How to Empower Your Team to Deliver Successful Results

21 Comments

1. I hope you enjoyed this Tip and interview and found them useful. Most importantly, I want you to put the Tip into action!

   Every day of the Summit, I’m awarding a prize for the Best Comment. So, leave a comment to share what action you’ve taken or are going to take, or your biggest “aha” and how the Tip or interview is making you think differently.

   And remember, you can get input from me here when you comment or ask a question. So go ahead and share what you are thinking and doing with this Tip!

2. I usually ask a similar question. However flipping the question to an I statement better captures empathy and my engagement with the person. Thanks!

   • Thanks Natasha; I’m glad you enjoyed it. And you’re spot on about how this brings more empathy to the conversation as we’re shifting the focus outside of ourselves to understand the perspective of those we’re trying to support and help.

3. This was real eye opener for me. Often conversations or issues are discussed, strategized and then left open as the employee or colleague says “great thank you!” However, this simple phrase to add on I have basically never heard, nor truly utilized myself. It’s simple, builds another bridge of understanding and I can see it will improve end results if utilized consistently! Brilliant

   • Thanks Brian! I’m glad to hear this got you thinking. It just goes to show how making a simple shift in how we approach these conversations can have a lasting and powerful impact. And the best part is this is something anyone can do.

4. Thank you for sharing. These are all great concepts to hold, and look forward to using them in a future “leadership” role. Always learning!!

   • My pleasure, Mary. And I love your end line as I think we should all embrace a continuous learning mindset as it’s so critical to our ability to succeed and grow.

5. Once had a supervisor that would ask what they could do to improve however they wouldn’t always make any of the suggested changes. I really like this question as I would like to be a leader who can be open with staff and encourage a better work environment.

   • I think we’ve all worked for one of those kind of leaders, Crystal, who while they said they wanted to know what we think clearly didn’t care about what we thought. That’s not to say leaders always need to act upon what their employees say. Rather, it’s about making people feel heard and understood by responding to their ideas and concerns. Asking this question is a simple, but powerful way to start that conversation. And good on you, Crystal, on the outward-looking approach to how you want to lead. It’s the kind of leadership we need.

6. Love the comment about making time, ideally everyday, for self-reflection to assess how we are showing up through our energy and building momentum and buzz in others as a result. This builds on the meditation and mindfulness session yesterday and is a consistent thread woven through all the sessions so far.

   • Thanks Seema. I’ve heard back from leaders months after they’ve attended one of my keynotes where I discuss this point and so many of them tell me of surprised they were at how big an impact it had on not only being more intentional and aware of how they’re showing up as a leader, but also how they’re able to be more aware of what their employees are telling them. That they’re less distracted and more present. And their employees noticed and appreciate the difference as well.

     Small steps, but big changes for the better.

     • So good to hear of the tangible results and impacts people see from this approach. Thank you for the thoughtful followup, Tanveer!

       • My pleasure, Seema. And thank you for sharing your thoughts on my session. Appreciate it!

7. I loved the emphasis on the first step of Building Community. So many formal leaders (managers?) are either unaware that they need it or too arrogant to care about it. Some just pay it lip service. It’s great for us who do care, to clearly identify Building Community, Developing Emotional Competence, Earning Credibility and Cultivating Compassion as the 4 pillars to authentic leadership.

   • Thanks Adina; I’m glad this resonated with you. It’s slowly becoming more understood that your leadership is not about you, but about the people you lead. And consequently, what becomes critical to that is understanding what kind of environment are you promoting (or at the very least tolerating) within your workplace? That’s why Building Community has to be our starting point because it doesn’t matter how well thought out your plans or strategies are if your environment impedes people from wanting to deliver their best.

     Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Adina.

8. Tanveer, I teach a course with ASU students and work with other agencies on how to mediate conflict in the workplace. I so appreciated your talk and your advice. I adjusted your statement a little and plan to use it in teaching others how to close a mediation agreement: Have we discussed and addressed your needs so that you can go back to work cooperatively and productively?

   Thank you for these short, powerful words.

   • Thanks Gregory; I’m glad you enjoyed my talk. And love the modification you made to this question. That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing, and glad I could be of help, Gregory.

9. I love your leadership principles! In terms of earning credibility — How soon can you earn credibility? Is it possible to be able to do that in six months?

   • Great question, Marivic. Ah, wouldn’t it be nice if earning credibility was something we could chart like climbing a mountain where we have a fixed target and a rough estimate of how long it’d take for us to reach the summit? Unfortunately, earning credibility is a lot more complicated because you’re dealing with people. As such, with some people you’ll earn credibility fairly soon because they get who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. But others won’t and you need to work harder to earn credibility with this group to prove you are not just someone they can trust, but that you are a person of integrity who won’t change position at the first sight of choppy waters.

     But it gets more complicated than that because even once we’ve earned credibility with those around us, we can’t let up. We have to make sure we’re staying true to that promise we made about who we are and what we’ll do to reinforce and remind them why they believe in us and what allowed us to earn credibility in their eyes.

     Again, great question, Marivic. Thanks for asking!

     • Really appreciate your authentic and holistic response. It’s never black and white and you just earned more credibility by being honest about that. Thank you.

       • Thanks Maria for the kind words. It’s natural that we want to find that quick solution so that we don’t have to worry about something. But one thing that many leaders have to come realize lately is that being a leader is not about you; it’s about the people you lead. And as such, there’s an even greater need for intentionality in how you show up as a leader. That it can’t just be about what’s on the forefront of your mind or what matters to you. It’s also about recognizing and understanding the needs and realities of those under your care as well.

         Thanks again, Maria. Appreciate your comment.

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