Ethics Training for Employees?

When ethics thraing became all the rage in businesses in the 1980 and 1990's, many wondered why.  Many are still wondering why.  Many government contracts require certain "compliance" training be taught to for companies to get and keep thosee contracts.  Do this requirements really make people more honorable and willing to do what is right or instead make them want to find "work-arounds" rather than have honest values and good morals.  Ethics training in  many corporations is a safety net, just-in-case they get a legal suit filed against them.  It is not just ethics, the same legal safety net idea of training applies to sexual harrassment and diversity-type training as well.  Why do people question these types of training?  

• Why Most Ethics Training Sucks
• 4 Hard Truths About Ethics and Compliance Training
• Ethics Trainings Are Even Dumber Than You Think
• Ethics Training Is Missing the Mark

Perhaps the reason people do not see ethics training as relevant is that they believe the basic principles should have been established elsewhere.  Morality and doing right is supposed to be developed in church.  Good character, valuing others, respectful manners, and not stealing is supposed to be imbued by parents through motivation and discipline.  Good conduct is supposed to be taught in schools.  Ethics and honesty is supposed to be reienforced in college.  So are ethics still passed up from youth to adulthood or is this an old-fashioned idea? 

In the workforce, ethics is a leadership issue more than an employee issue.  Leaders must be a character example of what they want the corporate ethos to be.  If the manager pads his expense statements, how can he expect his employees to be honest?  If a supervisor takes home office supplies for her children to use as their school supplies, how can she trust her employees not to steal from the company?  Instead of (or at least along with) off-the-shelf ethics training, leaders need to be examples of the values they want in their employees.  Perhaps leaders also need to get involved with their communities to help make sure the old ways of training up a child or teen in the way they should act and think are still taught. 

Five Forward Thinking Business Trends

 Business leaders are looking to find the newest trends for pushing their organizations into a profitable future and sustainable ptograms.  These trends will be considered when developing corporate visions and roadmaps.  Each blog post or magazine article they read will state the the writer's or edtitor's predected top five or ten trends.  All the materials may list two or three of the same items and then the remaining ones will be different from the last article read.  From reading many December 2024 and January 2025 blogs and articles, below are the most repeated items.

AI, which means Artificial Intelligence, is at the top of almost every list.  However, there seems to be some confusion on how this should be implemented in non-tecnical business. AI typically promises more than it can deliver, as has seen in badly written business articles and college term papers that were so obviously sourced and plagiarized.  However, AI does do research well - it just is not creative as an author.  In other words, do not let the old repuation AI got in past years deter consideration of AI for now and in the future.  AI technology has come a long way in a few short years and now provides tools that can help businesses.  The trick with AI is to find people who really understand it and for management to ask lots of questions to make sure it is a business fit that makes sense before investing in AI implementation.  Although AI can provide for easy research, quick problem solving, and increased productivity; it often uses lots of energy so there is that hidden cost to be aware of.

Customer Experience has resurfaced as another top trend.  Why customer service and satisfaction ever left as a key business component is a curious circumstance of cost cutting.  Why would anyone want to alienate customers just to save money?  There is no profit without customers!  

Technology (which is not only AI-related) still makes the trend list too.  It is called differenet things, but it is still all technology related!  Concerns about cypersecurity is still high.  Then there is the tasks of:updating current information systems, cleaning-up security data and inactive accounts, making websites and on-line stores more user friendly while impriving response time, updating handrware and software, and make sure the IT (information technology) staff consists ot people qualified to get it all done.  

Workforce is another common theme when talking business trends.  Some of the "experts" claim it is retention that should be the main concern of management.  Whereas, others talk about motivation or having the correct personnel with skills needed, which has always been key to an organization's success.  Skill needs may be technical or they could be social.  Technical is necessary for IT and AI, as well as various types of technicians and engineers needed for certain types of companies.  Social and team-building skills are important where collaboration, creativity, and innovation are desired.  Communication skills are extremely key to service companies, sales departments, marketing plans, and where organizations want to make customers a priority commitment. 

Another issue to consider is Deglobalization, which only a few of the articles referred to as economic resilience or geopolitical shifts.  This has already begun in the United States of America and in many Eurpean countries.  Due to tarriffs, taxation, politics, and other multi-country business issues; small niche companies and local businesses may soon do better than the bigger global companies when looking at profitability and increased market-sharepercentages. 

NOTE to Readers:  If you feel an important trend was left off this list, please add it as a comment to this post so others can learn about it and do research, if they desire.  Please include in the comments why you believe it is a trend that should be considered,

Great Years Ahead for Business

Will the 2024 presedential election affect the rise of new business and increased profits for existing companies?  The stock market seems to indicate it will, as everything moved upward after the president was voted in and the value of the U.S. dollar also went up. 

Can having a conservative in the highest office of the United States really make a difference for American business?  A"Yes" answer is more than possible since the new president (for Jan.2025-Jan.2029 ), Donald Trump, is more than a politician who proved his abilitiy to overcome obstacles during a prior (Jan.2017-Jan.2021) term, he has successful businesses himself.  Not only that has he surrounded himself with a team that plans to cut through the red tape of the bloated bureaucracies that are holding entrepreneurs and organizations back.  The new presedential team promises to remove regulations that prevent economic growth and/or facilitate inflation.  For both business and their product/service consumers (U.S.A. citizens), there is also the promise of less taxation, more available energy at lower costs, and reduced interest rates.  If that happens, it should bolster profits for business and savings for Americans, thus helping the economy for almost everyone.

Can they really recover from the years (2021-2024) of cultural decline and economic disaster and do that within a four year term?  Since their party now has a conservative majority, determined to make a difference for America, in both the House and Senate of Congress - the "Yes" is a higher probability if they will cooperate and work together.   It looks like America will be a great place for businesses again and better years are directly ahead for everyone.   

NOTE: Interesting post-election article on government leadership vs corruption and regulation: Trump’s Win Suggests We’re Nineveh, Not Sodom- Now It’s Time to Decontaminate the Place

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Leaders Must Understand Conflict Resolution

Managers and team leader who can manage conflict effectively will make a more positive influence on their employees and provide an example for problem solving.  Workplace conflict is a natural occurrence and is going to happen anywhere people intereact and share ideas.  Therefore, having a the sill of conflict resolution is an important business strategy.  Leaders wh have the ability to not only manage conflict, but to teach individuals and teams to do the same will help move projects forward and keep the work environment feeling like a safe place for all.  

Conflict management tips from consultants who have shared their expertise on this blog:

• Anger at Work 
• Listening: The Cure for Ongoing Conflict
• Managing conflicts that are value driven
• Conflict, everybody has it! Can it be productive

Yes conflict can be uncomfortable, but hiding from it instead of confrontig the underlying issues will greatly interfere with current and future work that require interfacing with others.  The natural human instinct during conflict is flight or fight.  Instead of avoiding conflict, it should be seen as an opportunity to look at an issue from all sides to determine the best approach, find common ground, get commitment to the best solution, and develop a process that will best for everyone involved.  Conflict resoultion requires effective training to overcome typical instincts and deal with conflict before it can get out-of-hand.  Skill development required for good conflict management training include: effective listening, interpersonal communication, negotiation, and collaboration.  

For more advie on conflict resolution, check out these longer articles:

• How to Master Conflict Resolution
• 14 Conflict Resolution Strategies for the Workplace

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Great List of Business Management and Success Quotes

Inspirational quotes are used in motivational speeches, business presentations, and training sessions as a way to drive home the desired  principles.  People remember quotes that resonate with them or are from famous people they respect the opinion of.  

This post is the beginning a few success quotes that will resonate with most business owners and professional people.  Starting with the Will Rogers quote ("Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.") in the image, which applies to anyone with a vision or purpose - whether it is personal or professional.  Mr. Rogers is basically saying if you have an idea to implement or a job to do, get moving on it or someone else will and you will get left behind feeling crushed by your lack of momemtun.  

I want this to be a good list that continues to grow as a great reference for others.  Please feel free to add your own favorite quote to the list by including it as a comment on this post.  

"If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business." - B. C. Forbes

"Great companies are built on great products." - Elon Musk

"And while the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department." - Andrew Carnegie

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

"First-rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people." - Leo Rosten 

Low Value Programs Killing Business Is Killing Jobs

Do things that create profit matter for business anymore?  Does a little money from the government outweigh the value of business reputation or the big money from customers?

 It seems that the writer of the Forbes article  "The Business Case For Diversity (DEI) May Be Backfiring" thinks it should not matter as much as the feelings of potential employees - not current staff.  If a company does not value generating profit, then how can it afford to keep or hire employees?  If it does not have innovative, trust-worthy, flexible, and qualified personnel; how can a business succeed?  These programs are not resulting in qualified hires, instead they have led to experienced employees complaining about and leaving some companies.  Most employees complaining said they felt less valued so their productivity, creativity, quality, and participation in teamwork suffered.  Those employees then exposed why they left and showed samples of training matierials in videos and on social media.  That exposure led to customers finding out, about the programs that were vastly different from what they valued and then looking for alternative companies to fill their needs.

Still want diversity and equality?  "Why Diversity Programs Fail" in Harvard Business Review says to stop forcing re-written EEO-type initiatives based on race or gender, instead promote volunteer training and mentorship.  The studies this article shares show people get along better working together equally, rather than being told what to do or not do based on gender or race criteria. It now seems that diversity and equity programs tend to divide people instead of increasing inclusiveness, motivation or unity.  The technology areas seem to be suffering the most due to falling quality in systems because of limited qualified candidates in quota related hiring.  So why do government agencies want force or reward these programs?  Why do consultants still push the programs if they do not meet the client's needs? Are the consultants hurting the economy by personally getting richer if their client companies profilts decline or start on a path of going-out-of-busines?  

Understand these terms and the history:

• DEI =Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  - 2021 Executive Order  
• Government subsidized on-the-job re-training to promote exclusion
• Government sponsored education prior to joining workforce to discourage equality
• Education substituted SEL & CRT (mutation of Karl Marx's Critcal Theory) 
• EEO =Equal[ity] Employment Opportunity (jobs) - 1964 Civil Rights Act of Congress
• Open education and job options to promote a diverse workforce at all levels  

What is the difference between Equity and Equality?  Basically, some are treated differently or all are treated equally.  The majority of people want to be treated equal to others, a few want to be better than others, while none want to be less than others.  Most workers find these forced re-training programs more divisive, not inclusive.  So which kind of employer should companies try to be?  Common sense says treat everyone the same. If not the same, at least based on productivity and responsibility instead of some physical trait that they have no control over. Will businesses expect education to change or will they continue to look for certifications rather than degrees for competent people?  Will human resources have to go back to looking for qulaiied workers tather than some abstract number?

If installing these programs adversely affects ingenuity, morale, productivity, motivation, or profits; will it kill business?  If businesses get boycotted when customers find out they are doing this newest training, will that affect their bottom-line profits?  After seeing what this program does to business, should this acronym be redefined as Death to Empowerent and Innovation? (Or as recently published Discrimination, Exclusion, Indoctrination in Twitter MEME as well as the trending hashtags #DeathToDEI and DEIisDead...)  If businesses die, where will people work?  Logically, when there are less businesses, then there will be less jobs.  Less jobs means killed jobs, which means fewer opportunities for employment.

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Business and Politics: Boycott Likely, BUYcott NOT

Even as many corporations see great losses and a few go bankrupt, their leadership is still failing to recognize that politics in marketing for business is not a good idea.  Using ESG index and DEI initiatives as indicators for business is driving too many out-of-business by alienating customers and landing on "Go Woke Go Broke" boycott lists. Those alienated customers are now looking for entrepreneurs who start-up businesses with either the opposite politics or preferably no politics at all.

Business magazines, newspapers, and blogs are taking note and urging companies to return to concentrating on profits over politics.  

• Newsweek article "As 'Woke' Businesses Face Right-Wing Wrath, Culture War Capitalists Cash In" emphasized  consumers are "are likely to boycott over a political position they don't like but are not likely to "buycott" over stances they agree with." Newsweek also published  "Now Conservatives Embrace Boycotts and Regulations" and "Go Woke, Go Broke? Millennials Say It's True" which suggests this generation greatly disagrees with the supposed new marketing genius of young Gen-?.  
• In blog post "Go Woke, Go Broke: 8 Examples of Companies Facing Consequences," a digital marketing professional explains "From a business mindset, politics should be a big no-go zone. If you are silent about an issue, you might receive pressure from a few activist groups, but things will likely quiet down soon enough, and people will forget about it."
• New York Post shared a former CEOs opinion in article "Woke, Inc: Why I’m blowing whistle on how corporate America is poisoning society." where he notes "... the answer is to do the hard work of rediscovering who we really are."
• The liberal-left VOX media website admits "ripple effects of conservative consumer activism are real" in finance and business article "The conservative boycott playbook is kind of working."

If businesses want to survive, company leadership needs to stop listening to bad advice, research the facts, and understand that politics in marketing can kill their profits and possibly drive them out of business.  Corporate leadership needs to get back to basic business concerns and strategic planning based on items key to success.

Some companies claim they are supporting social issues  because their human resources think it might get younger people to be interested in working for the organization as employees. But, does it get loyal or competent employees? Which matters most to the bottom line - customers or employees?

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Uncovering Key Business Management Issues

The economy is down and inflation is rising!  The pandemic is not coming to an end yet and schools move to and fro with web-based classrooms - continuing to effect the workability and challenge flexibility of employees.  There are so many issues facing business this year, it is no wonder managers are trying to find what they should be doing to keep their business thriving.  Many are turning to their Human Resource departments to do research or they are doing their own research on the internet or by reading  multiple business-related publications.

There are so many articles and surveys trying to give leaders some sort of idea where to concentrate their efforts.  However, they need to be read carefully for who the article is meant to help.  Is it meant to help most corporations stay in-the-black, or to keep small businesses afloat in uncertain times, or is the article really meant to generate a business need that will actually profit the article writer more than those who read the article or post?

Two surveys that you may want to review include:

• Gartner HR Survey Reveals #1 Priority in 2022 will be Skills and Competencies
• Bloomberg Survey Shows Top 3 Concerns of CEOs in 2022

Is technology a big issue for business in 2022?  Security companies are telling business mangers that cyber security should be their main concern to prevent business interruptions.  However, only 57% of managers they surveyed agreed with that.  At the same time, companies that offer telecommunications are still saying it is important to increase virtual meeting capability and phone app usage as the pandemic has taken various twists and turns.  Are they right and are telecommunication companies ready to meet performance requirements?  Does your company need new technology, better technology, or updates to telecommuting processes and policies?

Are social issues and/or DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) a current  issue for business?  Although consultants will tell you these are major concerns, do they really affect the bottom line?  Yes, if you choose the wrong ones!  Social awareness is supposed to be key to the newer generation of employees but following what maybe advertised as politically correct has cost many companies in loss of valuable customers due to boycotts the past few years.  DEI was low on the Gartner survey as it does impact Human Resources,  Not only as a training program, employees have left companies for bringing in propaganda disguised as "diversity training" that was insulting to their personal morals, values, ethics, and intelligence.  These same employees took customers when they reported the that information on social media, which created a PR nightmare and devastated the image of those companies.  Traditional versions of DEI and EEO to build trust and understanding. as well as prevent racial issues has been effective for decades.  But some of the new "improved" versions may not be what they claim, instead they can build distrust and division.  Employees working against each other can not be good for business.  Management and HR must research heavily and attend the training themselves before they bring in anything that is not skills related to verify it meets their needs to include others not divide people.  Consultants and training material providers want to make sales, just like you do - so verify the facts instead of believing the pitch.  Make sure what you buy truly matches corporate culture and  beliefs.

Is supply chain still a key issue for businesses to be concerned about? This concern did make the bloomberg survey as the continued pandemic has and will affect it.  Whether your business is a supplier or uses supplies, you should be adapting your processes sustainable and resilient.  Organizations will need to become streamline and agile.  Products quality also needs to be maintained to ensure repeat customers. who are moving from a just-in-time ordering process to a storing for future purposes.

Seems like business managers may be better focused on the needs of their particular business than listening to the trends.  Read the surveys to learn what others think, but keep in mind that is their impression based on their experience not yours.  Focus on your compnay leadership, your customer service, and your process improvement.  Yes, you can research "what's new" just be sure to check it through your professional lens to determine if it meets you needs or just send your dollars down the drain into another's profits.  Jumping on a new bandwagon without really looking, means you are likely to totally miss your target!

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Getting Back to Work

The statistics for people returning to work, after the state and/or national shutdowns, can be confusing.  Some reports say possibly 40% of the former workforce DO NOT want to return to work because they are getting paid to stay home by the government in the form of both unemployment benefits and stimulus checks.  Others say that 2/3 of the workforce are afraid to return to work since new cases of virus are being reported and they fear getting sick.  While other reports show 25%-29% want to return to work but want more flexible work days/hours because they got used to telecommuting and doing work-from-home.  

Studies show some employees feel they are more productive working from home, whereas others feel they accomplish more at-the-office.  However, there are articles that show people want to get back to a workplace where they can collaborate in-person with others, not be distracted by children, and also return to developing their careers.

Safety options companies are considering to bring back their employees include:

• Having everyone in the office, warehouse, restaurant, or store continue to wear face masks provided by company
• Allowing only people with an approved vaccination and health card to come into company facilities (Rockefeller Foundation survey indicates 9 out of 10 companies prioritize this) 
• Providing counseling and support and for this stressful situation to those concerned employees
• Educating employees through health professionals (live or video) on illness signals and stress signs to be aware of
• Continuing telecommuting and virtual meetings for unvaccinated employees
• Offering on-and-off site workday scheduling options for experienced employees they wish to keep
• Using more on-line options for interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training to fill open positions

Company owners and managers need to decide what IS or is NOT working for the profitability and productivity of their organizations.  After issues are reviewed, re-opening options considered, and best policy/process is chosen to get people back to work, then communicate that to current and potential employees via company website.   Send emails or letters to employees to let them know the highlights and refer them to website for details and new information as decisions are made. 

Committing to Corporate Citizenship

Investopedia defines corporate citizenship as "the social responsibility of businesses and the extent to which they meet legal, ethical, and economic responsibilities, as established by shareholders."  So how does citizenship impact profit, after all profit is the reason most businesses exist.  However, putting profit over people can eventually cause a company to loose some customers, which does impact the bottom line.

Most organizations understand meeting legal requirements and how the economy affects them, in order to stay on business but do they understand social responsibility?  For decades companies have been training employees and leadership in business ethics  and corporate values.  The clearest way to understand social responsibility is it is taking corporate ethics and values outside the company and into the community.  This can be done via charitable activities and contributions, which may be done corporately or by sponsoring the actions of specific employees.  

There are five stages to developing corporate citizenship: Elementary, Engaged, Innovative, Integrated, and Transforming (similar to the stages of team-building).  In between each the five stages, companies develop the four C's: Credibility, Capacity, Coherence, and Commitment. 

Entrepreneur says the initial cost of becoming socially responsible in stage one will negatively affect profits, which is why many companies move no further than elementary stage.  However their article uses the case that consistent  citizenship can build a good corporate reputation that may eventually lead to profits in a socially conscience environment.  To ensure that corporate citizenship happens within the company, it is important to include it in long-term strategy planning and goal setting.  However, be careful in how you use your citizenship actions and contributions in marketing on social media and corporate websites.  Aligning unwisely to the wrong types of non-profit organizations or causes can result in looking unpatriotic or overly political, which may result in possible boycotts and lost business.  

Want more information on how to create corporate social responsibility (CSR), watch the 1 hour video Corporate Citizen: Risk & Internal Controls by Strategic Business Leadership (SBL). 

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Making Meetings Effective and Inclusive

In other meeting posts, I have stressed the importance of pre and post meeting A's in order to have  efficient and focused meetings.  More on these A's can be found in my meeting management book.

1. Prior to the meeting, provide a written Agenda so everyone knows what to expect.  It is also important to quickly review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting as a reminder and to make shifts in timing of items if necessary to accommodate others schedules or topic urgency due to situational changes.  
2. After the meeting, send out an email with Actions that need to be completed with the names of the people who will do each item and when it is due for completion.  

You may also remember the meeting management podcasts on the A's and the R's from the book, which stand for Roles and Records.  Or perhaps you remember the process form the meeting wizard book, read related meeting management articles, or saw the meeting management infographic?  This time, I want to share new R's for making meetings more inclusive while keeping them effective at the same time.

1. Respect others in the meeting by paying attention when they are talking.  Listen to their words rather instead of planning your reply or preparing your next suggestion.  Show interest with eye contact and nodding or smiling as appropriate.  
2. Rephrase what you think you heard someone say in the meeting starting with "I think you are saying ,,," to avoid confusion.  Doing this let s the other person know they were heard and allows them to correct any misinterpretation.  It not only clarifies for the group, it can help to calm an emotional situation.
3. Raise your hand if you have a question or concern when someone else is presenting rather than interrupting their flow.  This is a visual cue to them that they need to pause and give clarification before continuing.  If they will cover the information you seek later in the presentation, they can let the group know.  Chances are that someone else had the same concern so if you wait until presentation is done, you may miss the opportunity for valuable information.

That makes five R's for meeting management.  Another A for you to think about for meeting inclusivity is using All  words like "us" and "we" instead of "I" and "you" when appropriate.  This fosters a unifying sense of team, which is important for meeting productivity.   Now we have three A's for meeting management!

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Ten New Leader Assumptions

Whether a person is hired or promoted into a leadership position, they are expected to have certain skills.  If they are experienced, they will have many of the skills and talent required of good leaders.  Those with experience will know they need continuous learning to become great leaders.

However, people who are new at leadership may fell they have to jump right in and do rather than learn.  Or they may be afraid to ask for training or mentoring as it may make them appear "not up to the job" they have been entrusted with.  Either idea is a false assumption.  Bad leaders choose not to learn, good leaders choose to gain what is need as it is need, great leaders seek to learn continually.  Below are some false new leader assumptions that can be improved with appropriate mentorship, by reading good books on the topic, or through formal training.

10 New Leader Assumptions

1. Leaders know how to communicate with their followers.
2. Leaders can facilitate effective meetings.
3. Leaders know how to inspire and motivate others.
4. Leaders have excellent time management skills.
5. Leaders know how to solve problems and make decisions.
6. Leaders understand vision, mission, and objectives of the organization.
7. Leaders know how to discipline and reward their employees.
8. Leaders are technically competent.
9. Leaders know how to get necessary resources.
10. Leaders have ethics and are trustworthy,

Nine Tips for Leading by Example

Managers and team leaders, who want certain qualities in their employees and teammates, must provide an example for their followers.  If examples are not provided, any rhetoric encouraging certain policies or attitudes will seem hypocritical to those observing management behaviors and company reward systems.  It is important to remember good examples can have great influence.

"Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers." 
- Robin Sharma

Below are 9 tips to help leaders provide an example to their followers.

1. Respect others by showing up on-time for meetings, whether you are the meeting planner or an attendee.  Do not make them wait for you.  Managing your time and acknowledging the importance of the time of others shows a mutual respect.
2. Listen actively by asking questions to increase understanding, engagement, and involvement.  Showing that you are listening encourages dialogue, problem solving, and mutual commitment.
3. Delegate appropriately by giving assignments to people who have the necessary talents and knowledge.  But be aware of people who want to gain skills and pair them up on tasks with a skilled persons willing to train them.
4. Build trust by taking joint responsibility for team failures rather than trying to assign blame.  Perhaps they did not understand your directions or assumptions were made about what was expected.  If you want them to be accountable, you must also be.
5. Take risks in your work and what you expect from your followers.  Reward their courageousness while acknowledging that current failure may lead to improvement and better problem solving in the future. Do not be afraid of change and teach others not to be as well.
6. Provide options for doing a job or resolving a problem rather than giving step-buy-step instructions.  Allow your team to find creative methods that solve their problems or get the job done well and quickly.
7. Be consistent in how you communicate and appreciate.  Use company rewards liberally to acknowledge team jobs well done.  Use punishment rarely, instead acknowledge what was done wrong and what type of improvement needs to occur.
8. Remove barriers and do not be a barrier to your employees and teams getting their work done.  Make sure your employees and teams know you are there to help them move forward and improve any situation that come up. 
9. Work hard and let your team see you doing it.  If you are unwilling to help out when the going gets tough, how can you expect your employees to do so.

For more ideas, review the following articles:

AMA - personal and team tips - Top 15 Things Leaders Need to Know to Inspire Results

INC interpersonal tips - 11 Remarkably Effective Ways to Lead by Example

Six C’s for Holding Others Accountable

In organizations today, everyone seems s to be having problems holding others accountable for individual job performance or group work processes.  Supervisors, managers and other leaders wonder how they can make their employees more accountable for finishing projects on-time or improving their overall job performance.  Teams wonder how they can make that certain team member more willing to take responsibility for their actions or lack thereof.  Below are six things to consider to help get others to be more accountable.

Six C’s for Holding Others Accountable:

1. Communicate expectations in advance.  This means what the goals and deliverables (finished product, service, or assignment) are and when they should be completed (phases and milestones help make it easier to meet final deadlines).  Write these expectations down so you can track progress against what you agree to later on.
2. Connect often to check progress and determine if additional resources or information is needed..  If you established phases and milestone deliverables early on, then both parties know when to verify if all is running smoothly or if additional help or training is necessary.
3. Critique based on facts not feelings.  Give honest feedback, whether it is praise for a job well done or expressing a need for improvement.  Be specific about what was done right or wrong and why.  What goals were met or deadline missed?  Do not wait until the end of the project or assignment – be respectful of others by doing this as needed when connecting and coaching.
4. Coach as needed to close gaps in understanding or knowledge to keep things moving along.  If leaders are not coaching, then their team members cannot become winners.  Accountability must go both ways, otherwise things will go nowhere and little will get done.
5. Consequences for not meeting expectations should be explained up front and reinforced.  If not doing a job on-time and correctly will cost the company something, the person(s) being assigned the work need to know this.  They are interested in what rewards they may personal get, but they also need to know how failure will personally affect them and their job(s).
6. Commitment will be achieved only if initial communication and continued support happens.  Clear expectations and follow-though are keys to everyone understanding their responsibilities and increasing individual/team credibility for actions. 

Over Two-Dozen Ideas for Continuous Learning

Continuous learning (aka Lifelong Learning) has been touted as a management must before the dawn of quality improvement programs.  Why has this remained key to business success when other management concepts have come and gone?  It is important to continue to grow to keep up with changes and motivate people.  Whether the changes are economical, environmental, societal, or technical - to remain successful leaders must keep up with what is going on, not just in their industry but across many areas.
 

Knowledge is power? No. Knowledge on its own is nothing, 

but the application of useful knowledge, now that is powerful.” -  Rob Liano

So how do you make continuous learning happen in a company or as an individual?  There are multiple method to incorporate the continuous learning concept.  These can include some or all of the below methods for increasing knowledge.  

1. Ask questions or for help on a new or difficult task
2. Observe how others do tasks to experience new ideas or learn different ways to do things
3. Watch videos/DVDs on relevant subjects
4. Listen to professional podcasts
5. Subscribe to relevant blogs or e-newsletters
6. Get feedback from others and work towards improving as needed
7. Join a professional association/society and go to some of the meetings for networking
8. Work with or as a coach or mentor - learning experiences are gained on both sides 
9. Develop a skills matrix, create a goal plan, and track progress
10. Read books or skill-specific magazines/journals
11. Find relevant on-line articles, case studies, research, or white papers
12. Complete workbook exercises, or team-building activities, or computer-based/on-line quizzes
13. Hold leadership reading clubs or business book discussion groups
14. Look for on-the-job training (OJT) opportunities
15. Go to internal training classes and/or external workshops
16. Participate in or lead seminars or webinars  - learn by sharing time with others
17. Take part in Continuing Education Unit (CEU) courses
18. Get a higher degree in your field or another degree in a different or related field
19. Enroll in a certification program that increases skill-levels
20. Benchmark/visit other companies or department within your organization
21. Knowledge share with others via virtual meetings or a computerized database
22. Volunteer for projects or teams that allow stretching current skills or learning new ones
23. Check out leadership and educational programs on public television (PBS)
24. Attend or facilitate presentations, face-to-face meetings, and Lunch N Learns - learn in a short time with others
25. Plan quarterly, biannual or annual strategic meetings or team-building events
26. Check into conferences, trade shows or product showcases

Continuous learning not only benefits leaders and other individuals by making them more knowledgeable, it benefits companies as well by providing better equipped and flexible employees.  Remember for one to truly learn something, an opportunity to apply and use the gained knowledge is also necessary.  So be sure that the new skills can be practiced on-the-job,  Knowledge is information, however wisdom/expertise is only gained in the application of knowledge.

See also The Business Journal article 5 Steps to Developing a Continuous-Learning Culture.

Gender Diversity: Women in the Workforce

Gender diversity usually refers to an equitable ratio of women and men in the workplace. This does not mean you must have a 50/50 split of females to males within every position within your company. You should still hire/transfer/promote the best person for the job, however you need to plan for a fair representation of both sexes in both job roles and organizational hierarchy.

Why is it important for your company to have women in the leadership positions?  A 2016 Survey by PIIE "suggest that the presence of women in corporate leadership positions may improve firm performance." Another plus for more women in leadership positions is improved problem-solving and increased idea generation that comes from the different perspectives of a more diverse workforce - gender and race.  Leadership not only happens in corporate hierarchy, but also in teams and individual performance in every department!

Leadership is not the only place this is important.  It is important to consider the possible benefits of women in all positions.  For example, your sales department will need women since your customer base most likely includes many women.  How do you know that there are more women buyers out there?  Per Statista Demographic Report, women make up more than half of the USA current population and this trend is expected to continue.

So consider gender diversity in your recruitment and hiring process, as well as transfer and promotional opportunities.  This will set your company as a preferred place to work as you not only adhere to federal laws, you demonstrate that you value diversity in all forms.

For ideas on how to create a gender divers workforce, see SHRM article 10 Tips to Fight Gender Discrimination.  For suggestions for improving hiring processes, see article Write Better Job Postings in 7 Smart Steps.

Learn At Lunch: A Great Team, Sales, and Management Training Option

Learn At Lunch-Training Presentations 

Whether you call it learn-at-lunch (American Management Association term, circa 2013) or lunch-and-learn (also Lunch N Learn or "Lunch & Learn" terms @2007), this is a great option for disseminating short training nuggets. It can save both time and money when it comes to employee learning.

Please note, the older terms of Bring-Your-Own-Lunch Training or Brown Bag Seminars (started in the 1980's by offering short technical topics or product introductions) are dropping in popularity by business organizations due to language acceptability and labor issues.

Use learn-at-lunch time to:

• Introduce team-building concepts or simple business skills that do not require physical activities or special equipment
• Familiarize sales and customer service representatives with new products, services, or processes
• Encourage supervisors, managers, leaders, and facilitators to adopt new procedures, attitudes, or policies

For corporate events, nothing says says you have to use the term Learn-at-Lunch.  Instead you can even make your lunch menu a fun match to the topics.  Some ideas might be:  Tacos & Tools, Pizza N Presentations, Sandwiches & Sales, Training N Treats, Salad and Service, or Noodles & News. Get the idea?

For tips on Learn at Lunch, see:

• Why you would want to use this training option, review business productivity post The Marvelous Method of the Lunch and Learn!
• What to consider for short training modules via instructional design article Lunch N Learn: A Dollar Saving Training Option and Peak Performance Solutions post 10 Questions Leading to Impactful Lunch and Learn Topics.
• How to start this training option in posts containing Five Tips for Planning Learn-at-Lunch Events and How to Get Topics and Participants for Learn-at-Lunch Events.

Five Top Business Leadership Issues

Each year, I search business articles for common leadership themes and issues.  These business leadership issues are usually presented sometime in the first quarter of each year.  This year it was harder to find the top leadership issues as they seemed to be all over the place!  Some articles had the common threads of technology use, company culture, leader's personal needs awareness, change management, and staff/HR issues.  Although their approaches were somewhat different and in some cases contradictory!

Of the common leadership topics, below are the 5 most discussed business leadership issues in order of frequency of appearance in articles.  Although many have been covered on this blog before, I wrote on a few of the highest ranking concepts in posts and  linked to them in the numbered list below as well.

Five Top Leadership Issues 

1. Gender diversity (encourage more female leadership)
2. Continuous learning (promote training and education) 
3. Change management (communicate what changes and what remains the same)
4. Company culture (emphasize accountability and lead by example)
5. Generational gaps/diverstiy (are no longer high priority issue, yet need to remain aware of it)

Below are a few leadership articles you may want to check out on other issues:

• Employee engagement via technology or face-to-face in Leadership Imperative: Getting Back to Human from HR Technologist
• CEO's talk about regulations, scaling, and customer relations in  9 Biggest Business Challenges from Fast Company
• 4 Technology and 3 Staff issues in 10 Hot Leadership Topics from Development Dimensions International
• 6 items to consider in Leadership Trends to Watch For Now to 2022 from Forbes
• In the UK, team building and other employee diversity issues were listed in Five Leadership Trends to Watch from CEO Today 

Four Ways to Get Noticed for Promotion or Transfer

Are you wanting to move your career along, but feel stuck?  Do you think you are due for a promotion or want to get that transfer?  Get unstuck and start doing something to get noticed.  Below are four ways you can do that.

1. Remember ambition is not a bad thing.  So showing off your success is not bragging, it is just getting noticed.  Write it on progress reports and share it on social media if it is not corporate confidential work.  No need to be specific just post a quick bullet in hopes of attracting a mentor, network associate, and possibly the career you want.

2. Speak up in meetings.  If you have an idea that solves a problem or moves a project along, share it.  If you have a resource for necessary research or a needed skill set, let others know.  The more you show how you can help, the more you get noticed.  Getting noticed means being asked for opinions or getting assigned to more visible projects.

3. Take action whenever possible, do not wait for permission.  Do the work that needs to be done.  Take the lead on a team or volunteer for key projects.  Pro-activity and productivity get noticed too.

4. Find a mentor or coach who will recognize your capabilities and be willing to help you get there or guide your path. If you have a career goal, go for it by finding someone who will listen to your vision. 

Writing Resolutions: Two-Part Text

Often a committee, sub-committee, ad-hoc team, or sub-team may need to take their motion up to a higher-level authority (such as a board, officers, management/leadership, treasurer, assigning committee/team, etc.) for approval in order to finance an idea or corporately carry-out an initiative.  To make the approval process easier for that authority, instead of making a vocal motion or presentations during a meeting they will instead provide a written resolution.  A resolution is merely a main motion submitted in writing and it is used when requesting a formal decision from a higher body.  Although it is in writing, they may present the resolution by reading it aloud and then handing the authority’s secretary a copy of the written resolution.  Or they may do a formal presentation and then have 1 or 2 slides at the end that cover the written resolution, in this case they provide the secretary a copy of the presentation to attach to the approving authority’s minutes.

A resolution contains two parts:

1. Preamble (which are the reasons for the resolution and/or potential benefits to the organization)

·         Start each paragraph with “Whereas" capitalized

·         Close each paragraph with a semicolon (;) or comma(,) followed by "and"

·         Avoid the use of (.)  periods

·         Close the last paragraph with "therefore" or "therefore, be it"

2.  Resolution (written in motion form so the approving authority can just amend it as desired and then copy into their minutes).

·         Begin with italicized and capitalized words, "Resolved, That"

·         Then word the rest of the resolution in the format of desired decision