So, how did you first interpret the video? Did you have a similar reaction to me or to my contrarian family members? And how have you experienced the power of words in your life? Or the power of perceptual filters? I'd love to read about it in the blog comments below!
“
You've seen it done: the manager hovers over the employee's work, breathing down her neck, and giving her specific, detailed, over-controlling instructions and corrections. It's every employee's nightmare: the Micromanaging Manager.
Or is it?
Let's take a closer look at this concept we call Micromanagement. According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, micromanagement is "manage[ment] especially with excessive control or attention on details". Dictionary.comdefines micromanagement as "manage[ment] or control with excessive attention to minor details".
Key word: EXCESSIVE.
When I work with managers and supervisors on improving their management and leadership skills, one of the theories they find very enlightening is Ken Blanchard's time-tested Situational Leadership. In a nutshell, Situational Leadership says that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' way to manage employees. Rather, managers should always gauge the employee's (or team's) level of competence and commitment as related to a specific task or goal to identify the best-fit management style for them.
Some employees are highly-skilled and self-motivated to complete a task autonomously. They need little input and guidance from their manager for that task. Other employees are new to the organization, team, or task and are still facing the steep initial learning curve. They are not yet highly-skilled and usually feel unsure or apprehensive about their ability to succeed with a particular task or goal. These employees need lots of clear, specific instructions from their leader. They benefit from frequent follow-up conversations and feedback touch-points because they feel supported and guided in their first tentative steps on a new task or project.
Very briefly, the key take-away is that different employees need differing levels of controls and guidance. What might be excessive controls for one employee may be totally appropriate for another. Therefore, the very behaviors that exemplify the much-hated 'Micromanagement' and irritate seasoned employees are the Good Manager behaviors for new employees or for employees approaching unfamiliar tasks.
So I propose that we need to be more careful in throwing that term around.
In addition to a tendency to be overly consistent in management style (instead of tailoring it to the employee's development level and needs), there are other traps and obstacles that may contribute to a manager applying excessive controls or attention to minor details that are environmental in nature.
Some organizations arrange employees and managers in open floor plans or in modular cubicles where managers and staff are sitting together. This is great for open communication and transparency, but can be a trap for those managers with a tendency to over-control. Managers who sit among their staff are more likely to hear how employees go about doing their work, overhear their conversations, and be the target for frequent questions and requests for input and advice.
My colleague Howard Walper recently described this very challenge to me. "Since I sit in an open-floor area with my direct reports, I notice how easily I can get 'in-the-weeds' and immersed in the tactical, day-to-day details of the work with which I entrust them" says Walper, a Senior Manager of Conferences for a publishing company in Houston, Texas. "I have to consciously resist the urge to allow my 'present-presence' affect my ability to lead strategically and let staff do their work independently. I have to resist hovering and doting and let them learn and solve problems on their own, serving as a go-to resource when they need me rather than flying in and 'saving' them from thinking through challenges."
The bottom line for any manager is: the urge to micromanage is natural. In some cases, the behavior your intuition guides you to use is actually totally appropriate and should not be considered micromanagement. In many cases, however, it is an urge you must overcome and control if you want employees to be independent, critical-thinking, high performing team members. Too much hovering will create resentful automatons at best, and an exodus from your department/team at worst. Apply the lessons of Situational Leadership and be sure to treat employees just like Goldilocks wanted to have it: just right. Give them what their current commitment and competency level calls for; no more and no less.
Have you experienced micromanagement as a manager or an employee? What are your thoughts about it? I'd love to hear them - please comment below!
Photo by Krystn Palmer Photography via Flickr Creative Commons
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
5 Steps to Delegating Right and Reducing Your Stress
Previously, I discussed how to put your strength to work. I also mentioned briefly that there might be some of you who, upon assessing your current situation, find that you have a deficit in your ability to use and grow your strengths in your current context.
You need to shift something. There are a few ways to do this that I mentioned briefly in my previous post. I'll now expand on each of them:
Change Your Approach
Change Your Perspective
Change Your Role
Change Your Environment
First things first, look in the mirror: Are you SURE you can't use your strengths in your current situation? What could you be doing to contribute to this reality? Are there assumptions you are making that are not based on actual observable facts and/or which you have not actually tested?
Many times, we jump to conclusions about what is or isn't possible without actually fully examining the possibilities or even fully assessing the root cause of a (real or perceived) problem. So before throwing your hands up in despair or looking for a change in your situation, try to find as many different ways to examine, observe, and understand your current situation. You might find that the obstacles in your way were a figment of your imagination...
If you are pretty certain that you are, in fact, blocked in some way from using your strengths in your current work situation, you might be able to use a technique called 'reframing' to help yourself change the situation in your favor. Reframing is looking at something using a different perspective, or lens, to change how you experience it.
Marcus Buckingham*, one of the leaders of the Strengths Movement, said this well in his book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work. When you are faced with activities that are not supporting your strengths, Buckingham suggests you "[l]ook at the activity through the lens of one of your strengths, and you might well be able to transform its effect on you." Try to think of ways that this activity you loathe may work in service of one (or more) of your strengths rather than just seeing it in isolation. Says Marcus, "[i]f you loathe confronting people but love the feeling of follow-through, shift your perspective so that you see the confrontation as merely one step in following the project ... through to completion. If you loathe doing budgets but love being viewed as a vital member of the team, shift your perspective to see how doing the budget will ultimately help the team."
*Check out this picture of yours-truly with Marcus Buckingham when I produced his presentation here in DC for the Metro DC ASTD chapter back in 2007. It's a terribly blurry shot but I was so pleased to meet him.
Bottom line: if your current role doesn't allow you to use your strengths regularly, perhaps you need to shift your role to one that does! I know it's not that easy. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. But it's worth doing because of the endless returns you will receive by shifting from being in a place of working from weaknesses to a place of working from strengths. Look around the organization and start spying other roles that could let you shine. Think creatively about your current role and department, and think outside the box about other ways you could be doing work in service of the same mission but using other skills. Talk to your boss: you may be surprised that he or she will be willing to entertain shifting your role to have you add more value to the organization. It is a win-win proposition, after all. It's worth a shot.
And, if all else fails, there is always option #4...
If you've done all you can to change yourself, your perspective, your role within the organization, and it's still not working, you can always change your environment and take a different job. This is obviously not a decision to be made lightly as it has significant ramifications on many aspects of your life, but sometimes I'm saddened by people who resign themselves to a miserable job where they feel depleted and weakened every day because they don't want to consider this as an option. You are not an indentured slave. You are free to choose. You are free to make your life the best life it can be. And life is way too precious and short to be lived miserably or in the shadows of fear. You don't have to just jump into the dark, unknown abyss; you can craft a thoughtful exit strategy. But start now to plan your better future where you can live in your strengths, because you're worth it. And, since the world will benefit from your gifts more fully that way, the world also deserves it.
It's only too late if you don't start thinking about a plan NOW to find a way to use your strengths, daily, and to live a fuller, more enjoyable, more productive life.
What do you think? Please comment below with your thoughts, questions, and challenges. I would love to hear from you.
I'll leave you with this short video clip from Marcus Buckingham.
Photo credit: The Library of Congress via Flickr Creative Commons - it was taken circa 1939. I really like it!
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Putting Your Strengths to Work
Do You Get to Use Your Strengths in Your Work?
7 Tips for Building Mentoring to Develop Employees and Raise Engagement
I've just successfully completed a certification program in the most popular of all Emotional Intelligence tools -- the EQ-i or Emotional Quotient Inventory. The program was excellent and I enjoyed learning and growing my skills and knowledge - it's one of my favorite things to do, considering 'Love of Learning' is my #3 signature strength! (I've discussed it here.)
While I've been using the concepts of Emotional Intelligence in my work for years and am already certified in another EQ instrument, the Index on Emotional Intelligence, this new certification fortifies my understanding and ability to help leaders, teams, organizations and individuals become more effective in all aspects of work and life.
This instrument, based on the Model of Emotional Intelligence formulated by clinical psychologist, Reuven Bar-On, PhD, is administered online and is valid and reliable. It is actionable: it offers a rich portrait of how engaged we are with each of fifteen behaviors and habits that allow us to use emotions in a rational, positive, and constructive way that helps us build healthy and productive relationships. In working with it, we can better understand ourselves and identify and prioritize ways to improve our effectiveness and satisfaction by letting emotions (our own and others') work FOR us instead of AGAINST us.
If you would like to learn more about this tool and how it can help you and your organization become more effective, please call us for a free consultation today.
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Harness the power of your emotional intelligence!
How to increase creativity, curiosity, and learning: An exercise
Here are some tips to help you become more fulfilled and happier in your (work)life:
In a previous post here, I discussed how important it is to understand your own top strengths. Don't just assume - take the time to truly assess and understand what your motivations are and what makes you fulfilled. Without these lessons, you will be like a ship without a captain.
Do your workaday environment and work role give you the chance to be you - to fully, regularly express, develop, and maximize your top strengths? Write down ways in which you already use your top strengths at work. Then try to think of new ways you hadn't yet considered, and add them to your list.
While how, when, and how much you will be able to talk about strengths will vary from job to job and depend highly on the context and the situation, each of us can find opportunities to share our strengths with those we spend a lot of time with at work. Talk about your strengths with your manager, your staff, and your peers. Be curious about their strengths and encourage open communication about what makes each of us unique and powerful. Talk about what supports you would like to have or new opportunities you would like to explore that you've identified as ways to further leverage and develop your strengths. Be open to other ideas and explore suggestions from your colleagues. The more external support and understanding you can gain, the more successful you will be at infusing your work with opportunities to use your strengths.
To change behavior, you must create an action plan and specific goals or else nothing will really happen. Know exactly what you want to change, why, and how to do it. Then mindfully and consistently implement your plan.
- What do you need to do more in order to really leverage and develop your strengths at work?
- What do you need to do less of in order to allow your strengths to grow?
- What needs to change? Who needs to support you? What resources will help you in your quest?
- How will you track your progress? What are deadlines and milestones to focus on?
- How will you celebrate small and large accomplishments of these goals and milestones?
Schedule a regularly occurring appointment with yourself to check on your progress - once a month, or once a quarter, depending on your preferences and situation. This may simply mean setting aside a block of time to focus and journal about your experiences, or it may be a time to discuss them with a trusted mentor, coach, or colleague. Be sure to consider some of these questions:
- What were your goals? What progress have you made?
- What worked and what didn't?
- What obstacles inevitably arose and how did you handle them?
- What are some potential future obstacles and what can you do to plan around them or overcome them?
- What are new goals, tasks, and deadlines that you will work on to keep your plan active and alive?
- When will you schedule your next self-assessment?
If your assessment of your current situation shows that you have a deficit in your ability to use and grow your strengths, you need to shift something. There are a few ways to do this:
Change Your Approach
Change Your Perspective
Change Your Role
Change Your Environment
In my next post, I will discuss these ideas in greater depth. I would also love to get some input from you about ways you have shifted your situation to allow for your strengths to shine - write your thoughts in the comments!
Photo ByXavier Fargasvia Flickr Creative Commons
Update
on 2011-01-26 17:05 by TalentGrow
A great question came in via email from a reader, so I thought I'd share it and my answer.
Q: "I know it is all good advice. Do you know anyone who has ever actually done any of it?
I know I have advised many people in the past to use a written method for planning and progress monitoring (regardless of what the motive has been or should have been) and I have yet to see someone actually doing it.
So to me – the biggest question is how do you get someone to follow through on this kind of an advice?"
A: "Good question. Unfortunately, most of the time I get to teach people about techniques and then leave them to implement on their own, so I don’t get to see the implementation. I do know two things:
People who are strongly self-motivated to change will do it on their own. People who are not, or not good at self-motivation, will not.
If there is someone around them who can support their effort – help them stay accountable, ask them about it, cheer them on, provide some ‘positive external pressure’ – they are much more likely to succeed. So – if others are making the change and they can form a support group of sorts – all the better. If they have a good manager or mentor who helps them, they can succeed. This is actually where the professional coach can make ALL the difference – it’s the missing link between learning and applying. People who have a coach are very likely to do this.
Thanks for reading, thinking, and interacting with me about it!
Halelly"
Do you have a question, too? Shoot! :)
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Strengths, Schmengths! (or, "I Don't Get to Use My Strengths Regularly at Work. Now What?")
"Take risks, and expect to make lots of mistakes, because creativity is a numbers game. Work hard, and take frequent breaks, but stay with it over time. Do what you love, because creative breakthroughs take years of hard work. Develop a network of colleagues, and schedule time for freewheeling, unstructured discussions. Most of all, forget those romantic myths that creativity is all about being artsy and gifted and not about hard work. They discourage us because we're waiting for that one full-blown moment of inspiration. And while we're waiting, we may never start working on what we might someday create."
One of the things I'm most grateful for is that I get to use my strengths regularly in my work. Do you?
According to Marcus Buckingham, an expert on strengths, the anatomy of a strength is
Talent + Knowledge + Skills = Strength
Wherein
Talents: innate patterns of thought, feeling or behavior (cannot be learned)
Knowledge: facts and lessons learned
Skills: the steps of an activity. HOW you do something.
According to Tom Rath of Gallup the formula is similar but stated a little differently:
Talent x Investment = Strength
Wherein
Talents: innate patterns of thought, feeling or behavior (cannot be learned)
Investment: time spent practicing/developing skills and building knowledge
You can be happier and fulfill your greatest potential in your one life to live, that's why. And, you'll do a better job for your employer, to boot. Western society tends to harp on finding and correcting weaknesses and blind-spots. The Strengths Movement seeks to shift that habit: instead of focusing on energy and time on CORRECTING your weaknesses, merely work to NEUTRALIZE them. Spend your precious energy and limited time on cultivating your strengths instead, because that is where flourishing will happen. No one ever flourishes by focusing all their efforts on things they don't do well and don't enjoy.
Hugh MacLeod (aka @gapingvoid) draws quirky cartoons for a living. It's what he loves doing and does very well. He has recently illustrated this idea quite well in this graphic.
There are a few instruments on the market that can help you identify your top strength. They use slightly different terminology and number of total strengths in their inventories. Ultimately, however, the themes that emerge should be similar. Here are two of my favorites:
The VIA Character Strengths Survey is free of charge and was developed by Chris Peterson, PhD, one of the pioneers of the Positive Psychology field.
My top 5 VIA signature strengths:
StrengthsFinder2.0 was developed by the Gallup Organization and requires a purchase of the StrengthsFinder2.0 book, which helps explain all of the strengths.
My top 5 StrengthsFinder2.0 strengths:
See the pattern?
Go find out what your strengths are, and answer this question:
"Do you get to use your strengths in your work every day?"
Watch this blog for an upcoming post with more suggestions on HOW to put your strengths to work.
Challenge: If you're so inclined, I'd love for you to list your top 5 strengths in the comments below, along with any thoughts or questions you have about this subject.
Photo credit: evanlane.com via Flickr.
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Strengths, Schmengths! (or, "I Don't Get to Use My Strengths Regularly at Work. Now What?")
This hilarious video spoof exemplifies the drawbacks of overusing jargon and technical language in training and presentations. In order to model simplicity, I'll actually allow the video to speak for itself.
Warning: I take no responsibility for the head-spinning that might ensue after watching. Watch at your own risk.
Here's a list of commonly overused business cliches. See if any of these "ring a bell". Have any particular favorite jargon or business-speak terms you have heard more than you care to? Which ones are you working to screen out of your presentations and workshops? I'd love to read your comments below.
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Six Principles of Effective Communication
I'm greatly interested in the science of Positive Psychology because it provides evidence-based lessons for increasing our well-being, which is one of the things I'm most passionate about. While there are so many different tools and techniques, two of the most effective and simplest ones to adopt are positive affirmations and a practice of gratitude. By focusing mindfully on what's good, and being grateful for all the good things in our life (even the most mundane ones) we can actually increase our happiness and sense of well-being.
No, not exactly like the ones the Saturday Night Character 'Stuart Smalley' practiced, although watching him might cheer you up. I think the child in the below YouTube video has it right. She makes me giggle every time! Go Jessica!
I like this simple exercise, suggested by Dr. Martin Seligman in his book Authentic Happiness. Anyone can increase their happiness and success by practicing this very easy technique - including kids. Here's what you do:
What you'll probably find when you do this exercise is that by thinking about your gratitudes each night, it will shift your daytime focus to seek out things to be grateful for. By mentally preparing for the nightly exercise (subconsciously or consciously), you will become more cognizant of things you are grateful for and more grateful for things that happen to you that might not have been cast in the light of gratitude prior to this exercise. It makes you look for what's good in your life, and thus happier about the life you have and what makes you happy. Try it and let me know what you thought!
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZ
Ep17: Two easy gratitude exercises that will make you happier
How to be happier: 4 tips from Positive Psychology (heard on the TalentGrow Show podcast)
I was recently interviewed by ASTD on the value of belonging to a community of peers through chapter involvement and the value of belonging both to the national association and the local chapter. I've written and spoken about this subject previously here, here, and here.
Take a look at my comments in the two short clips below (30 and 50 seconds each) and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
The Value Proposition of Volunteer Leadership
I just got an email from a dear old friend (well, he's not 'old', but you know what I mean...) that re-surfaced an email I shared with some friends a little over a year ago. It struck me that this great treasure I shared with those friends was something I coulda-shoulda shared with readers of this blog - why didn't I think of it? Well, better late than never, since it's a timeless concept. So here's my email from last year:
"Over the last few years I have really been interested in research on what makes people happy and fulfilled. One of the key researchers in the 'Positive Psychology' field is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced 'cheek-sent-me-high-ee'), director of the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University, who has written about the concept of "Flow". He coined this term to describe the mental state of operation in which you are fully immersed in what you are doing and feeling energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.
I imagine we all want more of that feeling, and helping others get more of it would be a great bonus! :)
So today, when I came across a wonderful, 20-minutes-short talk (at TED) by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi overviewing his research on Flow and creativity, I immediately wanted to share it with you in the hope that it provides you with some food for thought, or maybe if you are already familiar with it, a tool to pass along to others who could benefit.
Please enjoy!!"
As the holiday season is upon us, and as we set our gaze on the shiny New Year, I wish you lots of 'Flow' moments in your life. May you have many opportunities to 'grow your talent'. Cheers! ~Halelly
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
How to be happier: 4 tips from Positive Psychology (heard on the TalentGrow Show podcast)
As readers of this blog may know, I have two professional roles: One, as a business-owner and entrepreneur with my company, TalentGrow; the other, as a volunteer on the Board of Directors of my professional association, the Metro DC chapter of ASTD (the American Society for Training and Development).
As 2009 President, I am very proud of the work we've done and the tremendous efforts of the talented volunteers all around me who made it all possible. Just last week, we held our annual Volunteer Recognition dinner celebration during which we thanked all those who have volunteered in some capacity to help our chapter operate - we do it on 100% volunteer fuel!
I think 2009 has been a very successful year for Metro DC ASTD. In a tight market and a contracting economy we've managed to keep our membership steady (actually, it grew) and continued to provide quality programs to our constituents to achieve our mission of enriching their knowledge and skills and increasing their impact in their workplace. We added a lot of new virtual ways to do that via social media, webinars, and podcasts, which garnered us an award from the National ASTD. And we've continued to keep over 6,000 workplace learning and performance professionals informed about events in our area that can help them grow professionally - help their talent grow!
The Volunteer Recognition event featured a panel of experts who discussed the value of volunteering to enhancing one's career, a subject I've previously discussed here and here. One of the attendees, Andrew Welch, who volunteers with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, summarized some of their key points nicely on his blog.
How have your volunteer experiences enriched your career this year? What new opportunities are you going to seize to grow your own talent in 2010? I would love to hear about it in the comments!
Top Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyradk/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bottom Photo credit: Ali Green
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Volunteering as Employee Development: A PwC Case Study
The Value Proposition of Volunteer Leadership to Employers
How to be a relevant employee or boss AND up your own professional game
In my professional and volunteer roles I encounter many interesting people who are doing great work. One of them is Kitty Wooley, a Human Capital Strategist for the US Department of Education.
Last year Kitty launched a blog called Senior Fellows and Friends for members of a seven-year-old "evolving multisector network .... [of people] who want to participate in improving government by engaging in constructive conversation." Kitty writes, "No matter what one does for a living, it's very easy to become insulated and isolated. However, I think we'll get a better result for the public if we consciously do the opposite, stretching to connect with those who are unlike us along many dimensions."
Kitty has asked me to guest-post for the Senior Fellow and Friends blog, so I wrote about the common obstacles I see in managing performance in the public sector and some ideas about overcoming them. You can read it on her blog, here. I'd love to know what you think.
photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/
/
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Excellence in Employee Development Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
Ep11: How to have better performance feedback conversations that get results with Marnie Green, CSP
I just received my hot-off-the-press copy of the 2010 Pfeiffer Annualon Training. This hefty tome, edited by the prolific training guru Elaine Biech, is a handy collection of articles, tools, and ideas for people in the Training and Workplace Learning business. I'm pleased to be one of the contributing authors (find me in the "Editor's Choice" section). I was also featured in the 2009 Consulting edition. If you want a useful reference book to check when you're designing a course, creating a team building session, or just planning for a meeting, this could be a great one to have.
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
Training is Dead; Long Live Employee Development
7 Tips for Building Mentoring to Develop Employees and Raise Engagement
Wow, sorry for not blogging for over a month. As Kermit the Frog once said, "Time's fun when you're having flies!"
Photo by monkeyc from Flickr.com
But seriously, as readers of this blog probably know, I'm really interested in goal-setting and goal-directed behavior. I'm also keen on understanding what helps build success. So when I saw this latest post from Gretchen Rubin on her Happiness Project blog about how long it actually takes to form new habits, I was naturally intrigued.
Gretchen sheds light on an oft-quoted 'truism': Habits are NOT formed in 21 days for most of us. Recent research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology that shows that it takes an average of 66 days until we actually form a solid habit.
When I work with clients on establishing new skills and habits in the workplace to improve leadership, communication, or teamwork, I often talk to them about the challenges they'll likely face when trying to make changes take root. We can become discouraged when we try to cultivate new habits within the environment that sustained our previous habits. There will be hurdles and push-back. It won't be easy. But if we stick at it, and understand it is natural to face these obstacles, and that it can take a while until the new habit stops feeling awkward and starts feeling 'normal', we'll be more likely to succeed.
It's when we have unrealistic expectations of overnight success or short-term miracles that we get discouraged and give up on the new practices and just go back to 'business-as-usual'. And the old '21 days to form a new habit' cliché was not helping at all - it contributed to that feeling of despair and disappointment when we got to day 22 and we were still struggling. So, I hope this new research helps break through some blocks and re-energize you to practice and keep at it. What has been your experience with forming new habits? I'd love to hear about it - please use the comments below. Thanks!
Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!
Also, subscribe to my podcast, The TalentGrow Show, on iTunes to always be the first in the know about new episodes of The TalentGrow Show! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo
The Ultimate New Year's Resolution: Make 2014 Your Year of Fast Learning!
Developing leaders and teams to improve the human side of work. Grow your leadership and interpersonal communication skills. Develop stronger teams and create employee engagement.
(c) 2024 TalentGrow LLC. All rights reserved.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and end up purchasing the products, we get a small commission. You will pay the same amount for those products whether you purchase them through our links or not, so you will not be paying anything extra. If you’d rather not go through our links, just copy/paste the name of the product and search for it on your fave search engine.
