During our vacation this summer we spent a few days in Chicago and spent one of our days at The Field Museum. As we walked through a great exhibit on evolution a couple of quotations caught my eye along with a couple of observations of how successful species who are better at adapting to their environment tend to exist longer while less adaptable species become extinct. 
 
One of the quotations was that “Evolution favors bodies that fare well in their environment.”
 
Less environmentally-adaptable creatures become extinct as the earth changes. And the same thing can happen in the corporate world.
 
If you are struggling with adapting to change, you might be putting your career on the endangered species list. An organization with this mentality may find itself extinct.
 
It amazes me to see how the majority of people are stubborn and fearful towards change while a small minority of change provocateurs are determined to confront and over turn the status quo.
 
Most of us are pretty resilient and adaptable to change over the MEDIUM to LONG TERM – often because we have no choice!
 
The problem appears to be in the SHORT term. If change always seems to be happening TO you, consider becoming a proactive change initiator.
 
One General Manager was sharing his concern that there were so many opportunities to improve his back office admin functions and yet his salaried staff were reluctant to adopt the change, let alone lead it.
 
If you find yourself dragging your feet with change, consider getting out in front of it. You’ll be positioning yourself as a leader and you will discover that the change can be exhilarating and motivating instead or threatening and demotivating.
 
Reflection Questions

• Take a moment to observe how your department functions. What are all the annoyances and frustrations that you put up with instead of fixing?
• What do you think is holding you back from being more proactive at fixing the systems that cause you the most grief?
• If you tend to respond defensively to changes, reflect on why that is and set a personal goal to be a creator of change.

By being a leader of change you can take your career off the endangered species list and not only survive but thrive.

Your greatest success might be disguised. That was the case for William Wrigley, Jr. You recognize the name from Wrigley chewing gum. What you might not have known is that Wrigley started out as a soap company,  using chewing gum as a promotional giveaway inside the box of soap.
 
Perhaps your greatest success is lurking right under your nose. And success does not necessarily mean growing your wealth – it could be a simple discovery about how to fulfill your potential.
 
At the age of 29, William Wrigley, Jr. moved to Chicago to sell soap for his father’s company. To sell more soap he began putting a pack of chewing gum in the boxes of soap. The promotion worked and soap sales increased. Two years later in 1893 he launched his first chewing gum brand – Juicy Fruit. After years of persistence and hard work, the company became the largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum.
 
Could your greatest success be right under your nose?
 
I’ve noticed that many people lack self awareness of their special talents and gifts. Those talents lay dormant, just waiting for the right situation or set of circumstances to trigger them. These dormant opportunities explain the gap between where you are now and your full potential. Wrigley acted on his hunch and exploited his opportunity.
 
The trigger that helps you unlock your potential might be an observation made by a friend, colleague or even a complete stranger. In many cases, the clues might be right around you. The clues may be just a whisper or they could be screaming at you to take notice.
 
You can help others discover their talents by making observations and then encouraging and supporting them as they begin to develop those talents.
 
Action Tips

1. Reflect on the clues you might be receiving from the people you interact with, the projects you undertake and the challenges you overcome.
2. Ask for feedback from people who know you best.
3. Experiment, take some measured risks.
4. Go out of your way to tell a friend, colleague or acquaintance about a strength you notice in them.

Like William Wrigley, Jr. I hope you can discover that next great idea that moves you toward fulfilling your potential.

I was reflecting back on some pre-training interviews with different organizations in the past two weeks. One theme was common – lack of positive feedback.
 
Of all the leadership tools at the manager’s disposal, positive feedback is one of the least expensive and highest payback actions. Instead of focusing so much attention on what is going wrong, make an effort to build on successes. Once employees see that you notice what they do right, they will be more likely to do more of what you expect. 
 
The belief that the paycheck is thanks enough for the work done still sadly exists in some companies. A paycheck is not a thank you, but rather the other half of a contract completed. We know that pay is number 5 on the list of what motivates employees, so if it comes down to money, then chances are your company must not be creating many other positive reasons to work there.
 
Consider a low cost alternative: Praising a job well done.
 
Human nature works against praise and thanks in the work place. We tend to take the good for granted and complain about the bad. Managers create more work for themselves when they only focus on what’s going wrong. By building on successes it makes the leader’s job easier.
 
Often managers themselves hear praise far too rarely. Praising people for doing something right starts at the top of the management team. And, if you want to positively influence your manager, tell him or her what they are doing right.
 
Some managers may think that offering praise will make people soft and perform at a lower level when in fact it helps the team elevate its performance.
 
Reflection Questions
 
Do you give enough positive feedback to others on what is going well? What impact do you see when you offer positive feedback?
 
Action Items

• Play a game. For every one complaint or fault you discover, force yourself to find three positive things.
• Build a desire for human connectedness in your life and this will manifest as a caring persona your employees will recognize as a caring human being. They’ll work harder for you.
• Comment on positive things, not sparingly, but excessively.
• Praise your boss when he gets something right. If you don’t like the boss waffling when making decisions, compliment him when he does make a decision quickly. This will encourage him to do more of the same so he can hear more compliments.
• Encourage your team to praise the people they supervise.
• Remember to praise and thank in a genuine manner. One sarcastic comment can poison the entire process.

The news media has been reporting that Canadian productivity gains are embarrassingly low. Instead of viewing this as abstract information that is irrelevant to you, why not take up the challenge to boost productivity. You may not have a choice anyway. The Conference Board of Canada predicts that by 2031, only 23 workers will be doing the work that 50 workers do today.
 
Take a look around you and imagine that only half your coworkers are left to do the existing amount of work!
 
Slipping productivity will also hurt your organization’s ability to compete because your competition will be striving to do more work for less cost, decimating your margins.
 
We’ll examine two practical solutions below.
 
In May, we’re offering the Front Line Leadership course in London, Ontario, Mississauga, Ontario and possibly Chatham, Ontario.
 
Have a great week!
 
Productivity Crisis?
 
Because I am in the leadership development business, you can anticipate the first recommendation: Be an employer of choice. Great leadership will help you attract and retain great employees and those great employees can create the productivity you are looking for.
 
Let your competition suffer from not having enough workers to fill the orders they have while your company enjoys sustainable profitability.
 
But even that will not be enough…
 
Recommendation number two: You need to relentlessly pursue ways to get greater output from the same number of workers. Labor advocates might fear this means asking employees to work harder. In reality that won’t solve the problem. Generally people put in the same amount of effort over time with occasional blips that are higher or lower.
 
So the solution is to look for ways to improve work methods and apply technology to get more output from the existing resources.
 
And that means mobilizing your workforce now to get on with those improvements. Getting ahead of the curve in the short run will allow you to grow without adding resources and boost your bottom line. As older workers retire and fewer younger workers are around to replace them, you will be able to stay in business when your competitors cannot.
 
Both of these solutions require both strong management and strong leadership. And of course we would love to help you meet this challenge!
 
Reflection Questions
 
What active steps is your organization taking to both boost the output of existing resources while creating a work environment that attracts the best talent? What will happen to your organization if it does not take this challenge seriously?
 
Action Items

• Examine your existing leadership practices. Now is the time to create the kind of leaders great employees want to work for. 
• Help teams of employees make meaningful changes to eliminate unnecessary steps, introduce time saving technology and improve output.
• Whereever possible redeploy affected employees to growing parts of your business to avoid them resisting improvements because of job loss.
• If downsizing is a likely result of your efforts, consider making those adjustments earlier, then help remaining employees devise better ways of doing the workload under the new conditions.

It was school break week in our area last week. We took a day trip to nearby Niagara Falls. My wife Robin made an interesting observation as we drove. She pointed out that my son Ryan is “destination focused” while my daughter Rebecca is focused more on “the Journey.”
 
The same thing can apply in your business – are you destination driven or do you enjoy the journey along the way?
 
Destination or Journey?
 
Many of the high achievers I know are very destination driven. They are focused on specific things they want to achieve within a specific time frame. Many have achieved tremendous success in terms of career, finances and growing their businesses.
 
Some of the more laid back and introspective people I know are focused more on the journey rather than the destination. They want to live life to the fullest and find enjoyment in the nuances of life. They enjoy taking different paths and trying new things just for the fun and the learning.
 
 
I’m glad we have some destination focused people because their tenacity and determination help break through obstacles and achieve what many think is impossible.
 
It’s also refreshing to have journey focused people who take time to smell the roses and feel much can be learned from life along the way to the destination.
 
Your organization is likely made stronger by having both types of people. Too many destination people and you could end up with a cold, efficient operation with no heart. Too many journey people and the organization can drift off course.
 
Reflection Questions
 
Are you destination or journey focused? Can you appreciate the differences in those who see the world differently from you?
 
Action Items

• Observe those you work and play with. Are they destination focused or journey focused?
• Help each of the two types realize that both perspectives are valuable in different situations and at different times.
• See if you can enjoy the journey while you strive for the destination.

This past week I had the opportunity to read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book What The Dog Saw. Gladwell wrote the best sellers Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers.
 
What I like most about Gladwell’s books is that they are fueled by a curiosity about things that most of us don’t think twice about. In What The Dog Saw, Gladwell turns commonly held notions on their head including homelessness, panic vs. choking, what makes a good teacher and many other myths.
 
In organizations, curiosity fuels innovation and the solving of stubborn problems.  We’ll examine how to foster curiosity in yourself and others to get breakthrough results.
  
Culture of Curiosity
 
Curiosity is the root of innovation and creativity and being curious is a constructive leadership characteristic. Organizations and their leaders can snuff out curiosity by implementing rigid rules, having sacred cows and dismissing questions that could lead to new discoveries.
 
A leader who is curious will handle employee performance problems more effectively. Instead of punishing or berating an employee, the curious leader is interested in why the employee chose to behave the way he did and how it can be prevented.
 
Being curious in a conflict situation allows you to see the other person’s perspective so that you can propose mutually acceptable alternatives.
 
Being curious in negotiations allows you to understand the other party’s needs and wants so that you can achieve win/win outcomes.

Curiosity is what will create the next EBay or Google or Microsoft and curiosity will lead your organization to a breakthough opportunity.  
 
Reflection Questions
 
How curious a person are you? Is curiosity encouraged in your organization? How many things are taken at face value without being more open minded to seeing new opportunities?
 
Action Items

• Be curious about long standing problems in your workplace.
• Ask questions that inspire curiosity in others, “How could we serve our customers better and generate better results?”
• Avoid crushing other people’s curiosity when comments like, “We’ve always done it that way, ” or “That will never work.”

What do people really think of you? Do you even care? Do you care too much?
 
Many of the managers and executives I coach and train start off by being surprised and maybe even slightly insulted to think that they need to improve their leadership skills. After all, they wouldn’t have been promoted if they weren’t competent… or would they?
 
It kind of reminds me of the 1992 movie A Few Good Men when Jack Nicholson, playing the role of Colonel Jessep, defiantly states, “You can’t handle the truth!”
 
The term 360 degree feedback has become much maligned because most of the people who are subjected to this feedback are not open to receiving it in the first place. 360 feedback refers to getting feedback from your boss, your peers and your direct reports, a full circle of feedback.

Self-Deception
 
Let’s examine two patterns of thinking that get in the way of an executive or manager accepting and acting upon feedback from peers and direct reports:

1. The individual giving me feedback isn’t credible or qualified to evaluate me. (What do they know!) 
2. I’ve achieved success by being the way I am so why would I want to change?

Let’s tackle each of these.
 
First, any person who interacts with you is qualified and capable of giving you feedback about your people skills. The feedback might be related to how clearly you communicate, how responsive you are, whether you are approachable or not and if they feel encouraged and supported by you. If they work with you more closely they can also speak to your technical skills related to completing assignments both accurately and in a timely fashion.
 
And that brings us to the second point. High achievers can hit a plateau where the same skills and approaches they used to achieve their current level of success often work against them in getting to a higher level of responsibility.
 
The most common term for this is “The Peter Principle” where individuals are destined to be promoted to their level of incompetence. Once you reach that level, you are no longer promotable and in fact, your days may be numbered.
 
While the incompetence could be technical, most likely it has to do with your people skills. At higher levels in an organization your success has less to do with your own output and more to do with mobilizing a team to achieve the required results.

Unaware of Strengths
 
In addition to being unaware of our weaknesses, we can also be unaware of our strengths. Without an appreciation of what we do well, we might inadvertantly stop and lose the benefit of that strength. Feedback can reinforce what we are doing well.
 
Confronting Reality
 
When you get to a place where you recognize that no matter how successful you have been, there is always room for improvement, you can begin to make adjustments. In every single coaching situation I have encountered there are only 3 or 4 leadership behaviors that the individual needs to change in order to unlock greater success. The challenge is to discover what those behaviours are and get help to correct them.
 
Reflection Questions
 
Do you actively solicit feedback from the people around you as to how effectice a leader you are? If not can you become vulnerable enough to ask for that feedback and use it to grow as an individual?

Action Items

• Ask for specific feedback from the people you work with and those who work for you if you are in a leadership position.
• While you can use more sophisticated instruments to measure leadership style and management capability, you can start with these four simple questions:
• What do you think I do really well and would like me to continue doing?
• What do I not do as much as I should and you would like to see me do more of?
• What do I do that you think it best that I stop doing?
• What do I not do now that you think I should start doing?
• When you get the feedback, even if you find it difficult to swallow, be thankful because you are on your way to greater success.

Dear Santa,

I have been a good employee all year and wish that you could help my manager bring me the following gifts this season. They would help me become happier and more productive next year.

1. Give me the gift of clear expectations – help my manager become more clear in what he or she expects of me. I am tired of guessing the expectations and getting limited direction.
2. Give me the gift of regular feedback – rather than wait until my performance review, I wish my manager would give me feedback regularly – daily, weekly and monthly. If he or she gave me regular feedback on what I was doing well or needed to improve, I would do my best to improve.
3. Give me the gift of feeling part of the team – like everyone else I have the need to belong and feel part of the team. Help my manager build a stronger team by treating people fairly, not playing favorites and not talking about people behind their backs.
4. Give me the gift of better communication – help my manager keep me better informed about what is going on. If communication is so important, why does my manager do so little of it? Sure they are busy – typically doing things that we the employees could do if only they would delegate and stop trying to make every decision themselves.
5. Give me the gift of praise and recognition – it’s natural to find faults but please help my manager notice all the good things we are doing and tell us about them more often. We will be more likely to repeat the good things if they are mentioned to us more often. On the other hand when our manager focuses on the negative, we tend to give him more of that. Human behavior is funny, eh Santa?
6. Give me the gift of a challenge to grow my talent – My manager finds it easier to keep giving the same assignments to the same people. He thinks it makes his job easier but it really hurts our flexibility and we want something new to do every once in a while. One of the reasons I will stay in my job is because I can learn something new.
7. Give me the gift of training (and train my boss too!) – Show me I am important by investing in me to do my job better. My manager could benefit from some training too – making my wishes come true. I think even my manager’s manager needs some training because my boss behaves the way his boss expects. In fact most of the behaviors my boss wants to change come all the way from the top!

I will remember to leave out the milk and cookies!