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Virtual Leadership Spot-Checking

2013-04-22T11:36:58+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

“Oh where, oh where, have my team members gone….“ No, this blog post will not be set to some cheesy musical tune. This narrative pertains to your team members and your workplace - or rather, your non-workplace.

A growing trend in business is for organizations to employ remote workers. Or, in a cost-savings maneuver, to have team members work from home several days per week. On paper these strategies look great. After all, they will save the company money and give greater flexibility to team members. What could go wrong, right? Well, the fly in the ointment is the leadership component. You see, when leading virtual teams, leaders tend to fall into the trap of “out of sight, out of mind.” As such, they spend little time actually leading their remote workers. This is dangerous because team members are rudderless when they do not experience solid leadership. Without good leadership remote workers are less productive, have a warped sense of team priorities and expectations, and often work on lower impact initiatives more than higher impact initiatives. So how do we avoid virtual leadership pitfalls?

One easy way to more effectively lead your virtual team members is to use a technique I call virtual leadership spot-checking. What I mean by this is to periodically visit your team members in their remote workplace. Since you cannot just show up at someone’s home (which is usually their remote location), you will want to have a business purpose to visit your team member(s). This is easy. In addition, you may want to schedule a block of time as long as a half-day for your visit. Perhaps deliver a formal coaching session as part of your visit to the team member. However you tee up and deliver your visit, I guarantee that many benefits will result from your outreach actions. First, you will build rapport with the team member. Second, you will learn some virtual best practices that your team member employs. These can subsequently be shared with your other virtual team members. Third, if there are problems or issues you will learn about them much earlier than you would have otherwise. Fourth, you will gain knowledge regarding future training and development actions that would elevate the performance of your team member.

For those leaders who have a remote workforce that is overseas, do not worry. If getting on a plane is time or cost-prohibitive, seek to get more visual. Use webconferencing, Skype, or telepresence rooms in order to boost your visual connection with your team members.

Bottom Line: Remote workforces are a growing trend in today’s work world. Savvy leaders will hone their skills and abilities in virtual leadership in order to deliver consistent results. In this regard, get creative. Employ techniques such as virtual leadership spot-checking in order to sufficiently connect with team members, grow their skills, and keep them focused on the right initiatives. The results will keep you in the leadership spotlight and clearly differentiate your skills from your peers.

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Please do so, as long as you do not alter the content or embedded links. Also, please include the following information: Doug Van Dyke is a Tampa Bay based leadership and collaboration consultant, executive coach, and strategic planner. To learn more about leadership development programs, coaching and consulting services, visit www.leadershipsimplified.com.

The Definition of Spirit – Boston Sings!

2013-04-18T18:53:24+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

The bombings that occurred in Boston earlier this week were horrific and despicable. Just like you, I mourn for the dead and injured. My heart goes out to all the families and loved ones so terribly impacted by Monday’s events. Stemming from the noise and ash of the bombings we have witnessed countless stories that inspire us. The most recent occurred last night during the first major sporting event in Boston since Monday’s marathon. For those of you who witnessed a city singing at the beginning of the Bruin’s hockey game, it was unbelievable. For those who missed an amazingly touching and spontaneous moment, here is a link to the star spangled banner that kicked-off the game.

God Bless America!

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Leadership and the Hidden Culture

2013-03-25T11:33:47+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

Within the culture of large organizations there is a hidden culture. The hidden culture may value traits such as social grace, humor, athleticism, etc. Often times the hidden culture of a leadership group has a greater impact on a team member’s career progression than their accomplishments in the workplace. Leaders who are on a growth track are well-advised to identify the hidden culture of their organization, and understand how they are perceived by the hidden culture “in group.”

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Communication for New Leaders

2013-03-01T12:51:08+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

As a new leader, a mantra for you to consider is: “Communicate, communicate, communicate.” So what, in particular, should you communicate? A good place to start is workplace expectations. Ask your team what they expect from you. Then, share your real expectations of your team members (even your pet peeves). Next, communicate organizational values as viewed through your lens. Share with your team how aligned you believe the department is with the overall organization. In the process, you may receive some feedback from your team that helps you better understand their perspective of the organization. Lastly, communicate your leadership philosophy with your team. If you do not have a leadership philosophy, this exercise will help you think strategically and develop one. Do you drive your team and demand results, or are you more of a servant leader? Do you have a holistic and team focus, or do you believe that circumstances dictate how you lead and respond to team member needs? Ah, so many things to ponder. Yet, as a leader, so many people to positively impact. Good luck new leaders, and remember, leadership is as much of an art as it a science.

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Public Speaking Mindset

2013-02-04T14:05:49+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

Do you fear speaking in public? Most leaders do. In fact, helping leaders and sales professionals become better public speakers and presenters is one of our most popular training sessions. While there are a litany of best practices to share, today we address two strategies of speaking in public. The first is to not seek to convince your audience, but rather seek to influence them. Craft your message in a fashion that leads to buy-in. If you hit people over the head in an attempt to convince them, it will only lead to buyer’s remorse. Help your public messages stick by making them influential.

The second tip is to think about public speaking in terms of knowledge transfer. When you address a group of people you are attempting to transfer your knowledge of the core topic(s) being addressed. As such, craft your message and delivery with knowledge transfer in the forefront of your mind.

Bottom Line: It is a privilege to speak to groups of people. Make certain your message is influential by transferring knowledge in a manner that is memorable.

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The Psychology of Personal Development

2013-02-04T13:47:58+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

Personal development is a multi-billion dollar industry. It promotes everything from fads and fallacies to solid programs that deliver outstanding results. Leaders in the workplace who focus on properly developing their team members have a leg-up on their peers. For those leaders who manage younger generations, personal development is extremely important. Helping team members to grow and learn is one of the best retention tools that exists. Actions associated with growing your team can range from managing by wandering around, leadership development programs, one-on-one coaching, and mentoring.

Bottom Line: Think strategically about how you are going to grow and develop team members. Your positive actions will increase productivity, deepen bench strength, enhance your leadership abilities, and retain your best employees. If you are not driving personal development, your team will be looking for leaders who do.

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What Body Language do we expect from our Leaders?

2013-01-02T12:23:26+00:00

By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

In today’s world, a lot is demanded of the people who lead organizations. They are expected to say the right things, lead by example, show sound judgment, and motivate spirited teams. As leaders conduct themselves, their body language is also under intense scrutiny. And most leaders do not even think twice about the kind of body language they are projecting. So what body language do team members expect from their leaders? Let’s take a look at five items of particular interest.

Eye Contact. This should be a no-brainer. Maintaining eye contact while delivering messages shows confidence and sincerity. If a leader does not demonstrate favorable eye contact when speaking to individuals or groups, they will have a hard time leading effectively.
Crossed-Arms. Leaders who talk or listen with their arms crossed will come across as closed off or inflexible. Now, if you are shooting to appear stubborn, by all means, cross your arms. If want to appear collaborative, however, uncross those appendages and get comfortable with yourself.
Hand Gestures. Many leaders gesture wildly when they are speaking. This kind of rapid hand movement can be distracting to the listener. In addition, it may not project the controlled and confident image that you would prefer. If you make too many hand gestures, relax. Call me and I will give you two tips on what to do with those paws while you are gabbing.
Posture. Our mothers told us to sit up straight for a reason – you might be in a leadership position some day. As a leader, good posture has never been more important. It shows strength and command.
Square Up. When listening to others, seek to align your shoulders so as to face them. Too many leaders listen sideways, or even worse, multi-task while listening. Show respect to your audience and speak body language that says “You have my full attention.”

Bottom Line: Our words speak volumes, but often times our body language carries the larger message. Be mindful of your body language, and reinforce your messages by using it wisely.

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Increase Communication Effectiveness by Embracing Feedback

2012-12-31T14:29:39+00:00

Guest Blog Post by Joseph Kennard

Many leaders do not regularly receive feedback on their communication effectiveness. Human nature leads many to believe that if they were not communicating effectively, they would hear about it from their team. Well, if communication is dysfunctional, than the dysfunction may limit the feedback received! If you do not receive regular feedback from your team about your communication style, search it out. Seek to make the team comfortable with sharing feedback with you. Never retaliate if you receive constructive criticism. Ask great questions that will encourage feedback from your team. Paraphrase their comments in order to ensure that you fully understand their feedback. Show respect for their feedback by enhancing your communication technique as appropriate. Feedback is essential to ensure the message transmitted is received and understood. Get feedback from several sources down the line. When disseminated, the message can get diluted. Like a photocopy of a photocopy, the message can get fuzzy very quickly.

Bottom Line: Encouraging feedback from the team helps to build rapport and show trust. In addition, openness to receiving feedback increases team member confidence in your leadership, as well as in the team dynamic. As Peter Drucker shared with us many years ago, “You can only manage what you measure.” Seek to measure your communication effectiveness via honest feedback from your team. No news is not good news, it is bad communication!

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Please do so, as long as you do not alter the content or embedded links. Also, please include the following information: Joseph Kennard is a Tampa Bay based leadership consultant and executive coach. To learn more about leadership development programs, coaching and consulting services, visit www.leadershipsimplified.com.

Guidelines for Effective In-Person Networking

2012-11-27T13:41:54+00:00

Guest Blog Post by Joseph Kennard

There is an old saying, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” This warning is true and it works for networking. To be successful in networking you need to remember a few guidelines.

Networking is WORK. Work is right there in the name. You must work to make it second nature, seamless, and natural. Some people treat networking as a necessary evil. Others embrace the initial introductions, but their efforts fade with regard to building and maintaining the relationship. Like other elements of work, you must consistently work at networking in order to build mutually successful relationships!

You must give something back for it to work. The contacts that you make are in business. Time is valuable and you must appeal to them in order to receive their attention. They must perceive that your message is as valuable as their time. You must strive to inform and engage your audience. The question of “What is in it for me?” should be answered before they think to ask.

Practice. Practice on EVERYONE. Listen to everyone’s story and ask powerful questions. Find their pain. Find their joy. Enable them to willingly share their contact information, and then follow up as appropriate. Follow up soon. Send an email thanking them for their time. Send a link to an article they may find of interest concerning that pain or joy. Add a link to a blog of appropriate content. Send them your newsletter.

Be nice and be genuine. People love that. Make contacts and pass along information because it is the right thing to do. People like to work with genuinely nice people. Do not try to fake it. If you try to fake it, you will fail and they will notice. Nobody likes a phony.

Be consistent and follow up on a regular basis. Just make sure you have a business purpose to reach out, otherwise it may feel like a cold call. Touch base and check in, always offering to help if you can. Goodwill goes a long way. As a result, you may get a lead, or at least garner a lead for one of your allies. Also, the odds are good that if you share a lead, they will reciprocate. Everyone wins, and winning is the whole idea.

Bottom Line: Even though effective networking is work, it does not have to be drudgery. Follow a few guidelines and continually enhance your networking style. The process will ultimately become more fun, and more profitable.

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Steering the Ship

2012-11-26T13:40:09+00:00

Guest Blog Post by Joseph Kennard

Leadership and change go hand-in-hand. Even if your organization is not going through some fundamental shift, there is always change occurring on some level. New products, new services, new staff, new regulations all are changes. Many people see change as something with a start and an end. Rather, change is continuous. Much like a ship’s captain, a leader must constantly adjust the course to compensate for changes in currents and weather. While on the ship analogy, as the captain, you must see your journey as a collection of these small adjustments. Whether you are in familiar waters or charting a new course, any changes in speed or direction must be smooth. Your organization, like a ship, will not stop or turn on a dime. Your actions must be smooth and fluid to avoid unnecessary turbulence. As such, take command, chart the course, communicate your vision, empower others to act on that vision, and create meaningful goals. As those goals are accomplished, integrate victory celebrations into your operations. Remember, just as there are adjustments made on the road to victory, so too there should be celebrations as milestones are reached. Lead the charge, lead the cheer!

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