Take a real holiday from work

We mentioned in our last blog article that businesses still need to be productive during the holiday season, and employees shouldn’t mentally check out just because the radio is currently playing holiday songs. And it’s up to you, the leader, to set a good example for the workplace and to maintain a solid work ethic.

But you still deserve a break, especially if your company plans to close down for the holidays.

However, it appears many people will not give themselves even one day off during the holiday break. According to a survey by Expedia, many working Americans will fail to use at least two vacation days this year.

Yes, there are always demands at work, and sometimes they seem to grow by the day. But it truly is better for the company, and for you, to take a break.

When you don’t take time away from work, you indirectly give off the message that you don’t value vacation time. This can possibly cause your employees to get frustrated and disengaged with the company’s culture.

You should not only take vacation, but also encourage your employees to do the same. Taking vacation really does help to improve everyone’s morale at work. Plus, many times the break allows you to gain a fresh perspective on the vision for the company, and to think of new ways to keep the company moving forward.

On the same note, those days you have off from work shouldn’t be spent answering emails on your phone, it should be about taking the time to recharge and regroup. You should be more concerned about how many marshmallows to put in your hot chocolate, not thinking about next year’s marketing budget.

Allow yourself to take a vacation. Here are some tips to help you out:

Let everyone know.

Your direct reports and boss know about your company’s holiday break, but make sure your clients are aware as well. Be sure to change your voicemail and email to state when the office will be closed.

Set clear expectations.

Make sure people understand the goals they are accountable for achieving either before the team leaves for the holiday break, or what they need to accomplish first thing when everyone returns. Discuss your team’s goals and action plans with your team members to ensure that the plans are feasible. Listen carefully to their objections and make modifications where possible.

Truly unplug.

Avoid the temptation to check your email to see if there is anything that requires your attention. Why? Well, you’ll most likely get dragged into something that could wait. Remember, if anything urgent happens, you’ll get a call immediately. Also, try to stay away from the internet, or just simply limit your computer usage. You look at a computer screen for long periods of time during working hours; your eyes could use a break.

When you take a real holiday from work, your team will follow your lead, which means everyone will be that much more refreshed when the workforce returns to the office.

Why being a perfectionist leader is a perfect mess

As you are aware, leaders are not only responsible for their job, but the work of their direct reports. So it should come as no surprise that most leaders expect top performance from their workers and don’t tolerate mediocrity in their workforce.

But what if your high expectations result in you acting as a perfectionist?

In theory, it would seem that exhibiting perfectionist qualities isn’t necessary a terrible thing. On one hand, it means you are dedicated to performing at the top of your game, and will work harder than anyone else to achieve results. But on the other hand, perfectionism has a negative side that can lead to destructive behaviors.

The definition of perfectionism is the idea that a state of completeness and flawlessness can and should be attained. Perfectionists believe that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable.

This is why many consider perfectionist bosses the hardest to work with because nothing is ever good enough for them. These kinds of bosses have unrealistic expectations and typically present micromanaging characteristics, which can impact the overall morale of the company. In addition, perfectionists can actually get sidetracked by trying to make everything perfect that they end up halting the progress of a project, and can cause the company to miss deadlines.

Perfectionism not only causes the individual plenty of stress and anxiety, but can make other lives miserable as well.

Here are top five signs of perfectionism according to an article in BBC News:

1.) You can't stop thinking about a mistake you made

2) You are intensely competitive and can't stand doing worse than others

3) You demand perfection from other people

4) You won't ask for help if asking can be perceived as a flaw or weakness

5) You are a fault-finder who must correct other people when they are wrong

One way to overcome these perfectionist tendencies is learning to let go and trusting your employees to get the job done.

However, if you’re unsure of how you are perceived (and if you act as a perfectionist), you could be working with blind spots. The more successful you are, the greater your risk of developing blind spots. One of the best ways to get a clear understanding of your strengths and weakness is gather 360 Feedback from those around you. Feedback can give you the opportunity to adjust your behavior and have a bit more balance in your life.

Let’s reflect for a moment, is perfection even possible? What do you think?

Is your company a scary place to work?

With Halloween just around the corner, many workplaces are in the Halloween “spirit” such as having bowls full of candy, and even holding costume contests. But what about after Halloween has come and gone, is your workplace letting off a scary vibe year-round?

For instance, do employees get howled at if they’ve done something wrong? Is your office dark and dingy, more or less like a dungeon of some sort? Are some employees checked out where they almost act dead, or numb toward their role and the company? Okay, catch my drift (and the Halloween references)?

It’s no secret that a happy workforce equals productive and engaged employees, and many times it all comes down to the company culture. Every company has a culture, and it is up to the leadership to set the tone. One important way to establish a positive workplace culture is to make sure your employees are motivated.
As a leader, you have many rewards available to you, and one way to motivate people is to give them incentives and rewards. Whether or not you can offer salary increases or promotions, you can offer appreciation and acknowledgment for the good work of others.

Sure, it is important to honor birthdays, employee anniversaries and to make sure there is accurate light in the office (to not give off a dungeon vibe). But another vital way to set an encouraging workplace culture is to empower your employees.

When you empower your employees, it means you are open to input and support initiative in others. Listening to and involving your direct reports in a discussion is a key skill in building commitment for organizational success. By encouraging others to participate, you elicit ideas for solving problems and find the best solutions. When your employees contribute they feel more ownership of the project or plan at hand.

Think about your leadership style in recent months, were you open to suggestions from your employees? If not, you may be perceived as not valuing suggestions, so you may not receive many. Or you may not listen respectfully to what others have to say.

When you don’t listen to suggestions, this cuts you off from good ideas for solving problems or charting a new direction for your team or organization. It also diminishes initiative from others. People possibly feel that their good work is not praised or rewarded, so morale may be lower than it could be.

We won’t leave this one a cliffhanger; here are some tips to remember:

Make it a goal to recognize the positive contributions of each person you work with at least once each week.

Two keys to motivating team members are to first understand what they find rewarding, and then to administer the desired rewards for behaviors that are aligned with team success.

Catch team members doing something right. Then make sure you give them positive feedback.

Hold special recognition or celebration lunches to acknowledge team member accomplishments or successful completion of projects.

Recognize that the higher up on the organizational ladder you are, the more important it is for you to ask others for their opinions and to just listen when they talk. Some people are reluctant to talk with those higher in the organization. With these people, it is important that you actively seek their ideas and contributions.

While it is fun to be scared during Halloween, it’s another thing to be scared of where you work. Remember that when your company culture is encouraging ideas and input, employees will be motivated and even thankful to come to work.

Hmm, maybe you should aim to have a Thanksgiving vibe, or better yet just make sure you empower your employees.

Managers, sharpen up your coaching game

Who is your favorite sports coach?

Well, if you’re a manager, you might want to pay closer attention to their leadership skills. The role of the manager is evolving, and coaching skills are becoming necessary for managing and leading in a changing business environment.

Yes, not only do you need to be a manager and a leader to your direct reports, you also need to be a coach. Many people have untapped potential that needs to be engaged, and one way to unleash that is to develop a coaching managerial style.

But if you don’t understand why you need to develop coaching skills, first check out these definitions from Wikipedia:

“Management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively.” 

“Coaching is the practice of supporting an individual through the process of achieving a specific personal or professional result.”

Not so different, is it?

A coaching management style focuses on developing employees and providing opportunities for them to improve their skills and produce better results through mentoring and training. Adding coaching skills can help managers create a motivating environment that can increase the probability of an employee’s success by providing feedback, recognition, and support.

Keep in mind, incorporating coaching skills into your management style does not mean that your responsibilities as a supervisor no longer exist. But instead of checking and monitoring the work on a consistent basis, coaching enables managers to develop a relationship with their employees that create a shared understanding about what needs to be achieved.

If you don’t take the time to develop coaching skills, you may give the impression to your direct reports that you are not available to support them when they are having problems. You may be perceived as a leader who lets group members “sink or swim” based on their own ingenuity.

If you want to be viewed as an advocate or mentor in your direct reports’ career pursuits, here are some development tips to keep in mind:

· Sharpen your skills in coaching by working with someone who will give you feedback on your coaching skills.

· Attend meetings of coaching groups to gain expertise in coaching skills.

· Hire your own coach for a period of time. Notice what this person does to help you succeed in achieving your goals, and practice using similar methods with your team members when appropriate.

· Find out about the training and development opportunities available in your organization, and pass this information along to your team members. Encourage team members to participate in these activities, and allow work time for this whenever possible.

· Identify the weakest performer on your team. Together develop a plan to improve his/her performance, jointly setting the goals. Include regular assessments and rewards for success.

Some managers aren’t ready for the role

Lots of employees complain about their bosses. After all, if your company has at least one employee, they are probably going to have a complaint. These complaints about managers can be simple frustrations to full-on discontent.

But what if the manager secretly agrees with some of these complaints?

A new survey from CareerBuilder asked more than 2,480 employees and 3,910 workers to rate their company’s leaders. Among the managers that were surveyed, 26% said they weren’t ready to become leaders when they first took the job.

Why are some new managers not ready for the role and responsibilities that come with the job? Well, some managers have been promoted as a way to reward and encourage high performers. Sure, these employees may have contributed to the bottom line, but it doesn’t mean they will automatically become a great manager.

Many times these managers do bring a specialized talent to their new position, but they need to broaden their competencies in order to become models of leadership for the whole organization. They have to grasp bigger picture issues and motivate teams to tackle problems.

Without proper transition into the role, the organization could lose a great individual contributor and gain a mediocre manager. And a mediocre manager could eventually become ineffective at motivating and engaging employees.

New managers need the appropriate tools and training to help fully understand their new role. One tool to aid in this transition is the 360 feedback process.

Candid feedback on one's management competencies gives the new manager clarification on their role, as well as what behaviors need to continue, be stopped, or be changed.

Making use of such feedback can be a powerful development tool for leaders who are looking to mitigate any weaknesses and capitalize on strengths. Both positive and negative feedback can help leaders improve their performance.

Instilling a feedback culture is one way to soften the transition from peer to manager.

Now it’s your turn, what tips do you have for new managers?