Leadership Today - Practical Tips For Leaders

Summary

Many people want to be more assertive at work. This week we explore assertiveness as a type of conversation.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 191 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. This week we explore how to be more assertive at work.

Many people want to be more assertive at work - you might be one of them. Perhaps you feel your perspectives are overlooked, or you struggle to get your opinions across to people, or you're frustrated that others just steamroll through and always get their way. To address these challenges, we really need to break some misconceptions about assertiveness. Assertiveness is not something you're born with. It's not a personality type or preference. Rather, assertiveness is a set of skills any of us can develop and improve.

A helpful way to think about assertiveness is to picture a line. At one end of the line is passive. If I'm being passive it's 100% about them, the other person and their needs, wants and interests, and 0% about me, my needs, wants and interests. It's okay to be passive sometimes, particularly on issues that really matter to the other person but don't matter to you. If it's genuinely not important to you, it's perfectly fine and even a great idea to let the other person get what they want. However, if we're passive about things that matter to us, then that can be a problem. At the other end of the line is aggressive. Here it's 0% about the other person, and 100% about my needs, wants and interests. Again, sometimes it's perfectly appropriate to put your needs and wants first. There are issues where it's important to hold your ground. But if you're aggressive about every issue, even ones you don't care about, that's likely to limit your effectiveness and relationships.

So assertiveness isn't being passive, and it's also not about being aggressive. Assertiveness also isn't the midpoint on the line - it's not 50% about them and 50% about you - that's compromise not assertiveness.

Instead, assertiveness is a type of conversation - one where my needs, wants and interests are 100% on the table, but so are the other person's needs, wants and interests. The best way to measure your assertiveness isn't by seeing whether you got your way or not - that's really more a measure of aggressiveness. Instead, you can measure your assertiveness by whether the other person understands your perspective and why it's important to you, and also whether you understand their perspective and why it matters to them. We may then have a shared problem to work through - you can't always get a win-win solution right away. Here are a few quick tips for more assertive conversations:

• Be clear about needs, not just your wants. Sometimes what people present as what they want isn't the same as what they actually need.
• Write down your needs, interests and wants before a meeting then make sure you share these during the meeting. Preparation really helps.
• Acknowledge where there is disagreement and your willingness to work with the other person towards a solution.

If you found this helpful, check out our Boost Your Assertiveness course.

Leadership Today On-Demand Special Offer

We have a great deal for podcast listeners on our Leadership Today On-Demand subscription. Just go to www.learn.leadership.today and checkout using the promo code PODCAST for 25% off an annual subscription.

Leadership Today On-Demand is a video subscription service that allows you to work on your leadership in your own time and at your own pace. It is available online and through our Apple iOS and Android apps for phones and tablets. Our mission is to help you to become an even better leader.

Your subscription brings together all of our video content in one place including:

- Our annual conference including a range of leadership experts - valued at $450

- Five online courses with workbooks - valued at $250 each

- Five five day challenges with workbooks - valued at $150 each

- Nineteen recorded webinars - valued at $100 each

- A searchable library of 140+ "how to" quick videos on a range of leadership challenges - valued at $350

That's over $4,500 of content for less than the price of a single online course. And there are more videos added each week.

Get Connected

Find out ways to get connected here: https://leadership.today/connect

Summary

The week we explore how to prepare for a job interview to give you the best chance of winning that new position.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 190 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. This week we explore how to prepare for a job interview.

Job interviews are stressful and unpredictable. There are no guarantees in an interview and it can feel like a guessing game. But there are some simple things you can do to dramatically improve your chances of success.

1. Take their perspective. An interview is an opportunity to learn more about you and your capability to take on a role. Think about the goals of the interviewer. They want to be confident that you can do the role, so the interviewer will be looking for specific things, which brings us to the next tip.
2. Ask about the interview format and selection criteria. You will most likely already have the selection criteria as these are typically spelled out as part of the application process. If you don't have the selection criteria, ask your contact if they can provide them. In addition it's helpful to know the general format of the interview, number of interviewers, and any tips they might have to make sure you're as prepared as possible. Complete a self-assessment against the selection criteria. This will help prepare you to address any gaps that might come up during the interview.
3. Create a narrative. How is this role a sensible next step in your career journey? It will be helpful to the interviewer to demonstrate the story or narrative that has led up to this point. Why this job specifically? And why this job now?
4. Do your research. If you're applying for a listed organisation, read through their annual report and latest investor briefings. If it's a smaller organisation, look for any media releases or newsletters. Demonstrating that you understand how this role fits in to the broader organisational challenges and opportunities will impress any interviewer. Come into the interview with the mindset and awareness of an investor. Clearly explain how you can add value to the organisation through this role.
5. Prepare evidence and examples. There are two broad types of interview questions - hypothetical and behavioural. A hypothetical question could be about a scenario such as "How would you deal with a difficult customer?" A behaviour question looks for a specific example of when you've done something, such as "Tell me about a time when you've dealt with a difficult customer?". With either approach, make sure you include actual examples. Even if the questions are hypothetical in nature, providing behavioural answers through real examples is far more compelling. Ask a friend to help you practice by asking behavioural questions.
6. Come with questions. A pretty standard way to finish an interview is to ask if you have any questions, so it is worth having one or two genuine questions prepared in advance. A great question to ask is whether there's any other information you can provide that might help their decision making.
7. Arrive early and dress appropriately. Make sure you're not in a rush for the interview. If it's online, log in early to test your technology. For clothing, err towards a step up from what others wear at the organisation. Dress standards vary widely between organisations and even offices. Wear something that makes you feel comfortable and confident, but that also shows you've made an effort for the interview.
8. Follow up. Send an email to say thank you for the opportunity, offer to provide further information if needed, and ask for feedback.

I hope these tips have been helpful. Interviews are always going to create some stress, but with a bit of planning and thought you can improve your odds of being successful dramatically.

Leadership Today On-Demand Special Offer

We have a great deal for podcast listeners on our Leadership Today On-Demand subscription. Just go to www.learn.leadership.today and checkout using the promo code PODCAST for 25% off an annual subscription.

Leadership Today On-Demand is a video subscription service that allows you to work on your leadership in your own time and at your own pace. It is available online and through our Apple iOS and Android apps for phones and tablets. Our mission is to help you to become an even better leader.

Your subscription brings together all of our video content in one place including:

- Our annual conference including a range of leadership experts - valued at $450

- Five online courses with workbooks - valued at $250 each

- Five five day challenges with workbooks - valued at $150 each

- Nineteen recorded webinars - valued at $100 each

- A searchable library of 140+ "how to" quick videos on a range of leadership challenges - valued at $350

That's over $4,500 of content for less than the price of a single online course. And there are more videos added each week.

Get Connected

Find out ways to get connected here: https://leadership.today/connect

Summary

Delivering a presentation is a fear-inducing situation for most of us. This week we look at practical ways to manage pre-presentation nerves.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 189 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. This week we look at ways to manage pre-presentation nerves.

Most of us will need to give a work presentation at some point. Whether it's to a group of 5 at a team meeting or 500 at a conference, speaking in public can be very stressful. This applies to online presentations as well. These nerves impact people differently, but many will experience an elevated heart rate, sweating, feeling hot or going red, and struggling to concentrate.

If we let our nerves get the better of us we may not present as well as we had hoped. Our fear might even lead us to avoid opportunities to share our ideas in the future. However there are some practical steps you can take to deal with pre-presentation nerves that will help you to be more confident and clear.

1. Prepare. Be really clear about what you're planning to say. I've found keeping presentations to three main points works well. Your notes should be bullet points rather than a script. You can start by outlining the three points you will cover, then go into more detail for each of the points, then summarise the three points at the end.
2. Practice. Run through your presentation in front of the mirror or, better yet, video yourself. Don't ever let your actual presentation be the first time you've said it out loud. I find it helpful to visualise the room I will be presenting in. If you have access to the room ahead of time that's even better. Run through the presentation until you only need your notes occasionally as a prompt.
3. Know your audience. Take the time to understand their interests and needs. Speak with people one-on-one before the presentation to gain their perspectives and insights. You can even gather further information during the presentation by getting a show of hands or asking questions. Great presenters focus far more on their audience than themselves.
4. Reframe your emotions. Being nervous or feeling excited have the same physical signs. It's down to how you interpret your physical state. It's far better to say to yourself "I feel like this because I'm excited about this opportunity to present and want it to go well". This won't remove all the physical signs of stress, but it will help you to use these feelings to your advantage.
5. Breathe. We breathe all day long, but we rarely focus on our breathing. We can use our breathing to calm us. A great approach is the box breathing technique. The box is a simple way to remember the structure - inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds. Doing this for just a minute will calm you down dramatically.
6. Pose a question for discussion early. Asking a question of the group and having them discuss it with one or two others provides an engagement point and also gives a chance to settle in, take some deep breaths and focus.
7. Focus on individuals not the group as a whole. Another presentation technique which can work well is to focus your attention on a single person for a sentence, then shift to someone else for the next sentence. You need to make this natural for you, but making eye contact will draw people in. It is also a reminder that you are communicating with a room of individuals, not just a group of people.
8. Seek feedback. This can feel painful, but feedback is a great way to improve. Find someone who can provide you with balanced feedback and speak with them prior to the presentation to set this up well. After the presentation, ask them to share anything that worked well, and things you should do differently next time. Then thank them for the feedback.

Your presentations will continue to improve with practice. If you can learn to expect and even enjoy the discomfort, you will be able to deal effectively with pre-presentation nerves.

Leadership Today On-Demand Special Offer

We have a great deal for podcast listeners on our Leadership Today On-Demand subscription. Just go to www.learn.leadership.today and checkout using the promo code PODCAST for 25% off an annual subscription.

Leadership Today On-Demand is a video subscription service that allows you to work on your leadership in your own time and at your own pace. It is available online and through our Apple iOS and Android apps for phones and tablets. Our mission is to help you to become an even better leader.

Your subscription brings together all of our video content in one place including:

- Our annual conference including a range of leadership experts - valued at $450

- Five online courses with workbooks - valued at $250 each

- Five five day challenges with workbooks - valued at $150 each

- Nineteen recorded webinars - valued at $100 each

- A searchable library of 140+ "how to" quick videos on a range of leadership challenges - valued at $350

That's over $4,500 of content for less than the price of a single online course. And there are more videos added each week.

Get Connected

Find out ways to get connected here: https://leadership.today/connect

Hello and welcome to episode 188 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. This week we explore ways to build the working relationship you have with your manager.

The working relationship you have with your manager is particularly important for your performance and career. Yet we can all struggle to make this relationship work. It's easy to put this down to personality and style differences, or perhaps a lack of interest or skill on the part of the manager. However there are some important things to keep in mind. Managers are typically busy. What you might see as a lack of interest or attention may simply be due to them having so much on. Managers have a different perspective and priorities. The scope and time horizon associated with their role could be dramatically different to your role. There are likely to be things they are focused on that you may know nothing about. Your manager might work quite differently to you. Their work style and preferences could well be different to yours.

So, keeping all of these things in mind, here are seven tips for working more effectively with your manager:

1. Establish clear goal posts. Having agreed expectations is fundamental to performance and your relationship. Without clear goals, you can't have an effective working relationship with your manager.
2. Build trust. Trust is a combination of having another person's best interests at heart, and being reliable in following through on your commitments. To build trust you need to understand what is important to your manager. You also need to be rock solid in delivering what has been agreed.
3. Ask "How can we best work together?" This is a great question to explore what your manager has found most helpful when leading others. It also opens up a two-way conversation where they're likely to ask what you've found most helpful from other leaders, so be prepared to share some thoughts.
4. Secure some one-on-one time. Given the time constraints on managers this can be challenging, but even 20 minutes a week can make a huge difference. Frame this in terms of how it will be helpful for your manager. For example, it provides an opportunity to bundle-up non urgent questions rather than disturbing them during the week. It will also help ensure clarity and alignment, and that your manager is across progress against objectives.
5. Try to lighten their load. It's easy to come to your manager with a problem and just make their life harder. Instead, come with options and potential solutions. Even better, come with your preferred approach and rationale.
6. Seek specific feedback. Let your manager know what you're working on and that you'd appreciate and value their feedback. Again, frame this up from the manager's perspective and how this regular feedback will help you to be even more effective.
7. Express gratitude. The research is clear - the more senior someone is, the less feedback they receive. Let your manager know what you're appreciating about the way they have led you. This will encourage them to keep going.

I hope you have found these tips helpful. Give them a try and let me know how you go.

Check out www.leadership.today for more episodes and information about our Leadership Today App.

Summary

Many people are uncomfortable receiving feedback from others, even when the feedback is positive. We explore how to accept feedback with grace.

Transcript

Welcome to episode 187 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. This week we explore how to accept feedback with grace.

How would you feel if I said "I have some feedback for you"? When I ask this question in leadership development programs, most people indicate that they would feel nervous, a sense of dread, that they would want to leave, or that they're expecting bad news. It turns out that most of us assume feedback will be negative. When we receive negative feedback we might feel defensive, want to argue back, or even provide our own negative feedback without fully thinking through the implications. But many people even struggle receiving positive feedback. They might try to play it down, perhaps making a joke, or suggesting that the person providing the positive feedback is wrong. So how can we make the most of the feedback we receive, taking it on with a bit more grace? Here are six tips:

1. Always say "thank you". If it's positive feedback, try not to dismiss the feedback. If it's negative feedback, don't get defensive but just share genuine thanks that the person has had the courage to speak with you.
2. Don't respond right away. If it's positive feedback, come back to the person later to let them know what you appreciated about their feedback. If it's negative feedback, come back to the person later with what you've taken out of their feedback. You're likely to respond better with some additional time to think and reflect.
3. Look for the truth in the feedback. If you have received positive feedback, assume that it's true. For example, if someone says you seemed really confident when you were presenting to the team, even if you didn't feel confident, the truth is that you appeared confident. If someone provides negative feedback, look for the kernel of truth. You may not agree with or accept all of the feedback, but there's likely to be an element of truth in there somewhere.
4. Separate intent and impact. You can set out with the best of intentions, but feedback is focused more on your impact than your intent. Focus on the impact you're having and be clearer in sharing your intent.
5. Provide further context if required. If you have received negative feedback, it can be helpful to provide further context. It's important here not to be defensive or dismissive, but additional context can help others to understand why you did what you did.
6. Let them know what you will do as a result. Whether it's positive or negative feedback, let the person know what you're planning to do based on the feedback they've provided. If it's positive feedback it might be that you'll try to keep doing this in the future. If it's negative feedback, you might let them know what you will try to do differently.

Always remember that feedback is a gift. We may not always like the way the gift is wrapped, but there's always value in feedback. Give these approaches a try and let me know what you think.

Summary

This week we explore why focusing on your identity is a better investment of time than focusing on your personal brand.

Transcript

Welcome to episode 186 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we explore why focusing on your identity is a better investment of time than focusing on your personal brand.

With the proliferation of influencers and social media over the past decade, there has been an increased focus on building a personal brand. Well meaning organisations even run workshops helping people to carefully curate their LinkedIn image. On the surface this sounds like a good thing to focus on in the context of our leadership. Surely we want to be careful about how we present ourselves to the world? There are however some risks of treating yourself as if you were a company or a product. Who we are is much more than just how we want to be seen by others. And how others see us is likely to be more genuine if it's grounded in our identity.

Our identity is who we are, not just our external persona. It includes what we value, our opinions, what's important to us, and ultimately who we are.

Personal brand is how we want others to see us. It tends to be more carefully curated. There is a risk that our personal brand can become detached from our identity. This can lead us to effectively put a mask on as we interact with others. This doesn't just require additional effort to maintain, it also can come across as disingenuous. People are very good at picking up when we are pretending to be something we're not.

In contrast, identity is who I am, not just my external persona. When we focus on our identity, we are more grounded in who we are and what we stand for. This gives us a sense of purpose and direction. When we are clear on our identity, our personal brand flows naturally.

Here are three things you can consider this week if you want to explore your identity:

1. Reflect on your values and beliefs. What is important to me? What motivates me?
2. Look at your life experiences and how they have shaped who you are today. What have you learned from your successes and failures?
3. Examine your relationships and the people who have influenced you. Your identity is often formed in reference to others.

So this week spend some time considering your identity. It's a better investment than your personal brand. Have a great week.

Summary

It turns out many people don't like compulsory team building activities at work. So how do we build relationships and connections in a way that people do appreciate?

Transcript

Welcome to episode 185 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we explore how to build team connections without resorting to compulsory fun.

Many leaders are noticing a reduction in inter-connection between their people. This could be due to a range of factors, including an increase in remote working, busy-ness or just inattention to relationships as an important part of team effectiveness. People are therefore exploring ways of building these connections. A tempting option is to book a hopefully fun team building activity. However research suggests that people can resent team building activities, particularly when they aren't voluntary. Even when people are okay with being involved, often the activities chosen don't allow much opportunity for discussion and bonding.

Research suggests that intentional efforts at building relationships and connections are usually more beneficial than generic team building activities. Here are some of the suggestions I'm sharing with clients who are wanting to build team cohesion:

1. Focus on team effectiveness. We are here to do a job, and your team building efforts are best placed when they have a clear link to the effectiveness of the team. That doesn't mean it needs to be stale or boring, but the activities need to have a point.
2. Allow people to share and get to know each other safely. Team building efforts work best when people can choose how much or how little they want to share. An example is having people share a five star recommendation. This could be anything - a book, holiday destination, recipe, restaurant, activity - anything they would give five stars and why. This simple question often breaks down barriers and allows people to safely open up and get to know each other.
3. Invest your own time in getting to know your people. Team building works best when the leader is involved and makes a conscious effort to get to know all the people in their team, rather than just sticking with the people they know or seeking to keep a distance between them and the team.
4. Building effective relationships is part of the work, so stick to normal work hours. If your team want to organise to do something together outside work hours, that's great. But anything you organise should honour their time.

Give these approaches a go with your team and have a great week.

Reference

Petr Matous, Julien Pollack, Jane Helm. Collecting experimental network data from interventions on critical links in workplace networks. Social Networks, 2021; 66: 72

Summary

This week we explore how goal setting changes over time and with our personality preferences. Could setting tighter goals make us more happy?

Transcript

Welcome to episode 184 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we explore how goal setting changes over time and with our personality preferences.

People vary markedly in the way they set goals and where they focus their goals. In general though, tighter and clearer goals tend to be more effective than loose and general goals. A tight goal of exercising for 30 minutes each day is likely to be more effective than a loose goal of wanting to become more resilient. A tight goal of practicing giving presentations in weekly team meetings is likely better than a loose goal of wanting to become a better communicator. But the kinds of goals we set can vary over time and with our personality preferences.

A 2020 study by researchers at the University of California tracked the goals of participants from when they started college to 20 years later. They also looked at the personality preferences of participants, the impact these had on the goals set, and how personality changed over time.

The study found that personality changes impacted the kinds of goals people set. For example, participants whose levels of agreeableness, kindness and compassion increased placed more emphasis on family, relationship and social goals over time. Similarly, those who increased in responsibility, organisation and self-control placed more value on economic and family goals over time. This can help explain why our views of success vary so much - we value different things and set different goals.

The researchers also found that people placed less emphasis on goals as they headed into middle-age, and believed this was due to people being more selective in the focus on goals while also having achieved some of the major goals they set in the preceding 20 years. Interestingly, research also suggests happiness tends to reduce from a peak in our late teenage years, to a low point around 47, before increasing steadily into old age. The mid-forties often feature the greatest competing demands around relationships, parenting, career and health. It is however interesting that the period where we have fewer clear goals appears to coincide with the period when we are least happy. We can end up being so busy that we lose focus on what is most important. We end up focusing on survival rather than planning for the future.

As a leader, it's important to understand that different members of your team may have different approaches to goal setting based on their personality types. By understanding these differences, you can tailor your approach to goal setting to best suit each individual. For those with a strong sense of conscientiousness, it's important to provide clear guidelines and deadlines when setting goals. These individuals thrive on structure and specificity, so providing a clear roadmap and measurable outcomes can help them stay focused and motivated. On the other hand, individuals with high levels of openness may benefit from more flexible and creative goal setting. These individuals tend to be more innovative and enjoy exploring new ideas and possibilities. By providing a broader vision for the goals and allowing for more creativity in how they are achieved, you can tap into their strengths and keep them engaged.

So this week I encourage you to take another look at your goals. How clear and tight are they? What areas of your life do they focus on? Are there goals you need to let go, or new goals you need to set? Spend some time dreaming about what the future could hold, then use goals to mark clear waypoints towards the life you want.

References

Olivia E. Atherton, Emily Grijalva, Brent W. Roberts, Richard W. Robins. Stability and Change in Personality Traits and Major Life Goals From College to Midlife. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2020; 014616722094936

Blanchflower, David G. Is Happiness U-shaped Everywhere? Age and Subjective Well-being in 132 Countries. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series No. 26641 January 2020.

Summary

When looking for ways to improve and make progress, it is sometimes helpful to explore what could be the most negative outcome and what we can learn from that. This week we look at the benefits of thinking about how to break something in order to make it even better.

Transcript

Welcome to episode 183 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we look at the benefits of thinking about how to break something in order to make it even better.

I was recently watching a documentary about SpaceX, the manufacturer and launcher of rockets, including the largest and most powerful ever made. In the documentary called "Return to Space" they reflected on the contrasting approaches to experimentation and progress used by SpaceX and NASA. The documentary explained that NASA focuses on getting things as right as possible on paper first before committing to a launch. This leads to an inherent conservative risk-aversion. Success from a NASA perspective is a rocket flight that's perfect first time even if that takes a long time to get to. SpaceX in contrast has seen some of the most spectacular and dramatic rocket explosions ever. Instead of being disappointed by these or even viewing them as failures, each explosion was seen as an opportunity to gather data and learn fast. Elon Musk even declared their latest Star Ship launch as having a 50% chance of success. He said in an interview "I'm not saying it will get to orbit, but I am guaranteeing excitement". Star Ship exploded prior to reaching orbit. Interestingly though, SpaceX's other rockets now have an enviable level of safety and reliability. By breaking it, SpaceX are learning how to fix it.

So what does this mean for the rest of us leaders who aren't in the space race? Whether it's a physical product, a service, or a process, I believe there are several lessons we can learn and apply.

1. Conduct a pre-mortem. A post-mortem is something we undertake after a negative event to find out what went wrong. A pre-mortem flips this process to consider what could go wrong in advance. In a pre-mortem we look at potential negative outcomes and work back to what might cause these, and therefore what we might do differently. This makes it far easier for people to speak up and air concerns.
2. Check your culture. Organisations have different attitudes towards risk and failure. If you are in a risk-averse organisational culture, it's helpful to consider how you can fail safely. Safe-fail experiments are a great way to stress-test what you're building.
3. Encourage people to be open about risks and failure. Often times people will attempt to downplay risks and cover up failures. Promoting sharing of these as learning opportunities can help people to be more forthcoming and honest.
4. Focus on the system, not the people. When things go wrong, it's easy to point the blame at individuals. Instead we should start with the system. This will encourage honest reflections and openness rather than fear of retribution.

I hope you found this helpful. Consider how you might fail-forward in your context. Have a great week.

In this interview I speak with Clifford Morgan, author of the new book "The Coaching Leader - Essential Skills to Enhance Your Leadership and Develop Your People Every Day".

We discuss:

• Challenges leaders are facing today
• The benefits of leaders taking on a coaching approach
• What it takes to be a great coach
• Some lessons from Cliff's military background

You can learn more about Cliff, his book and other resources at: https://cliffordmorgan.com.au/