High Impact Leaders

We often have our clients ask us about what to do in between annual meetings and retreats to reinforce the team culture that they have created. We are big believers in fun, team outings. The good news is that these are fairly easy to organize, somewhat inexpensive, and will give you a fantastic return on your investment. Surveys show that the main reason for employee dissatisfaction is the employee’s personal relationship with his or her immediate manager. So, these simple, spontaneous teamwork acts can significantly increase job satisfaction.

Below are a few ideas that we have found work really well to build teamwork. Psst! These work best when you offer them as a bonus activity versus a requirement. “If you and your family are available, the company will pick up the tab for…” works much better than “Everyone is required to attend…” Many of these outings are great for their flexibility. You’ll find that employee engagement increases when a team-building event is offered or voluntary rather than required. Attendance can be the entire team (in large groups) or departmentalized (small groups).

The team outing ideas in this episode can help build more team culture in between your normal team meetings.

Show Notes: Try Fun Team Outings to Build Team Culture

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/meetings-try-fun-team-outings/

This week, I'm going to share with you a few very low-cost ways to build more of a team atmosphere within your company.

If you are new to the podcast, one of the things that I specialize in is leading big team-building activities for huge companies. Quite often, though, I have potential clients call in or request information from social media, and they want to do something fun or reward their team but don't have a huge budget.

If you are in that boat, then these ideas will really help.

The term team-building means a lot of different things to various people. Companies often have our instructors help them with annual conventions and meetings because they are looking for ways to add enthusiasm and energy to their regular meetings. These one-time, or annual, activities are a fantastic way to build camaraderie and teamwork, but what do you do the rest of the year? Below are a few of our favorite team-building ideas that are either free or cost very little to your company.

I cover seven easy things that you can do for or with your team to build more of a team atmosphere without incurring a huge cost.

Show Notes: Team Building Ideas that Cost Nothing

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/a-few-team-building-ideas-cost-nothing-little/

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you run into someone you know but can’t remember the person’s name? It can be an awkward situation for everyone involved. Years ago, I came across an astonishingly easy way to remember names that is very helpful. There are just a few vital steps in the process. However, if you follow every step, you can avoid those awkward social situations.

In this episode, we cover a simple four-step process to remember names. This technique is incredibly simple, but it does take a little practice.

For full details, see the full show notes: How to Remember Names-An Astonishing Way to Place Names with Faces

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-remember-names-astonishing-way-place-names-with-faces/

This week, I'm going to cover a leadership topic that can be very confusing because of all the different facets of the topic. We're going to talk about team building. Specifically, I going to go into what exactly do people when they talk about team development or team building activities or exercises. The reason why this topic is so confusing is that the topic is very broad. It can cover everything from building a sports team to company outings and experiences to making corporate meetings more fun and interactive.

It is a fascinating study, though. After spending over a decade playing competitive sports and then another decade in the corporate world before starting my own business, I learned a lot about what makes a good team and what causes team challenges. In this episode, I'm going to share a little of that experience with you.

So what exactly is team building, anyway?

The term “team-building” is thrown around quite often describing any type of activity that is likely to build some type of camaraderie or team environment. However, the specific activities and games that make up a good event can be lumped into a few types of categories. The success of your company depends on its foundation: customers, profit, and company culture. Team building exercises are a great way to connect staff and build a positive culture.

The effectiveness of the exercises or events depends on the inclusion of the whole team, in smaller teams, aiming for a shared goal. Some involve a random object, such as tennis balls, while other fun activities could use puzzle pieces with trivia questions.

SHOW NOTES: What Is Team Building?

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/what-is-team-building/

I hope you have enjoyed and put into practice each of the 28 leadership principles that we have covered in this series. Because you stuck in there, though, I'm going to give you a *Bonus Principle* - Leadership Principle #29 is to Always Give Something Extra.

There is a donut store in my neighborhood owned by a little oriental lady who is an expert at maximizing word-of-mouth advertising.

The first time I walked through her doors, she greeted me with a warm smile thanked me over and over for coming in, and gave me a fresh, hot donut hole to eat while I waited.

She had a whole store full of people but treated each one as if he or she were the only person in the world at that moment.

As I left the store with my order, I peeked into the box and found two extra donuts. I assumed that she had made a mistake. However, when I went back a couple of months later, she greeted me saying that I was her good customer and again I got more than I ordered.

When it happened the first time, I didn’t tell a lot of people, but when I realized that that was her way of doing business, I told many people.

You can do the same in your business. Under promise and over deliver and the customer will always be happy.

When I conduct sales training, I promise a 10% increase in sales. When my clients receive a 40%, 50%, or even 60% increase, they are delighted, and they tell more people.

If you want to increase word-of-mouth advertising, always give a little extra.

Bonus Daily Leadership Principle
Principle #29: Always Give Something Extra.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-bonus-principle-always-give-something-extra/

Joe Girard is the Guinness World Record holder for selling cars because he constantly goes out of his way for his customers.

For instance, if his customers ever need service on their car, Girard personally represents them when they come into the service department, and sometimes, pays for the work himself. Every one of his customers (and there are thousands) receives a special card from him every month. It may be a St. Patrick’s Day card in March or a Thanksgiving card in November, but they hear from him every month. He has hundreds of things that he does in which he goes out of his way to make sure his customers are satisfied, and most are repeat buyers and refer friends to him.

LEADERS GO THE EXTRA MILE

When we go out of our way for someone, when we do something above and beyond the call of duty, we are creating a memorable impression upon that person.

Harvey Mackay once had a friend relay a story about a colleague that called him at 2:00 AM desperate because he needed $20,000 or he would lose his business. This friend told Mackay that if his own business had been in trouble, he couldn’t think of more than a couple of people he could call for help.

Mackay replied that he could name 50 people that he could call. Mackay has those relationships because he has gone to bat for each of those 50 people when they needed help.

By going the extra mile, his network of people who absolutely trust him is huge.

If you want relationships like that, go out of your way for people.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #28: Go Out of Your Way for People.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-28-go-out-of-your-way-for-people/

Parents know that it takes patience, encouragement, and consistent action to teach a baby to walk. The baby takes one step and the parents cheer.

She falls down, the parents say, “That’s OK. You can do it!”

The baby walks just a few feet, and she’s a champion.

Why don’t we use the same encouragement for our employees and coworkers?

DON’T LOOK FOR PERFECTION RIGHT AWAY. LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENT.

Most managers constantly call attention to the mistakes of their employees. Then they wonder why they must constantly look over the shoulders of their people. The secret to being a good manager is that whatever you call attention to, you get more of.

So, instead of pointing out the mistake, point out the improvement in the right direction.

If we want to build great leaders, we must help build their confidence as they gain experience. Call attention to their successes no matter how small these successes seem to be. When we do that, we are anchoring the positive behavior that they are exhibiting.

Want to change behavior? Try calling attention to someone’s mistake indirectly, and then watch to see how the behavior changes.

When you catch that person doing things the right way, praise the improvement. Chances are that you’ll begin to see this behavior more consistently.

Praise improvements in the right direction, and you’ll build strong leaders around you.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #27: Praise the Baby Steps.

One of the best coaches that I have ever been associated with was Coach Gary Gaines, who was the linebacker coach at my college. He also had a book and movie made about him called Friday Night Lights.

What makes him such a great coach is that he is a very mild-mannered person, but when he caught someone doing the right thing, he enthusiastically called attention to it. I still remember specific plays that I made in college because Coach Gaines would always give an immediate pat on the back. Then later, when we reviewed the film, he would show the great plays over and over again so that everyone saw them.

The other strength that Coach Gaines had was the way he made corrections and pointed out mistakes. Rather than saying, “Staneart, you missed two tackles,” he called attention to the mistakes as a team. The TEAM missed six tackles. He let us save face.

In the few years that I played for him, he developed three players who played professional football and one who has been an all-pro every year he played.

MOST MANAGERS CALL ATTENTION TO MISTAKES

Most managers use what Ken Blanchard calls the “Leave Alone, Zap” method of coaching. They leave their direct reports alone until they make a mistake, and then they come by and “Zap” them to make corrective action.

This type of management style makes it to where the manager becomes the merchant of death in that the only time the direct reports get coaching is when they get hammered.

A better way of managing and coaching people is to look for the things that they are doing right and reinforce those things.

Show encouragement and help them strengthen those things that they are already doing well.

If we catch people doing things wrong, their focus is on the mistake. If we catch people doing things right, their focus is on their success. We get more of what we focus on most.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #26: Catch People Doing Things Right.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-26-catch-people-doing-things-right/

Daily Leadership Tip #25 is to Recognize the Potential in Others and Help Them Achieve It. This is Week #4 in our Daily Leadership Tips Series. The focus this week is on building other leaders.

For the past 20 years, The Leader’s Institute ® instructors have helped people gain confidence in becoming effective leaders by pointing out strengths in our class members that they may not even recognize in themselves.

William James, the father of modern psychology, said that in a person’s entire lifetime, he will only tap into 10% of his potential. Psychologists call this untapped potential our “blind spots.”

OUR JOB AS LEADERS IS TO HELP MINIMIZE THE BLIND SPOTS IN OTHERS

When we recognize potential in others, we need to encourage them to tap into that potential.

My files are full of letters from managers who came into their own shortly after getting that first big promotion.

OFTEN, BEING RECOGNIZED BY A LEADER IS THE CATALYST FOR NEW LEADERSHIP.

All they needed was someone to believe in them. A boss, mentor, or supervisor saw potential in them. Then, the confidence that they had grew even more dramatically when others see this confidence in them as well.

Don’t discount people because they have a few rough edges. Instead, look for the strengths that they have and help them grow even more in those areas.

People tend to live up to the expectations that others set for them, so set your standards high and encourage others to reach them.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You
Principle #25: Recognize the Potential in Others and Help Them Achieve It.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-25-recognize-the-potential-in-others-and-help-them-achieve-it/

One common trait of great leaders is that they build other leaders along the way.  Zig Ziglar said for years that if you help enough people become more successful, you can’t help but become successful yourself.

This is true in our families, in our work environment, and also in our recreation.

For instance, one of the reasons Phil Jackson became one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time is that he was increasingly enthusiastic about the success of his players. 

Michael Jordan believed that this was so important, that he refused to play for any other coach.  Jackson has 8 NBA Championship rings as a coach.  And in 1998 after his sixth championship, he told Cigar Aficionado Magazine, "It's normal for people to want more credit for success than is due them, yet the reality is that our championships were won on the court by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, the other players and the coaching staff.” 

Three years later, he had moved to a new team, this time without Jordan and Pippen,

Did he take credit this time? Nope. In fact, just the opposite. He told USA Today, "It's incredible to be in this position as a coach," said Jackson. "Everything revolves around the team and the staff… I've been in the right spot and fortunate enough to have players who put me in this position.”   

Great players are attracted to Jackson because he builds great leaders, and you can too if you are as enthusiastic about their success as you are your own.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #24: Be Enthusiastic about the Success of Others.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-24-be-enthusiastic-about-the-success-of-others/