We are a society that often looks for others to help us out. As employees, teammembers, and leaders we often lose sight of our role in making things better or doing the right thing. Making the most out of today, our jobs, or our relationships is largely dependent on us making that choice. Sometimes we just need a little reminder.
Business plans ask for some clarity on the team that will be needed (advisers/directors, partners, employees) that will be needed to start and manage the company. One way to look at the hiring is to really ask what the owner(s) will need. Here are four critical needs that any new company/owner needs to fill with the team they select.
We can learn by watching others. There is a tribe in Mexico called the Tarahumara, and to watch them run is watching joy in motion. At the surface, the book Born to Run is about running. But there is a more important message in the story. It is a message about how much more we are capable of when we love what we are doing. When we bring joy to work. Just a quick post to remind us of that.
Getting B players to get more involved in the business is easier than putting a man on the moon. It might even be easier than setting up a new Facebook account for some of us. Here are three things that will help ignite the solid performers on your team and improve the performance of your business.
Everyone wants to hire the best people. It is hard to argue with the strategy, but is it really possible and is it the best strategy. This addresses the realities of that strategy for organizations who want to do it but might be struggling with the results of their efforts or just want to figure out where to start.
What does it take to retain your good people? We often get lost in the many leadership books and surveys, and we forget the basics of engagement. Take a look at this topic through the eyes of a garlic farmer, and with some simple steps you can have a huge impact on how your people feel about you, their work, and the organization.
Dave Bing has a tough job as the Mayor of Detroit. He is also an amazing person that continues to demonstrate great leadership and the heart of a servant. He has what Time Magazine described as “one of the most thankless jobs in America”, and he is currently running to keep it! Here are 7 lessons I heard as he shared is story with the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Economic Club.
Here is the add-on video to trU Tips #8 that provides specific strategies to get your B players more engaged in solving the problems facing your team.
Often the steady performers on a team get overlooked. With this catagory there is lots of potential, and some people that are allowed to stay there even though they are having a negative impact on the team. Learn a different way of looking at this group and three steps to getting more engagement from these solid performers.
Mastery is “available to anyone who is willing to get on the path and stay on it-regardless of age, sex, or previous experience.” These were the words of George Leonard in a book he wrote called Mastery. Building on what Daniel Pink presented where attainment of Mastery takes 10,000 hours – Leonard reminds us that the journey is the key. So let’s talk about the journey and how organizations promote this journey.
10,000 hours translates into 5 years of doing something BEFORE you can be considered to have attained Mastery. So where did this number come from and what does it mean to people trying to attain it and leaders who are trying to grow and retain people that have this?
While I was touring ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan I happened upon a piece of art by James Freeman that provided a brief lesson in leadership and understanding myself. Learning is all around us, and if we take the time to recognize we are in a learning moment – good things tend to happen.