Leadership Today - Practical Tips For Leaders

Summary

It seems like everyone is being encouraged to pivot - to try something completely new in order to maintain your job or business. But it's important to pause before you pivot and consider four Cs - Capability, Content, Channel and Call.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 76 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we look at the need to pause before we pivot, and consider four Cs - Capability, Content, Channel and Call.

There's a lot of focus at the moment on the need for organisations and individuals to pivot. That we need to look for something new to do rather than sticking with old approaches. That being agile and nimble is essential to survival in rapidly changing circumstances.

Research by LinkedIn highlights the tension for individuals, showing 22% of people feel like they've just fallen into their job without much planning, and 23% are feeling like they are on a treadmill going nowhere. Why not give something completely different a try?

While I absolutely agree with the sentiment behind this, it's important to pause before you pivot. Yes, there are new opportunities emerging every day, but the answer isn't to mindlessly change what we're doing and hope for the best. We can bring a far more considered and systematic approach.

LinkedIn and other social media feels like a giant experiment at the moment, with people and organisations throwing forth seemingly random ideas and offers in an attempt to find a solid foothold. Much of it is driven by a genuine desire to be helpful, or at least needed. And much of it will ultimately fail. There's just not enough substance behind many of these pivots.

It's helpful to think of the need and capacity to pivot in terms of four Cs - Capability, Content, Channel and Call. I know this sounds like I've pivoted overnight to a podcast on marketing, but we can think of these four Cs for ourselves and our organisations when considering whether to pivot, and where to pivot.

For any organisation or individual, we bring value to the world via our Capability and Content delivered through a Channel. We then receive value back based on whether there is a Call or demand for what we bring.

You can think of Capability as the skills and abilities that we bring to bear. There are things that we can do that are potentially of value to others. And we can always develop our Capability through the investment of time and effort.

Content is what we know. It's the knowledge that we've acquired over time. It's our views and perspectives about different areas. We can always build more Content.

Then there is the Channel. If you think about this from a marketing perspective, a Channel is how you connect and communicate with others. In the context of making a pivot, a Channel is how you bring your Capability and Content to the market. That might be a job, or a voluntary role, or a business, or a blog. It's the conduit between you and the outside world.

The final and perhaps most important area is Call. Here I'm talking about the market demand. If you're looking to remain employed or in business, the Call will be mainly financial - how you can bring value that warrants the amount you are paid. But even if you're doing something in a voluntary capacity, there still needs to be a Call for what you're offering. When considering Call the key question is "what do people want or need?"

A risky pivot is to try to change in multiple areas simultaneously. For example, to do something outside of our Capability, with new Content, through a new Channel, without a clear sense of the Call. We are much better at any point in time to pivot in one or two areas, rather than all four.

We do want to experiment, but think of a minimum viable product based on a clear Call. Start by thinking about what people need - clarify the Call. Then, rather than working away at something that requires a huge investment, why not test a smaller version of that first? I hate the term, but it might be a side-hustle alongside your paid employment. Or it could be a new service or product for your business.

I'll provide an example from my own business. At Leadership Today our mission is to help leaders to achieve results through people for good. That's why we exist. The mission hasn't really changed in the past 8 years, but it has been refined and clarified.

When I speak with clients, the Call I'm hearing around leadership development at the moment is in two areas - well-being and remote leadership. How do leaders look after themselves and others in a broad definition of well-being? And how do leaders lead teams that are physically distanced and isolated? There is an ongoing Call for leadership development that aligns with the mission of my organisation, but these two areas are most pressing.

If I think about those two leadership development needs in terms of Content, there's a lot I know about leadership in both of those areas. But there's always more I can learn, so I've been spending some time increasing my Content knowledge.

In terms of Channels, up to last year I had been primarily using this podcast and face-to-face leadership development programs to deliver my Capability and Content to the market. But even before the pandemic, I saw that the vast majority of people who listen to this podcast are outside of my home country of Australia, so I was already looking at ways to deliver what I know (the Content) to people where face-to-face would not always be possible (the Channel). So, for me, I had already identified webinars, online workshops, and online courses make a lot of sense in linking the Content to the people who want it (the Call). The pandemic has just increased the Call.

It's then that Capability comes to the fore. So I can record podcasts, but I also have experience in recording video for leadership development programs, and also in hosting webinars and online web conferences. Perfect - I'm pretty much ready to go from a Capability perspective.

Taken together, the Call is slightly refined, the Capability is pretty much there, the Content just needs tweaking - it's the Channel that's the greatest change. So that's a pivot mainly in one area - totally do-able. And I can try it out with some low risk experiments and learn quickly to refine the Channel.

At this point you might be saying, "that's great for you Andrew and I'm glad your business is going well, but I'm in a job or looking for new work".

Let's take the example of someone who has recently lost their job. It might be tempting for them to either try and find exactly the same job but in another organisation, or go completely to the other end of the spectrum and try something entirely different. The best answer is likely in between these two extremes.

You can think of the job as the Channel - it's the way you deliver your Capability and Content to the market, the market being your organisation. I think we often underestimate the breadth of Channels or jobs across which we could bring our skills and knowledge to life. We also routinely underestimate our Capability and Content. But we also need to recognise the market demand - the Call.

Let's say I'm a flight attendant and I'm out of work as the number of flights occurring has dropped dramatically. It might be tempting for me to try to find the same job somewhere else - to keep the same Channel and try to join a new airline as a flight attendant. But the Call has dropped dramatically globally. So then I should invest my time thinking about the Channel and the Call. Where are my skills and capabilities in demand? Sure, I could also rush off and do a course in something completely different - I could focus on Capability and Content. But then I'm looking at Capability, Content, Channel and Call at the same time. That's not impossible, but it is risky. It would have been safer to develop my Capability and Content while I was also safely employed.

One final example. I was recently looking for a laptop stand and couldn't find one anywhere due to the sudden increase in people working and schooling from home. Everyone was out of stock with future deliveries nowhere in sight. I stumbled across a great Australian business called Stagekings. They were, until recently, focused on making staging for concerts and performances. Clearly, that work has dried up during the pandemic - the Channel and Call had both evaporated. They were facing the prospect of closing down and laying off staff until things returned to normal, whenever that might be. So they looked at their Capability and what the market needed, the Call. They saw the huge demand for desks, monitor stands and laptop stands. They connected this to their Capability to manufacture plywood structures using a commercial router, and started making exactly what people needed - easy to ship and assemble desks and related products. Sure, that meant they needed to develop some new Capability and Content, but those areas were less of a stretch. It turns out making a monitor stand isn't that different to making a stage. They now have their original team busier than ever, have hired more people, and are even using event crew to drive delivery trucks. On top of all of that, they donate money towards supporting out of work people in the event industry. So, for them it was the perfect pivot.

It's tempting for me to look at their business and think "why didn't I think of that?". But, even if I recognised the Call, I lacked in the other three areas of Capability, Content and Channel. Pivoting from leadership development to desk manufacturing would have been way too big a pivot. But pivoting from stage construction to desk construction is less of a stretch. Still challenging, but ultimately successful. If you're in Australia, go to stagekings.com.au and check them out.

So, yes, I absolutely encourage you to think about a pivot. Just ensure you're keeping in mind the four C's - Capability, Content, Channel and Call. Try not to make radical shifts in more than two at once. And don't underestimate how much value you already have to bring.

Just a quick reminder that I have a free webinar coming up on the morning of the 8th May in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, or the afternoon and evening of the 7th May in the US. The topic is "The Six Daily Practices of Outstanding Leaders". You can register at leadership.today - just look for the link on the homepage. I'll make sure the next webinar is at a decent hour for my European audience, but you can also check out previous recorded webinars at our website.

Also, I'm running a number of online workshops for clients around topics including Well-Being for Leaders and The Six Daily Practices of Remote Leadership. They're interactive and just an hour long. We're getting great feedback about the research-based content, practical tips and facilitation approach. Send me a message via the website if you're interested in having me run an online workshop with your organisation. Have a great week.

Reference

Blair Heitmann (2018) Nearly a Third of U.S. Professionals Are Career Sleepwalking: A Career Pivot Could Be Your Wake Up Call. LinkedIn Official Blog

https://blog.linkedin.com/2018/august/15/nearly-a-third-of-u-s-professionals-are-career-sleepwalking-career-pivot

Welcome to Midweek Motivate. This week we're looking at some quick wins around physical health.

Physical health is a core part of not just our well-being, but our effectiveness as leaders. Research into maintaining our mental capacity into older age repeatedly returns to the importance of diet, exercise and sleep.

But we know all this don't we? But if it's that easy, why do so many of us struggle with poor physical health. Here are some rapid-fire ideas to try for yourself and share with your team members.

Let's start with diet. One key concept when it comes to diet is to think replacement instead of removal. Diets often fail because we focus too much on what we're losing. I can't eat donuts anymore. There goes potatoes. Whatever it might be - we pull things from our diet, while not focusing on replacing them with something new. So if you're giving up a muffin, maybe you can replace that with some fruit or nuts that you like. And keep it fresh in both senses of the expression. Hang around the fresh food section of the supermarket and fill your trolley with things that go off. And keep it fresh by trying new things.

On exercise, make things a habit rather than a choice. Build it into your daily routine. Maybe park further away from work. Get back to nature - don't just go outside, but find a park or somewhere with trees as this has a greater benefit on our well-being. And find the joy in exercise. Do what you enjoy doing. Maybe you love catching up with a friend. Why not do that over a walk instead of over a coffee.

When it comes to sleep, maintaining regular times to go to bed and wake up is really important. Include some wind down time device free - an hour should be enough. And keep a note pad next to your bed. That way, if you wake up with some great new idea or something troubling you, you can note it down and go back to sleep. Otherwise your brain might continue to loop on that idea in an attempt to not forget it. Writing it down ticks the box for our brain that the idea is important, while also letting us get back to sleep.

Give a couple of these ideas around physical health a try this week, and make sure you share it with your team. Have a great week.

"Hope" can sound just like wishful thinking. But at the heart of true hope is driven initiative. This week we explore four research-backed ways to build hope.

Hello and welcome to episode 75 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore four research-backed ways to build hope. "Hope" can sound just like wishful thinking. But at the heart of true hope is driven initiative.

The concept of hope captures the human imagination. We see it reflected in popular quotes.

Martin Luther said "Everything that is done in this world is done by hope". His namesake, Martin Luther King Jnr said "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope".

We're encouraged to live a life focused on hope not fear. As Nelson Mandela said "May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears".

But it's easy to see hope as just wishful thinking. We might even accuse people of having false hope - of being unrealistic in their optimism.

The reality in life is that we are constantly barraged by opportunities and threats. Our brain is wired for survival and will always tend towards the threats. That's why we are so amazed by stories like that of Nelson Mandela - someone whose life circumstance while in prison suggested there should be no hope, and yet he held onto a sense of hope and purpose even through tough circumstances. Indeed, this hope drove and strengthened him.

From a psychological perspective, those who research hope focus on two components:

• The first component is Pathways - one element of hope is thinking about routes to achieve desired goals. Those with hope dream a dream, but a practical dream. For those with hope there's a belief that they will find a way forward - that there's always a pathway.

• The second component is Agency - that's having the motivation to follow these pathways. Those with hope are willing to put in the work. Agency is the belief that we can initiate and sustain action towards our goals.

The researchers find a raft of benefits from those who demonstrate these two components of hope, ranging from improved academic performance, physical health, and mental health. The research shows that Agency, in particular, really matters. Agency, that drive and motivation to keep going, is linked with later decreased demonstration of both anxiety and depression.

If you use this two part definition of hope, the researchers argue that you avoid "false hope" altogether. Having a goal, a plan, and the drive to get there is far from false hope.

Those with hope are confident they will find a way through challenge. They are also confident in their drive to pursue goals. So it's not just trying to smash through obstacles by sheer effort. Often hope is about having confidence that you will be able to find a way around an obstacle, or perhaps develop a new goal in the process.

You can think of hope as driven initiative. Agency is the drive element , and Pathways is the initiative element.

If I think about the TV shows and movies that appealed to me when I was younger, they featured characters who exemplified this definition of hope. I may be showing my age, but the original 1980's TV series MacGyver comes to mind. The back story of Angus MacGyver, the main character, was always a little vague. He had a military special forces background but also an education in physics. But he was a case study in hope. Every week he overcame extraordinary odds, often by fashioning some solution out of everyday objects.

I recall one episode where MacGyver was escaping an angry group of mercenaries in a hot air balloon when one of them shot a hole in the side of the balloon. MacGyver initially looks worried as he stares up at the gaping hole and the balloon starts to descend. But then we see, moments later, that he has somehow duct taped a map to the outside of the balloon to stop it from deflating. Cue a big smile from MacGyver and roll the credits. I remember being slightly annoyed that he taped the map to the outside of the balloon, when taping it on the inside would have worked much better. And they never did show how he made his way halfway up the outside of a hot air balloon. But, despite those nit picky details, MacGyver was a picture of hope. He was always willing to put in the work. And he was always willing to look at new pathways to get to his goal.

Being filled with hope is a mindset you can develop. We can train ourselves to look for the hope in a situation or beyond a situation. And we can build hope in others as well. If you've worked for leaders with hope you will have seen just how positively it shaped the culture of your team and organisation.

As a leader we can build hope in four ways:

1. Helping people to see not just the threats but also the opportunities. The great leaders I have had a chance to work for and alongside have helped me to always seek out the opportunities in even the darkest times. So when something goes bad, I now demonstrate greater hope by looking for opportunities that others might miss.

2. Encouraging people to explore multiple pathways to the goal. We often develop just one plan and then get frustrated when it doesn't work. Hope is as much about finding a way around as it is about finding a way through. It's an overused word, but those with hope are agile in their thinking. They hold onto their plans loosely so they can find another way to the goal if needed.

3. Sharing progress. Part of maintaining motivation is measuring and communicating the progress that is being made. We can be in such a rush that we fail to look back at our progress. Looking back helps us to see that we can indeed move forward and we can find a way.

4. Recognising effort. Notice when people are putting in the work and persisting in the face of obstacles. We want to encourage this drive to achieve.

Our world and workplaces can really do with more hope. My challenge to you is to not just build hope for yourself, but also build hope in others.

I hope you found that helpful. I have a free webinar coming up on the morning of the 8th May in Australia, Zealand and Singapore, or the afternoon and evening of the 7th May in the US. The topic is "The Six Daily Practices of Outstanding Leaders". Given the webinar kicks off at 10am Melbourne time, that will be the middle of the night for those in the UK and some other parts of the world, but it will be recorded. You can register at leadership.today - just look for the link on the homepage.

I've also put up two new recorded webinars. A 20 minute webinar on Rethinking Assertiveness, and a 30 minute webinar called Increase Your Influence.

One final thing before I go. We're up to 75 episodes of the podcast, and I genuinely see this as a way of helping leaders to achieve results through people for good. If that sounds like a cause you want to support, please let a few friends or colleagues know about the podcast and, for bonus points, provide a rating or review for the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Thanks for your support and have a great week.

Snyder, C. R., Rand, K., King, E., Feldman, D., & Woodward, J. T. (2002). "False" hope. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(9), 1003–1022. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10096.

Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249-275.

This week we explore whether investing in people's development makes them more likely to stay with an organisation, even if it increases their career opportunities elsewhere.

Hello and welcome to episode 74 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore whether investing in people's development makes them more likely to stay with an organisation, even if it increases their career opportunities elsewhere.

There is a cartoon that does the rounds on LinkedIn every so often. It has two people, typically a Chief Financial Officer and a Chief Executive Officer. In the cartoon the CFO says "What if we train them and they leave?" to which the CEO replies "What if we don't train them and they stay?" It's pretty cheesy and has sparked thousands of variations. The origins of the quote probably go back to Henry Ford, who reportedly said "The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay!" The sentiment clearly strikes a chord - we need to invest in people, even if it increases the risk of them leaving.

What's missing in both the cartoon and Henry Ford quote is the other side of the equation. It implies that developing people is almost a regretful necessity - a short term investment we need to make, even if it does nothing to retain people. I'm sure we would all like to think that investing in the development of our people will make them more likely to stay, but is that actually the case? Can we increase staff retention while also making it easier for people to take their increased capability and leave?

Before I tell you the research answer to these questions, I want you to think back over your career. Think about those managers and organisations that really invested in your development. It might have been through training courses, but it was more likely time taken to mentor you and give you challenging experiences combined with support and encouragement. Were you more likely to leave as a result? Probably not.

For me, the times I was invested into were also the times when I really wanted to stay and bring my best. And, interestingly, the times when my development was placed as a high priority were usually a combination of a great manager and a great culture of ongoing development. Continuous improvement and relentless feedback were features of the work environment. That meant some painful conversations at times as I was pushed to keep improving. I even remember telling a colleague that I wished there was a point where my leadership development was done! But it was also motivating. It seemed like everyone, from the newest employee to the most experienced, were all pushing themselves to get better. No one was pretending that they were perfect. Everybody had more to learn.

Back to my earlier cliff hanger around the research. A paper published just a week ago by Daniel Dietz and Thomas Zwick showed that investing in training significantly increases employee loyalty and retention. As people receive development that increases their chances of finding work elsewhere, they simultaneously are also more likely to stay with that employer. This increase in retention occurred even when the training meant employees could take a higher paying career path outside the business. Even gaining externally certified and portable qualifications still increased the likelihood of an individual staying with the organisation.

Richard Branson is quoted as saying "Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to". This research helps demonstrate that investing in development is part of treating people well. It's an investment that pays off through higher loyalty and higher retention.

While we are on the topic of development, I have a series of webinars coming out over the next few weeks. Head over to the Leadership Today website and join our mailing list to ensure you know what's coming up. Have a great week.

Daniel Dietz, Thomas Zwick. The retention effect of training: Portability, visibility, and credibility1. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2020

It turns out we prefer to be comfortably uninformed. This week we look at four steps to push ourselves through short-term pain to gather the information we need to take action.

Hello and welcome to episode 73 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. It turns out we prefer to be comfortably uninformed. This week we look at four steps to push ourselves through short-term pain to gather the information we need to take action.

We are wired to avoid pain whenever possible. By way of example, I've mentioned before that I go for a run most mornings. The first ten strides down our driveway are always painful. Not necessarily physically painful, but it doesn't feel particularly nice to start out. I'm conscious of the cold weather, how comfortable my bed was, some discomfort in my knees, the tightness in my leg muscles. But I know that one minute in to the run I will feel better. And at the end of the run I always feel great. In fact, I always feel better on the days when I go for a run in the morning, than on the days when I choose to sleep in. If I focused on avoiding short term pain, I would never go for a run. The start always feels hard and awkward. The key to getting out of bed and going for a run for me is to remember how much better I feel at the end, and remind myself that the pain and discomfort pass quickly when I continue to take strides forward.

It turns out this same tendency to avoid short term pain occurs in every sphere of our lives, including the extent to which we seek out additional information and stay informed. Research recently published in Management Science shows that when we think additional information may be painful in the short term, we avoid being informed. We do this even if it means we can't make as good a decision or plan for the long term. So when a doctor asks us to call them back to provide additional information on some tests, our natural tendency will often be to delay that call. When we're faced with financial challenges, we might avoid doing further research. Or when I'm sent a set of participant evaluations from a leadership program I facilitated, I might leave it to the next day to open it just in case someone had something negative to say.

We routinely trade off the benefit of making better long-term decisions in order to avoid short-term pain. It also turns out that those who are impatient are even more likely to avoid information. The focus becomes entirely short term, often to our own detriment. The end result is that we remain comfortable, but comfortably uninformed.

So how do we avoid becoming comfortably uninformed? Here are four steps you can take:

1. Recognise the human tendency to avoid short-term pain. Awareness is the starting point.

2. Know when it's happening to you in the moment. Once you're aware of the tendency to avoid short term pain you will start to notice when it happens. See that as a prompt to do more research.

3. Think of your future self as a real person. This will help you to pass through the short-term pain and pay it forward to your future self.

4. Broaden your sources of information. Talk it through with others to gather their perspectives and recommendations.

If we take these four steps, we will be in a much better position to make informed decisions and take action.

I hope you, your family and your colleagues are travelling okay through these really challenging times. Stay well, stay informed, and stay optimistic. I look forward to speaking with you again next week.

Emily H. Ho, David Hagmann, George Loewenstein. Measuring Information Preferences. Management Science, 2020

In this week's Leadership Today podcast we explore some practical ways to avoid micromanagement.

Well hello there and welcome to episode 72 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore the curse of micromanagement, and some practical ways to avoid it.

One of the most ridiculous things I've done in my career was fly from my home country of Australia to Zurich Switzerland for a one hour sales pitch to a client - and we didn't even win the work. Zurich is a lovely city to visit though - I highly recommend it. But one experience on that trip in particular struck me as unusual. The city centre isn't far from the airport, so I chose to catch the train from the airport to Zurich Main Station. As I wasn't very proficient in any of the four official languages, I accidentally purchased a child's ticket. I figured this out part way through the train journey, so was becoming increasingly nervous about what might happen when I tried to exit the train station at the other end. How would I explain why I bought the wrong ticket? The train pulled into the beautiful Zurich Main Station (again, highly recommended - you really should see it). I exited the train onto the platform, made my way to the main concourse, walked a little further, and then found myself outside the station on the street. There were no barriers, no exit gates, no one checking tickets. As a foreigner I found this truly bizarre. What kind of country just trusts people to do the right thing? It seems like the Swiss treat people as adults, even when they buy children's tickets.

That's a long way of introducing the topic of micromanagement. A lack of trust is at the centre of micromanagement. The micromanager would have told me to catch the train, checked I had bought the right ticket, followed me onto the train, and then checked my ticket again as I left the station just to make doubly sure I had done the right thing.

We have more people working from home today than ever before. Even businesses that have been reluctant to allow working from home have been forced into this brave new world.

I'm hearing a range of stories of how that is working out. These experiences seem to fall into three categories:

1. Going okay: Leaders are providing meaningful work, communicating clearly, they're connecting with their people, and they're bringing the team together virtually to keep morale up. The challenges aren't sugar-coated - the leaders are honest but optimistic. If that's what you're doing as a leader, well done.

2. Radio silence: People are trying to work from home, but leaders are missing in action. There's no communication and the work is starting to run out. People sit at home wondering when that dreaded redundancy discussion is going to come up. Can you even be made redundant while you're at home?

3. Micromanagement: People are being swamped with task after task. They're suddenly having to fill time sheets out to justify their every hour, or quarter hour. If an email isn't answered within an hour, there's a second email to follow up, and maybe a text message. After all, what's the person doing? The washing? Watching a movie? Clearly they can't be trusted. People start wondering whether they're going to lose their job.

I think both radio silence and micromanagement are equally damaging. Both signal a lack of trust. In the case of radio silence, it seems like we can't trust you to be part of the solution. With micromanagement, it seems like we can't trust you to do anything.

So why might a leader micromanage? Perhaps they think the person isn't competent. Well, either provide the training or hire better next time. Perhaps they think the person isn't motivated. Well, has the leader taken the time to figure out what motivates the person and how to link that to the work? Probably not. Or perhaps they think the person can't be trusted. Well, it's pretty unfair not to give people the benefit of the doubt. You can measure whether someone can be trusted to deliver by, guess what, whether they deliver or not.

Now the catch here is that people rarely think that they're a micromanager. So there's a risk that you want to forward this to your leader, when actually you're the problem.

Just in case let's go through five ways to avoid micromanagement:

1. Provide meaningful work. Importantly, the work needs to be meaningful to the individual and important to the organisation. That means you need to understand what matters to the person, and what matters to the organisation. If you're not sure on either, then ask.

2. Clarify expectations. Be really clear about what needs to be done and by when. Be clear about where there is room for autonomy and freedom, and where there isn't.

3. Trust people to deliver. Don't tell them how to do it. Assume that they will deliver. If that's too big a step for you, consider including a check in point and communicate that to the person up front.

4. Be available. Offer your support and counsel, but don't demand it.

5. Measure what matters. Discuss and agree up front the measures of success. Trust people to deliver and measure whether they deliver. As a consultant I routinely ask clients to imagine we are meeting at the end of the project. How would they know that things had gone really well? This question helps to reveal what really matters.

So, this week, think about how you can demonstrate trust and avoid micromanagement. And, seriously - drop the time sheets people!

Summary

In this week's Leadership Today podcast we explore a technique to manage stress more effectively in ourselves and our teams.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 71 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore a technique to manage stress more effectively in ourselves and our teams.

There is plenty of stress around at the moment. As leaders, managing ongoing and acute stress effectively for ourselves and our teams is essential. Few things spread faster than the negative emotions associated with stress and fear.

Long term exposure to elevated cortisol and other stress hormones plays havoc with almost every essential process in our bodies. It has been linked with anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, heart disease, sleep problems, weight gain and even memory and concentration impairment.

When it comes to managing acute stress there are lots of effective techniques. One that is particularly easy to use when faced with peak stress is to think back on the good times. Research has demonstrated that thinking about positive memories buffers you against the impact of high stress.

Researchers Mauricio Delgado and Megan Speer put volunteers under stress by video taping participants while they had their hands submerged in icy water. Participants then spent 14 seconds either thinking about a positive experience like a great holiday or a more neutral experience.

As expected, all participants experienced an increase in cortisol levels. But there were significant differences between the participants asked to think about positive memories and the rest.

Those who reminisced about a positive experience felt better than the neutral group. They reported fewer negative emotions and more positive emotions. And the impact wasn't just in their heads. Remembering the good times also reduced the impact on their stress hormone response. Cortisol levels only went up 15% as much for the positive memory group as those in the neutral group.

So when you and your team are going through tough times, it is worth reminiscing back on the good times. That might include having people share stories from their favourite holidays or family events.

Not only will you and your team feel better, but you will remain more productive and healthy as well.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks here at Leadership Today as we shifted a client's three day face to face leadership program into an online facilitated program. The feedback from the pilot has been amazingly positive, so if you're facing the same challenge make contact with me via the Leadership Today website and I'm happy to share some things we learned along the way. Have a great week.

References

Speer, M., Delgado, M. Reminiscing about positive memories buffers acute stress responses. Nature Human Behaviour 1, 0093 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0093

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

It's an extraordinary time in our world's history with so many countries in lockdown with COVID-19. It's understandable that leaders are focused on trying to save business rather than focusing on their people. However, treating people well is critical to future performance. Best wishes during this difficult time. I know I have a lot of listeners in countries that are badly impacted. Please be assured of my thoughts and prayers.

In this week's Leadership Today podcast we explore ten tips for leading others through the Coronavirus pandemic. Like any other crisis, this too shall pass. Now is the time to lead others in a way that leaves our people and organisations in a stronger position once the crisis is over.

Hello and welcome to episode 70 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore 10 tips for leading others through the coronavirus pandemic.

It is March 2020 and the world is in the grip of a global virus pandemic. Individuals, organisations, cities and even entire countries are moving towards isolation in an attempt to slow down the spread. Travel is becoming increasingly difficult. Family members are separated from each other. Relatives are unwell. Major events and sporting seasons are cancelled. Share markets are in free fall. Supply chains are impacted. Businesses are grinding to a halt. It all sounds like the start of a science fiction movie. But this is all a very real challenge for leaders.

Given all of this, even our most resilient people are likely to be experiencing uncertainty and fear. Each morning they wake up to hear yet more bad news. They're worried about their health, their families, their friends and their jobs. While there are some similarities to the global financial crisis from a business perspective, the impact on the day-to-day lives of our people is much greater.

At the very moment where leaders are at risk of becoming distracted and distant, they need to become more focused and present.

Here are 10 tips for leading others through the coronavirus pandemic:

1. Be informed and prepared. Do your research from reputable sources. Keep up to date with information and instructions from your local health and government services. Consider the full range of impacts for your organisation and people. Choose not to be caught up in the online and media frenzy.

2. Turn up each day. As I reflect on leading during the global financial crisis, one thing I would change is the amount of time I spent with other members of the leadership team versus how much time I spent with my own people. It's really tempting to bunker down with your fellow leaders - after all, who better to understand the pressures you're facing? But that's the very point our people need us.

3. Provide as much clarity as you can. Be as open as you can with your people about the plans in place and likely eventualities.

4. Remain calm. As a leader you need to instil well-founded confidence. Emotions are infectious, whether we are face-to-face or via phone or video. People are looking to leaders to set the emotional tone. Yes, this is serious, but you can still be warm and smile.

5. Demonstrate genuine interest in others. It's tempting to focus a lot on ourselves, so we need to ensure we continue to ask a lot of open questions. Find out how people are doing, and any practical steps that can be taken to make their lives easier. Listen for what is said and not said. Think about the implications of your actions from their perspective.

6. Provide meaningful work. This one is particularly critical. Beyond spikes of activity as organisations reshape their plans, people are likely to be less busy than usual. Help people to focus on meaningful work and projects that will continue their development and strengthen the organisation.

7. Check-in regularly via video. Thanks to mobile technology we all have the potential to stay in touch through video conversations. Video calls are the next best thing to face-to-face conversations. If your organisation doesn't have a platform for this, find one that works. Services like FaceTime, Zoom and Skype all have free options so there's no excuse.

8. Invite others to connect. Rather than just connecting downwards, encourage people to connect across the organisation. Suggest they use messaging and team productivity platforms to see how people are going. These casual interactions are something that's easy to take for granted when it's business as usual, and they can make a big difference in helping people to feel connected and supported.

9. Don't miss the opportunities. It's easy to focus on the threats, but there are always opportunities. Moments of crisis define you as a leader and your organisation as an employer. Use this as an opportunity to up-skill staff, to have them work on longer-term projects, and to prepare and strengthen the organisation.

10. Don't do it alone. Find a trusted colleague with whom you can share your concerns, ideas and frustrations. Stay close to your own leader and provide as much support as you can.

Like any other crisis, this too shall pass. Now is the time to lead others in a way that leaves our people and organisations in a stronger position once the crisis is over. As always, I hope you found this podcast helpful. Look after yourselves out there! If there are any ways we can help here at Leadership Today please contact us via our website leadership.today - we're always happy to run some ideas past you and swap some thoughts. Have a great week, and I look forward to speaking with you again next week.

In this week's Leadership Today podcast we take a step back to explore five key leadership challenges for 2020 and beyond. We explore the daily practices that help us tackle these challenges head-on.

Hello and welcome to episode 69 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we take a step back to explore five key leadership challenges for 2020 and beyond.

You only have to read the paper or watch the news to appreciate there are lots of challenges in the world at the moment. Whether it's extreme climate conditions, global trade challenges, the refugee crisis, or the expanding virus pandemic, it feels like there is a lot to be worried about.

There are always pressing challenges in the broader national and global context. Being born in the early 1970s I remember growing up with the imminent threat of nuclear war. That was followed by the devastating AIDs epidemic. Then there was a national economic recession, global terrorism, and the global financial crisis. It's almost like we skip from one existential crisis to the next.

Upon that backdrop there are always challenges for leaders. As we continue through 2020 and into a new decade, I believe there are five challenges for leaders in particular. These are based on research literature and reinforced through my own experiences.

1. Reflection deficit. The leaders I work with talk about back to back meetings, and too much work to complete in a day. They bounce from crisis to crisis with very little time to think or plan. As a result they're reactive and struggle to be fully present. The old example of working 'in the business' very much applies, with few working 'on the business' let alone considering whether this is the right business in the first place.

2. Flatlining trust. When it comes to organisations, the trust bank account is empty. People have seen how organisations have treated them, their friends and their relatives. Based on experiences over the past 12 years post the global financial crisis they've been taught that organisations can't be trusted to look after their best interests. We feel like we're on our own and that it's every person for themselves.

3. Internal competition. With the backdrop of flatlining trust, many people have based their work identity and community around their team rather than the organisation. The context might change, but the comments are remarkably similar between organisations. "My team is great - we support each other to deliver great work. Unfortunately we can't depend on other teams to do the same". It ends up being team versus team, us versus the world, or even us versus the organisation. While that creates identity for the team, it also discourages collaboration and loyalty to the organisation. If anything it amplifies the lack of trust towards the organisation. After all, even my leader is acting as if the organisation can't be trusted.

4. Reluctant leaders. Leadership is often seen as an onerous addition and, as such, many people don't want to become leaders. They see it as an additional burden on top of the regular job. When I ask people in leadership roles how many hours in their week should be spent leading, very few think it is more than four.

5. Transactional engagement. Within all of that context employees are naturally focused on what they can get in the short term. Their relationship with the organisation becomes transactional. Working for an organisation ends up looking remarkably like working within the gig economy. When I'm getting what I need I'll stay, but I'm always watching out for the next opportunity just in case. Leaders end up focusing on trying to get a short term boost. The question is often how they can get the best out of their people this week.

In summary, there's an overwhelmingly short term focus on daily problems. Leaders are operating in an environment that's closer to panic than planning.

Stepping out of these challenges can be tough. It requires a different focus on daily practices that encourage long term thinking. That's part of the reason for calling this podcast Leadership Today - it's what we can do today that makes the difference.

Here are six daily practices that help to address these leadership challenges:

1. Reflecting. Set aside some time each day to reflect. Think about where you get your best ideas. Think beyond your own industry. It may mean you need to trim back time-wasters such as meetings you don't have a role in. Look for opportunities to reflect each day.

2. Inspiring. A key contribution of a leader is meaning-making. Talk to people about what matters to them, and how their role contributes to something that matters.

3. Developing. Focus on what people are interested in developing. Increase the capacity of the organisation and develop up that next group of leaders.

4. Connecting. If you've ever played the game Jenga you recognise the importance of having blocks that can hold each other together. When you build a tower that way it's surprisingly stable, but once we start pulling out those cross-connections things seem to fall apart. Well it's the same with organisations - it's really important for leaders to build connections across the organisation into other teams and other parts of the business.

5. Delegating. Most of us understand how delegating is supposed to work. We need to be clear about what's needed, offer support, check-in from time to time, and provide feedback. But oftentimes we're delegating the wrong things. We end up delegating tasks rather than accountability. That just makes people more dependent on us, doesn't save a whole lot of time, and doesn't build capability. Take something significant in your role and delegate it.

6. Clearing. I talked about a leader's role in removing frustrations recently. It's really critical that we understand the world our people operate in and make an effort to remove frustrations and inefficiencies. They're often in the best position to see the frustrations, and we're often in the best position to clear the way.

As a leader you can check off this list each day - how did I go at reflecting, inspiring, developing, connecting, delegating and clearing? You're probably doing two or three of these regularly without thinking. There's a possibility that you're undertaking another two of these practices from time to time. And there's probably one or two practices that you rarely take the time to do. Identify the one or two that you can dial up this week, and start putting that into practice on a daily basis.

Well I hope you found this episode helpful. If you did, make sure you share it with someone else. You can always provide a rating or a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to the podcast. And also take the time if you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn as yet you can do that via the Leadership.Today website and just follow the connect links. I look forward to speaking with you again next week.