Leadership Lessons Blog

Managing Virtual Teams

  

  

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 Offering employees virtual work options can be a way for organizations to retain valuable employees and, in some cases, to boost employee productivity.   Technology continues to evolve and improved access to internet connections has made working remotely a viable option.  

However, as virtual and flexible work options continue to evolve managers are struggling with how to formalize work policies to make remote management successful. 

The University of Central Florida have researched and identified effective practices for managing virtual teams.  While these strategies could apply to practically every team, the challenge managers face is how to implement them effectively in a virtual work environment.  Professor Salas had this to say, "Leaders of virtual team must possess strong written and oral communication skills.  They also must understand that managing such teams requires conscious and concentrated effort." 

Here are management tips that come out of the University of Central Florida Study.

• Establish team operating procedures:  Set expectations and objectives, and define team members' roles and responsibilities during an initial meeting. 
• Foster a team mentality:  Set goals that require teamwork.  Specific, challenging and attainable goals will motivate virtual team members to work together and build strong and productive relationships.
• Communicate:  Encourage team members to communicate with each other.  Leaders must provide regular work updates and require the same from the team.
• Develop communication and information exchange protocols:  Communication must be structures and professional.  Avoid haphazard communication by proofreading messages and double-checking recipient lists.
• Track progress and productivity:  Improved software tools and virtual private networks give leaders effective and accurate ways to track information.
• Provide constructive team and individual feedback early and often.
• Balance challenges and duties:  off-hours meetings or business travel--equally among team members.
• Recognize and reward positive individual and team performance. 

By following these simple tips your virtual management challenges become less daunting. 

Leadership and the Small Business Owner.

  

  

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I spent 25 plus years in a very traditional corporate structure. For 15 years I was a manager in a large corporation.   I was given a certain level of autonomy for decision-making and I was held accountable for meeting certain goals and objectives.  We had a very structured performance management system and company leaders worked collectively on goal setting.  A huge infrastructure supported our efforts which included access to human resources support, trained facilitation for problem solving and a wealth of experienced colleagues to call upon for an opinion or for help.    It wasn’t until I left “Corporate America” that I realized how much the infrastructure helped me to learn the skills I needed to learn to be a successful leader. 

 What happens when you find yourself the leader or manager in a small company that can’t afford the overhead expense for in-house trainers, and human resource specialists?  What happens when you suddenly find yourself the sole provider of leadership needs for the company?  The reality is the small business owner has MORE at risk by putting leadership skill development at the bottom of the “to do” list.  Small business owners must be strategists, operationally skilled and above all great leaders.  The result of poor leadership in a small company can have devastating affects!  Employees flounder with lack of focus and the values of the company and dealings with customers suffer!  

My consulting work with small business owners continues to drive home the importance of leadership development and skill building.   Small business owners seem to share very common concerns ranging from poor performance by employees to scattered results.   I often hear “I am wearing so many hats in my company; I don’t know where to focus my energy!”   Small business owners are tired!  They are tired of fighting the same fires every day.  They are tired of feeling as though the company is an albatross around their necks!

As a small business owner, we know that you got into business because you believed in your product or services and because you wanted to be in control of your own destiny and financial future.  Innately, you believed you had the right set of skills to venture out on your own, but is this enough in today’s competitive landscape?  Is desire enough to make you successful?  In my experience, sadly no!  Without demonstrating strong leadership skills to accompany your passion for the business, many small companies fail.   Without developing employee and customer trust, most small businesses suffer from marginal growth.

What do you need to do to ensure that you make your own development as a leader a priority?  What do you need to do to ensure that your employees and customers find strength in your decision-making skills and your ability to solve problems?  What do you need to do to recover from leadership mistakes?  Here are Five “to do’s” for leadership success as a small business owner.

 1.  Admit that you need help.  So many small business owners believe they have to do it all themselves.  A good leader knows when to reach out for help, expertise and council.  If you are having difficulty focusing then hire a qualified consultant that can assist you with business planning.  If your marketing is not yielding client results, then look for appropriate marketing support. 

2.  Create a focused business plan.  Clearly, a small business owner does not have an unending supply of cash to hire every expert.  It is important to start with a much focused business plan.  A business plan helps you decide what your critical business objectives need to be and where you want to spend your money. 

3.  Develop success metrics.  What are the things that will make you successful as a leader?  What are your customers telling you?  What are your suppliers telling you?  What are your employees telling you?  So often, as small business owners, we don’t put metrics in place to monitor how we’re doing.  We typically act on impulse or a gut feeling that we are going in the right direction.  If you measure success by repeat business, set repeat business goals.  If you measure success by gross profit, set realistic measures for achieving those profits.  You can’t expect to be a good leader without a barometer telling you how you are doing.

4.  Find the appropriate networks.  Knowledge is power to a small business owner.  Regardless of your success rate, small business owners need a support structure.  Do you belong to the appropriate networking groups that can provide a mechanism for you to confidentially share information on your company, leadership issues or problems you are trying to resolve?  Oftentimes, your instincts are correct, but you need validation.   Strong leaders surround themselves with successful people that can impact their own success.  Look for viable networking groups within your industry or those that compliment your industry.

5.  Be willing to change.  As sole providers it is difficult to know when to change if you are only focused on what’s going on inside your company.   Strong leaders look external to their own companies to find out what’s working, what’s new and what is on the horizon.  Being myopic only promotes a stagnant business environment.  Read business journal, pick up Executive Summaries and read about what is happening in your business or in the business of successful companies.  Be willing to bring new ideas into your organization. 

Leadership and the Power of Recognition!

  

  

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Employee recognition has the ability to transform a typical workforce into a highly committed, motivated, cohesive team.  

A 22-year study by the Gallup organization revealed 12 key dimensions that consistentlycorrelate with work groups that have higher employee retention, customer satisfaction, productivity and profits. Item four on the Gallup list was receiving recognition or praise fordoing good work. 

Employee reward and recognition systems also provide highly successful companies with strategic advantages. Effective employee recognition takes company value statements off the walls and integrates them in employee minds and hearts. Nothing sends a clearer message than public recognition of an employee for a behavior that furthers your business goals.

Special recognition is not a single program or process, but rather a variety of management tools and practices that work together to create a focus on performance at all levels of the organization.

Program Success means: 

• People understand how their role fits into the broader strategy of the organization and know what they need to do to make a meaningful contribution.

• They know that if they perform well, they will be rewarded in a variety of ways.

• Rewards are made meaningful to the individual by both the content (i.e., what they receive) and the delivery (i.e., how they receive it).

• The goals or standards are challenging but clearly achievable.

• If an individual achieves a key result or takes desired actions, they know that they will, in fact, be rewarded; there is a strong sense of confidence and reliability about the process.

• The timing in which people receive recognition awards is sufficiently frequent that the process is active and works in "real-time."

• The type of recognition is appropriate based on the effect and/or significance of the result.

• The programs are related to critical themes of an organization and they are continually modified, upgraded and refreshed.

• Executives know the value of their programs because of the contributions and results that are realized. They demonstrate this support by setting the example for others and being actively involved.

"Best-In-Class" companies work hard to ensure that their management practices include strong appreciation for employees. Employees who are happy with the company they work for will be more productive and continue to support the mission and objectives of company leaders.

Boost Productivity Through Leadership!

  

  

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Productivity is connected to revenue, and leadership is connected to productivity. It makes sense, then, that leadership growth leads to revenue growth. Too often, companies waste time and money handling people problems and adjusting project goals and timelines because of a lack of leadership. Luckily, leadership skills can be learned. Good leaders boost productivity by minimizing conflict, maximizing team strengths and focusing on strategic objectives. Companies that become more productive typically become more profitable. Good leaders can significantly impact their company's productivity by modeling and encouraging three key skills. 

Capitalize on Individual Strengths - Astute leaders recognize that in order to test the strength of team members they need to provide opportunities for them to experience different types of activities, challenges and opportunities to lead. As a company leader you need to provide opportunity for members of your team to take on different tasks. You need to minimize risks so that your employees want to take on different responsibility. You need to reward employees who step out of their boxes and take on a different role. You need to support self-directed action by your employees. Once this becomes part of the operation, you are in a better position to assess skills and strengths. Team member roles change based upon the need, not organization charts. Athletic coaches do this all the time. They position their players according to their strengths. Clearly, this approach helps winning coaches achieve maximum productivity from members of their team. Shift your leadership paradigm to utilize all the capital in your organization. In doing so, you will get the right people leading the right activity.

Depersonalize Business Situations - How many times in our management careers have we heard, "It's nothing personal, it's just business." Despite the fact that we hear the words, employees still have difficulty de-personalizing business situations. They hold grudges or avoid talking to team members they disagree with. Communication breaks down and more time is spent discussing the controversy than being productive. Employees who fail to recognize the value of the different approaches team members bring to business situations never get out of their ruts. Consequently, they negatively judge the tactics being used by members of the team. They spend time debating the worth of these approaches rather than keeping their eye on the goal!  As a leader, one of your responsibilities is to help employees deal with disagreement or controversy in a productive way. You need to establish a communication strategy with your team so they are comfortable working through disagreement. The quicker you lead your team toward resolution, the quicker they focus on what's important. Eventually, with good role modeling from the leader, the team begins to resolve conflict independently.

Maintain Focused Flexibility - Be flexible, be nimble and be prepared for anything. Our business climate changes dramatically from day to day. New competition and new customer pressures force leaders to figure out how they can become more focused, more flexible and more productive all at the same time. The key to being a successful leader in this type of environment is to help your employees keep their eye on the customer and the customer need. Customer demands change regularly. You need a team that can respond quickly and effectively to the needs as they are identified. As the leader it's your job to eliminate distractions or barriers preventing your team from meeting the needs of the end customer. Sometimes, organizations spend more time focusing energy on satisfying the boss' needs rather than the customer's. A strong leader recognizes that the goal is really winning the approval and respect of the people paying the bill. Your job is to create a work team that is productive on behalf of the customer. As leaders we need to expect it, hold employees accountable for it and then reward it when we see it.

Leaders, be on the look out for high-potential employees!

  

  

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Are you prepared with the right staff for economic recovery?  Even though unemployment hovers around 10 percent, employees, especially those with HIGH potential are getting impatient.   They want higher salaries, better benefits and greater challenges.  They are starting to think about moving on.   We have seen a significant increase in recruiting activity and requests are coming from employed workers!  If you are the CEO or managing partner in a firm, you should be thinking about succession planning and how you are going to hold on to strong talent! 

Competitors are not sitting around waiting; they are already on the hunt to STEAL your best employees.  If these employees leave, will you have the talent you need to thrive when the economy turns?  If not, it's time for you to move quickly.  You should be thinking about having two people deep in key management positions.  Are your managers engaging motivated employees?  Have they thought about how to challenge these employees and provide them with promotional opportunity or experiences? 

My advice, invest dollars and time in top managers and critical jobs.  I know that we need to work hard to make all employees feel important, but focus should be on those with highest potential.  Figure out ways to let high-potential employees know how special they are to the organization and show them HOW they are impacting the success of the organization going forward. 

"A recent study from the Center for Creative Leadership, High-Potential Talent, A View from Inside the Leadership Pipeline, reveals that by telling high-potential employees that you value them, the chances they will stick around improve significantly.  Only 14 percent of formally identified high-potentials are seeing other employment," says Roland Smith, professor of leadership at the Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, N.C., the number more than doubles for employees only indentified informally."  

Come up with creative ways to scan your workforce for potential. Identify interesting and important projects for them to be involved in.  Keep them engaged.    If you don’t feel you have the potential in-house, it may be time to look outside your organization.  

Small Companies...Keep the Faith!

  

  

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Okay, so we all know the economy is still very much impacting our abilities as small business owners.  We are all trying to hang in and big business is still holding on to cash!  Our sales cycles are long and people are still apprehensive about spending money.  So what should we be focused on and how can we ensure we recover as the economy recovers? 

Keep the faith.  There are ways we can slowly regain momentum in our businesses and grow sales. 

Most economic indicators show that we are slowly coming out of the recession.  So while we're waiting for that to happen, we need to ensure that we are as efficient and cost effective as we can be in our own businesses.  Take the time to really look at what and how you are conducting business and make sure you are taking advantage of cost savings.

1.  Take the time to make day-to-day processes in your company more efficient.  Increase productivity and eliminate manual processes so that growth can be handled by your existing employees. 

• What are you doing today that is a manual process?  Any manual process can be turned into an electronic cost and time saver.  Are you replicating information in more than one place?  Are you using your computer systems to their best advantage?  I spent time with a small business owner recently that is still using multi-colored work orders!   There were so many pink sheets of paper in the office; I thought I was in a Pepto-Bismol commercial.  Seriously, it is time we let go of doing our work the same old way and clean up operating efficiency.

2.  Look ahead, not behind you!  I know that a lot of small business owners start rolling their eyes when I ask them what their vision is of the future.  The typical answers I hear are MORE GROWTH, MORE SALES, and MORE PROFIT!  While these are all great answers...they are also not stretching your thinking.  What if you made your visioning more personal?   Here are some thoughts:

• I want to be able to buy a vacation home
• I want to be able to take time off and not have to worry about the business operating in my absence
• I want to be able to delegate tasks to my employees

Thinking about your business objectives in personal terms is energizing. It brings back the fire in our bellies that made us entrepreneurs in the first place.  You can't do that if you are wallowing in depression.  Prospects will read that in every conversation you have.   Be forward looking and think about how you are going to there.  If you don't have employees you can delegate to today, what are you doing to get ready for that?  Are you sure you have the right employees, doing the right job, at the right time? 

Small business owners need to know when to pull the plug on under-achieving employees.  In the tight economy we're dealing with we can't afford to keep people on our payroll that are not willing to think out of the box.   Conduct an employee inventory and decide what you need from them.  Most employees will rise to the challenge if given strong direction and a vision for success!

3.   Lead with value, not price. 

Believe it or not there are probably other small businesses that do what you do.   You need to be able to differentiate yourself by showing your prospects real value for their money.  Avoid the cost-cutting trap that small business owners think they have to make when times are difficult. 

4.  Get testimonials.

What amazing customer stories can you tell that differentiate you from your competitors.  Remember your best sales force is your best client!  They are the ones that are going to step up and tell other people about you.  Create a fan base and ask for testimonials or create customer experiences that you are proud of and can market to others. 

5.  Get OUT of the office.

If you are not out networking, meeting with clients, strategic partners or networking groups, you are not marketing with impact.   The best way for you to develop relationships is to sell yourself as a business owner.  People buy from people.  Your job is to build that network.  If you can't do it yourself then you need to think about who can do it for you.  Can you use social media more effectively?  Are their chamber events you can speak at.  Whatever ways you have available to let people know about you and what you offer, the more they begin to think about opportunities to buy or refer your services.   

Finding Leads, Making Cold Calls, Closing Business

  

  

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I've discovered that in this still sluggish economy I need to turn toward making cold calls! Ask any sales person if they really LIKE making cold calls and the truthful ones will probably tell you...no...not their favorite thing to do.  It wasn't my favorite thing to do either, but I forced myself to reach out to prospects because I can't afford to take for granted that business is just going to come to me. 

Recently, I was speaking with a sales trainer and he asked me how many cold calls I make a day.  I told him...anywhere from 25-40 a day depending upon my schedule.  He was flabbergasted by the amount and was also very proud of me. Most of the people he trains are petrified of the phone.  Some feel they are above it!  They are obviously in for a disappointing quarter of results.    I can't say that every call I've made has delivered instantaneous results, but I can you that every time I make a call, I get better at it and more confident.  At the very least, I've made a connection, had a conversation that could lead to a business opportunity.  Your reputation, skills and products only carry you so far.  Do you think the Apple IPAD just automatically sold in record numbers?  Of course not, there was a well orchestrated marketing plan and strong sales people calling on customers! 

As a business coach, I work with small to mid-size companies.  In the last few months, I've asked business owners what they are doing to generate sales.  Many tell me...they are mostly a referral business.  Not necessarily a great sales strategy.  Outboard marketing, a strong website and tenacity begin to set the foundation for a stronger funnel.  Many owners find themselves too busy working ON their business rather than IN their business.  The irony of not working on your unique sales proposition, prospecting, farming and hunting for clients is that one day you wake up and you are down to your last few clients. 

A recent conversation with one of my clients, not in charge of the sales team, was one of complete frustration.  "They (the sales team) are not making enough calls, they are not tracking their calls in our CMS system, and I’m not getting any feedback about what customers think of our product and services!"  Obviously, it is not acceptable to me as a business coach and management consultant to hear these types of frustrations.  Sales people like any other employee need to be held accountable.  Sales is a process and many consultants have become very wealthy developing sales techniques that produce results.  Most business’ falter if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.  You can’t expect a sales trainer or a consultant to do the work for you!  Your job as a business owner is to take a vested interest in their success!  If they succeed, YOU succeed.  It also means making sure that your sales team understands that they will be held accountable.  

A sale is a numbers game!  The more connections you make, the more the probability of success!  

Here are some tips to consider?

1.  Need More Sales:  The answer:  A high performance sales force needs a scripted approach to their efforts.  Their activity needs to be coordinated with the right CRM system.  Sales people need to be measured and results need to be tied to their paycheck! 

2.  Want to Grow the Business:  The answer:  Aggressive, measureable marketing plans to increase leads, improve sales closing ratio and yields an increase in transactions your get per customer every year. 

3.  Always Getting Beat Up on Price:  The answer:  A unique selling proposition and a gurantee so that your ideal clients/customers feel compelled to do business with YOU instead of your competitor because you are different than all the rest.

I am a business coach.  I help my clients make a profit.  Isn't talking with me about your business worth your time?  I CAN help you gorw your profits and help you build a team to help run the business for you so you can get some time back for yourself.  Call me today...no...call me right now...I want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with you. 

If you don't call...I may just need to make more cold calls and find you!  

Leadership and Initiative At Work!

  

  

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If you don't own your company do you take initiative at work?  The vast majority of readers will say, "yes!"  Do we really work for someone else?  Some of us have bosses and we collect paychecks, but ultimately, we own career success!  Most employees believe that they can make a difference in the workplace if given a chance.  Some companies build an environment where individual employee contributions are recognized and rewarded. Other companies are still boxed into a "permission-based" culture.  Employees feel powerless to be creative, make suggestions or be accountable for results. 

Employees who make a professional choice to strive for more than just what is expected are the keys to the success of your business.  In his book, 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work, Bob Nelson states:  “Taking initiative is a key ingredient in making improvements at work, dealing with change, and providing customers with service that is far beyond their expectations.  Initiative is personal:  the individual controls when, where, and how much initiative to take on the job.  Even though its impact may be felt throughout an organization, initiative starts with the employee--and what he or she can do on a daily basis." 

Focuses on what you can rather than can’t do, and make sure you realize that you can make a difference within your OWN function--in doing so you not only increase company success, but also your success.  Think outside the box; stop putting up barriers that impede your forward progress.  Consider how to do something differently than you have ever done before.  Stand up for new ideas. 

Innovation is what keeps organizations going.  Be the one employee known for making a difference and showing initiative!  

Leadership Tips for Underachieving Employees!

  

  

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For years, business owners have struggled with under-achieving employees.  Underachieving employees are those that skate just under the radar.  They do what they are told to do, meet minimum requirements, but rarely step up and go beyond expectations.  A 2008 survey, "Rewards of Work Study" released in August, indicates that 44 percent of 2,00 employees surveyed are not committed to perform even though they know "what to do."  Can you imagine a workforce where almost half of employees have low commitment!  

Obviously, as company leaders we can't afford to have the trend continue.  You need to ask yourself why this is happening and are you enabling the behavior because of your own policies and procedures? 

Research has shown that most people want to be productive and want to contribute to the companies they work for.  So why do some companies experience the challenge of working with employees that don’t want to make the commitment? 

In my experience there are some key things to ask yourself to diagnose the problem.

1. Are job descriptions and roles clearly defined?
2. Are there adequate resources and support in place to assist employees in performing their jobs?
3. Are there accountability metrics that reward employees for going above and beyond?
4. Do employees see consequences for employees that don't contribute? 

Answering these questions for your company can be a turning point for motivating employees.  As leaders you are responsible for providing strong direction and leadership.   If you want employees to understand what you expect you MUST communicate with them regularly and in a number of ways.  Communication about performance expectations and performance results must be part of the communication framework for your company.   If you don't communicate what you expect, then few employees know HOW to rise to the occasion and contribute at a higher level. 

If you set performance standards HIGH, then your best employees WILL reach those standards.  Leaders often make the mistake of not setting performance standards as high for their employees as they set for themselves.  If you reward the behaviors you want repeated and do so publically you can begin to mitigate under-performing behavior.  Remember that all behavior is LEARNED.  The good news is that behavior can be modified.  If you do nothing, then expect nothing in return. 

Salary.com estimates the financial loss of potentially productive time to be in excess of $759 billion a year nationwide.  "More than hours wasted, the fact is if someone is withholding effort--effort that could lead to innovations--that should be of deep concern to companies,' notes Roland E. Kidweel, associate professor of management at the University of Wyoming's College of Business.  

Top performers want to perform at their peak.  When they feel they can't, they will be vocal about it.  If you do nothing, you will lose them!  You must help employees understand that you value contribution and reward them! 

The on-going challenge of being a small business owner!

  

  

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In the last week, I've spoken to many small business owners who don't want to do anything until after the holidays.  They don't want to start any new marketing activities.  They don't want to speak with a coach.  They don't want to look at process or productivity improvements.  They don't want to look at hidden profit dollars. 

I'm not sure what the problem is, but I can tell you as a business coach, that your competitors are not waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square and for 2011 to hit before they begin to think about next year's goals.  If small business owners act now and work hard for the next 30 days, it will pay dividends in the new year. 

Small business owners must take a look at their current business model?  Is the right model for this economy?  Is their business poised to increase sales?  Are they looking at a strong tactical marketing plan to ensure that they can prospect effectively? 

Many small business owners want everything "cleaned up" before they start to think about what they want to do next.  I spoke to a small business owner recently that had 80K in outstanding receivables because he simply didn't have "TIME" to bill anyone.   Clearly, this is a huge problem.  Hiring a full-charge bookkeeper is imperative for this owner.  A twenty-hour per week employee ensures that cash flow for this owner is where it should be rather than worrying about "how am I ever going to meet payroll?" 

I realize that as a small business owner you wear many hats, but running your business into the ground because you spending more time working IN rather than ON your business is simply not acceptable.  In this economy, you can find yourself OUT of business in 90 days. 

Two years ago phones were ringing and none of us were working that hard to identify business.  I wish the situation were different, but this is NOT happening today.  As small business owners you must be thinking about your next prospect, your next sales plan and your current resources.  

I would like to challenge small business owners to think about 5 key elements as 2010 is winding down and we welcome a new decade.

1. Do you have a strong business plan?
2. Do you have a tactical marketing plan?
3. Have you analyzed your P&L and understand how to increase sales for the new year?
4. Are you running your business with as much efficiency in policies and processes as you can be?
5. Is your sales effort yielding the kind of results that places you in a lead role in the coming year?

If you have any trouble answering any of the above questions, then it's time for you to take a step back.  In my role as a business coach, these are the simple questions I ask business owners every day.   Can you really afford to take a vacation from planning?  I think not!