Insights - Scott Patchin

An Open Door is not enough – How about an Open Ears policy?

It is time to get rid of the open door policy buzz phrase in business and replace it with the open ears policy. Here are some tips to making open ears work for you as a leader, and a challenge to followers to step into the space created by your leader to listen. Talent management is about great conversations, and having that conversation requires a minimum of two people, coming together, and willing to share the roles of talker/listener. This is a foundational leadership development topic, and should be repeated often if you are building a leadership development strategy.

Should we do an employee survey?

Talent management is about having great conversations. An employee survey is a tool that can help leaders listen more effectively and create some momentum towards the building a stronger culture. It also does not make sense in some cases. Here are some tips for thinking about whether it is the right thing to do for your organization.

Excuses or Reasons? Two practices to help you listen

How many times have you walked into a situation as a leader, parent, or friend and heard a mountain of excuses and nothing got fixed? We know the impact of an excuses, but how do we get to a different outcome? Talent management is about having great conversations, and having those conversations requires us to manage ourselves well and maybe make some changes on how we manage others. Here are two practices this week to focus on.

#nicematters

Gratitude matters. #Nicematters. It is important to share with people a simple Thank You, and when we get those messages from others we need to store them in a #nicematters file. Here is a quick request for my friends, to help me celebrate the gifts of 11 high school seniors. I look forward to a great conversation today.

Owning it

Talent management is about great conversations. One great conversation is the one that happens inside of us as we try to get unstuck. Ownership is the biggest single difference between an entrepreneur and many that work in larger organizations. When we act like an entrepreneur we move past those barriers. Here are a couple of books that have become my barrier buster reminders, and a few triggers to use when you watch yourself.

Entrepreneurial Leadership – My presentation & Two things I learned

Leadership starts with self-awareness. Self-awareness is only possible if we do some inner work and engage in a community that helps us define and refine our talents and potential. That is talent management, for leaders. Here is a presentation I did around entrepreneurial leadership and two things I learned from the experience.

A lens for your talent conversations: 30-30-40 Conversation™ Rule

Talent management is about great conversations. The lens I use to guide these conversations has come from years of watching people interact, being in some great conversations, and working with some friends on a product to help others have great conversations. Here is my 30-30-40 rule. Use it to refine your leadership, peer, and team conversations.

Ingredient #1: Owning your development

Talent management is about great conversations. One conversation that is powerful is around career development. Looking into the future to plan a career or commit to mastery is exciting, and not easy. Personal ownership is the big key to success, and that is step 1. Here are some tips for owning your own career development and some books/resources that might help.

7 Books That Make Great Gifts For A New Job

Transitions are exciting and scary at the same time. Within the transitions related to our work, there is a real opportunity for a great conversation. Here is a list of my recommendation of 7 books that make great gifts for a person starting their first job. Each of the potential to create a perspective for someone that will help them manage through the highs and lows of that first role. Some equip people with specific things they can do, while others equip them with a perspective they need to keep. Both are equally important. Talent management is about great conversations. These gifts have the opportunity to start one.

Nice Matters: A short story

Talent management is about great conversations. Sometimes, those conversations are a simple Thank You. Today I was reminded about how it is good for someone to call and thank you for helping them. Great conversations don’t have to be long and about moving mountains – they just have to be genuine and nice. Remember that Leaders. Just find moments to be real, present, and nice. Talent management is about being present.

Beware of MORE Leadership

Talent management is about great conversations. Ultimately, great conversations are laced with the right words, the right intent, and the right actions. MORE is a word that is part of startup, growth, and leadership conversations, but beware of it. Ultimately it causes motion, but erodes most of the other things that are part of great relationships. Here are 5 reasons why MORE is dangerous.

Helping Talent Emerge

Talent management is about helping people be aware of who they are and apply it in such a way that it makes a huge impact. I lead a program called Shifting Gears that does that for people that have been off for over 3 months, and the lessons that I have learned can be applied to individuals and leaders trying to make the most of the talents they possess.

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