High Performance Leadership

That misunderstanding, that festering conflict, that difficult behavior...what are we to do? Talk it over. Bring it up. Conflict is reason to talk. Conversations cost less than making assumptions. Talk about it. 

  I've said it before, and I'll keep on saying it because it makes the difference in a leader.  High performance leaders get to know their people. There is no substitute for time spent talking with people who matter most. -- doug smith

How often do you talk with your team members, one-on-one? Not counting the group meetings, are you scheduling and keeping regular conversations with each and every team member? They need that level of attention. They require that level of attention. They have a much better chance of meeting your expectations when you give them that level of attention. It's an effort. It takes discipline. But, what could be more important than clear and regular communication with your team members? I would say, just about nothing would be more important. High performance leaders talk with each team member about what comes next. High performance leaders talk with each team member about performance. High performance leaders talk with each team member regularly, openly, honestly, and deeply. It's your best leadership tool. Talk with your team members. -- doug smith

Have you ever shared a problem that is so sensitive you just want to keep it to yourself? I have. Sometimes I have been weak when it comes to talking about problems. I get all quiet. I practice my secret power of invisibility and simply disappear. Well, no, but in the past sometimes I have acted as if that was a possibility. Anything to avoid talking about a troubling problem - especially an interpersonal one. Maybe some problems should be kept to yourself. But in my experience, they are much harder to solve that way -- and if they involve another person, virtually impossible to solve alone. Unwillingness to discuss a problem is pure cowardice. Grab the courage. Muster up the nerve. Talk about it. That's the first step into solving it, so make that step. -- doug smith

Have you ever kept something to yourself and later regretted it? I sure have. Have you ever felt something and failed to share that feeling, even though someone else could benefit from sharing the feeling? Ditto. We're not perfect. We make mistakes. Hiding those mistakes does not erase them. I don't know if you can ever really erase a mistake, but talking about it helps. Get better at talking about it and it will get better. Talk about it. -- doug smith

Sometimes I keep it all to myself. That is seldom a good idea. Better, far better, is to talk about it. Get it out. Share. Listen, pause, think it over, speak. Speak your mind, speak your heart, speak your peace. -- doug smith

Knowing what to say is only valuable if you say it. Say it. -- doug smith

Every conversation is an opportunity to make someone's life better. Take the chance. -- doug smith

Teams need time to talk. Interruptions into your busy schedule might be annoying. They might even be disruption. What if within those interruptions you could find new keys to better performance? What if in those interruptions were the secrets to solving the problems of your team? You never know. When a leader gives a team member their complete and full attention, wonderful things happen. Growth, change, bonding, efficiency. Yes, even efficiency. That interruption that feels like a hassle might end up making your team more efficient and complete, like a fabulous jazz band that improvises without missing, or a sports team that never drops the ball. Cohesive, collaborative teams come from communicating. Why not talk more? Unless we take time to talk we may not have time for anything else. Take time to talk. -- doug smith

I've never met anyone who could read my mind. And, I've never been able to read anyone else's mind, either. Intentions are funny things. We can't always tell what they are. One way helps the most: talk about it. If you want to get what you want, talk about it. -- Doug Smith

Are your team members skilled at creating deeper conversations? The kinds of conversations that go far below the surface level of day to day trivial. The kind of conversations about values, mission, goals, and (gasp!) feelings. You do know that your team members are living, breathing critters with (yes...) feelings, don't you? I remember what it's like as a front line supervisor trying to ignore those feelings. They didn't go away when I ignored them -- they just got more complicated. Strong teams are built thru deep conversations. Got a problem? Talk about it. Need to focus more on a particular goal? Talk about it. Wondering what comes next? Talk about it. I remember Susan Scott saying that relationships are built one conversation at a time -- and (most importantly) that the conversation is not about the relationship, the conversation IS the relationship. She also says that the heart of leadership is conversation. So when we want to be better leaders, the faste...

Do you favor tight boundaries, wide boundaries, or flexible boundaries? When I worked at GE there was much talk about creating a boundaryless organization. But it turns out that wasn't so much without boundaries as it was to have permeable boundaries -- boundaries we could navigate as needed and expand under the right conditions. The only way that worked was to hold true to the values of the organization (some boundaries may NOT be crossed, such as "integrity"). So, it wasn't yes or no, right or wrong, when it came to defining boundaries - it was both/and. Some boundaries are flexible, and some are not. Knowing the difference is leadership. Knowing the difference is integrity. Boundaries that are impenetrable, but unreasonable, get in our way. They get built for good intentions, but outlive their usefulness. We establish rules for a time, and then that time passes and the rules remain. They are so out of tune with what we need that they can even become embarrassin...

Have you ever had to work with someone who does not share your values? In all honesty, I think we all do that all the time. Our values are important, and we strive to live by them every day, but not everyone shares those values and yet we do need the help of people who have different values. It IS so much easier to work with people who share our values. Shared values build trust. Shared values build understanding. Shared values build collaboration. But sometimes we have to be a role model for those values and hope that our demonstration of our values in action will show their merit. By being a positive example of our values in action, we might just encourage other people to embrace those values. And by showing our willingness to work with people we disagree with we can show how we facilitate, rather than force, our way of living. It's harder to collaborate with people who don't share our values -- but not impossible. Who have you been avoiding because of their value...

Isn't it easy to blame people for our problems? Probably, because people are usually involved. But, most of the time if we fix the conditions causing the problem or the process that leads to the actions that people are doing we can fix the problem. No blame, just change. Most problems aren't caused by people but most problems are only solved by people. Instead of blame, we need team work. And that comes from cooperative, collaborative communication. Who can help you with your biggest problem today? Are you ready to talk about it? -- Doug Smith

Have you ever worked on something so important that you could hardly stop thinking about it, and yet didn't tell your family about it? How will they know what drives you? How will they know what that "distracted look" on your face means? I have too often gone too long completely immersed in my work while keeping my family members in the dark about what I was working on. I need to learn to tell them what exactly is so compelling and so exciting about it so that they know, when I get pulled to that work, that it isn't because I'm avoiding them. Don't avoid your family. That's not what meaningful work is about. Involve them. Talk about it with them. Show them that you can and do enjoy a healthy passion for your family and your work. Does your family think your job is as cool as you do? Why or why not? Your work is your gift to the world. Your family is God's gift to you. Don't slight or take for granted either one, and don't keep either ...

Do you focus mainly on possibilities or on limitations? We need people who focus on limitations so that we can determine how to overcome them or avoid frustrating our efforts. We need people who focus on possibilities because the answers are out there, we just need to find them. There are always better ways to communicate. There are always better solutions. There are always new ways to bring joy and to reduce suffering. These are all in the possibilities that we develop. I'd much rather talk about possibilities than limitations . Often, by expanding possibilities we overcome what we had perceived to be as limitations. We can get creative. We can patiently pursue perfection without judging our imperfections. Possibilities are our future. Without thinking critically of those who think critically, I like the expanded (and expanding) view. What's your view? -- Doug Smith