Big Things Done Podcast

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN - 7:25 min

How to lead when you are not a “leader” with official power or authority

How to do big thin...

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN - 7:25 min

How to lead when you are not a “leader” with official power or authority

How to do big thin...

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN - 7:25 min

How to lead when you are not a “leader” with official power or authority

How to do big thin...

Work-related stress is on the rise, and that is indicated by the growing body of studies and the multitude of health-related employee benefit programs companies now offer. Employers are thankfully realizing that burned out employees destroy productivity and actually increase operating costs (not to mention the negative effects on the human being...that’s pretty important too).

A little bit of stress is always going to be present in the workplace - and that is mostly a good, healthy thing.  From my experience in the military, however, I have found that when work-related stress becomes chronic and unsolvable, that’s when it starts to degrade the performance of your team.  As a leader, it is your responsibility to limit that type of stress that hinders performance and ultimately leads to employees feeling burned out.

There are all sorts of ways modern companies are trying to make work less stressful. But no matter how many hip programs and services an organization can offer, culture is still king when it comes to reducing work-related stress. If you want to keep employees performing their best, first ensure that your culture is one that ultimately shows respect to your team.  Here are two things to think about when it comes to building a healthy climate in your organization.

Leaders must actively listen to employees.  In order to keep stress at an appropriate level, a leader must understand the sources of consternation. Seems pretty basic, right? But how many leaders actually do this?  How many leaders ask employees what is causing them headaches? What could be improved to make them perform better? What additional resources or guidance do they need to do their job?  When a leader asks these questions, they not only have knowledge to act upon, but they also show their employees a high level of respect - which goes a long way to creating a culture where people feel valued and actually want to be there.

Empower leaders to do the right thing.  Somebody put a leader in a position for a reason - hopefully it is because they are competent and able to make good decisions. Capitalize on that talent by giving them (or yourself) the authority to do the right thing for their team members. If there are 5 different approvals that need to be met before someone can get the help they need, no one will ever get help!  Let the leaders who know their teammates best (i.e. the lower level leaders) be able to make appropriate decisions that keep their members performing well.

Want to ensure your employees aren’t getting burned out? Make sure your organization’s culture is one where leaders are engaged and empowered to help their teammates.  All the yoga classes in the world can’t compensate for a non-supportive culture.

 

Ready to start making your company’s culture the best it can be? Listen to Episode 9 of the Big Things Done Podcast for 3 practical tips to start leading your organization well.

*Podcast music by HookSounds.com

Work-related stress is on the rise, and that is indicated by the growing body of studies and the multitude of health-related employee benefit programs companies now offer. Employers are thankfully realizing that burned out employees destroy productivity and actually increase operating costs (not to mention the negative effects on the human being...that’s pretty important too).

A little bit of stress is always going to be present in the workplace - and that is mostly a good, healthy thing.  From my experience in the military, however, I have found that when work-related stress becomes chronic and unsolvable, that’s when it starts to degrade the performance of your team.  As a leader, it is your responsibility to limit that type of stress that hinders performance and ultimately leads to employees feeling burned out.

There are all sorts of ways modern companies are trying to make work less stressful. But no matter how many hip programs and services an organization can offer, culture is still king when it comes to reducing work-related stress. If you want to keep employees performing their best, first ensure that your culture is one that ultimately shows respect to your team.  Here are two things to think about when it comes to building a healthy climate in your organization.

Leaders must actively listen to employees.  In order to keep stress at an appropriate level, a leader must understand the sources of consternation. Seems pretty basic, right? But how many leaders actually do this?  How many leaders ask employees what is causing them headaches? What could be improved to make them perform better? What additional resources or guidance do they need to do their job?  When a leader asks these questions, they not only have knowledge to act upon, but they also show their employees a high level of respect - which goes a long way to creating a culture where people feel valued and actually want to be there.

Empower leaders to do the right thing.  Somebody put a leader in a position for a reason - hopefully it is because they are competent and able to make good decisions. Capitalize on that talent by giving them (or yourself) the authority to do the right thing for their team members. If there are 5 different approvals that need to be met before someone can get the help they need, no one will ever get help!  Let the leaders who know their teammates best (i.e. the lower level leaders) be able to make appropriate decisions that keep their members performing well.

Want to ensure your employees aren’t getting burned out? Make sure your organization’s culture is one where leaders are engaged and empowered to help their teammates.  All the yoga classes in the world can’t compensate for a non-supportive culture.

 

Ready to start making your company’s culture the best it can be? Listen to Episode 9 of the Big Things Done Podcast for 3 practical tips to start leading your organization well.

*Podcast music by HookSounds.com

Work-related stress is on the rise, and that is indicated by the growing body of studies and the multitude of health-related employee benefit programs companies now offer. Employers are thankfully realizing that burned out employees destroy productivity and actually increase operating costs (not to mention the negative effects on the human being...that’s pretty important too).

A little bit of stress is always going to be present in the workplace - and that is mostly a good, healthy thing.  From my experience in the military, however, I have found that when work-related stress becomes chronic and unsolvable, that’s when it starts to degrade the performance of your team.  As a leader, it is your responsibility to limit that type of stress that hinders performance and ultimately leads to employees feeling burned out.

There are all sorts of ways modern companies are trying to make work less stressful. But no matter how many hip programs and services an organization can offer, culture is still king when it comes to reducing work-related stress. If you want to keep employees performing their best, first ensure that your culture is one that ultimately shows respect to your team.  Here are two things to think about when it comes to building a healthy climate in your organization.

Leaders must actively listen to employees.  In order to keep stress at an appropriate level, a leader must understand the sources of consternation. Seems pretty basic, right? But how many leaders actually do this?  How many leaders ask employees what is causing them headaches? What could be improved to make them perform better? What additional resources or guidance do they need to do their job?  When a leader asks these questions, they not only have knowledge to act upon, but they also show their employees a high level of respect - which goes a long way to creating a culture where people feel valued and actually want to be there.

Empower leaders to do the right thing.  Somebody put a leader in a position for a reason - hopefully it is because they are competent and able to make good decisions. Capitalize on that talent by giving them (or yourself) the authority to do the right thing for their team members. If there are 5 different approvals that need to be met before someone can get the help they need, no one will ever get help!  Let the leaders who know their teammates best (i.e. the lower level leaders) be able to make appropriate decisions that keep their members performing well.

Want to ensure your employees aren’t getting burned out? Make sure your organization’s culture is one where leaders are engaged and empowered to help their teammates.  All the yoga classes in the world can’t compensate for a non-supportive culture.

 

Ready to start making your company’s culture the best it can be? Listen to Episode 9 of the Big Things Done Podcast for 3 practical tips to start leading your organization well.

*Podcast music by HookSounds.com

*Note: Listen to Episode 7 before listening to Episode 8.

Recall the definition of what a leader is from Episode 7: A leader is someone who is ahead of everyone else, and works to bring their team to their future state.

Episode 8 is all about the second part of this definition - what it means for a leader to bring their team to their future state. I’ve been in countless organizations where a “leader” talked about a future state or goal, but the organization never progressed toward it. How do you avoid just talking about big things and actually going and doing them?  How do you lead your team to accomplish your goals?

A leader makes and executes action plans.  An action plan is a simple list of what needs to be done, who is responsible for doing it, and when it must be accomplished. Without an action plan, nothing will never be done - the team has no direction or sense of accomplishment. A leader must recognize the importance of action plans and be the DRIVING force behind their creation and execution.

Application: Always carry a way to write down action plan details so you do not forget and can keep people accountable. The best way to lose leadership credibility is to say you’ll do something and then never follow through. Also, resolve to not leave your meetings until an action plan has been established and can be implemented. There are very few meetings where an action plan isn’t warranted - so any time you leave a meeting without one was a waste of time.

A leader communicates the action plan and why it’s important. People want to be led, not told what to do, and there is a big difference between the two. A leader not only communicates the action plan to their team (who, what, and by when), but also expresses why it matters. Telling your team the reason for doing all they do is a constant, repetitive task. It is the responsibility of the leader to consistently maintain the perspective of their team members to keep them motivated and performing at their best.

Application: Find specific examples and instances of how what you are doing matters. How did your product change a customer’s life? How did your service improve a company? Somehow, some way, find the specific ways your team’s efforts made an impact and share it with them.

*Note: Listen to Episode 7 before listening to Episode 8.

Recall the definition of what a leader is from Episode 7: A leader is someone who is ahead of everyone else, and works to bring their team to their future state.

Episode 8 is all about the second part of this definition - what it means for a leader to bring their team to their future state. I’ve been in countless organizations where a “leader” talked about a future state or goal, but the organization never progressed toward it. How do you avoid just talking about big things and actually going and doing them?  How do you lead your team to accomplish your goals?

A leader makes and executes action plans.  An action plan is a simple list of what needs to be done, who is responsible for doing it, and when it must be accomplished. Without an action plan, nothing will never be done - the team has no direction or sense of accomplishment. A leader must recognize the importance of action plans and be the DRIVING force behind their creation and execution.

Application: Always carry a way to write down action plan details so you do not forget and can keep people accountable. The best way to lose leadership credibility is to say you’ll do something and then never follow through. Also, resolve to not leave your meetings until an action plan has been established and can be implemented. There are very few meetings where an action plan isn’t warranted - so any time you leave a meeting without one was a waste of time.

A leader communicates the action plan and why it’s important. People want to be led, not told what to do, and there is a big difference between the two. A leader not only communicates the action plan to their team (who, what, and by when), but also expresses why it matters. Telling your team the reason for doing all they do is a constant, repetitive task. It is the responsibility of the leader to consistently maintain the perspective of their team members to keep them motivated and performing at their best.

Application: Find specific examples and instances of how what you are doing matters. How did your product change a customer’s life? How did your service improve a company? Somehow, some way, find the specific ways your team’s efforts made an impact and share it with them.

In this two-part series, I detail out the basic definition of what it means to be a leader. Too often, our world produces books and speeches about the qualities of a leader, but rarely does anyone take the time to discuss the definition of what a leader is. While these conversations are good, they do not serve to equip people to develop and grow into effective leaders - because they gloss over the basics, which is where we all need to start.  And that is a shame, because leadership is THE THING THAT CAN SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM IN OUR WORLD.

Here’s my definition of what a leader is:

A leader is someone who is ahead of everyone else, and works to bring their team to their future vision.

In Episode 7, we talk about the first part of that definition - what it means for a leader to be a person who is ahead of everyone else.  And it boils down to 2 simple facts:

A leader thinks about a future vision.  A leader is someone who says “where we are right now is not ok. We need to move to a better, improved state”. Literally, a leader is mentally ahead of most people because they are not thinking about the issues going on right now. Rather, a leader is focused on where they want to move to in the future.

Application: commit to a future state. Detail out a goal or status that you want for yourself and your organization. If you aren’t sure what thi means, go listen to Episode 1 of the Big Things Done Podcast, where we talk about how to find “your big thing”.

A leader is motivated by their future vision. Our society loves to tell people to “live in the moment” and only focus on the things that are immediately in front of you. Not so for a leader. A leader’s actions and decisions completely revolve around moving to a future vision. A leader will do things that are not enjoyable or may not make sense in the present, in order to move closer to a place they want to be in the future.

Application: Find the link between your future state and your daily tasks. Divide a piece of paper into 2 columns, left and right. On the left column, write out every one of your daily tasks.  In the middle of the right column, write your future state or desired goal. Now draw a line between each of your tasks and your future state.  Above each line, write 3-5 words that explains how the task relates or brings you closer to your future state.

 

Be sure to listen to Episode 8 (part 2) for the second part of the definition of leadership.

In this two-part series, I detail out the basic definition of what it means to be a leader. Too often, our world produces books and speeches about the qualities of a leader, but rarely does anyone take the time to discuss the definition of what a leader is. While these conversations are good, they do not serve to equip people to develop and grow into effective leaders - because they gloss over the basics, which is where we all need to start.  And that is a shame, because leadership is THE THING THAT CAN SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM IN OUR WORLD.

Here’s my definition of what a leader is:

A leader is someone who is ahead of everyone else, and works to bring their team to their future vision.

In Episode 7, we talk about the first part of that definition - what it means for a leader to be a person who is ahead of everyone else.  And it boils down to 2 simple facts:

A leader thinks about a future vision.  A leader is someone who says “where we are right now is not ok. We need to move to a better, improved state”. Literally, a leader is mentally ahead of most people because they are not thinking about the issues going on right now. Rather, a leader is focused on where they want to move to in the future.

Application: commit to a future state. Detail out a goal or status that you want for yourself and your organization. If you aren’t sure what thi means, go listen to Episode 1 of the Big Things Done Podcast, where we talk about how to find “your big thing”.

A leader is motivated by their future vision. Our society loves to tell people to “live in the moment” and only focus on the things that are immediately in front of you. Not so for a leader. A leader’s actions and decisions completely revolve around moving to a future vision. A leader will do things that are not enjoyable or may not make sense in the present, in order to move closer to a place they want to be in the future.

Application: Find the link between your future state and your daily tasks. Divide a piece of paper into 2 columns, left and right. On the left column, write out every one of your daily tasks.  In the middle of the right column, write your future state or desired goal. Now draw a line between each of your tasks and your future state.  Above each line, write 3-5 words that explains how the task relates or brings you closer to your future state.

 

Be sure to listen to Episode 8 (part 2) for the second part of the definition of leadership.