Hi everyone!
I am now moving all my blogs to Leadership Archives - Twin Life Coaching
Feel free to join me there for future blog posts. Once all blog posts here are moved over, new ones will be posted again.
Thanks everyone!
Tara
tara@twinlifecoaching.ca for your life, career, and small business coaching needs.
If you are on our social media (You Tube is where we put our video's) then you will have noticed that I have started a business tip video on Tuesdays. The first 2 are now posted: one on company values and one on your company vision.
This week's tip was about the company's vision. Does your company have one? If so, as a leader do you know what it is? Have you trained your employees on it? Does your management team review it at least annually?
Having a vision in place is very important, because not only is it a key piece of your strategy puzzle, but it allows you and your employees understand their purpose and the company's why. Understanding your purpose or why a company is there is vital. This motivates employees, helps you understand where your company is expected to be in 5 or 10 years, and helps the management team create goals to get there.
Based on some company's I have worked with, it is important that this vision is reviewed, and re-trained at least annually so the vision is refreshed for our VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. Do not wait to review it longer than annually as there is too much that can change, especially now.
So what's your company's vision? Don't know? Go ask, be trained, then bring that knowledge to your teams so they understand not only the company's purpose, but theirs too.
Check out my Business Tip Tuesday on our YouTube channel by subscribing here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6fvKnYz18QeaSmgfCpDlBQ
Happy to help transform your leadership, business, and life too. Contact me when you are ready to be empowered to make great changes!
Tara
I finally did it! I have given notice for my full time day job, so I can coach and be a business consultant full time. Was it an easy decision? Absolutely not.
I have been working full time and then a few nights a week and Saturdays as a coach for over 5 years. I love what I do, so this was fine. However, it was time to make a decision, because as much as I love my jobs, it was becoming too much. The coaching industry is growing fast and it is now rare that I have any time off. I don't want to become burnt out and not be able to give my jobs 100%. So I made a decision.
I decided to go with my gut. You have probably heard that - listen to your gut instincts. Well, that can be hard when you are going from security to uncertainty. For me, I was worried about leaving financial security - who wouldn't be? So, my coach and myself decided this was a limiting belief for me, but as I support my family, we needed to compromise. I came up with a plan to not spend any of my coaching money...I just saved it. Then when I got to a certain value, I knew I could leave my day job knowing I had money to fall back on if needed.
I also knew that as a leader in my day job, I have a great team who will do just fine when I am gone. How do I know? Are they perfect? Heck no! No one is. There is always room to grow. However, I know that I have lead them, empowered them, allow them to make mistakes and show them that this is ok and how to fix it, and help them grow into the amazing team we now have. Will I miss my workplace? Yes I will. I will miss my work "family", my customers, and those that I have met along the way. However with social media, it is very easy to stay in touch these days and I know I will drop by the facility to say hi too.
If you know you need to move on, but have insecurities and limiting beliefs about it, there are ways to prepare just like I did with money.
Need help with this type of transition? Then reach out and let's talk.
That's it for this month! Be kind. Be safe. Be you.
Tara
Being a leader is not about telling people what to do, micromanaging, and beating down on those who make mistakes.
To be a great leader, you must see the best in people and use those strengths in your organization and help them grow on their weaknesses. If someone is struggling, you want to ensure you are not beating down on them. You need to ensure a few things:
1 - Are they brand new? If so, they need time to understand your processes, their job, and their duties. It is your job to get them the assistance they need, or help them yourself to feel part of a great team where communication and collaboration are 100% acceptable.
2 - Are they properly trained? Did you provide proper training, On-The-Job training, outsourced training, any and all training needed legally? If not, that is on you and you need to ensure that is done.
3 - Did you ask them if there are any issues? Are you actively listening? Following up after the first few days is key to understanding how they are feeling about the job, if they feel they had proper training, or if there are any hiccups you do not yet know about. Listen to what they say and create your action plan together.
4 - If they have been there awhile and all the items above are done, you need to do a Performance Improvement Plan. This is not to talk down to them. This is a plan you come up WITH them to ensure they receive any training, assistance, etc they need. You may have missed something too.
5 - If all else fails, yelling or being demeaning is still NOT acceptable as a leader. What you do is start the disciplinary process. This allows time for them to improve and also can help you show you are doing all you can should the need to terminate come up.
This is not an exhaustive list, but one you should look at to ensure you are empowering, enabling, and teaching your employees to be their own leaders and collaborative/ communicative teams.
Now go Be a Great Leader!
www.twinlifecoaching.ca
tara@twinlifecoaching.ca
I love brainstorming with my team. Getting those ideas out there even if we all laugh about why some are just impossible.
What brainstorming should not be: you and you only coming up with ideas for changes in your organization. While you may have awesome ideas, your view of the business is only 1 view and may or may not be biased in some way. So if you have some brainstorming to do, invite others to do it with you.
How to brainstorm:
1 - Gather your team (always great to have people from other areas, different levels, and different departments)
2 - Make sure everyone understands and agrees to the rules. Rules are:
a) Get a white board out, share your screen, and make the list you are coming up with visible to others.
b) Tell everyone NO answer will be considered wrong. You want anything and everything as ideas even if out of budget (maybe you can put it in budget next year, take a smaller idea from the out of range one, etc)
c) Tell everyone to have an open mind.
d) No one is permitted to judge anyone's responses at any time.
e) No one is permitted to talk about a response. This is a time solely to gather the ideas, not to discuss them - that comes later.
3 - Everyone gets a turn 1 at a time and no discussion on the ideas. The person keeping the notes or idea list writes each one down regardless of what it is.
4 - When everyone is out of ideas the meeting is done. Again NO discussion on the ideas right away.
5 - The person keeping the list sends it out to everyone to review.
6 - Give everyone time to add to the list. Do NOT remove any ideas.
7 - After an appropriate amount of time (a couple days), have another meeting to review each and every idea. Here's what you do:
a) Ask if anyone had anything else to add before you start to review the list.
b) Cross out (but don't remove) anything that you know is impossible and where there is no small idea that can come from it. Everyone needs to AGREE that this will be crossed off.
c) What is not crossed off now needs ranked. Have everyone rank it themselves first. Then go around the room down each and every open idea to see how many people wanted it and where it ranked.
d) Rank the top items and ensure everyone is in agreement as a majority.
e) Once you have the top ideas to work through, have the discussion on the first one. Figure out the idea in full. Create a goal and the steps needed to get to that goal. Assign someone to take it over, create a team, and commit to a due date. If the full team is not needed, then also do this for the next 2-3 items until everyone has something to work on.
8 - Review weekly where everyone is at in a quick accountability meeting. This keeps people on track to great things.
So, what great ideas does your team have you did not think of that are awesome? I bet there are a few now. Working with your team and other department team members is a great way to get a new set of eyes on a problem or challenge the company has. Working together can be transformational, so use it to your advantage.
Contact me today for any other help. tara@twinlifecoaching.ca
www.twinlifecoaching.ca
We are all human. Even us who think, live, and breath positivity.
I have had the hardest time this winter staying positive at work and at home. I think, like most of us, between Covid and the cold winter months of southern Ontario, it can be difficult to continue to be positive, or even neutral these days.
I have been finding myself trying for the life of me to be positive when speaking to co-workers or employees. However, at times I too am in the gossip lane (mostly about those not in Canada with my company). I reflect on this now with how can I change this going forward? I know I need to or I will fall deeper and deeper into either sadness or negativity and that is not what I want.
So, I will assign myself the great duty of always finding a way to be neutral or positive with all situations at work. Neutral with respect to what others say (we are all allowed to have opinions, but some we should keep to ourselves.) Even if something bad does happen, I will result to finding a way to use this as a lesson and build upon it for any future issues that come up...and they do...almost every day.
Another thing I have noticed this winter is that no only myself, but everyone around me is feeling the blahs. Again, this is likely due to lock downs, not seeing people, tiredness of Covid, and being tired of winter. I am hoping if I can at least stay alert and either neutral or positive in all situations, others will pick up on this and also do the same thing...rather than the majority of everyone feeling blah. Maybe this will not only lift up my happiness a notch, but perhaps others too.
We as leaders of people are not perfect. We have moments, days, or even winters of weakness, but if we can recognize this, address it, and if nothing else put a smile on our face, then maybe...just maybe, we can all get through the blah's with a better outlook, more positivity, and less negative talk or thoughts.
What do you think?
www.twinlifecoaching.ca
Do you have days when you just feel like going back to bed? The idea of going to work is a stretch? You think of all those emails, that long to do list, the whiny employee, and that big strategy meeting and just how are you going to get through it all with a smile on your face?
Let's be honest, even the best leaders can have off days. There are a few things of course, you can do to help prioritize, but this post is not about that. It is about being motivated to go to work and take care of the things you need to do, be a leader and take care of your team.
What if, instead of letting the negative thoughts go wild in your mind, we reframe our thoughts to be move positive?
Here is an example: Your thought may be 'Sigh, I have the longest meeting in history today and I will never get anything done, the emails are just going to pile high!'
What if instead you said to yourself something a bit more positive. How does this sound: 'I have the strategy meeting today, where I can put my ideas forth for how we can succeed. Oh, I need to remind myself to put my out of office on, so anyone emailing will not be expecting me to reply today.'
Do you feel the difference? Just putting a positive spin, or an idea that can assist you (out of office) you can completely change how you feel about the day. Yes, this is a simple example, but it is about reframing your thoughts to allow more positivity, which will lead you to more motivation to get up out of that bed and head to work. Remember we all have those days where we do not want to, so find a way to make it easier and better - reframe.
One more example: 'I do not want to go to work today because I have to fire John Doe later today, then I have the strategy meeting. How will I ever concentrate?' This is a bit harder as we never want to fire people. Sometimes we do need to help our mind through it though, and change this into something easier and more manageable to our mental state.
How about: 'Today I will terminate John Doe and thank him for his service. If I do this first thing this morning. I will be better able to focus on my ideas for the strategy meeting rather than thinking about the termination meeting all day.' Not a positive thought necessarily, but a reframing and rescheduling so your day will be better and you will have more focus on the ideas you have for that big strategy meeting to move the company forward.
Next time you have those negative thoughts about work, or you just want to press the snooze button one more time, try to reframe your thoughts to either be positive, or think of a way to make your life easier that day. This can help to motivate you to get through those cold winter mornings when all you want to do is stay at home.
Need help through reframing or ideas to make your rough days better? Send me a note to tara@twinlifecoaching.ca and let's talk.
Tara
www.twinlifecoaching.ca
NO, BUT, HOWEVER.
What are these words when it comes to being a leader? They are powerful, but can be powerful in the wrong way.
I am currently reading "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith. Although I am not through the book, he mentions that one of the flaws of a leaders is "Starting with No, But or However. He states that, "The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, "I'm right. You're wrong."
He captures this beautifully because we all have worked in a corporation or business where someone thinks they are always right, or comes down hard on people with the No's. Leaders need to shift their focus when it comes to how they communicate to their fellow co-workers. Leaders do not just say No, But or However. They actively listen, take in advise from co-workers, their own employees or their mangers. They want feedback how to to improve. I won't go and say to tell a the leadership team they can't do that...they can. However, what a great leader does, is not say No right away. They accept that there may be other things to consider, different ways for a project to go, or advise they need to take to heart.
Some companies complete 360's on their leadership team to develop their skills. Just remember, if you are someone who is reviewed and needs development, that this is not a sign you are a bad person or a bad employee. It just means that, like everyone on earth where we are constantly changing, and learning, leaders need to do that too. Continual learning and growth is what leaders do to continue to lead by example, produce great products and service and be profitable.
Next time you feel the need to say "No that is not the way we do it." or "You have a good point, BUT mine is the best way to go", actively listen to what people are telling or showing you. Ask questions. Seek answers. If it is eventually a NO, BUT or HOWEVER, be ready to show why and ensure others understand the why. For example, you hear that they need a new forklift as the only one they have keeps breaking down and is stopping shipments going out the door. You see that it costs 50k and your budget is blown as you lost sales due to covid. Maybe you may say, "A new forklift is a great idea, HOWEVER the budget can only handle a used one. I will look into that right away and see what we can do to make your job easier and more efficient. Thank You." (That is right...never forget to praise and say thank you whenever you can.)
In summary...remember as leaders and managers, before we say "NO, BUT or HOWEVER and you are wrong and I am always right", we need to grow, learn and listen all the time to feedback from employees, vendors, customers or whomever else may have ideas, otherwise are you really leading in the way you want to or the company needs you to? Do you have all the information you need to make a wise decision? Are you helping your employees keep the customer first? Are you leading by example?
Until next time, check us out online at www.twinlifecoaching.ca or email me at tara@twinlifecoaching.ca to book a free consult.
Tara
How do you
stay ahead in this ever-changing world?
In order to keep up and have career opportunities or leadership growth,
you have to stay informed. One way to stay ahead is by educating yourself. Great leaders never stop learning.
This could
mean that you keep updated on how computers, software and phones have changed
business. If you are still using a fax
machine, that is ok, but did you know some fax numbers actually go to email
rather than showing up on fax machine somewhere? Learning knowledge about software and office
products is keep to continuing to keep up with these changes. How do you sell to your customers? That is ever changing as well. More and more people are offering online
shops. Are you keeping up with these
changes?
What about
reading? There are books of every
possible nature out there. Books are not
just for fiction. Need information about
lean for your manufacturing business? Go
to your local library or bookstore and get the latest one. Need help with your leadership skills? There are a lot of great books out there
too. Want to know how to knit? Guess what, there are books out there for
that too.
Where else
can you go to keep up with change? Think
online courses, webinars, colleges and universities, papers, listening,
etc. You can even be mentored, use a
coach (hint hint) to help with your goals and ensure you know how to continue
to grow and keep up with the ongoing, never-ending threat of change.
Do not be
afraid of change. We live in a VUCA
world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous). Embrace it.
The only thing about change is that it is continual and you need to keep
up.. Once you do and you leave the past
behind, except to learn from it, you will grow and continue to stay ahead in
your career, with goals and with life.
If you need
some help or want more information, please reach out to me at tara@twinlifecoaching.ca or check
out our website and blog at www.twinlifecoaching.ca.
We all have limits, even as leaders. In our logistically and employment difficult world, limits are hit daily What we need to know is what those limits are for us, and react appropriately when we get there, before burnout happens.
Know when to ask for help and don't be afraid to ask for it. No one is super human...unless you do know of a super hero that is real of course. If you are overwhelmed, ask for help and remember you do not need to be the only person who knows all the tasks you complete in a day. A great leader has people behind them who are able to fill in the necessary tasks when you are not available. Ask for help when needed.
Limits can also be the number of hours worked in a week. Be sure you and your employees are following all employment law for working and rest hours. That is the first thing a good leader knows and follows. Then if you are consistently working more than 40-48 hours in a work week, you need to do a couple of things: 1 - figure out what you can delegate to others and 2 - make your limits known and stick with them...and make sure your employees do the same. Lead by example. Work on getting rid of unnecessary meetings, reports, etc and if needed, work on creating your budget or proposal for a new hire.
We have all been there...working and knowing that we have reached our limits and change for us is inevitable. We know we have to take those necessary steps. When you do, be sure to get the right advise (employment lawyers are a great place to start if you are looking to let someone go or need advise on laws for your employees), take the right steps. Move forward appropriately and feel comfortable that you have done the right things and have the right knowledge before moving forward.
If it is you who needs to make that change or move on, then congratulations for recognizing that. That is what a great leader should do. Remember :be sure you are ready, you have the right advise, and you are comfortable with your choice. When you are, do what you need to do to stay within your limits.
Until next time...
Everyone loves to be rewarded, thanked, given praise, or even monetary compensation for a job well done.
Most companies do this after a large project is finished, say for example, the implementation of a brand new ERP system. However, sometimes if we wait to reward our employees, some projects either fall off completely, or are severely delayed. Why? One reason could be that our employees have no motivation to continue to move forward.
What if, after every small win or small action item completed, we reward our employees in some way? I know that if we do this, you could have more motivated employees in most cases. Rewards for small wins, can be a simple group Thank You, snacks or lunch brought in for the next meeting, to providing monetary rewards or gifts. Nothing has to be expensive for small wins, but the recognition needs to be there that your team is doing a great job and continuing to move forward.
I encourage all leaders to give verbal praise whenever it is needed. This doesn't have to be when the small win happens, but could be before to keep your team motivated. Praise is an essential part of ensuring projects happen on time and with effective results, whether the results are a new process or even identifying a current process is the best one right now.
What do you do to continually keep efficient employees motivated on a daily basis? What about for small wins? And lastly for those big wins?
Want some more help? Feel free to reach out to me at tara@twinlifecoaching.ca or check out our website and other blog at www.twinlifecoaching.ca.
It seems that many of my new clients are all looking for a new career, career growth, or to develop their leadership skills. This is certainly a growing theme.
Are you looking to move to a new career and not sure where to start? Well, hiring myself as your coach of course. ;-)
This is what I tell most of my clients when we start to chat. Think of looking for jobs as an iceberg. What you see above the water is only a small part of the entire iceberg...most of it is below the water. Now what does this have to do with finding a new job?
Well the part of the iceberg you see when searching for jobs is: Job posting websites, LinkedIn and maybe job agencies. What you don't see under the water is a world of much more choice.
Under the water is: volunteering to try positions out, signs posted outside companies for help wanted, online work, newspapers (online and paper - yes they do still exist!), company websites, not-for-profit organizations and so much more.
So when looking for that new job, think outside the box. Where is your new job? What industry is it in? Where can you find more information? Where do you see more postings?
Need more help? That is where I come in...from creating a vision, reviewing resumes, cover letters, interview practice, exploring the bottom of the iceberg with you, building leadership and management skills and much more.
Contact me today for a free consult: tara@twinlifecoaching.ca
According to author Brené Brown in her book Dare To Lead, a leader is "anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential."
This is one of my favourite definitions so far. I love it. It addresses the 2 key potentials you need to to grow: people and processes. This blog post does not dig into her definition entirely, but it gave me the idea of this post.
If we don't develop the people and use their potential to help them grow to be a better employee, manager or leader, then we may fail at some point. Maybe not now, but at some point the business will move forward and your employees will fall behind. In our VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, we must develop everyone's potential to ensure we keep up the the ever changing world. This year, with Covid19, is a great example of that. I am sure studies will come later, but you have to wonder about those companies that develop their employees to those that don't. Which group of employees or even businesses made it and which fell behind? Every day there are stories of retail stores that were not ready, leaders who did not keep up, or even who did not have online shopping and a lot of them are now closed.
Keep in mind that when I say we need to develop the people, this includes you as a leader. You must constantly develop yourself and be one step ahead as a leader so your employees know what to expect. How can you develop yourself? There are so many ways...my favourite is to read leadership books and shared stories. It helps me develop an understanding of what is new, developing, what works and what doesn't. Of course there are many other ways: blogs, websites, social media, courses, seminars, etc. Choose what you think will work as a main way - one that you will enjoy, and use the other resources when you are needing more insight, guidance or growth.
Now, let's now forget the other important key potential - finding potential in processes and having the courage to develop those too. Again, companies that fail to continuously improve or look for new more efficient ways of working, could fail. Just as with not developing our employees, not developing our processes can vitally hurt companies. Don't stay in the past, but work towards the future and ensure you address any key factors that our VUCA world may have on your business. There are several ways of developing your processes too: reading, seminars, following your industries changes, visiting similar businesses to see what they are doing, website reviews of competitors, joining industry meetings, using standardized processes or even industry association social events (where safe to do so), etc.
Your job as a leader it to ensure this development of your employees, processes and yourself takes place on a continual basis. The world changes quickly these days, as leaders you must keep up.
Never forget about mental health either. Ensure you keep yours on track by hiring a coach, meditation, mindfulness, or whatever method works best for you. Watch employees for signs of mental distress too. Mental health issues are not something to look at someone and think "Wow, Suzy just can't do this job. She is stress and so tired all the time. All her work is late." Instead recognize there is an issue and ask Suzy how things are going and if there is anything you can do to help with her workload, etc. Do not ask her if she is mentally sick, has any medical issues, etc. This may go against your countries discrimination laws. If you have a Family Assistance Program, offer that as support too if you feel it is needed. We do not know what our employees are going through, but we want to ensure they know we are there to support them through the tough times, and grow them to be the awesome employees or potential leaders we need.
Need a life or business coach for your own development?
Email me at tara@twinlifecoaching.ca or visit our website at www.twinlifecoaching.ca
Stay safe and be well! Remember - You've Got This!
Picture this:
You are on your first summer vacation of the year. You walk down to the dock and sit in the best spot. Hear the waves gently hit the boat, feel the sun on your skin. You open your laptop and you are:
1 - Checking and responding to work emails and ensuring all is going ok while you are away.
2 - Checking off an item of your bucket list and are beginning to write a novel.
3 - Googling what kind of butterfly gently landed on your foot.
If you are doing #2 or 3 good for you! This is what using a laptop on vacation is all about. It is you time, check an item off of your bucket list time...it is not a time to check emails and respond so everyone knows you are available every minute of your vacation. This is not relaxing and is not good for your mental wellbeing.
A leader will ensure that they are available for what I call "911 emergencies" only. For me this is: someone quitting, a serious accident, or another very urgent matter that needs my immediate attention. It does not include: approving late expense reports, signing off on anything that can wait until my return anyway, checking in to see how everyone is doing and what I can do for them today. Leaders ensure that their team can handle what comes (except the emergencies) their way and they should be empowered by you to handle it. We all need rest and relaxation to fully function upon our return from vacation - after all that is what vacation is for.
The first time you do this, you may come back to higher workloads as people are so used to you being available. However, the more you do it the better it becomes and the less amount of emails or calls are waiting for you after your down time.
Here is what you can do BEFORE going on vacation to ensure all is good to go:
a- Cancel or decline all meetings during your holiday so there is no expectation you will be there.
b - Use your out of office on your email and phone and do not include a direct way to get a hold of you. I simply put down that I am away and please contact customer service for urgent matters to have them redirected.
c - Empower your employees to make decisions - even provide them with limits to approve while you are away or any other way to help you with relaxing.
d - Train then delegate any tasks you are able to so you have backup while you are gone. A leader should not be the only person who knows how to complete a task.
e - Tell everyone, from employees, vendors, other sites to customers that you will be away at least 1-2 weeks before hand and then the day before. This brings down the calls and emails substantially.
There are many more, but hopefully this short list will help you enjoy more of your next vacation.
Take care and as always, I am here to help!
