Emphasizing Accountability as a Leader

As a leader, holding yourself accountable, as well as holding the whole team accountable, is extremely important to your bottom line. It takes courage to hold staff members accountable for their good work behavior or their lack thereof, and not every leader can do it. Here are some tips for being a leader in this area and encourage workplace accountability.

 

Make Expectations Clear

Workplace accountability is defined as fulfilling workplace responsibilities. That includes taking care of your daily tasks and doing so in a timely fashion with attention to deadlines. In short, it means completing your job and not cutting corners, thus shortchanging both your customers and your business as a whole. It requires precisely articulated expectations from supervisors; there is no room for ambiguity. Employees shouldn’t be blamed for not meeting workplace standards if they are not clearly articulated; expectations must be clearly defined. Without direction and guidance, employees will do what they think is best, which might not always align with your expectations. When giving direction, also ask for feedback. This allows you to address any misunderstandings, so you can hold them accountable for the work at the end of the day.

 

Provide Resources and Training

In order to emphasize accountability, you need to provide the proper resources, tools, and training. If you give an employee a task, but don’t give them the proper training or resources to complete the task, you can’t exactly hold them accountable for completing the task properly. Again, make sure feedback and communication is part of the conversation. If the employee expresses confusion at the task, they may need some extra training.

 

Make Accountability Part of the Culture

Make accountability part of your workplace culture. As a leader, take the lead on this by not only holding yourself accountable for completing tasks you promise to finish, but by encouraging it in others. Workers can easily tell if they can slack off and get away with doing the minimum. However, if the culture frowns on this practice, employees will get the message. Discuss accountability in reviews as well. This will foster a culture of accountability.

 

Be sure that you are holding yourself accountable before others and setting a good example. Also make sure that you are empowering employees. There are times tasks won’t get completed by certain deadlines, and occasionally that happens. Don’t let one mistake ruin an employee; give them the space to flourish creatively and prove their value to the team.

3 Personality Traits that Make for a Successful CEO

Natural leader is only part of the job description for a CEO. In fact, there are numerous elements that go into becoming a successful CEO. There is no blueprint for what makes a successful CEO, but there are key personality traits that make CEOs stand out and more successful than others. 

Empathy

In short, empathy is taking the time to show your employees that you appreciate them. Employees who work in an environment that fosters a safe space for feedback and recognizes achievements are more likely to produce higher-quality work. CEOs can spur growth within the company by simply providing employees with a sense of purpose and valuing their contributions and ideas.

Humility

As a CEO, there’s constant pressure to be perfect. Yet, a CEO who shows humility and takes responsibility for their mistakes is more admired by their staff. By providing this example of their employees, CEOs set an expectation of transparency in their offices. Employees will begin to speak up when they come across problems sooner because they’re not worried about punishment for their shortcomings and understand that management will help find a conducive solution for all.

Vision

Not only does innovation fuel companies towards huge breakthroughs and success, it also sparks creativity and change. Vision is important in every level of the organization. CEOs who encourage employees to share their feedback and creative contributions also endorse that change is welcome. This cultivates new ideas for the organization to pursue to find more success. 

CEOs who embrace their humility, vision and empathy are more likely to be held in high regard by their employees and encourage them to work hard in a company where they feel valued and understood.

Motivating a Diverse Team

There is no one-size-fits-all leadership style. Each of your team members is going to be unique in his or her own way—young and old, different areas of expertise, different work styles, different personalities. Finding a way to motivate every unique personality on your team might not be easy, but it will lead to higher output.

 

Before you go about developing a plan for motivation, decide if you need to motivate a few members of the team or the entire team. If attitudes are low for most of the team, you’ll need to work on motivating them as a whole. If it’s just a few employees that are struggling, then it’s time to figure out a way to motivate a select few. Start your plan by talking to team members. Find out what is leading to their lack of teamwork and production. Get to know them; find out what drives them. Don’t single out their unique characteristics. For instance, don’t say anything like, “I notice that you don’t fit in very well because you’re much younger than the other staff members and you’re new to the team.” Talk about a plan of action that includes what will help them be a more productive member of a cohesive team.  

 

It’s important to embrace and reward the unique qualities of your team members. Don’t single anyone out for being different. Embrace their strengths, not their weaknesses. Some team members will be quiet, others will be loud and outgoing. It’s important that everyone knows their opinion and work is valued equally. Bring together these unique personalities and foster collaboration through team bonding events. Fun company events, like a trip to a baseball game or a picnic can improve attitudes and help staff members bond over their shared interests. Be sure that everyone has the chance to voice their opinion on what sorts of group activities they would enjoy. A fun office environment goes a long way toward increasing motivation, relieving stress, and boosting morale and productivity.

 

Remember, understanding your employees and their work style will go a long way in making you a stronger leader.

 

Leadership Weaknesses

Nobody is perfect. We all have weaknesses of our own. Leaders aren’t exempt; even if they are great leaders, they may have areas that they need to work on. Being a strong leader means you recognize these weaknesses and work to improve upon them; self-evaluation and self-improvement is crucial. Here are some of the top weaknesses found in leaders today.

 

Not Setting Clear Expectations

If you aren’t clear in your instructions, your employees will feel both confused and frustrated. Murky expectations will send employees in multiple directions and they won’t be able to stay on track. It can also be a waste of time and profit killer if employees are prioritizing projects they shouldn’t be because your expectations aren’t clear. 

 

Never Taking a Break

Everyone needs to unplug. Leaders are notorious for being workaholics that are constantly connected to their phones. Sure, it allows you to respond to customers and staff members quickly, buy you’re never turning your brain off. You may begin to adopt an omnipresent leadership approach. There’s also the risk of never feeling like you’re doing enough, especially if you do decide to take a weekend or night off from email. You may also get so caught up in the small details you forget about the larger picture.

 

Wanting to be Liked by Employees

Sure, everyone wants to be liked, but how much do you focus on that? Far too often, leaders desire to be everyone’s favorite boss so much that it clouds their decision-making skills. Sometimes, important decisions for the business will upset people, and you have to accept that. You can’t always be in everyone’s good favor. Sometimes simply explaining the reason you made an unpopular decision is enough to keep your employees satisfied.

 

Little or No Trust in Employees

If you don’t trust your employees, it shows, and it will create a not-so-great environment for everyone. One of the not-so-obvious ways that a leader can demonstrate this is by micromanaging projects or taking on all the work themselves. Leaders may not trust their employees to perform, so they just overwork themselves and refrain from giving them information on certain projects. Lack of trust can get even more serious if leaders choose to express that mistrust to other employees in the form of gossip or other negative statements.

 

Do you feel like you exhibit some of these traits? It might be time to join a peer leadership group to offer a safe outlet to discuss these fears and weaknesses!

 

Insurance for your Investment to Avoid the 5th Year Fail

Key Reasons CEO’s fail and lose your money…

With more companies failing in the 5th year than in the 1st, according to the SBA, one must wonder why? They have sales, cash flow, market, and things seem to be working. So why such a failure rate at 5 years?

As an investor this must be a concern as its around the 5th year that one expects to see a return on the funds invested.

Over the past 40 years of working with business start-ups, growth companies and mature companies, we have seen many of the issues that could cause the 5th year statistics. Here are some of the major ones an investor, CEO and Founder must look out for.

1.       The art of planning or the lack thereof. It is amazing how many in leadership roles do not utilize the most basic of planning in their operations. With a “wild west” reactionary approach, chaos and poor performance become the norm. There is awareness something is not right, but without a plan to measure against, the cause is lost in the chaos.

Even when there is a Strategic Plan in place, is it tossed in the drawer and only reviewed after the fact? Such Strategic Plans should be the central focus of the leadership team, even when there are only three people in the company. Weekly if not Monthly reviews should occur on a scheduled basis. This keeps the organization focused and provides a measurement and warning when they have wondered off Track. Loss of focus equals loss of profit.

2.       I cannot count the times we have found the CEO/Founder being the biggest choke point in a growth business.  Nothing can move without their input or directive. This inability to “let go” or not delegate stops great people with potential and often causes them to seek other opportunities. Now your losing human capital and that is expensive.

Many managers struggle with the “letting go” yet once overcome, the manager becomes a great leader, which is different. Most people are not natural born delegators because its more than just giving out tasks! It is about communicating outcomes, coaching for performance, providing tools and skills, monitoring and making tough choices along the way. All of this can be developed if the CEO/Founder is open to it. Now the company has unlimited potential.

3.       The ability to make decisions, act on those decisions and then modify as needed is one of the most valuable capabilities of a CEO of a fast growth company. Yet many Founders are not yet tested in this capacity. When the complexity grows, the Founders capability comes into full light. Hopefully they can learn, demonstrate and develop the decision, act, modify ability.  

4.       If the CEO/Founder is high functioning in the first three areas, the “Right Team” tends to take care of itself. Yet one key issue that continually comes up is “The team that got you here may not be the one getting you there.” Many new leaders have issues when it comes to change in the leadership team, not because their bad people on the team, just not the right ones for the company at this time.  

This is where building “bench strength”, “transferring tribal knowledge”, and “culling the team” come into play. This takes vision, strategy, planning, communications and leadership for the company to grow and be profitable. It also takes time, effort and patience to become this type of leader. But this drives high profit and long-term stability.

5.       The “loneliest seat in the room” is often used to describe the CEO seat. The ability to express one’s ideas with full confidence is not always available to most Founders. The bank, attorney, CPA all have their agendas. The leadership team kind of understands, but not really. Besides, who can one trust?

This is why the CEO peer to peer concept is so powerful. When we ask a CEO who they really trust and take their input to heart, it is another CEO! Having the ability to confidentially address their business and personal concerns can propel an ok CEO to an awesome CEO as we have experienced it many times. Often, all five of these issues can be addressed on an ongoing basis for the CEO through a peer group.

We hope this gives you the investor, insight into how to ensure your investment is staged for a great ROI. It begins and ends with the capability of the CEO/Founder. What is your strategy for assuring your CEO’s are at their peak and maximizing your investment return?

For more on CEO Peer opportunities, visit www.CEOSolution.net

Why Business Coaching is Important

Being a CEO or leader in your business isn’t easy; having a business mentor and peers that you can turn to for advice is of the utmost importance. You’ll build confidence, understand your business better, and have a safe place to discuss your fears and weaknesses with like-minded individuals. The combination of a peer group and a business coach will keep you on track.

 

If you aren’t involved in a peer group or meeting with a business coach or mentor, you may feel a little misguided. You might feel lonely, misunderstood, frustrated, or overly stressed. This is understandable. If you don’t have anyone to talk to regarding running the business (because talking to staff members about business fears and weaknesses is inappropriate), you might not be leading as effectively as you could be. A peer group will surround you with like-minded individuals who have likely already experienced what you’re going through; a business coach will help guide you onto the right path and navigate tricky business situations. 

 

A business coach goes beyond simply allowing you to vent your frustrations; they will help you find your audience and frame your business. Too often, as leaders we do the work of our business, but we don’t work on our business. A business coach will keep you focused on your business, too. That includes helping you frame your business in the best way to target your audience. They’ll guide you to target and market to the proper people. They’ll constantly push you to meet your goals—whether it comes to personal development or business achievements.

 

Failure is an important part of growing as a leader. Unfortunately, it isn’t always very easy to admit your faults. As a leader or CEO, you may not even see your weaknesses. While a CEO peer group will help you see that you aren’t alone, a business coach will help you see through your blind spots. Getting to the heart of these weaknesses, targeting them, and working on them will make you both a better person and a stronger leader.

 

Are you interested in joining a CEO peer group or working with a business coach? Let’s talk!

 

Self-Deception as a Leader

Self-deception is defined as “the action or practice of allowing oneself to believe that a false or unvalidated feeling, idea, or situation is true.” Consider this: a business partner repeatedly tells you that he wants to take a step back and decrease his ad buys in the business, but you convince yourself that he is very interested in the business and would like to increase ad buys. As a leader, how often do you self-deceive? While you may not do something specifically like this with the ad buys, you may be deceiving yourself in other ways.

 

How often do you receive feedback that doesn’t seem to line up with how you feel about yourself? If you’re consistently receiving that same feedback, and consistently denying it and failing to see that characteristic in yourself, you could be a self-deceiver. You may be seeing past your faults and choosing to self-justify. Self-deception in the workplace can cause a lot of destruction. It can cause you to spend more time thinking about yourself and your goals than the growth of the business. It can also cause you to treat others as objects.

 

When you are self-deceived as a leader, you may partake in a few detrimental behaviors—one of which is inflating your virtue. When you have an exaggerated sense of self, you begin to undervalue others and draw attention to their flaws. You blame others, and your coworkers become objects, not people. You may think others are challenging you, even if they have presented themselves as allies. It’s a tough mindset to be in, and can cause poor teamwork, lack of trust, and communication issues.

 

Self-deception may make you blind to your own true motivations. After all, the concept of deception is to deceive, or fool someone—even if it’s yourself. In doing so, you may unintentionally sabotage yourself. In lying to yourself, you are blind to the truth and unable to implement effective workplace solutions.

 

There are different levels of self-deception, whether you deceive yourself casually or totally disregard reality. Remedying the problem involves a journey of self-awareness. Learn more about this topic by investing in a copy of Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute. As a note of interest, this book is voted #1 by our CEO Solutions Peer Group members, all of whom are CEOs.

Five of Steve Jobs’ Most Important Leadership Lessons

Steve Jobs, the man who made Apple into one of the largest tech companies today, is renowned as one of the greatest tech leaders in the business. While many consider him a tough leader, there are great lessons to learn from him.

 

Discover Your Passion

If you aren’t passionate about your pursuits, how will you turn fantasy into reality? If you don’t love what you’re doing, you won’t dedicate yourself and the necessary time and resources required to succeed. If you aren’t passionate about your business, how do you expect your staff to be passionate?

 

Find Your Vision

If you don’t have a vision, where are you going? Where is your business going? Without a clear vision, it will be difficult to determine what direction to take. Think about Apple. Where would the company be without Steve Jobs’ expert leadership? You should always be planning for the long-term and thinking about the future.

 

Inspire and Empower

This might go without saying, but you need to inspire and empower your employees. Push them to be the best they can be. Challenge them and push their boundaries. Steve Jobs was great at this. He didn’t order people around or micromanage. He helped them to learn to challenge themselves and explore their potential, which led to increased productivity and of course, innovative thinking. Steve Jobs was known for working his employees night and day before a product launch to get it just right. While we don’t advise pushing your employees to the point of burnout, understand the line between inspiring them and pushing them too far.

 

Don’t Settle

While striving for perfection is often a source of stress and people feel as if they’re never good enough, don’t settle for less. When the first iPod was just days from launching, Steve Jobs had the headphone jacks replaced. As engineers looked on, he noted that the headphones didn’t make a clicking sound when they were inserted into the headphone jack. He insisted that users wouldn’t know if the headphones were fully inserted if there was no click. Even though they were cutting it down to the wire, he insisted it was fixed. You don’t have to be perfect all the time, but don’t settle for second best when you know you can push yourself and your team to do better. 

 

Take Risks

Steve Jobs was a master innovator, always taking risks. If you aren’t taking risks in your business, you must ask yourself if you are growing. Embracing new strategies and solving problems by shaking things up will help you stay one step ahead of the competition and strengthen your brand.

 

 

How to Make Stress Work for You

Stress is never a fun or easy thing to deal with. Some stress can be good for you; it motivates you to work harder and reach for your goals. But too much stress will keep you up at night, force you to overthink, and may even lead to health problems. There’s a common misconception that leaders are predisposed to deal with stress more effectively than the rest of the population. That is simply not true. Instead, they are able to make stress work for them instead of against them.

 

Think of a stressful time in your life. Whether it was an exam or a job interview, how did you get through it? The way we deal with stress is so often what leads to success. And leaders are very good under pressure. They maintain a sense of realistic optimism. Sure, they might recognize that the situation isn’t ideal, but they also don’t go into a shame spiral. They know that things go wrong, but they also recognize that they can deal with any setbacks and learn valuable lessons on the way.

 

When facing a fight-or-flight response, choosing to fight is what will bring about the best response when it comes to the stress of leadership. Leaders stay calm and fearless in tough situations, seeing them as a temporary setback, not a permanent obstacle. In a stressful situation, do you focus on the present hectic moment, or do you think about the long-term goal? Leaders constantly have the company’s goals in mind, and they deal with every stressful moment keeping that in mind. They focus on the tasks that matter, rather than wasting time on pointless details or dramatic moments.

 

Reflection is crucial when it comes to stress relief. Leaders feel less pressure when they take some time to step away from the situation to assess and determine the best solution. Stepping away from the stress allows leaders valuable time to find the clarity they need. They might exercise, or they might take some time to practice self-care. Either way, they understand the value of balance and stepping away from a situation when it’s become too much.

 

Leaders are professionals at managing stress and preparing for the unexpected. Addressing stress, limiting it when you can, and making it work for you are the keys to success.

 

Fostering a Positive Company Culture

You hear the word’s company and culture placed together quite frequently, but what does it really mean? You can think of culture as the glue that binds the company together, with the CEO being at the center of it. Company culture is increasingly important to millennials as they begin to graduate college. Let’s talk about company culture, why it’s critical for success, and why it’s up to the CEO to set the tone.

 

It isn’t just about perks, though fancy lunches out are nice. Perks won’t grow the business. Company culture is really about the everyday environment that CEOs provide for their team. Embracing the same vision and company values, employees should be thriving and growing, not competing and underperforming. The idea is that when a team truly comes together, customers will notice and the business will grow.

 

At the base level, addressing company culture means the CEO needs to address the company’s values, standards, and organization. The CEO should lead by example, consistently demonstrating company values. What does it take for someone to be successful in the company? When new people join the team, they will look to others as an example. What behavior is encouraged and rewarded? What behavior is punished? This sets a tone for the company. It also comes down to the talent that is hired and encouraged to grow with the company. Unqualified team members, or those that simply don’t fit the vision for the company, are going to negatively influence company culture.

 

CEOs need to stop and listen and watch. What are employees saying and how are they behaving? If CEOs take the time to listen, they will understand when employees are struggling with a project or feeling overwhelmed by their workload. Open dialogue means employees should feel comfortable talking to the CEO, because they know he or she is the one who will take action to fix it. If the company is large or it simply isn’t possible for each person to talk the CEO, an employee satisfaction survey should be made available. An overworked, overwhelmed team will not grow, and it’s up to the CEO to address that.

 

Collaboration is crucial and should be encouraged. Consider a game where teams are pitted against one another. If there are only 2 strong people on the team and they carry the bulk of the responsibility, they will easily be overpowered by another team that works together more effectively. Employees want to belong on a team—not compete with one another. The team atmosphere will increase motivation, innovation, and job satisfaction.

 

Fostering a positive company culture takes time, effort, and commitment, but it’s the right step for your business if you’re hoping to be innovative and successful in the long-term.