Live and Lead For Impact Podcast with Kirsten E Ross

EP 154 3 Keys to Retaining Your Rockstars

EP 154 3 Keys to Retaining Your Rockstars – OR The Triple A Method

You Can NOT compensate your way out of a bad work environment….you can for a period but….it’s a downward spiral and eventually your rock star will be recruited away either for more money – after all, in the end they were only with you for money – they loved what you were up to but the environment was intolerable……

Or….they’ll be recruited away for a better opportunity – maybe even for less money…..

Key Foundational Assumptions – You’ll hear me say this over and over – all

Feel like they are doing a good job
Known, Acknowledged, Appreciated
Feel like their life is part of something bigger than themselves

Here’s the Triple A Method (AAA)

Appreciation

See them
Thank them
Give them special attention – too often I see leaders worried about employees feeling bad if they aren’t getting recognition. PLEASE do NOT design your recognition program in a way that minimizes discomfort for your non-performers…..Do that and guess who is feeling uncomfortable. Yes, of course, your rockstars! Who work hard and then feel invisible.

You want an environment where authentic praise and recognition is abundant. If an employee desires to have more recognition help them strategize about how they can modify their work or behavior to EARN what they desire.

Accountability

Take one quick minute to visualize your lowest performing employee – I know you know who they are – now visualize what your business, office, department would run like if everyone performed at their same level – Yes, this is where I get the uncomfortable laughs……

what would happen?

Guess who is picking up the slack for their poor performance – Assuring that what you just envisioned DOES NOT happen….Likely YOU – And….Your Rock Stars – and they are building resentment and beginning to burn out – and guess who has more opportunity out in the world

Your Rockstars are jumping up and down at least figuratively and possibly literally when they see you hold people accountable
When your leadership style lacks accountability your rockstars are likely part of the formula that sustains the business – the ones picking up the slack
Too often rockstars are held to a higher standard – Here’s what I see far too often – A leader starts thinking…..hmmmmmmm…I haven’t had any correction conversations with people in a while – well guess who’s easiest to talk to – the Rockstar who appreciates constructive feedback BUT – if you start talking to them too often about the miniscule thing they did wrong while you let the low performers slide – they will start to build frustration, resentment and more….and you’ll have them walking out the door.

Your high performing employees will leap for joy if you start holding people accountable! You don’t need to start everyone on a discipline path. Just hit a reset. Put everyone on notice that these are the expectations and you need everyone the team to hit the bar you set. If some continue to fall short, and they will until they realize you are serious, you’ll sit down individually to communicate the gap you are seeing and create a plan for improvement. If the issues continue then start to walk the discipline path.

Advancement

High performing employees love to achieve. Give them plenty of opportunities to Advance as they work for you – Otherwise their motivation to grow can have them walking out the door. If you lead a smaller, flat organization, Don’t worry, there are ways beyond a promotion to help someone advance.

Advance Skills – what skills could take them to the next level? What skills would they love to learn? What skills will they need in the next position? Map it out and help them build those skills
Advance Coaching or Mentoring Opportunities – align them with a personal resource that can elevate their work and life game. Rockstars have high aspirations and coaching and mentoring can help them gain clarity and overcome personal barriers to achieving.
Advance Chance to Train Others – Finding these opportunities can create a real win win – Your Rockstars have mad skills and will feel honored that you trust them to share their knowledge with others. A little caution here, however……I encourage you to give a monetary bonus or some other compensation to reward them if they’ll be doing a lot of training. Resentments can build if they perceive you are benefiting from their skill without rewarding them.
Advance chance to Shadow
Advance chance to meet leaders in your organization – Or network with industry leaders outside the organization =- in other words, networking. Pay for their membership, give them time to attend and pay for some events.
Advance chance to Represent the Organization – Events, Booths
Advance in the company – Promotion

Learn the Delegation Strategies I’ve shared with THOUSANDS and get your team to do what you need! Grab a copy of my EBook, The Six Simple Steps to Great Delegation
DefeatTheDrama.com/DelegationSheet

Kirsten Ross Vogel is an author, podcast host and CEO of Focus Forward Coaching where we help leaders

defeat team drama
to 4X productivity,
wow their customers
and improve their bottom line
with simple, actionable strategies, systems, communication hacks and mindset shifts.

Ready for some individualized help for your leadership challenges? Grab a spot on my calendar and let’s discuss how I can help you transform your leadership and your team.
DefeattheDrama.com/Call

EP63: Are You Limiting Your Team’s Success?

DTD Episode 63 Show Notes
Are You Limiting Your Team’s Success?

Click to download the show notes for the Defeat the Drama Podcast Episode 63

teamsuccessIf something is not going well in your department or business look at you first and ask, “What did I do to contribute to this situation?”

Some good places to look first:

  • Did I set clear and consistent expectations (quantity, quality)?
  • Does the team or individual have the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities?
  • Am I helping to create an environment that is encouraging and motivating?
  • Have I made my employees afraid to take action?
  • Is there an effective process in place that is well documented and available?
  • Are the necessary resources available (time, equipment, supplies)?
  • Is the current goal consistent with organization mission and vision?
  • Have I addressed any performance or attitude issues?

As a leader you are empowered to fix what is broken with the team and to improve the outcomes your team is achieving.

Episode 3: Ignite Team Follow Through: http://goo.gl/SNLA08

Episode 13: Simple Process Improvement: http://goo.gl/MDv646

Episode 25: Document for Ease of Mind, Teaching Tools and Freedom: http://goo.gl/iuSjcG

Episode 19: Learn How Leaders Create a Business Culture: http://goo.gl/gLa1RS

Need a comprehensive program to help you defeat drama in your organization?

Join the Defeat the Drama, Delight Your Customers and Improve Your Bottom Line Boot Camp

A Surefire 7 Step System to Get your Team Doing what you Need, Loving what they Do & Directing Focus where it Should Be

You Will Learn To:

  1. Gain Clarityabout what you sell, how it should feel and why do you do what you do?
    2. Generate Actions Aligned with Business Objectives
    3. Empower Your Team to take Targeted Actionwith Tenacity
    4. Identify and Remove Barriers to Team Productivity
    5. Drive Focused Employee Correction Conversations
    6. Hire Well
    7. Establish Harmony and Productivity

Kirsten will personally walk you through the required transformation step by step via video. Each module is available 24/7 and includes an Action Guide to walk you through implementation. You will also have access to exclusive office hours with Kirsten.

Click to get your discount exclusively for Podcast listeners: http://www.defeatthedrama.com/podcastdiscount

EP44: Does Your Team Even Like Puzzles?

DTD Episode 44 Show Notes
Does Your Team Even Like Puzzles?

 Click to download the Show Notes for Defeat YOUR Drama Podcast Episode 44

puzzleRecently I was working with a client and we got talking about puzzles, believe it or not!  We were discussing how he likes to work.  He said he likes to have a clear endpoint for a project but the opportunity to be creative in how he gets there.  He likes his work to be like a puzzle.  It was such a great analogy!  I asked if I could use it in this episode.

When you work on a puzzle you know what the goal is.  You have a clear vision of what the end product should be:

  • It must resemble the picture on the box.
  • There should be no blank spaces.
  • Each puzzle piece must have a home.

So, there is only one specific outcome but there are a million different ways to get there.

Some people use the box cover as a road map working on one section at a time.  Others separate out the border pieces first to start with the frame and work their way in.  Still others focus on only the shapes and have a real knack for visualizing which piece fits where based on their spatial relation skills alone.

I think that it would be tough to argue that any one way is better, more efficient or enjoyable than any other, though true puzzle enthusiasts might like to wage a debate.

It really made me think about the different ways I could create the analogy to describe how my new clients lead.

Have you ever done a puzzle with someone standing over your shoulder giving you unsolicited pointers?  It can get very annoying as they constantly point out which pieces go where.  You end up losing your concentration, dropping the piece you were focusing on to work on the one they prefer.

It reduces enjoyment, takes away the personal sense of accomplishment and probably makes the puzzle-making process less efficient.

How about trying to put together a complicated puzzle without the aid of the picture on the box cover?

When you can’t visualize the end point it is much more difficult to get there.

What about working on 4 or 5 puzzles at once all from one pile of pieces?

There are so many outcomes and different resources that need to be deciphered and allocated all at once that it becomes confusing and overwhelming.

Have you ever gotten to the end of the hard work of completing the puzzle only to find that you have one or two missing pieces and you are unable to complete the job?

If you are missing resources you can’t complete the task.

Do you like putting together puzzles?   I am not wired well for sitting still and gleaning the assortment of pieces with patience.  If you were in the puzzle-making business you would not want me in your employ.

Do you have team members who are not wired for the work they must do for you?

Which of the above best illustrates your business?

  • Are you standing over their shoulders?
  • Not providing a clear vision of the end goal?
  • Is your team working on too many goals at once?
  • Are they lacking necessary resources required to achieve their goals?
  • Do you have team members who don’t like the work?

To lead your team well you must create the vision that is as clear as the beautiful picture on the box, assure that all of the pieces are there and that there is a clean surface to work on, assure you have the right people and then let your team go to it!

Submit your Drama Question at the below link…
http://podcast.defeatthedrama.com/defeat-your-drama

If you enjoyed this episode, I would really appreciate a review on iTunes and Stitcher

EP17: Two of my employees don’t get along. What can I do?

DTD Episode 17 Show Notes

Defeat YOUR Drama:
Two of my employees get along. What can I do?

Click to download the show notes for the Defeat the Drama Podcast Episode 17

DefeatYourDrama

If you’d like me to share customized strategies for your drama situation go to my website http://podcast.defeatthedrama.com/defeat-your-drama. You can type or record your message. Use your real name or an alias for anonymity. Note that recorded or written messages may be used on the podcast.

Dave from Delaware wrote in:

Two of my employees do not like each other. I think it started with a dating situation gone awry. They refuse to work in the same vicinity. They won’t communicate directly with each other. I keep doing more and more to keep the peace but nothing works. They complain about each other to me constantly. They don’t want to help each other. It seems like the entire team is constantly focused on keeping the two of them apart. Talk about drama! Please tell me what I can do!

Dave, so sorry to hear about your struggles. Let’s get you some customized solutions.

As always, In the Defeat Your Drama segments, I will provide solutions based on the information provided. I will obviously not have full details so will provide customized strategies based on what you share. Always consider your own specific circumstances before taking any action. These are suggestions not guarantees.

#1 Realize that You Are Creating the Problem

Dave, you might not want to hear it, but you have helped to create the situation that you are in. No, I’m not suggesting you had anything to do with the dating snafu that caused the rift initially. But, your reaction to the situation has invited the chaos into your business.

Good news, though! It means that you can be part of the solution!

Humans don’t make change without some motivation as a catalyst. There must be some sort of pain or consequence to motivate them to work through their differences. To date, you have accommodated their desire to continue the feud. Both you and the rest of the team are creating all the work arounds to support its continuation. You are, thus, bearing the brunt. The situation is working for them. They get to stay away from each other while the rest of the team does everything to help them avoid each other.

I am going to assume that since you took the time to write to me that this is NOT working for you or the rest of your team. You have motivation to change, correct?

#2 Stop Accommodating Them and Create a New Expectation:

As soon as possible you need to call a meeting either with both of them together or each individually one right after the other. I recommend pulling them together over the individual meetings. Put them on notice that they need to start getting along and working together. Tell them that you can no longer coordinate the work schedule to accommodate them. They may, in fact, have shifts where they are working together. Share with them the burden it is to the business and the rest of the team. You’ve accommodated them as long as you can. You’ve given them opportunity to put the issue behind them.

Let them know that your hope is for both of them to continue working for you. Let them know the value they each bring.

Then share the new expectation which is: They don’t have to like each other but they do have to respect each other and get along at work. Their disagreements cannot impact their work. Period. End of story. If either is not willing to agree to this then they must resign.

If they agree to it but do not follow through you will need to walk them through the discipline process and out the door.

You might think that I am being harsh right now. Remember, I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I have helped many business owners and leaders go through this same exact process. Most often what I’ve seen happen is the two individuals ARE able to put their differences aside to keep their jobs.

When we lead from a place of fear – I don’t want to be mean – I don’t want to lose them – we tend to put up with more than we should. We do all the accommodating. When in reality, given the choice to modify behavior or lose a job, many employees will choose to modify the behavior. You just haven’t made it a requirement yet so there have had no need to make the choice.

You are now giving them new decisions to make based on new circumstances. There are no guarantees. They may not be able to work out their differences but you are putting the business and your customers ahead of their petty disagreements.

This is you going to the mat for your business. Doesn’t your business deserve to win over this petty feud? Shouldn’t your customers win? The other employees?

And, truly, what is the worst that might happen? Are these employees so irreplaceable? Again, they will probably put their differences aside. If they don’t, you still wind. Either way you are done with this silly situation.

Now, that said, they may not have the tools to work through their situation without some assistance. So, step three involves you providing them with some support.

#3 Help them Communicate with Each Other

You don’t say how long the conflict has been going on or whether the dating relationship that sparked the issue continues so it is unclear how wide the rift is or how entrenched. Regardless, it is quite possible that they will need some assistance working through initial conversations. I recommend that you bring them together for some facilitated conversations. The goal should be to talk through basic work issues. Minimally they need someone to help them have a respectful conversation. Speak and listen well.

Have them make commitments to each other about how they will conduct themselves at work. Help them to start to build some trust. And it will also be good for you to reinforce the fact that success on the job and continued employment requires that they place their focus on doing their jobs well and working harmoniously together where required.

If the thought of facilitating this kind of conversation seems daunting to you you might want to enlist the help of someone skilled in the area. Do you have any leaders on your team with experience facilitating difficult conversations? If not, you might want to enlist the help of an outside resource like coach or consultant.

#4 Give them the Freedom to Choose

Once you’ve clearly defined the expectations and given them some tools to work well together release the outcome. You don’t have control over whether they will make the right choices.

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