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Why Employees Are Not Highly Motivated & Committed

Doesn’t every executive and manager want highly motivated and committed employees?

The answer has to be yes. Most certainly, because everyone knows that highly motivated people are continually striving to do their very best. In fact, these employees use 100% of their brainpower on their work when on the job and often when not on the job and that makes them extremely valuable employees.

According to Stephen Covey, the difference between poorly motivated and highly motivated employees is about 500% in productivity. (more…)

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Don’t Shoot the Messenger

What do you do when someone approaches you with bad news at work? Or points out a problem with a product or service or processes that are negatively impacting business?

We have all been that person at some point, the reporter of an issue. We notice something is wrong, something that needs fixing. Many of us, perhaps too many of us, have had to stop and think: “Hmmm, how I am going to raise the problem?” Office politics often require we first consider if we might ruffle any feathers, generate negative attention, annoy a manager or colleague. We fear sticking our necks out, only to have our heads cut off.

Of course, this is not optimal, because now, what if you are the boss, the one that should be hearing about problems in the workplace? If you don’t know what is going wrong, then you have know hope of making sure things run well – you know, like a well-oiled, high performing team!

Turns out there is a specific procedure for ensuring you don’t shoot the messenger…and in the end, maximize the opportunity to exemplify exceptional leadership. (more…)

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Leadership Skills Success Story: The Power of Listening

There I was in a conference room with forty union mechanics voicing their complaints, suggestions and questions to a senior manager. Their General Manager, line managers, supervisors and I, as Vice President, were present.

The mechanics were members of a 1,300 person organization charged with overhauling powerhouse boilers, turbines and major auxiliary machinery—some really big stuff. Top executives in the company had considered the group grossly unsatisfactory. I had taken over about a year before this meeting and had been directed to either get rid of them or fix them. By this time, I had spent a considerable amount of time correcting deficiencies reported by employees. This resulted in substantial performance gains. However, all was not yet well.

A union steward claimed that the mishandling of asbestos had made their work very dangerous. The manager conducting the meeting denied these allegations. A loud argument then ensued and other attendees reacted negatively. (more…)

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Leadership Skills: Don’t be a Hip Shooter

We all do it from time to time, don’t we?

While sitting and listening to someone, we jump in with questions, opinions or solutions. We cut the person off or rush to judgment in an effort to move things along to a decision or some next step. Quickly set next steps to get more done. Or maybe, as we are taught to do as managers, leap to delegating tasks, because that is what good leaders do, they delegate.

However, as the boss, as the person in charge, this action or habit of quick responses is actually detrimental to the people you manage and lead. And we miss out, because thoughtful answers come with great benefits. (more…)

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How to Listen to Drive Team Performance Way Up

If listening is your most important leadership skill to develop as the boss, as a manager of people at every level of the company on up to executive suite (watch here), how do you perform this leadership skill extremely well?

There is a 5-step process to follow. Learn it, practice it, repeat and repeat. You will see changes in performance from people and groups in ways you did not imagine or believe possible.

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