Business As Usual?

Maintaining the Yard

Michelle Braden

Life/Business/Team Building Coach

 

Like a finely manicured yard, so it is with your business or department.  As leaders, we drive hard to get our organizations and teams running smoothly.  The poignant thing is, the grass keeps growing, the weeds keep coming and everything needs watered.  Like it or not your business (just like your yard) is a living being.  We have to maintain and continually grow and develop.

 

Several years ago, I lived in a subdivision in the lovely little town of Venice.  This was a beautiful community.  I have never seen such finely groomed and landscaped yards.  Of course, everyone who lived there seemed to be retired, or somehow had much more time on their hands than I.  All the villagers despised our yard.   Working full time, two children, sports and community service often left our grass a little too high for our fellow citizen’s comfort.  They kept their grass about ¼ and inch from the ground, so anything looked high to them.   We did not plant flowers or carve our bushes into dolphins.  I did, however, have a dehydrated fern hanging on the porch.  This disparaged our “Leave it to Beaver” neighbors.  As in many life experiences there is a more meaningful lesson to learn.  This situation was no exception.  I learned a lesson far greater than ‘how to teach your neighbors to loathe you.”  I discovered if I would constantly maintain my yard, it would not require as much work.  If I could motivate myself (or bribe my children) to work in the yard every day (as my diligent neighbors did), even a short time each morning, I, too, could have a handsome yard.  Instead, I chose to wait and only do the yard when I had to (which usually made for an all day event) and when I was done, it still did not look nearly as good as the neighbors. 

 

I trust you see the parallel between a poorly kept yard and your business or team. Maintaining customer service, relationship with coworkers/employees, budgets, evaluating what is working, what is not, communication, conflict resolution and the like is easier in the long run than having to give a major overhaul.  We work so hard to get the “machine” running smoothly doesn’t it make since to maintain it?  We know the rules, similar to automobile maintenance:   change the oil, rotate the tires, check the fluids, brakes, timing belt…. You know the drill; all make the automobile run longer.  Simple as this principle seems, I am often amazed how many business owners and managers sweat blood and tears to achieve a level of excellence, then think they can sit back and enjoy the ride.  Unfortunately, this does not work in any aspect of business.  “Business is like an automobile.  It won’t run itself, except downhill” unknown.  Don’t let drought occur or weeds grow up and destroy all your hard work.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

 

Business is like an automobile. It won’t run itself, except downhill.

– Unknown

Diversity In The Workplace

Cultural diversity echoes significance in groups as narrow as our families.  Let’s meet a young man of Brazilian decent, his name is Antonio.  Antonio was raised in an established, undemocratic, proletarian, hard working middle class family.  He meets an all American young woman named Ellen.  Ellen was raised in a single parent home.  Her mother died when she was eight, her father loved her keenly; but, was away from home much of the time working to provide for Ellen and her three older brothers.  Hard though he tried, Ellen’s father did not know how to relate to her artsy free-spirit.   As a result, she was provided for monetarily, but more often than not, Ellen was a student of the school of hard knocks. 

 

Antonio and Ellen fall in love.  After a few years of break-ups and getting back together they ultimately decide to marry.  Through ups, downs and learning one another, they finally begin to settle into the routine of married life.  All is peaceful, then finally Ellen and Antonio discover they are expecting!  A beautiful dark haired baby boy named Jack is born into their lives.  He is their dream, but resolute and defied authority at a young age.  When Jack was almost four, along came Sarah.  Sarah was a bright eyed, spirited and full of energy, she captivated everyone’s attention; however, she often spoke out of turn like her mother.  Quite unplanned, Ellen found herself expecting again when Sarah was one and a half.  The baby of the family was Frank.  He had red hair like his grandfather.  Frank was a passive child, but cried rather easily.

 

To the world, they were a picture perfect family – everyone was strong and healthy, but all different….  How could this be?  Each one came from the same parents.  What a challenge for Antonio and Ellen to not only continually learn about each other, but now to learn, lead and maintain peace amongst this new baraid of blessings.

 

There is a parallel to learn from in this classic family story.  Similar to families, businesses also undergo growing pains.  Take the story of two successful; driven and talented individuals who unite forces to pioneer a company.  They work through oppositions, have challenges, but ascertain to work together.  The company continues to develop and hire their first employee.

 

As time passes the need arises for another employee and another, on and on it goes until the company has advanced to seventeen employees.  Each team member comes from different ethnic backgrounds, education levels, strengths and ideas.  This diversity gives opportunity for growth in areas the company has never known.  Nevertheless, to reap benefits from this team they must discover how to:  appreciate others strengths, value ideas, learn from their own weaknesses, respect one another, be open minded to other ways of thinking and unite with leadership.  This opportunity could position the company for greatness.  However, if the contrary happens and the team begins to disrespect each other, belittle new ideas, become defensive of shortcomings, undermine leadership and are threatened by others strengths – just as in families, the organism will destroy itself.  An ancient Hebrew proverb says, “A house divided against itself can not stand.”

 

Diversity spans from age, education, culture, financial status to religious beliefs.  It is not just a cultural challenge we face in order to create unity.  Yet, this challenge merits undertaking and learning how to profit from one another.  Everyone has something to contribute when given the opportunity.

 

www.msbcoach.com

Dirty Delegation?

Michelle Braden, cbc

Why is it people often think of delegation as “dirty?”  Delegation allows the human leverage for accomplishments and people development that would not otherwise be possible.  Through my years in management I worked with many different people, none of them alike; however, as in so many areas of human behavior we can categorize people groups.  I found three categories when it came to delegation…. Those who loved it, those who hated it and those with a good balance.   I am sure you have already guessed a good balance is what leaders should be striving to attain.   
 
I found those who loved to delegate were very good at it.  It seemed they could find people anywhere to do their work.  There is strength in their ability to see what others are good at and have them do it.  People want to be good at something, but they also want a leader who is leading with integrity.  One who will mentor, train, encourage and work just as hard as they are.  This advantage can become a leader’s disadvantage when it is inappropriately or overused.  The result is lack of trust and resentment.
 
The other extreme were those who hate delegating.  These individuals would rather do it themselves, miss deadlines, have poorly completed or projects not done at all.  I found these leaders did not like confrontation, feared not being liked, fear of loss of authority/control, liked the role of martyr or were not willing to take the time to teach others.  Therefore, they ended up taking too much on their plate.  When this happens everyone suffers.  Workloads should be equally shared on a team.   People want the opportunity to be a part of a team, accomplish new tasks, and take on new challenges…. To boldly go where no man has gone before!  Lack of delegation handicaps the leader and their team.
 
The most gifted and talented person only has so much energy and 24 hours in a day.  Delegation allows one person to accomplish much more.  This brings us to the last category which is “good balance”.  Influential leaders are training and coaching their team members on a continual basis.  They see there strengths and potential.  They are not afraid to give them opportunity, to take them “under their wing” and train them.  They are not afraid to let them fail – knowing failure is one of the best teachers.  They are there when they fail:  to pull them up, dust them off, encourage, mentor and help them evaluate what they need to do differently.   “The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way,” Dale Carnegie.
 
Leaders birth other leaders and the only way they can do that is to be willing to properly delegate.  Not all delegation is complicated.  You will have team members who are good at a project, you tell them what to do and they will run with it; however, others will need mentoring, encouragement, instruction, feedback, etc.  A leader with strong balance in delegation will know their team members,  their strengths, motivators, what they are already good at, where they have potential to be good and where they need coaching. 
 
A leader who delegates appropriately also knows their team members may not do things the way they do, or as well as they do, but recognizes this as part of the process.  Allowing people to explore new ways to accomplish projects is imperative.   Jim Goodwin once said, “The impossible is often the untried.”  Bishop W.C. Magee said, “The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”  A good leader will allow their people to try new things, new ways of doing them and yes make mistakes!
 
Surround yourself with excellent people.  Take time to delegate to them effectively.  Enjoy developing your team, learning and seeing them grow.  Hopefully, they will be better than you…. Your ceiling should be their floor…. To be so uninhibited… That is an admirable leader – http://www.msbcoach.com