The world is shrinking. Across my career, I’ve worked on many multicultural and international teams. Today, I work directly with individuals who have a native language of English, Italian, Hindu, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese,  Spanish or Vietnamese. Based on my experiences, I wrote tips for leading global teams. In that post I recommend using simple terms in the native language of the person you address. However, there were still members of my own team for whom I had yet to learn these simple phrases.

I decided to compile the most common words and phrases I use in regular business conversation across the most popular languages. Below is the list of these terms for your reference. If you work with a global team, chances are you will find relevant native languages below (alphabetical order):

Arabic

Hello - مرحبا
Goodbye - وداعا
Please - من فضلك
Thank you - شكرا
You’re welcome - فنحن نرحب بك
Yes - نعم
No - لا

Chinese (Simplified)

Hello - 您好
Goodbye - 再见
Please - 请
Thank you - 谢谢
You are welcome - 欢迎您
Yes - 是
No - 无

French

Hello - Bonjour
Goodbye - revoir
Please - S’il vous plaît
Thank you - Merci
You’re welcome - Vous êtes les bienvenus
Yes - Oui
No - Aucun

German

Hello - Hallo
Goodbye - Auf Wiedersehen
Please - Bitte
Thank you - Danke
You’re welcome - Gern geschehen
Yes - ja
No - nicht

Hindi

Hello - नमस्ते
Goodbye - नमस्ते
Please - कृपया
Thank you - शुक्रिया
You’re welcome - कोई बात नहीं.
Yes - हां
No - नहीं

Italian

Hello - ciao
Goodbye - arrivederci
Please - per favore
Thank you - grazie
You’re welcome - Prego
Yes - sì
No – no

Japanese

Hello - こんにちは
Goodbye - さようなら
Please - してください
Thank you - ありがとう
You’re welcome - あなたどういたしまして
Yes - はい
No - なし

Korean

Hello - 안녕하세요
Goodbye - 안녕
Please - 하세요
Thank you - 감사합니다
You’re welcome - 참 잘 오셨습니다
Yes - 예
No - 아니

Portuguese

Hello - Olá
Goodbye - adeus
Please - por favor
Thank you - obrigado
You’re welcome - De nada
Yes - sim
No - não

Russian

Hello - привет
Goodbye - до свидания
Please - пожалуйста
Thank you - спасибо
You’re welcome - Всегда пожалуйста
Yes - да
No - нет

Spanish

Hello - ¡Hola
Goodbye - despedida
Please - Por favor
Thank you - Gracias
You’re welcome - No hay de qué
Yes - sí
No - no

Turkish

Hello - Merhaba
Goodbye - güle güle
Please - lütfen
Thank you - teşekkür ederim
You’re welcome - Estağfurullah
Yes - evet
No - yok

Vietnamese

Hello - Xin chào
Goodbye - Tạm biệt
Please - Xin
Thank you - cảm ơn bạn
You’re welcome - Bạn đang chào đón
Yes - Có
No - không có

A brief word of caution: I am not an multilingual expert. Before considering using these phrases in a formal manner or critical negotiation, be sure to consult an expert to avoid offending anyone. Furthermore, if you do not see the language, word you seek or if you need the pronunciation, I suggest using Google Translate – the source of most translations here.

Question: Have you tried using simple phrases of the native language with global team members? What was the impact?

The Scenario: An Unrealistic Demand

While working for a large, rapidly expanding non-profit, I was tasked with upgrading the organization’s technology. We anticipated doubling in scale over 12 months. Adding to the challenge was an already understaffed technology department, supporting antiquated technology. The task was daunting, but we had an amazing team.

My boss, the Chief Financial Officer, set lofty goals. However, a record of successes quickly built the organization’s confidence in our team.

As we neared a critical turning point in the year, an unrealistic demand was placed on me and the team for which I was accountable. The requirement was to replace the primary software tool of the company, in less than a month’s time. I was shocked by the expectation.

The already overburdened technology team had no bandwidth and the CFO would not accept changing priorities of other efforts. A replacement of such a critical tool would typically require months of planning alone. Yet I was being commanded to completely replace the system in a matter of weeks. I refused, insisting instead that we limped along on the antiquated system for one more season.

What Happened: Disaster – Fired

When I refused to support the initiative, I was given two options: do it, or lose my job. Unfortunately, my family was dependent upon my income. I saw no other choice and worked furiously to develop the best plan possible.

Those weeks felt like a scene from a horror movie where the victims run like crazy, but the slowly lumbering assailant remains steps away. I saw no way the project could end well.

As usage of the new system grew, failures increased. Eventually, the system failed completely – a result of poor planning, insufficient resources and inadequate training. Ultimately, I was called into the CFO’s office and asked for my resignation.

What I Learned: You Can’t Lead What You Need

I should have resigned the moment the CFO insisted on the project. I never would have though, given my family’s financial position at the time.

Had I volunteered my resignation at that moment there were two possible outcomes:

1. The CFO backed off his insistence: I remained employed there and we addressed the solution properly at a later time.
2. My resignation was accepted:  The organization had no one to lead the effort and would likely delay the replacement until a later date – when it could have been properly addressed.

For the organization, either outcome would have been better.

Three Lessons

It may have been the hard way, but I learned many lessons from this event, including:

1. You cannot lead what you need: If you feel you need the job you have, it will be much more difficult to lead in that role. Creating a sufficient savings to depend upon in times of crises, building a strong network and maintaining confidence in your ability to find alternate employment will help you lead more by needing less.

2. Build relationships at all levels: I also realized that I trusted the CFO to do what was right. However, he faced his own pressures. Ensuring strong relationships at all levels will help you avoid depending on a single individual (even your boss) in critical times.

3. Always have a backup: I knew the project would fail. Therefore, I should have invested more of the team’s effort in a back-out plan. As Mark Sanborn said in Up Down or Sideways:

“It is too late to add a backup chute once you’ve left the plane.”

This concludes the third and final post on My Great Failures and the lessons I learned. I hope you’re able to learn from my experience and save yourself some of  the same challenges.

Question: What other lessons do you see in my failure?

I recently received feedback that I am multitasking too much in meetings. The perception is that I am not engaged enough. This bothers me especially because multitasking during meetings has long been a pet peeve of my own. Therefore, I’m dedicating myself to fixing this. Here’s why:

A good leader serves their organization through active listening and full participation in meetings. To be a good leader, one really must be “in the moment”. Let’s compare and contrast the active listener with the multitasker in a meeting:

Jacob, the Multitasker:

Jacob is a rising star in the organization.  His seniors continue to give him demanding assignments and it seems he’s always juggling 100 tasks.  He enters each meeting, laptop in tow, blackberry out and bluetooth headset on.  He’s often late to the meeting and / or must leave early, because he has conflicting sessions.  As the dialogue progresses, he listens for keywords while he responds to email on the blackberry and, eventually, needs to pull out his laptop .  In the most pressing times, he’s even known to attend two meetings at once – on a teleconference with his bluetooth while attending another in person.

As the dialogue  progresses, it becomes clear to the team that Jacob has not been actively listening because he asks questions that were already answered.  At times, he’ll interject suggestions and comments based on a sentence or two he caught, but it seems disconnected from the broader topic.  The result is often a need for the group to rehash previous conversation and / or clarify the matter at hand for Jacob.  But Jacob does not care, he’s just “too busy” and expects this to be the response from his team and the broader organization – it’s only natural, because we’re all “so busy”.

Michael, the Active Listener:

In contrast to Jacob, Michael makes it a point to arrive on time, typically carrying only a notebook.  He urges the team to begin promptly.  He requests an agenda before each meeting and expects the team to stick to it.  The meeting coordinator often feels “under a spotlight” but knows they have his full attention.  On the very rare occasion when Michael must step out of a meeting and / or respond to messages in the middle of a discussion, the team is surprised and knows something serious must be up, so they pause, rather than repeating dialog following the distraction.

As the meeting progresses, Michael asks detailed questions on each slide and challenges the team’s assumptions.  Minute details they intended to glance over, Michael catches and asks for clarity.  Furthermore, Michael often repeats what he thinks he heard to ensure full comprehension.  Decisions made during meetings include a decision document. If decisions are not made during the meeting, a clear action plan is defined to achieve appropriate decisions.

Which meeting would you rather be in?  Which leader would you rather follow?  Which person is really leading through service?  I may not be as bad as Jacob, but it’s clear I have some work to do on this front.  I hope you will consider this issue for yourself, as well.

Questions: How does multitasking impact your team?

Storms that may seem destructive, often bring positive results. A leadership storm can have the same impact. A good leader that enters a bad situation (drought), needs to make tough decisions (storm), but the positive results are undeniable (growth).

The Drought

Preceding storming leadership is often a drought. This drought is a time of difficult challenges and may include any of the following symptoms:

1. Poor Leadership: Many organizations are rife with selfish leaders. Over time, this results in a drought of leadership and depreciates our greatest asset: the people.

2. Financial Crisis: Our global economy has declined, consistently, for several years placing many organizations in a financial crisis.

3. Tunnel Vision: Many corporations, especially the public sector, focus exclusively on investors. The result drains consumer, employee and the community value.

The Storm

As a result of a drought, sometimes a storm is needed to replenish nutrients in the organization. Like physical storms, leadership storms have similar symptoms:

1. Discomfort: Lighting storms can be frightening. After years of doing things one way, the organization may need to make a drastic change.

2. Cleansing Effect: You may not have taken out the trash in your organizational leadership for a long time. After a good storm, what was grimy shines better.

3. Nourishment: After a good storm, crops are replenished with water and nutrients. Leadership storms nourish the organization by feeding the needs of depleted departments.

4. Replenished Reservoirs: Droughts deplete reservoirs. Similarly, toxic leaders drain the reserves of organizations – stealing from tomorrow to make today look good. A leadership storm rebuilds those reservoirs.

The Growth

In order for a leadership storm to succeed, a delicate balance must be struck: it must be strong, but not so strong it damages the crops. It must be long enough to allow the ground to absorb the water but not so long it drowns the field. Here are some tips for ensuring there is growth after the storm.

1. Communicate the Need – If you’re not a farmer, you may not understand what is at risk during a drought until it is too late. Similarly, leaders must ensure those effected by the storm understand the need before it is too late.

2. Plan Comprehensively - People who face a lot of storms know how critical proper preparation is. Leaders must do the same. Planning the start, finish and anticipated results is crucial.

3. Be Transparent - Ensure the team knows what to expect and when you expect it. Storms don’t last forever and there are often signs that the end is nearing. Likewise, tell your people what to expect and when you think the storm will pass.

4. Minimize Damage - Winds too strong, destroy crops. Likewise, leadership cuts must not be too deep. Leaders must be careful not to eliminate too many resources or too much innovation.

5. Celebrate Completion – After the storm comes the rainbow. Similarly, you must celebrate with the team. Tell them how grateful you are for their support. Recap the damage, but also realized benefits and the defined end of the storm.

Destructive forces are never pleasant. However, if your organization needs a storm, ensure you design and deliver the storm as effectively and efficiently as possible. If you sense an oncoming storm, consider these tips to minimize the damage and maximize your results.

Question: How else can storms at the office be successful?

If you ask any CEO, ‘Would you like employees who are creative, refreshed and energetic?’, I can’t imagine a single one would answer, ‘no’. Yet, how do you expect to have this, when you only offer 2 weeks of vacation a year and a handful of holidays? This (paraphrased) commentary was offered in a CNN segment reflecting on America’s fledgling vacation policies. So how does America compare to other countries when it comes to vacation time?

America vs. Other Country Vacation Standards

America trails other countries when it comes to vacation. The facts speak for themselves (source, CNN.com):

• Only 57% of U.S. employees use their entire allotted vacation time (Reuters/Ipsos)
• U.S. Employers are not obligated under any federal law to provide paid vacations
• More than 2 dozen industrialized countries require employers to offer 4 or more weeks of vacation. (2009, Mercer)
• Finland, Brazil and France guarantee employees 6 weeks of vacation
• Approximately 25% of U.S. workers do not have access to any paid vacation

Not only does America offer less than most other industrialized nations when it comes to paid vacation time, but we don’t even take what we are offered. It seems we think working harder and resting less is required to get ahead. Yet, the evidence is to the contrary.

In the World Economic Forum’s 2010-2011 rankings of the most competitive economies, the United States placed fourth. In contrast, Sweden, which legally obligates employees receive five weeks of paid vacation, placed second. Strange, I thought we worked so hard to get ahead?

Enjoy What You Have

Unless you want to move to a country with more ideal vacation regulations, chances are you’re not going to see a substantial leap in paid time off. I’m not even sure that is the solution. However, I do believe creativity, sufficient leisure, and the energy to be successful require more than hard work. I recommend a better work-life-alignment, understanding the true perceptions around vacation and maximizing your paid time off.

Work-Life-Alignment: Too many people seek a work-life balance. As I wrote in 5 Tips for Work-Life-Alignment, Not Balance, this is a mistake. You’re not likely to ever find a true balance. Instead, seek work you enjoy – what is your passion? What is your calling? Answer these questions and you can be equally happy and comfortable at work, home or wherever you roam.

True Perceptions: It seems many Americans and workaholics in general fear a perception that if they take too much vacation, their employers will perceive them as lazy. However, one of the best (and most successful) bosses I ever had always used his entire vacation time every year, without fail. It was simply understood – nobody questioned it. Do you ever really question your peer’s time off? Guess what? I doubt they will question yours either.

Maximize Your Time Off: Use it, don’t lose it. You are far more useful to your employer and colleagues when you are energized, refreshed and creative. If you know it will help these factors, you’re only hurting them and yourself by failing to take maximize your rest and relaxation.

The next time you find yourself hesitating to take a vacation, consider these factors. Then, go ahead and book that time away from the office. I bet you will not be the only person who is glad you did.

Question: Do you take your full vacation every year? How do you make the best use of paid time off and how does it help you and your organization?

In the previous post, “Do You Have a Seagull Manager?”, I explained characteristics of Seagull Managers and how to identify them. According to Ken Blanchard, “Seagull managers fly in, make a lot of noise, dump on everyone, and then fly out.” These toxic leaders rush into situations they do not comprehend, raise excessive alarm, criticize others and then disappear, leaving a mess behind. However, there is hope for the servant leader that must deal with seagull managers.

To cope with seagull managers, consider the namesake of these individuals. Here are tips on how to address each of the seagull manager’s negative tactics:

Fly In

Seagulls circle above for signs of any opportunity to steal food away. Seagull managers practice similar tactics. These individuals circle above, avoiding any detail, awaiting the right opportunity to swoop in and steal focus away. Picnickers on the beach fend for their food by keeping it in sight and having a team they trust surround it. To avoid the fly in by seagull managers, do the same: pay attention to the details and surround your issues with team members you trust.

Make a Lot of Noise

The seagull squawks and screams at other birds, bullying them around and calling attention to themselves in the hopes of getting the food. Similarly, seagull managers like to get attention by raising alarms and crying wolf. With the birds, you simply ignore the noise. With seagull managers, the solution is the same: ignore the noise and focus on reality. On occasions, the squawking has a legitimate issue at its root. Remain open to the feedback of all those you serve, but maintain focus on the facts.

Dump On Everyone

There are two ways to deal with dumping birds: either utilize an umbrella to stop it from hitting you or wipe it off quickly after it hits (unpleasant thought, I know). In business, it is the same. As a servant leader you owe it to those you serve to act as the umbrella. You must shelter the team from distraction and junk falling from above. Then, you need to brush it off when it hits you. As a leader in the organization, you will ultimately face plenty of seagull managers that want to dump on you. Your success, and that of the team, will depend at least in part, on how you respond to these attacks.

Fly Out

After flying in, squawking and dumping on everyone, seagulls fly away having provided no benefit to those left behind. Seagull managers do the same. These individuals are all talk, no action. The bad boss often makes a lot of empty promises then fails to deliver. To avoid these unfulfilled promises, take thorough notes with clear action items to trace accountability. If necessary, follow up to ensure the seagull boss does not fly out without leaving some benefit behind to the team.

If you have a manager with a reputation for acting like a seagull, consider how you would respond to the birds and adjust those practices for the office. By tracking the details, focusing on facts, sheltering the team from dumping, and tracking accountability, you can resist the oppression of seagull managers.

Question: Have you dealt with the antics of bad managers? What other tactics do you employ?

The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Do they achieve the required results? Do they change with grace? Manage conflict? – Max De Pree

Too many organizations today say “the employee alone, is responsible for their career”. With statements like these, it is no surprise that employees have decreased loyalty. A Salary.com survey highlighted this problem. The survey of 8,000 people found that employees want greater support of their career by the employer. The top reasons provided for leaving their employers included:

#2: Inadequate Opportunities for Career Advancement (37%)
#3: Insufficient Recognition or Appreciation (34%)
#4: Boredom (20%)
#6: Inadequate Opportunities for Professional Development (15%)
#7: Insufficient Job Security (12%)
#9: Poor Relations with Management (10%)

Reducing employee turnover should be reason enough for organizations to step up and take some responsibility for employee careers. However, there are many more hidden problems with leaving accountability for career development solely to the employee.

Hidden Problems With Insufficient Employee Career Support

1. Emphasizes Individual Over Team
Individuals focusing on their own career growth often communicate their own achievements over those of the team. Individuals promoting themselves and their results over what is right for the organization will likely be promoted faster. Therefore, this pattern will repeat itself and grow over time, ultimate reducing teamwork.

2. Reduces Risk Taking
Individuals are less likely to stick their neck out if they feel there is no support from above. Individuals have accountability at home for family income and will not risk job security, especially in this economy, if there is not someone above looking out for them from a bigger picture perspective.

3. Drives Short Term Solutions vs. Long Term Results
Employees focused on building their own career will sacrifice sustainability for short-term wins to gain their next promotion. After all, if they drive quick results, what they leave behind is another persons mess to cleanup.

4. Reduces Loyalty and Increases Turnover
As the salary.com survey highlights, if nobody in the company is helping the employee, what difference does it make if the employee takes their next role with the same employer or goes to the competition?

Employers Must Share Accountability for Employee Careers

Employees must still play a major role in developing their own careers. However, companies that dodge any accountability are hurting themselves and their employees. If we are more proactive in supporting the careers of our employees, perhaps we’ll also see a bit of that good old-fashioned loyalty return as well.

Question: Does your organization support the careers of its employees? How does this benefit or hurt the organization and the employee?

You know that feeling, sitting in the meeting room, stunned by the attitude, demeanor and message from a leader who, just days earlier held an entirely different position and message. One day the leader is empathetic and reserved in their push for continuous improvements. The next day, that same leader would make Gordon Ramsay envious as he barks orders, demeans the team and threatens careers. Confronted about his varying styles and tactics, the leader proclaims, “I believe in situational leadership.” Situational leadership?! Please. Try a poor excuse for inconsistency and unpredictability. Too often, stating situational leadership as a philosophy becomes an excuse for simply being inconsistent and unpredictable. And inconsistent leadership can be the death of a team.

“Situational Leadership” is a philosophy that any given situation may require a different type of leadership. While I am a firm believer that in any given situation, a different approach, practice, action or message may be needed, the leadership principles should be consistent across the organization and time. For example, what you, as a leader, value and prioritize should be consistent. You can not say one day that you respect the personal time and values of your employees and then call them every night for non-critical items. You can not explain that the department’s top priority is quality improvement one day and spend the next week focused on delivering a higher quantity at any cost to quality. Instead, leaders should provide consistent leadership priorities, character and messaging. Here are three tips to better serve your team and avoid situational leadership confusion:

Communicate Changes Clearly

When changes are necessary, whether in a business priority or attitude, wrap those changes in clear communications. Remember, your team is not privy to all the same information you are. Therefore, the reason for any shifts in attitude or priority may not be as obvious to them as to you. When in doubt, assume your team will not understand the reason for your new focus and proactively communicate the supporting details. This can even be done after the initial change is communicated – provided it happens quickly:

Team,

This morning’s status update included a clear shift in priority from reducing costs to improving quality. I realize this may have come as a surprise to you. However, you should know that the latest consumer report, due out next month, is questioning our quality. As a result, there is a new directive from the CEO to improve quality scores by at least 5% before the end of the quarter.

Thank you

Avoid Surprises

As you know, managers do not like surprises. Guess what? Your team does not enjoy them either. Therefore, do not wait until everything is critical to raise the matter with your team. Get ahead of the shifting priorities by providing a “heads up” to your team that a change may be on the way. These warnings do not have have to be long and comprehensive. Instead, a quick note like this may do the trick:

John,

Just a heads up that I was just in a meeting with our VP of Finance. The budget approval for their project may be delayed another week as we shift our focus from cost control to quality improvement. I’ll let you know when I hear more.

Thank you

Provide Consistent Vision

Business priorities will vary over time. Quarterly focuses in the for-profit sector drive a number of near term investment decisions and non-profit corporations often shift focuses as different crises arise. However, the long-term objectives of the company should be unwavering or at least, not subject to the same, regular fluctuations. Therefore, to maintain consistency for your team, short-term changes must be framed within the long term vision. For example:

Team,

I know our new quality emphasis seems to conflict with our annual objective of reducing overall cost. However, it remains our vision to provide a quality product at the lowest possible cost point. In order to achieve this goal, we believe the initial investment in improving overall quality can reduce defects and support costs. The net result is anticipated to be an overall cost savings for the company.

Thank you

Control Emotion

Passion is good, frustration is bad. I wrote about this in Passion vs. Emotion for Leadership and Frustration as a Warning Sign for Leaders. Be certain you do not confuse your frustration for passion and consider a demeaning attitude acceptable. Instead, if you feel frustration, anger or another negative emotion building, take the time to calm down before communicating with the team. You can be passionate, just do not be disrespectful. To help ensure you maintain the passionate focus without offending the team, keep the focus on the future and opportunity, not the past and resentment:

Team,

I know our rising costs have been a great disappointment to our team and company. I am anxious to get our cost control measures aligned with global targets. As we also reflect on the poor quality scores we recently received, I think the answer to both issues is clearly before us: we must improve overall quality, with an emphasis on reducing maintenance costs. We may not see a cost reduction this quarter, but I know, as a team, we can ensure both annual objectives are exceeded.

Thank you

By communicating your changes clearly, avoiding surprises, delivering a consistent vision and controlling  emotion, you promote consistent expectations for the team. If you continue to focus on serving your team over the long haul with consistent leadership, they will know what should be practiced in any given situation, minimize surprises and drive the most sustainable success.

Question: Have you seen someone use situational leadership as an excuse? How do you ensure your leadership is consistent?

Right Management recently reported that 84% of more than 1,400 employees surveyed, plan to look for new jobs in the upcoming year. This is up 24% from last year. Yes, we’ve faced difficult times, impressing upon many organizations extra work per employee, with fewer resources and reduced compensation. Unfortunately, that is where many leaders will explain the discontent from their employees – a result of the economy. Servant leaders, however, know better.

Yes, many people were happy to have any employment in recent years, but that 84% planning to make a move see greener grass somewhere. The difference comes from organizations that took these difficult times as opportunities to solidify and build up rather, than tear down.

Power Leaders Tear Down

As you heard before, it’s easy to be a power leader. These individuals thrive in downturns of the economy because all they know how to do is cut. They cut budgets, costs and employees. At the same time, they destroy morale, drain resources, explode partnerships and leave a shell of an organization behind. But these so-called leaders see the short term result of reduced overhead and declare victory. This is the result of the power leader’s tear down tactics.

Servant Leaders Build Up

In contrast to the tear down tactics of power-leaders, servant leaders saw the downturn in the economy as an opportunity to solidify core values, emphasize the importance of their people and clarify priorities. Sure, in some organizations servant leaders still had to take drastic measures including layoffs, but they did so with great transparency, candor and emphasis on the greater good. Organizations fortunate enough to have servant leaders already in place, are likely to benefit from these characteristics. Those without servant leaders will likely see a mass exodus as the economy continues to improve. The shift of greatest talent will be from power-led organizations to servant-led ones.

Companies Seek Servant Leaders

There will be an increase in demand for servant leaders, especially as the economy improves, power-based companies see their best talent walk and servant led companies benefit from their focus on sustainability. As organizations recognize their need to serve stake holders in good times and bad for the most sustainable success, they will seek to hire more servant leaders.

Sustainable Success Demands Servant Leadership

With the new year will come, hopefully, continued improvements in our global economy. As organizations seek to acquire and / or retain servant leadership for their success, it is important that we learn from lessons of the past. Servant leadership is not something you can start and stop – it requires a consistent dedication to the principles that will deliver sustainable success. However, organizations that make this commitment will not see the same valleys resulting from power-based trends during bad economic times. Instead, the organization promoting servant leadership will experience a consistent, sustainable model of success.

Question: Does your organization practice or seek servant leadership principles in both good and bad times?

I recently wrote about the importance of praise for your team and suggested establishing a routine (perhaps Thank-You Thursday) to ensure you did not allow too much time to pass before you shared your gratitude. That post stemmed from my own faltering, as I applied the principle to improve my own leadership. Now, I’ve realized another opportunity for improvement in my praises – ensuring I make the time to thank promptly.

An Example of Rapid Gratitude

For the second year in a row, I was honored to speak to a class of mentoring participants at Hope College on the principles of Servant Leadership.  Following that event, two days later, I received a handwritten thank-you card from the Center that hosted the program. I received a similar note of thanks, from the same center, following the same event, a year earlier. Both times I was especially impressed their personal nature, promptness and something else. It was that something else that I want to emphasize here.

Making the Time, Quickly, To Say Thanks

What really impressed me was that the organization made the time, quickly, to say thank you in a personal way. Too often, we get one or two these three key attributes to good gratitude right:

1.       Rapid: We follow up quickly with our appreciation

2.       Personal: We express the gratitude in a personal manner

3.       Make The Time: We share gratitude regardless of what else is on our plate

For example, to be rapid, many leaders will have default thank you notes or cards. In some cases, we’ll even prepare our note of thanks before the event takes place, so the gratitude can follow quickly. Yet, in these cases, the appreciation lacks either that personal touch or the importance of the leader clearing their schedule to say thanks.

Make Time to Say Thank You

That is where I fell down: I failed to make the time to share my appreciation. This past week, as I wrote emails to two team members whose anniversary with the company I missed by 5 days, I realized I’d let them down. I had not prioritized my gratitude for them and all they do for the company. They were both very appreciative of my notes, but it bothered me that I did not make the effort, sooner, to say thank you. So while it is good to schedule times to ensure you share your gratitude, I now realize the even better gratitude is that in which a leader makes the time to say thank you, promptly.

Question: Do you make time to say thank you promptly? Do you know other leaders that do and how does it impact your team?

Primus inter pares, Latin for “first among equals” is a great way for leaders to frame their thinking around specific projects, tasks and decisions. Greenleaf used this phrase in his writing about the principles of the servant leader. The concept is simple: focus less on traditional hierarchy or formal titles and more on who is best suited to lead, given the immediate need.

Certainly, formal structure, especially in large organizations, is necessary. You could not run a Fortune 500 company or a country with frequently rotating leadership. However, in a given situation, the leader by title, may not be the person best suited to lead. Instead, as servants to their stakeholders, leaders should identify and support the individual best suited to drive results in each situation. Yet, how often do we, as leaders, fall short of this opportunity? We have tendencies to:

1.  Micro-Manage: In an attempt to display control or exert influence, titled leaders often direct details that are better handled by those closest to the environment.

2. Challenge: Titled leaders frequently challenge or second-guess the decisions of their team. This is particularly common when we are in the presence of the titled leader’s peer group and they feel threatened or lack confidence.

3. Politic: Whether for personal benefit or believing to have the best interests of the team at heart, titled leaders may make trade-offs with their peers. We sometimes think the team members closest to the solution don’t understand how things “really work”.

When we practice these tactics, we fail to support the right person as first among equals. As a result, we fail to optimize our own team, results and leadership. In short, we are not serving the organization first. So the next time you are tempted to micro-manage, challenge or politic, stop. Identify who is Primus-Inter-Pares and empower them? Who is First Among Equals in the situation and therefore, best suited to lead, for the moment? Serve your organization by supporting the first among equals.

Question: How do you ensure the right decisions are being made by the right people in your organization?

Actions express priorities -Mohandas Gandhi

Gandhi summed it up well when he said “Actions express priorities”. There is no more simple way to communicate what you do is more important than what you say. Yet, how often do leaders get too busy to conduct regular check-ins, follow up on concerns from their team or otherwise reflect a prioritization on the needs of their team? We say, “people are our most important asset”. We reflect, “people are less important than everything I have going on.” In order to best serve their team, leaders must express their prioritization of the people. As John Maxwell put it, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

I’m not perfect at this either. In fact, this has been a growing concern of mine: do my actions reflect priorities other than putting the team first? As a result, I developed a short list of actions to help reinforce the alignment of my actions with priorities:

1. Schedule Check-Ins: Schedule recurring meetings to check-in with your team. Then, do not move them unless absolutely necessary. Too often, these are the first meetings to be moved – again reflecting a lower priority on the people. Never completely cancel these meetings. Ask the team what frequency they prefer.

2. Schedule Work Time: Schedule time to actually get your own work done. While not directly tied to your people, failure to book time to accomplish tasks will minimize your ability to meet, listen to and support your team.

3. Ad-Hoc Communication: Don’t constrict your interaction with the team only to formal meeting times. Take time to stop by their office, give them a call or, at least a chat message. If you’re like me, finding time to do this is difficult, at best. Once again, scheduling time to actually take that stroll down the hallway and see what the team’s up to can help reinforce this objective.

4. Ask for Directions: Yes, I know us men have issues with this. But seriously, ask the team what more you can do and how you can help them. I try my best to end each check-in conversation with this question. The inquiry prompts each person to consider what you can help them with. I’ve gotten some great, sometimes even surprising, requests out of this question.

5. Listen: Do not listen only to formal communications, but to the chatter. I do not mean the gossip. However, casual conversations often include side comments or remarks that are flags of larger and/or growing issues. Don’t brush those comments aside – pursue them. A great leader always has her ears on.

I will continue to work on applying these actions myself. My hope is that you will too, or find other ways in which to ensure your actions match your priorities – especially when it comes to the people.

Question: How do you ensure your actions match priorities, especially when it comes to people?

In our increasingly technical workplace, it seems we fail to carry over basic principles from the industrial era. Although our tools evolve, the quality of our tools, the capacity of these tools and maintenance of the equipment still impact the morale and effectiveness of our teams. As a leader in your organization, are you ensuring your employees have the tools and support they need to be effective?

Equipment Quality

If you ran a machine shop, would you give the operators dull blades, slow machines or poor lighting? Of course not. Doing this would result in unhappy employees, decreased output and higher overall costs. Then why do so many companies run outdated software on older, slower machines? You may have a top performer who is limited by their equipment. It’s like putting a lawnmower engine in a Porsche.

Workspace

If you ran an engineering company, would you limit your drafting tables to 15 inches wide? Doubtful. Your architects would be incredibly frustrated by the confined space within which to review large drawings. Therefore, why do so many companies still only offer 15″ screens or even a single monitor, rather than dual screens? Desktop space is desktop space, be it physical or virtual. The more you have, the easier it is to do your job. The cost for virtual desk space is even less than the physical desk space when you account for installation and maintenance.

Technical Support

Finally, if you ran a transportation business, would you contract all your maintenance work to a service provider several hours away who does not understand your equipment? Then why do so many companies outsource IT support to the lowest cost provider, without any value placed on performance or service levels? When your employees encounter problems with equipment, performance is impacted.

As a leader in your organization, don’t forget the lessons we learned from the industrial era. The right tools and support for your employees can make all the difference. As most organizations downsize and outsource the implementation and support of critical tools for their teams, you can differentiate by ensuring your teams have the tools they need to be effective. Don’t mistake all changes or outsourcing as bad. Instead, ensure your team has the right support from whomever your providers are. Conditions like Service Level Agreements (consider guaranteed response and resolution times) may cost a bit more. However, employees getting better tools and quicker resolutions of problems will be happier, more effective, save you money in the long-run and deliver greater results.

Question: How does technology impact your morale and effectiveness? What other tips do you have?

The modern organization increasingly operates on a global platform. Advances in technology and communications simplify and empower the company that seeks to execute in multiple geographies. As a result, it is more common than ever for leaders to have direct reports in varying countries and even continents. Serving team members across time zones, continents and language barriers presents many unique challenges. As I’ve been fortunate enough to work in such an environment several times in my career, I thought it may help others to share what I’ve learned about serving direct reports around the globe. Below are my top tips for leading others in different geographies and cultures:

1. Serve First: Regardless of where your direct reports are located, it should always be your first objective to serve them and the organization you work for. As a leader, you are entrusted to make decisions and provide services afforded your role for the betterment of the organization. When in doubt, simply ask yourself, “how will this action (or inaction) help the organization?”

2. Be Flexible: I’ve sat on conference calls at 3:00 AM, not because I had to, but because it showed my willingness to support the team and our global operating environment. Certainly, regularly recurring 3 AM meetings is not the objective. However, accommodating different time zones and providing multiple options for meeting times, reflects your support of the team members in other locations.

3. Speak the Language: Speaking fluent Portuguese, Italian, French and a variety of dialects in Asia simply is not possible for me. However, I do make it a point to learn and use the more common words in the language of direct reports. Key words, such as “yes”, “no”, “please”, “thank-you” and / or terms specific to your industry reflect the leader’s effort and interest in the team’s local lingo. It also helps to use these words in written communications to broader audiences. Google Translate makes this especially easy. In so doing, you show that while you support the official language of your business, you’re also willing to borrow the best from others – Capisce?

4. Know the Holidays: Wikipedia has a great list of holidays by Country. You do not need to sit down and memorize all the holidays that every employee may celebrate. However, referencing such a calendar of global holidays can help. You should also maintain an open and interested mind. Remember, most countries celebrate more holidays than North America and regional cultures place a great importance on many celebrations. If you don’t know what a particular holiday represents – just ask. This will also reflect your genuine interest in the team and their cultural beliefs.

5. Be Inquisitive: Extending on point #4… whether it is learning the holidays, languages or any other new piece of information, I believe it is even better to ask the team member than to look it up. Having these conversations are a great way to get to know your team on a more personal level. In addition, this practice exposes your willingness to reflect some degree of vulnerability and your attention to continuous learning.

6. Learn the Environment: I’m still working on getting this implemented as a “requirement” with my current employer. However, I believe every manager should visit their direct reports in their working environments, at least once. This means a manager with a new direct report in another country should visit them shortly after the new reporting relationship is established. There are simply too many intangibles for anyone to understand over the phone or video conference. For example, many European cultures get serious work done around coffee station and several cultures place greater value in passion or emotion than others.

7. Know the Law: Ideally, you will have a Human Resources (or “Employee Services”) department to help you with this point. In essence though, you need to know what key variations exist for managers to know about in each region. As you serve the organization, you must know the legal guidelines and regulations set by governments in each region. For example, some regions have unions for different levels and not others. Some countries have strict guidelines on what certain words mean and do not and therefore may establish legal agreements. If you do not know these key variations, seek them out online and / or with your people services support. Once again, Wikipedia’s Labor Laws page is a good starting point.

8. Serve First: Yes, I mentioned this twice – because it is the basis for the rest. Employees located in field offices, remote locations or anywhere other than your headquarters are at a natural disadvantage. As such, they will seek support from you. The greater your emphasis on serving them and the organization, the greater they will respect and appreciate your efforts.

Above all, be genuine. I learned these “tips” because I was truly interested in the global team and their cultures. Therefore, I genuinely wanted to support them. In many cases, such as the language and holidays, my intrigue was the primary motivation. In others, such as learning the laws and maintaining a flexible schedule, I was primarily motivated by pursuing servant leadership principles in supporting our team. While these tips may help, practice only those you are genuinely interested in. That way, your team will perceive your interest and hopefully respond appropriately. Either way, you will ensure your greatest ability to serve and support your team and your organization.

Question: What additional tips do you have for working with teams spread across multiple geographies?

October is Cyber Security Month and a great opportunity for organizational leaders to educate the company on, promote implementation of and demonstrate their commitment to computer security. I can tell you from experience, this is an incredibly important topic for all organizations in the 21st century. Here are some ideas on how you can, in October or anytime, help promote best practices in information technology security.

Educate

Most serious data theft incidents are executed not by criminals with excellent programming skills, but by individuals convincing employees to offer up their passwords or by finding account information in the trash, on post-it notes or through similar, “low-tech” means. This is typically attributed to poor awareness of those employees. Believe it or not, comments like, “I never knew I should not keep my login and password on a post-it note attached to my laptop” are quite common. Here are some ideas for leaders to help educate their employees:

1. Posters: Eye-catching posters alerting employees to basic security practices can quickly communicate best practices to the team.

2. Flyers: Leave flyers at each employee’s desk reminding them of concepts like strong password tips, when to update anti-virus packages or other tips.

3. Login Prompts: You can have your IT department post reminders about security when each person logs into their PC. This is a good, constant reminder.

Promote

Promotion of important security practices is a great way to leverage Cyber Security month. Here are some ideas for leaders to directly promote IT security best practices.

1. Announce: Send out an announcement to the company. Include in this a list of the team members responsible for computer security and how much you appreciate their efforts. Ask those members to provide you with statistics on the number of threats blocked in the last year – their answers may surprise you.

2. Fair: My current employer does a great job of this – though it usually requires larger organizational resources. Try hosting a computer security fair. This includes bringing in security vendors to set up stands and discuss common issues with your employees.

3. Example: Chances are, you’ve experienced a computer security incident in your past. Whether it was a simple virus or a major breach at a previous employer. Share these examples and what you learned with your team. This real-world experience will help drive the point home and make the matter more real.

Demonstrate

Of course, as the leader, it is important that you lead by example. Here are some basic ways to ensure you’re not caught executing poor computer security practices:

1. Ctrl+Alt+Del: Lock your PC every time you step away. Leaving yourself logged on to a computer not in your sight, is like walking away from a safe holding all your corporate secrets with the door wide open. Lock it up every time.

2. Update: Make sure your software is up to date – especially your anti-virus application. Software updates often include security improvements to new and increasing threats. Software updates help you close these vulnerabilities.

3. Backup: While not directly a security concern, it sure would be embarrassing if your PC is ruined by a virus or other incident and you lose important information. As the leader, you should be sure you are treating the company assets you hold on your computer as the valuable items they are.

If you’re not familiar with these IT security issues or other computer safety trends, take this opportunity to speak with the IT leader in your organization accountable for security. Then, take the opportunity to educate, promote and demonstrate the important of IT security in the company.  Believe me, this small investment in computer security is well worth it!

Question: What other tips do you have for promoting computer security awareness in organizations?

This week (October 3rd through 9th) is Customer Service Week in the United States. This is a great opportunity for servant leaders to support these teams and their stake holders in many ways. Leaders can take this opportunity to thank their customer service professionals, educate the organization on the importance of customer service or thank their customers directly. Here are some thoughts for how you can show customer service gratitude:

Thanking Customer Service Professionals

Customer service professionals, even those working with the highest quality product lines, deal with a great number of frustrated customers. When speaking with a service representative once, I remarked that it must be a difficult job. They responded:

“You bet it is! Imagine if 50% or more of your day was listening to complaints or solving problems. It wears you down. After a while, you begin to think all your products are junk – even though these calls represent only a fraction of a percentage of your customers.”

She went on to say how it helped though, that her manager was excellent at showing gratitude and providing recognition. Her boss, she said, frequently recognized team members in public, showed empathy for her challenges and created a fun working environment. These are great suggestions for any leader working with customer service representatives.

1. Recognize: Recognize your service professionals in public, send out broad messages, mention them in meetings and find other ways to publicly praise the team.

2. Empathize: If you understand the challenges your customer experience professionals greet each day, let them know it. If you do not, learn them. Sit in on their calls, read the messages they deal with and empower them to be as successful as possible.

3. Enliven: It’s been described as taking work seriously but yourself lightly. Leaders who can laugh at themselves and establish a relaxed environment make it easier for the team to maintain a positive attitude.

Educate the Organization

Customer communications used to be consolidated to a single department. Now, the customer service team is still likely the best equipped to handle customer issues. With the evolution of social media though, every employee is a customer representative. Training once reserved for one department now has relevance to everyone, but of course, not everyone can spend that much time on this training. Here are some creative tips for educating the broader organization on the importance of customer service, without taking a lot of time:

1. Table Tops: If your organization has a cafeteria, put small stands on them with tips and guidelines for communications with customers or in public settings.

2. Hallway Posters: High traffic areas are great locations for reminders and quick messages to the team. Some creative images will help as well. Just make sure you only hit the highlights as people rarely stop to read in the hall.

3. Storytelling: Stories are a great way to share examples and spread ideas. Hold a competition and ask employees to share their examples of success in serving your customers.

Thanking Customers Directly

Of course, it all begins with the customers. Chances are, you already have plenty of great tools by which you can reach the consumer. For example:

1. Outbound Message: Let your customers know you appreciate them when they call. Chances are you already have the standard outbound message thanking them for their patience. Why not add something special during Customer Service week?

2. Competition: You could randomly select customers for special recognition or have them submit images with your products to win a prize. Whatever the case, increase the opportunities for your service representatives to proactively engage customers.

3. Storytelling Part 2: Loop in your customers with the storytelling across the broader organization. Encourage the customer to share their stories through surveys, competitions or social media platforms, then expose those stories to your employees.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for Customer Service Week to display your gratitude and support for the front line of your organization. So whether it is customer service week or not and whether you are focused on the customer service team, your employees in general or your customers, ensure the group is focused on great customer service. The more creative and frequent your gratitude, the better.

Question: How do you show you customer service support?

Admit it, you’ve done this too – sat through a meeting, spending most of the time reading email and typing responses.  You thought, “just one more message, then I can focus on this meeting”.  But as you’re typing, you suddenly hear your name or a keyword that peaks your interest.  You look up and either jump in with a completely irrelevant comment or have to ask clarification on what’s happening.

This is often a bigger problem than we recognize, especially if you’re the boss in the room.  Regardless of the appropriateness of your response, the team may not always question your decisions or guidance (symptoms of a bigger problem, but that’s another post).  Worse, they may assume you know something they do not and receive your comments as marching orders.  In contrast, the best leaders ensure the success of their team and their own careers, by being present in the moment.  Below are some important reasons that great leaders, as servants in the organization, must ensure team meetings have their full focus:

1. Ensure Clarity

If you’re not hearing all the concerns, you may easily miss the most important point.  For example, you may think the greatest problem faced by the team is a shortage of staff to complete on time.  Therefore, when you peak up from the Blackberry after a comment about a particular person’s time constraints, you assure the team you will adjust the necessary priorities to get all the resources they need.

What you missed was that the Project Manager just said, prior to you’re full attention, that the budget was going to be overrun by about 50% to hit the launch date.  In addition, there was one person whose time was too tight.  However, after you clarified you would adjust priorities to get the PM the resources she needs, she’s off and spending to acquire the staffing necessary to hit launch date.

2. Be Empathetic

Employees and followers want leaders that truly understand their challenges.  The casual fly by to say hello and exclaim you know “just how hard everyone’s working” is not empathy.  In contrast, the manager that listens into the specifics of meetings and can recite case-after-case of specific challenges their employees are facing while caring – that is empathy.

The leader that serves their organization can sit in a meeting and challenge the team member that sheepishly agrees to accepting a new task.  The empathizing leader recognizes that this person is pressured into accepting responsibility, but also knows their bandwidth is too tight to be successful. Such a serving leader may respond, “Mary, I saw your hours last week exceeded 70, for the third week in a row – can you really take this task on top of the Accounts Payable project you’re leading?”

3. Deliver Support

Side-comments are often made in meetings that great leaders recognize as red flags.  These moments are invitations for the leader to understand where problems may be arising. Such opportunities are not listed on the formal agenda, they’re not always tracked as risks either.  Instead, asides may be assumed known by the leader, but in reality, require the presence and thorough attention of the leader to ask the right question.

If you’re too busy reading your iPhone and miss the comment the team leader makes about “Marketing pulling all our resources”, you may not even be aware of the major risk just raised.  You’re team believes you saw the email that requested this and so believe you’re on board.

Now, I’m no fool and I’m no saint.  There remain times when I feel obligated to check my Blackberry during the meeting.  Production issues,vital budgeting times and similar high priority concerns may require our attention throughout the day.  However, I’ve learned to ask my team to call me on it. When I seem too distracted, I want the team to say so.  In addition, you may find it helpful to make sure they understand why you are distracted before the meeting begins and ask them to call your attention to key concerns.  Ultimately, it is important that your team meetings include not only your physical presence but your full mental attention as well.  Otherwise, your team will quickly see you as a figure head and not someone there to serve the best interests of the team and the company.

Question: What tips do you have for ensuring your team has your full focus, especially in meetings?

Early in our careers we typically seek formal training and request feedback openly and frequently. Yet, later in our career, it seems we tend to cease these practices or at least, hide them. By hiding, I mean we’re not as outwardly open about it. I recognized this challenge in myself recently, as I pushed direct reports to give me a list of their desired training for the upcoming years, received few results and discovered my own lack of training. Worse, as I pondered it, I realized I had not proactively sought feedback, outside our formal 360 process, in months.

Instead of going to training classes, we attend conferences. Rather than request feedback on our performance from peers, superiors and others, we privately discern what they’re doing right. It seems we’re afraid that asking for training or feedback could be perceived as weakness or worse, we think we don’t need these continuous development items. However, by no longer proactively seeking these opportunities to grow as individuals and as leaders, the secret learner hurts themselves and the organization they serve.

Hurting the Leader

1. Slowed Growth: Studying other leaders, attending conferences and other secretive means of learning still help the individual grow, but they take longer to pick up new skills. When one is learning through observation vs. direct, dedicated and bi-directional educational settings, there is a greater time investment to absorb the lessons.

2.Missed Opportunities: We don’t always know what we don’t know. Without continuous development, you could miss out on opportunities you never realized existed.

3. Hypocrisy: If you want your team to continuously grow, you must practice the same. Instead, the lack of a pursuit of regular feedback and / or formal education while asking direct reports to do so may present the perception of hypocrisy to your team and damage your character.

Hurting the Organization

By not openly revealing our desire to learn and develop, I think we also hurt our organizations in the following ways:

1. Air of Superiority: The team may perceive leaders learning in secret as individuals that do no believe they need further training. This can impact the team’s opinion of that person and ultimately decrease the leader’s influence.

2. Discourages Development: As teams discern how leaders act, seeking to replicate the successful, they may determine training and development to be a reflection of weakness or otherwise undervalued. As a result, the growth and development of the organization suffers.

Go Public

Here’s a couple ways I can think of and plan to pursue myself, to break the cycle of secretive learning:

1. Seek Regular Feedback: Beyond your standard performance feedback channels and cycles, ask others for their input on your performance. To achieve the most candid feedback, I like to question how “they think others might perceive me”. This frees them up a bit to say it may not be what they think, but how they believe others may perceive you.

2. Training Plans: Before asking your team to provide you their requested training, have your own training scheduled (ideally) or at least planned and share those plans with your team. This changes the conversation from a “tell me what you think you need to improve” to a “We all need to continuously improve. Here’s what I am doing about it, what are you going to do and how can I help?” I’m still working on this one myself.

I’m still a ways away from getting this one right, but I think I’m on the right path. I hope you’ll join me by asking yourself, “am I learning in secret?” If the answer is yes, try going public. I think it will help you and your organization.

Question: Are you learning in secret? If not, what does your training plan look like?

I recently mentioned that we need to be careful to say what we mean and not just go along with the trends of modern business speak. Another example of this is our continuous battle against self-promotion rather than elevating the team. The most classic symptom of this issue is leadership who routinely state, “I did this” or “I did that” rather than “We did this or that”. The former promotes the individual while the latter recognizes the contributions of the broader team.

With the aggressive pursuit for recognition and promotion in today’s business environment, it’s common to witness others clamoring for recognition of their perceived, independent efforts. In fact, there are many books and posts on the topic of promoting yourself in business. While I am sure many of these authors are well-intended and have great points, I struggle with the approach of self-promotion. There are four reasons I am bothered by individuals who routinely taut how, “I did this or that”. Namely:

1. It Puts the Team Second: When given the opportunity to highlight accomplishments, isn’t it best for the organization if the leader is highlighting the group over the individual?

2. It Masks Efforts of Others: Even if the accomplishment, minor or large, is believed to be completely an individual achievement, chances are others were doing tasks that enabled the leader to focus on the accomplishment.

3. It Promotes Selfishness: If a leader is perceived as getting ahead by promoting themselves over the team, others will duplicate these tactics. The net result is an increasingly self-centered organization with decreasing teamwork.

4. It Decreases Morale: I wrote about this in Narcissism Kills Morale. In essence though, when given the platform to promote the team, if a leader instead promotes themselves, they decrease the team’s morale.

Servant leaders, however, let their stake holders and results speak for them while they speak of their stake holders. It also seems to me that the best way to distinguish yourself is not to do the same as others. Instead, one should deliver results, while being recognized as a leader of strong character, promoting their teams and putting the organization’s need’s first. So the next time you’re provided the platform, think of the team first, and take the opportunity to promote them by saying “we”, not “I”.

Stop and think about this for a moment: How much information does your organization keep on physical assets, such as office furniture, production equipment or technology assets? Most organizations have fairly advanced tracking systems, primarily for financial purposes, that reflect details such as:

1. Origin of purchase
2. Purchase value
3. Configuration
4. Years in service
5. Physical location
6. Remaining value
7. Other Details…

In short, virtually every detail that can be tracked on non-living assets, generally is tracked. It is documented thoroughly, reviewed frequently and rolled up in reports to leadership. Most importantly, it is generally updated at least on a quarterly basis. Can you say the same about your people?

This is a great point made by the promotional video above (I am not associated with this company, nor have have they paid me to advertise). I found it a great reminder to not only ensure we pursue the right HR processes and policies but that we provide these updates frequently and remain in constant communication with our team on their performance, feedback and opportunities. Many thanks to the great HR professional who introduced me to this video. The next time you’re reviewing asset reports, take it as a reminder to review equally comprehensive updates on your people.

Questions: Which is tracked better at your organization? Do you have tips for ensuring your employees are tracked and provided appropriate opportunities?

I need to hold myself more accountable to practicing what I preach. This site and much of my spare time is focused on spreading servant leadership awareness and adoption. One of the most important aspects of servant leadership is valuing people. The people you serve: your team, customers and other stake holders, should be valued highly and respected intensely. If that is so, then why have I joined in the standard practice of routinely referring to these people I’m supposedly serving as simply “resources”?

Abrupt Reminder

They are not resources. They’re people, damn it!

That’s how a new friend* recently snapped me out of this rut. They are people. So why do we so frequently call them resources? For example…

We call it: Resource Planning, Resource Allocation, Resource Augmentation, Resource Outsourcing

We say: “We need more resources”, “Which resource is working on that problem?”

Resource is defined: “A resource is any physical or virtual entity of limited availability, or anything used to help one earn a living…” ( Wikipedia; 2010.08.15)

Yes, I realize that human resources are encapsulated within the above definition. Yet we use the term “resource” frequently even when referring only to people. In most cases, it is not as though we are referring to a variety of types of resources. So often we say “resource” when all we mean is people, or a person.

Why Not People?

Why do we not use the term “people?” Even calling them “staff” masks the reality of the fact they are human beings. I suspect it’s because it is easier to not feel emotion. It is easier to ignore that we’re making decisions that impact lives and families. Then, over time, we no longer think about the fact that we’re avoiding calling them people and simply use the accepted business term. This seems to be the point I was at. No longer though.

From now on, I will hold myself more accountable to practicing what I preach in this area. I’m going to make a stronger effort to refer to human beings as people, not resources. I’ll save the term “resources” for inanimate objects.

Want to Help?

Want to support this change? Great! The next time you hear someone referring to people as resources, you could correct them, I suppose. At the least though, don’t join them. For your parts of the dialog, just be sure to refer to human beings as people and not resources. Others will notice and, hopefully, join in as well.

Question: Do you refer to people as resources? If not, what advice do you have for others?

* Thank you, John. I do have much to learn from you…

As I write this, there is a newly married couple emerging from the church across the street. The bells of the old Victorian-era church can still be heard echoing down the street. Strangers walking down main street have paused to watch while cars driving by honk their horns in celebration. The bells were a sign for all around, proudly announcing the joyous occasion of the couple’s new life together. As I witness this scene unfolding it occurs to me, we need to ring those bells more often.

The bell is a symbol, an announcement, a proclamation to all around – family, friend, or stranger, that there was a cause to celebrate. And celebrate they do – family, friend and stranger alike.

Business Celebrations

How often in business, do we “celebrate” in closed communities? We say thank you to the team, who already knows what was done and the effort involved. We thank the individual contributor during their performance review, which already captures the effort in great detail. We thank the team on an email, copying their boss, who already saw the hours of dedication in the team’s time reports.

How much greater would it be if we rang bells to shout, “look here! See what this great team has done! Family, friend and stranger alike, celebrate with us!” Wouldn’t this be a better way to celebrate? Shouldn’t we announce and share the news more frequently with a broader audience? How much greater would these public proclamations be for the team?

Public Celebration Ideas

Here’s some ways I can think of to ring our bells in celebration of our teams:

1. Newsletters: Announce the success in divisional or corporate-wide newsletters that read a larger audience.

2. Press Releases: It seems we are too conservative in marking celebrations with these proclamations.

3. Voice Mail: Most corporate offices are equipped with the option for “broadcast” voice messages.

4. Hallway Signs: Have a poster made and post in the hall or other high traffic area.

5. Street Sign: Use your headquarter sign board or a billboard to display the gratitude.

Question: What other ways do you celebrate in public?

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Arthur Ward

I am recruiting folks with gratitude in need of sharing and hope you will join us. You see, I recently realized I had not thanked our project team for too long. As a result, I cleared my calendar for a while and wrote several, sincere notes of gratitude. The response, as you might expect, was great. Some needed the reassurance their efforts were valued and others simply appreciated that I had taken the few minutes to say, “thanks”. To avoid letting too much time pass again and to help others avoid the same, I’ve decided to start a new campaign: “Thank-You Thursdays”. Each week, I will block time on my calendar to simply say, “thank you”. My hope is that others will join me in this campaign.

Why Thursdays?

There are seven days a week to thank others and we should use them all. So why specifically highlight Thursdays?

1. It’s Catchy: “ Thank-You Thursdays” is catchy, so we’re more likely to remember it.

2. Time to Reflect: We will have most of the business week from which to identify contributions.

3. Before the Weekend: The messages are likely to be read before the weekend, supporting timely feedback.

4. Minimize Disruptions: Thursdays avoid any 3 and most 4 day weekends.

5. Morale Boost: Sometimes, we just need that boost to get us through Friday.

Who to Thank?

I realize we should thank anyone that has a positive impact on us, our organizations, our families or other stake holders. Yet sometimes we only think of the most obvious and direct contacts. Here are some reminders I developed to build a list of thank you recipients:

1. Direct Reports: Your team should be thanked frequently.

2. Peers: Team members in the organization. Independent? Consider your professional network.

3. Bosses: Present or past, as well as any mentors you may have.

4. Customers: Anyone who ultimately “buys” (literally or figuratively) your product or service.

5. Family: When was the last time you thanked your spouse, parents, children or siblings for all they do?

6. Companies: Is there a product or service you particularly like? Did you ever send them a thank-you note?

7. Non-Profits: Many NPO employees and volunteers work harder, for less. They deserve our gratitude.

8. Representatives: Have you thanked your politician today? What about local government workers?

9. Professionals: Accountants, Doctors, Teachers, even Lawyers and other certified professionals all deserve thanks.

10. Service Men & Woman: Have you thanked someone in the military recently? What about police officers or firefighters?

How to Say Thank You

Most of us have a variety of ways in which we can say, “thanks”. The best choice is probably to mix it up, especially so the same person does not receive the same method too frequently. Here’s a short list of free and relatively inexpensive options to consider:

1. In Person: Many people believe the face-to-face, direct thank-you is best.

2. Email: The most common method and likely the one I will use most. Consider copying their boss.

3. Chat: Instant messaging is good, real-time feedback, without having to be face-to-face.

4. Meetings: If you’re in a meeting with people you want to thank, add a slide or speak to your gratitude.

6. Certificates: Printable certificates are available online and enable recipients to retain and display your gratitude.

7. eCards: Electronic cards are simple, yet creative ways to share your thanks.

8. Cards: Traditional, hand written notes are increasingly rare and appreciated. Try keeping a box in your desk.

9. Flowers: Having a bouquet of flowers delivered is a great way to communicate and display your gratitude.

10. Meal: Why not take them to lunch or treat the team to a pizza? Can’t meet in person? Send a gift certificate.

Frequency

The best feedback is frequent, so we should say, “thank you” as often as possible. However, here’s a couple guidelines to help frame the frequency:

1. Frequent but Meaningful: Yes, you should say, “thank you” often, but not so often that it becomes meaningless. Make sure the gratitude is sincere and not concocted.

2. Degree of Interaction: If it is a member of your team, you should thank them more often because, chances are, they are doing more for you and the organization on a regular basis.

3. Avoid Routine: Not to contradict the weekly Thursday intent, the idea here is not to necessarily thank the same person, every week, at the same time. For individuals you thank regularly, don’t always wait until Thursday to share it – mix it up.

I’ve never been perfect about showing gratitude, nor do I think “Thank-You Thursdays” will make me perfect at this practice. However, I do think it will help me and I hope it will help you. Won’t you join the campaign for Thank-You Thursdays? Thank someone now.

Questions: How do you say “thank you”? What’s the best way someone thanked you?

“To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Rock Concert or Business Conference?

The scene resembled a large rock concert. There was a massive stage, huge projection screens, a booming sound system, laser lights and special effects that would make Broadway jealous. To say there was a great deal of excitement and anticipation for the presenter would be a major understatement. His name was announced, the music boomed and onto stage strode the classic image of a powerful, confident executive. Navy suit with pin stripes, tall, slender, salt-and-peppered hair, power tie and polished shoes. The audience’s applause roared. He walked to the podium, the music faded, applause stopped and the stadium settled to perfect silence in anticipation…

Narcissism Defined

“How’s everybody doing today?!” The keynote speaker began, with excitement in his voice. “Wow, what a year it’s been!  Since last year’s conference, a lot has changed. For example, I reorganized our division and product lines into….” he continued into details of how he, apparently personally, completed some organizational and product line restructuring. Then he continued, “in addition I introduced 12 new products, including some of the hottest new items on the market, such as…” he described a number of top selling products. “And what about services? Well, I introduced the following new service lines…”. Then, he launched into series a corporate acquisitions, “I purchased….”, “I merged…”, I… I… I…

BUZZ KILL.

Within the first 5 minutes of his presentation, all the excitement turned into disbelief at the narcissism displayed by this executive. Really?! Did they really just send that massive of an ego-maniac onto the stage?! This guy specifically said he did all these things – not once did I hear him mention the contributions of another individual or his team.

If you were a member of his organization, how would you have felt? I am sure his team put in a lot of hard work and many late nights. Without these contributions, many of “his” successes would never have come to fruition. If I worked for him, I think my resume would have hit the job boards the next day.

MORALE KILL.

His Narcissism, Our Lesson

Confronted with his narcissism, the executive would likely brush it off as an oversight on his part. He would likely reassure anyone inquiring, “of course I meant the team did all this” and follow up with a commitment to be more clear in the future. But how many stadium-sized opportunities does one get? These platforms are rare. The damage was done.

I hope your narcissism does not compare. Still, if we’re not careful, our own oversight can turn into narcissism. At the very least, oversight can easily kill the morale of our own teams. So how can leaders avoid narcissism and keep their team’s morale alive? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Thank someone every day: If not one, then two, three or twenty. Always be sure you reflect your gratitude.

2. Thank publicly: Most people appreciate public recognition. Given the opportunity, share your platform.

3. Document Credit: When creating communications, especially those for distribution, credit those that contributed.

4. Accountable, not Responsible: Toxic leaders tend to confuse accountability for responsibility. Remember, just because you’re accountable does not mean you are responsible for the success.

5. Serve First: Remember your role as a leader is to serve the team first, not for the team to serve you.

Question: What other ways do you or your leaders avoid narcissism and maintain humility?

I’ve seen passion get a bad rap too often by being mislabeled as “emotion”. You’ve probably experienced it too. It may be in a budget meeting when funding is being debated and someone passionately voices their opinion. Or, it may be during cross-functional staffing assessments when one leader vehemently disagrees with another’s reflection on a person.

Passion

Whenever it occurs, passion reflects an individual’s commitment, strong opinions and dedication to their position. In other words, passion may be described as a person’s unwillingness to maintain their composure. With a particularly strong belief in the matter at hand, passion is often the byproduct of someone deeply engaged in serving their organization. Therefore, I believe passion is a great characteristic to have in your team members.

Emotion

In contrast, emotion often stems from a person’s inability to maintain their composure. This is not necessarily a bad thing, depending upon the circumstances. For example, someone receiving negative feedback in a performance review may reveal their disappointment in tears. In addition, frustration from an inability to effectively influence others often results in anger – too often in public settings. While unfortunate, the former emotional scenario is somewhat understandable and, particularly given the confidential nature, generally acceptable. In contrast, losing one’s temper as a result of their own ineffectiveness is not acceptable. Either way, because emotion is generally perceived as a reflections of one’s inability to control their reactions to given situations, emotion is generally considered negative characteristic.

Call me crazy (or passionate), but I want people on my team that believe deeply in those they serve and therefore may reflect their passion through strong words and actions. Yes, I want people on my team who have the ability to maintain their composure.  However, if someone is passionate enough about their commitment to serving a person or group and therefore not willing to maintain their composure all the time, I’m okay with that. Provided, of course, they know when those right times are.

Question: Have you seen passion confused for emotion? Do you like having passionate people on your team?