study tests of cognition reveal large numbers of those in the meeting group experienced significant drops in the ability to solve problems. The largest impact is on those who receive negative status cues from higher position co-workers. Unfortunately, that describes the communication that takes place in many or a majority of business meetings.

My advice, if you don’t need to be in a meeting, don’t go.

Other Dumb Stuff

  • The donuts or birthday cake in the break room can take your blood sugar on a wild ride the leaves your brain depleted. Leave the junk food alone.
  • Prolonged stress suppresses short-term memory and disrupts sleep, which results in a host of cognitive difficulties. Seek out ways to reduce your stress levels.
  • Free coffee can lead to overconsumption of caffeine and result in withdrawal symptoms that include poorer cognitive function, until you have your next cup. Monitor your caffeine intake and cut back, if possible.

If you would like to increase your effectiveness at work, contact me to schedule a free Power Session.

Sep 4

3 Overlooked Reasons We Procrastinate, And 4 Fixes

Wayne Gretzky is absolutely right, when we don’t take action, we guarantee failure. Most of us have difficulty taking action from time to time, and about 20 percent of us are considered procrastinators.

At its worst, delay and procrastination leads us into a cul-de-sac of preventable crisis situations. Once in we move into crisis mode, our options are diminished and success is much harder to grasp. Research finds procrastinators earn lower grades in school, report more stress, illnesses, and produce lower quality work.

Add subtitle text (6)

Joseph Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, a top researcher in the field of delay, reports that up to 20 percent of us are procrastinators.  “What I’ve found is that while everybody may procrastinate, not everyone is a procrastinator. It really has nothing to do with time-management.”

So, if procrastination is not related to time-management, what are the causes? While there are many reasons for it, the following three are among the most common.

  • Fear of failure or under performing. Once you give into this fear and delay action, procrastination and failure is almost certain.
  • Negative underlying beliefs about ourselves, such as “I do not deserve success,” “I am a fraud,” or “This is beyond my capabilities.” These beliefs are hard to spot, but exert a powerful influence on our behavior.
  • A lack of commitment, which is illustrated annually by failed New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. At heart, we don’t want to eat healthier or exercise more, so we don’t take action. This is why if you are not committed to your career, boss or employer, it shows up in your productivity.

The first step in moving from inaction to action is to gain self-awareness through self-reflection, talking to people you trust, or a leadership coach. Once you gain awareness, you can shift your perspective to a more empowering one.

Then, set small, specific, achievable and measurable goals (commonly referred to as SMART goals). By scaffolding your goals, your confidence will increase. In time, you will feel confident when bigger projects are dropped onto your desk.

List your goals on a white board, a paper checklist, or in your Outlook calendar. Finally, perhaps the most powerful way to stay on track is to commit to a goal publicly and ask others to hold you accountable. Goals that you write or share with others increases your accountability and can increase the likelihood you will reach your goals on schedule.

If you want to learn more about overcoming procrastination, please reach out to me for a free Power Session of coaching.

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and marcom consulting.

Sep 2

Leadership Lessons From The Dog Whisperer

About 10 years ago I started watching Cesar Millan’s first television show, The Dog Whisperer, and was  amazed by the similarities between “pack leader” and human leadership behaviors.

Please note that I am not suggesting that followers are puppies who need to be led. Instead, what I started to realize is leadership behaviors can cut across different species. For example, dogs are pack animals, and humans often work in teams. And for both, there are many more followers than leaders.

Dog2

Personal disclosure: I am the aspiring pack leader of my newly adopted 2-year-old pit bull Haley.

Calm, Assertive Energy

Millan believes the type and quality of energy we project is key to leadership. “To establish yourself as the pack leader, you must always project a calm, assertive energy. This natural balance (calm, assertive leadership…) nurtures stability and creates a balanced, centered, and happy dog (or human team – my words),” he writes on his website.

Empirical research of the human variety supports the idea that Millan’s concept applies to humans, too. More than 1 million people took part in study conducted by TalentSmart, which finds “90 percent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.”

Sounds like calm, assertive energy to me.

Millan advises that posture, eye contact (assertive, not aggressive) and projecting confidence tells your dogs that you are in charge. I can’t count the number of articles and books that have the same or similar advice for human leaders.

On the flip side, Millan finds that insecure, anxious dogs pick up that energy from their human, which leads to behavioral issues that leads to many of his televised interventions.

Exercise (performance), discipline (guidance), and affection (acknowledgement)

In addition, three major behavioral components that create a happy dog or dog pack are exercise, discipline and affection, in that order, says Millan. In many Dog Whisperer episodes he refers to the walk as the time of day you are giving your dog a job to do, which is why I equate exercise to human work performance.

A work example of this principle is when your direct report completes a significant work project. If the performance is great, go ahead and acknowledge the excellent work. (Read my recent blog on acknowledgement to better understand how important this is for your team – and yourself.) If the project is not ready for primetime, provide guidance (“rules, boundaries, and limitations,” according to Millan), and close your discussion by acknowledging progress.

When we focus too much on one of the three elements, such as performance (outcome), we are not providing enough guidance or support that leads to high quality work performance. In addition, you may be starving your workers of the praise they need to feel good about their work, which results in an unhappy and underperforming team.

If you want to work on improving any of your leadership skills, please reach out to me via my website for a free Power Session.

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and marcom consulting

Aug 28

The Power of Acknowledging Others (And Yourself)

One of our deepest needs is to be acknowledged. Unfortunately, it is a skill too few leaders cultivate.

It comes at a cost. The number one driver of employee engagement is recognition and praise. Many studies, including one published in the Harvard Business Review in 2010 about Best Buy, find a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and profits.

There are two things people want more (2)

The best leaders are always looking for opportunities to give praise. It is a powerful motivator that provides the fuel many people need to perform at their best.  Even better, it is infectious. Catch people in the act of doing good, and most will pay it forward.

The most powerful acknowledgement focuses on behaviors, such as completing a work project on time, mentoring a co-worker, or going above and beyond to help a customer. When you acknowledge, you draw attention to something wonderful about a person.

Comments related to how someone looks or dresses has much less impact, and can be taken negatively by the receiver. When done appropriately, it strengthens relationships and builds trust. It can be verbal, or written, and is often most appreciated when done publicly (especially at work).

Acknowledgment Is…

  • Heartfelt
  • Occurs after action (ideally immediately)
  • Highlights good deeds
  • Encouragement

Recall a time when you received sincere acknowledgment, and notice how good it still makes you feel. Now, recall when you completed a project and there was no acknowledgment. Big difference – isn’t it? This is why behaviors that are regularly acknowledge generally increase over time.

Self-Acknowledgement Is Also Vital

Acknowledgement is definitely a two-way street. It can have an even greater impact when we turn it on ourselves. Silently, we are often guilty of calling ourselves names that would cause a fight if someone else said it to our face. Negative self-talk drains energy and pulls us further from our best qualities.

I work with many of my coaching clients to create self-awareness so they notice when they start a  negative internal dialogue, and to substitute positive things they can tell themselves. In addition, giving yourself a verbal pat on the back can help avoid disappointment that follows when your contributions or accomplishments go unrecognized by others.

So, your challenge today and everyday is to catch someone in the act of doing good and acknowledge them. You will discover it makes everyone’s day!

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting, LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and marcom consulting. 

Aug 26

1 Comment

Taking Time Off Work Adds Years To Your Life

Children are heading back to school and summer’s final hurrah in the U.S., Labor Day, is once again upon us. With that in mind, my question for you is: did you take time off this summer?

Note the question starts with “did you,” and not, “how much.”

Figures vary, but between 20 and 25 percent of U.S. workers have zero paid days off. The Families and Work Institute reports less than half those who receive paid time off take the full allotment of vacation time they earn. Both sets of statistics have serious short- and long-term consequences for employees and employers.

Stress is an ignorant state

Some leaders might believe it saves money and increases productivity to withhold paid vacation time, or nurture a culture that discourages taking time off (or expects people to work during their off hours).

What these leaders actually do is nurture an environment where there is no escape from work-related stress. This leads to unhealthy employees, drives up health care costs, and increases absenteeism. These work environments contribute to the early death of some of their best employees. Good leaders should strive to leave a better legacy than this.

Vacations Are Good For People And Companies

While stress can be good for us in the short-term by boosting energy and focus. The American Psychology Association  reports extreme stress can adversely affect the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and central nervous systems.

Mayo Clinic reports long-term stress “can disrupt almost all your body’s processes,” and lead to a higher incidence of health problems such as:

  • anxiety
  • depression
  • digestive problems
  • heart disease
  • sleep problems
  • weight gain
  • memory and concentration impairment.

If half or more of your employees are at higher risk of those health issues due to your policies or culture, any perceived cost and productivity benefits evaporate. Organizations with significant numbers of long-term employees need to examine paid time off policies and employee utilization to maximize positive impacts of vacations.

Need more proof? The Framingham Heart Study confirms vacations can mitigate some of the worst effects of long-term work stress. Researchers followed more than 12,000 men at risk of heart disease for nine years. The findings? The more vacations they took, the longer they lived.

Harvard Health Publications puts an even finer point on this relationship. It reports, “men who took the most vacations were 29 percent less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and 17 percent less likely to die over the nine-year study period than those who did not take regular vacations.”

Granted, these last two findings focused only on men, but stress has similar impacts on both genders.

In my coaching and consulting practice, I encourage business owners to provide paid time off to all employees (after a onboarding period), and work with leaders to explore “use it or lose it” paid time off policies. I also urge clients to use all their paid time off, and avoid the temptation to check or answer work e-mail when away from the office.

Need help setting good boundaries between your work and personal life? Or help getting your career back on track?  Contact me for a free coaching assessment call.

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting, LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and consulting. 

Aug 22

1 Comment

‘Impostor’ Bosses Are Trouble For Your Career

While many or even most of us may lack confidence from time-to-time, there are leaders who trap themselves into a perpetual state of anxiety when it comes to their self-image as a leader.

Dubbed “impostor syndrome,” these leaders are insecure, and unsure they are able to bear the responsibilities they have been given. Many build their work lives around to avoid being “discovered” as a fraud.

At this point, American workers are (3)

Impostors often move quickly through the ranks using slash and burn political skills rather than high performance to make their mark. Often, these are outgoing, charismatic people who can tell a good story, and can accumulate enough power to ruin all or parts of an organization.

Insecurity drives them to ingratiate themselves with their boss, even at the expense of others or the entire organization. A common behavior is to divert resources to pet projects of their boss. Although this is not unusual, the impostor find it difficult to say “no” to even the most unreasonable (or possibly unethical or illegal) demand from their boss. To do so risks the primary work relationship the impostor is vested in, and risks angering the boss who might become critical of other actions the impostor has made.

Impostors As Narcissists

Perhaps paradoxically, to compensate for their internal feelings of weakness, impostors often take on characteristics of narcissists. They feel as if they are always in the spotlight, take credit for the success of team members, and are stingy with praise. When confronted with a failure or mistake, they blame others, and try to distance themselves from responsibility. They stand up for team members only when it is advantageous for them.

Impostors often end up as workaholics, and burn out because they can never satisfy their desire for external validation.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that impostors are wildly unpopular with subordinates. Impostor leaders communicate they distrust their followers in many ways. An example that I have experienced on multiple occasions, and my clients often describe, goes something like this…

After a of poor employee satisfaction score, Human Resources goes conducts focus groups with employees hand-picked by the leader. The group interview results include a list of opportunities for the leader to improve, which is presented to the leader.

Instead of taking time for self-reflection, gain an appreciation for how others perceive your leadership, and take steps to improve, impostors go into ego defense mode. The impostor leader schedules one-to-one meetings with team members who participated in the group interviews and grills each one to find out who made negative comments about them. People suspected of being disloyal are punished by losing plum assignments, receive poor performance reviews, or starved of resources.

The leader then makes the team responsible for improving their own work satisfaction (because the team is the problem). Nothing changes except higher turnover, and increased cynicism.

If you are working for an impostor, there are steps you can take that may improve the work environment. Or, you can begin to create a plan for the next step in your career. If you find yourself in this situation, please reach out to me for a free 50-minute session.

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting, LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and consulting. 

Aug 19

Boredom At Work: A Silent Epidemic

It lurks in offices, cubicles and workplaces everywhere. It sabotages careers and ruins health. It’s happened to me, my coaching clients, and probably to you. “It” is boredom with your job.

In the workplace, boredom is defined as being in a state of high readiness, but lack meaningful work to absorb your energy. It impacts people at all stages of their careers, from entry-level to executive positions. In addition, research suggests extroverts, high performers, and younger workers are at greater risk for boredom.

writes boredom is associated with a host

John Eastwood, Ph.D., one of the authors of “The Unengaged Mind,”  writes boredom is associated with a host of unwelcome effects such as increased drug and alcohol use, overeating, depression, anxiety, making mistakes, and poor customer service.

As reported by CNN, Sandi Mann, of the University of Central Lancashire, England, believes boredom is the second most commonly hidden workplace emotion (she says anger holds the number one position). Perhaps more ominous, is Mann’s concern that workplaces are increasingly bureaucratic and boring.

What Leaders Can Do For Their Teams

Leaders can take steps to reduce boredom, unleash productivity, and enhance the cohesion of  work teams.

  • Share the “why.” Share why the tasks that may seem boring are vital to the mission of your team and organization.
  • Set challenging (but realistic) goals. The right goals push performance and increase feelings of accomplishment and purpose when reached.
  • Give team members as much control as possible over how they manage their work load.
  • Allow team members to take on additional responsibilities and accountabilities to expand their skill sets.
  • Support the professional development goals of team members.

What Anyone Can Do For Themselves   

  • Be a mentor. Put your experience to work helping the junior members of your work group. This will make you feel good, and provide a positive outlet for your experience and knowledge.
  • Keep up to date on developments in your field. This may create opportunities for you to volunteer or suggest new projects that expand your skill set.
  • Find opportunities. There are more than enough committees (heaven knows) to go around. Join one that will bring you into contact with new people and tasks.
  • Ask for more. Most leaders welcome the opportunity to hand off work, so don’t be afraid to ask. Just don’t say you are bored with your job. Not a good career move.
  • Take a (meaningful) break. Instead of eating lunch at your desk, go to the cafeteria or break room and find other people to talk to. Or, take a walk outside to boost your mood and energy level.

You can also quit your job, but there is no guarantee the grass will be less boring in your next position.

If you need help with career and work issues, please reach out to me.

Gregory Alford, MS. Psy., is founder of Accelerated Coaching & Consulting, LLC, and specializes in business, leadership and life coaching and consulting. 

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
%d bloggers like this: