Leadership Tips & Teamwork

Teamwork

Strong, positive teamwork is defined by a leader who has a vision and the ability to inspire his or her team to work toward the realization of that vision.

The leader is not threatened in the least by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. Rather, a good team leader engages his or her teammates in a discussion about what quality looks like, what is needed to perform and complete the job, and empowers the team members to always strive for quality improvement.

Let’s break all that down into its component parts.

• The first is a clearly defined leader. I believe every team must have a leader. There must be someone who is in charge and makes the ultimate decisions.

          Team members may take turns being the leader as long as everyone is clear who the leader is               on any given day. Another variation of that theme is to have certain people be the leader for               projects that are in their area of expertise. However, in every event, there can be no question           among teammates who is the leader for that day or project.

• The leader needs to have a vision. This is similar to Covey’s second habit, “Begin with the end in mind.” A true leader creates the end product twice--once mentally and then in its actual physical form. It is impossible to lead toward a fuzzy vision. People are simply not inspired to follow uncertainty.

• Having the vision is not enough to inspire teammates to strive toward the same goal. A good team leader knows how to help each teammate see how the end product or service will be useful and what, exactly, their individual contribution is toward that end.

How does the janitor contribute to fans’ enjoyment at a professional baseball game? By providing a clean, neat bathroom experience--that’s how. If the janitor sees himself as a critical cog in the big picture goal and he receives positive recognition for it, then he is more likely to perform his job with enthusiasm.

• Another component of being able to inspire one’s teammates is having a clearly defined mission that everyone, preferably, has had a part in developing, but if not, then at least team members can agree to the previously established team mission.

This becomes important in times of conflict between team members. When there is a dispute to be solved, it is helpful to have an already established way to measure the solution. Solutions are always held up against the mission and whether or not it will move the team closer to or further from the ultimate goal.

The other advantage of having a mission that has been agreed upon by all team members is that it can enhance cooperation. One of the most difficult things to manage on a team is an individual ego. There can be petty jealousies and a competitive spirit that can kill the cooperation of the best team. The mission statement is a way to minimize this potential for disaster.

The mission remains the focus to which everything else is compared. An individual’s action is either helpful or hurtful to the mission and dealt with accordingly. The group’s goal must always be placed above any individual’s desires or ego. Jealousy and backstabbing have no useful place on a team.

• A good leader is in no way threatened by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. The best leaders are always seeking information from the front line people who are doing the actual work. Without information from team members, the leader’s hands are tied behind his or her back.

It is also critical to use team members in their areas of expertise. Leaders can’t know everything about everything. There will be team members who have skills and abilities that surpass those of the leader in certain areas. A good leader will ask for help when it is prudent.

This is also a time to value diversity. Having a team made up of people who all do the same jobs in pretty much the same way really has no value. One person could more easily do the job than assembling a homogenous team.

The value of a team comes from its heterogeneity. Getting feedback and suggestions from people who do things differently is what will spark the creativity and the genius of the team. This is what masterminding is all about. Tap into the wealth that is already there.

• Finally, a good leader holds the bar high. He or she does not ask his team to be average or mediocre. Average and mediocre can be easily replaced. The leader asks his or her team to collectively do their very best and when they are done, the leader asks them to always strive for continuous improvement. The work is never done. The team should always be evaluating what has been implemented and be comfortable making suggestions for ways to do it even better.

Previously, I mentioned that a good leader empowers his or her teammates. Creating a need-satisfying environment does this. Team members must get along and know that the leader and the company have their best interests at heart. They must feel important, listened to and respected. They must have the freedom to make choices within the context of their assignments and they must have some fun in their work.

It is also critical for team members to feel safe. This means that they are not fearful in any way. The team leader is critical in fostering this environment for the empowerment of the entire team.

If you would like Kim to come to your company to provide teamwork training, call her at 708-957-6047 or email kim@coachingforexcellence.biz.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Monday, January 19, 2009, this country celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I have a great friend and colleague, Marcus Gentry, who will be performing as Dr. Martin Luther King that day at the Dusable Museum of African-American History in Chicago. If you can get there, you will not be disappointed. Mr. Gentry performs there every year and does a phenomenal job. Close your eyes and you would believe Dr. Martin Luther King were in the room with you.

What else is so special about Marcus Gentry's performance is that he doesn't just tell the story of Dr. Martin Luther King's life as a civil rights leader. Mr. Gentry tells the story of Dr. King as a boy, a student, a man, a husband and a father. His life is made real for the audience.

If you want to listen to Marcus Gentry performing some of Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches, then click here. Marcus Gentry can be also be contacted at www.marcusgentry.com should you want to book him to portray Dr. Marin Luther King at one of your events.

Diversity Q & A

Question: I am all about this diversity thing and our company has been trying to hire African-Americans but every time we do, there is always a problem and we end up having to fire them. Should we be lowering our standards for employment so that we can have more black people working here?

Answer: Well, there are many things that come to mind with this question. First the direct answer to your question is no. I do not suggest that standards be lowered so you can meet some kind of self-imposed quota system. It does not honor a member of a minority group to lower expectations for them.

There are many things that contribute to a minority member’s lack of success in the workplace. First, I would want to know how many African-Americans have you hired? Your question sounds like a sweeping generalization based on limited experience. Second, is your company a place where an African-American worker would feel welcome? What is the diversity climate of your workplace? Third, is your company one that expects a great degree of acculturation on the part of the minority worker and a lack of assimilation is the basis for you saying that African-American workers simply do not work out? Finally, many minority workers claim that they are not told about their performance deficits and given an opportunity to make changes prior to disciplinary action or being fired. It seems that the good intentions of some supervisors in wanting to be supportive of minority workers and women, often put them at a disadvantage by not providing them with timely feedback. Those are the initial thoughts that come to mind with your question.

If you would like to talk to me about it further, you may email me at Kim@CoachingoforExcellence.biz or call 708-957-6047.

The Platinum Rule

Do you remember the golden rule? We all learned it: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Most of us were raised with this philosophy and it served us well. However, I am suggesting that in a diverse workplace, we need to upgrade the golden rule. Perhaps the rule our parents taught us was the  golden rule and what I am now proposing could be called the platinum rule.

The new rule is: “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” It is not enough anymore to simply treat others as you would want to be treated because not everyone is like you. We need to take the time to dialogue and have conversation around how others want to be treated and then proceed in that fashion. Imagine how much better a world we could create if we only asked.

Diversity Quote

“Diversity without unity makes about as much sense as dishing up flour, sugar, water, eggs, shortening and baking powder on a plate and calling it a cake.”
---C. William Pollard

When put like this, one gets a great visual! It’s not enough to say that you hire women, blacks, and Hispanics. Simply giving someone a job is just the beginning. Do you remember the days when the United States was called a melting pot? That analogy didn’t hold up because it meant that we take all these diverse peoples, add them together, stir things up and come out with a melted down version and everyone is the same. That is what many businesses are supporting today. It’s acceptable to hire women and minorities as long as they “act” like white males. Corporate America is still striving for the melting pot. What we need is a salad bowl where everyone can maintain their unique flavors but when put together, the salad is greater than the sum of its individual parts.

We will not truly value diversity until there is unity. People and differences will no longer be tolerated; they will be respected and appreciated. We need a sense of teamwork and togetherness. We must value the differences and actually see and understand how what each person brings to the table is an asset. I remember when women wanted to be firefighters and many men argued and complained that women had no right to attempt to do manual labor that required the strength of a man. One of the things I always thought about is what if there were a structural fire and a child was hiding in a small space. Wouldn’t it be possible that a woman might be able to enter a smaller space and calm a frightened child? Her differences adds an advantage to the team.

Instead of being frustrated by differences, we must learn to recognize them and find a way for those differences to create a stronger team, provide value in the marketplace and generally enhance the lives of those who experience it. There must be unity or minority members will not feel comfortable sharing their expertise, people will go about doing things in a random fashion and too much time will be wasted arguing about who is right instead of looking for ways to leverage the contributions of each member of the team.

Book Review: Voices of Diversity

Voices of Diversity:
Real People Talk about Problems and Solutions in a
Workplace Where Everyone is Not Alike
By Renee Blank and Sandra Slipp

This is an excellent book to assist managers who are attempting to do the right thing for minorities and women and just don’t really know how to proceed. This book can be very enlightening about the unconscious systems that are in place that keep minorities and women from prospering in the workplace. The first two chapters discuss the make up of the American workplace and issues such as stereotypes, which are dangerous, and group tendencies, which help us to be aware of certain possibilities within a group. These first chapters also discuss group identity and individual differences, which are often greater within a group than between groups.

The second part of the book has individual chapters devoted to the following groups: African-Americans; Asian-Americans; Latinos; recent immigrants to American; workers with disabilities; younger and older workers; gays and lesbians; women and white men. In the first section of each chapter, the authors summarize their extensive interviews with members of each of these groups. The interviewees actually described the issues, as they see them, in their own words. It is very valuable to hear the unadulterated comments from the workers, who may be intimidated to bring up the same issues or concerns to their supervisors. Then in the second part of each chapter, specific workplace scenarios are discussed. The situations are analyzed, with the mistakes outlined and suggestions for improvements offered. Reading this book and following the suggestions will help any supervisor be more sensitive to the needs all their employees.

The final two chapters in the book are dedicated to giving advice on how to communicate better to facilitate understanding in diversity-related matters. One chapter offers suggestions for those who are not a member of the majority at work, while the final chapter is written for managers or supervisors attempting to facilitate understanding in a diverse workplace environment.

I would highly recommend this book if you are seriously ready to hear what your employees have to say and are prepared to do something about it. Click here to order.

Diversity in the Workplace

This post’s focus is on diversity in the workplace. This has been a hot topic for at least the past 15 years and I am committed to the notion of equality and fairness for all, including white males. After all, isn’t that what our founding fathers had in mind when they wrote the words, “All men are created equal”? Do you think they only meant white-skinned, Protestant, males of European descent? Let’s hope not. What I believe is that most of the isms (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) come from two camps--ignorance from a lack of direct experience and fear.

Those who fall into the first category are people who are basing their belief system on very limited and possibly negative experiences with members of the target group or no direct experience at all. Our allegiance to our biases may come from loyalty or connection to others who have expressed strong prejudices against the target group. When we are raised in a household or a segment of society where stereotypes are freely expressed about a particular group, then it becomes uncomfortable to stand against those belief systems, particularly when it leaves us standing against loved ones and those we have known our whole lives.

Also, it’s possible to have had a single or a few negative experiences with members of a particular group. It’s human nature to distance ourselves from wrongdoing so when we are involved in a negative experience, we attempt to categorize how our offender is different from us. If we can latch onto race, ethnicity, gender or age, then it’s somehow a relief to be separate from the perpetrator. The problem with this, however, is that we are developing broad, generalized prejudicial beliefs about a group of people that is based on just one or a few of its members. How would you like to be judged by what a few members or your identified group do?

For those in the second group, fear develops from the scarcity mentality. How often have I heard it stated that the United States should close its borders! “We have enough immigrants and they are taking away all the jobs from good, tax-paying American citizens.” These are the people who believe that since they got theirs, no one else should be allowed to have a part of the promised rewards. After all, there won’t be enough for everyone. There is a fear that something will be taken from them.

There is an even bigger fear that mostly comes from an unconscious place. When you are a member of the majority group and that group has been oppressing minority groups for whatever reason, there is always a fear that if the minority group(s) gain power, then they may do to the majority what was done to them. This is not a valid reason not to make right what has been wrong. It may be human nature to seek power but as a people, as human beings, we must seek ways to create power with each other instead of craving power over each other. That is what diversity in the workplace is all about. All people coming together--bringing with them their unique talents, skills and abilities in an effort to create the best possible products and services for a diverse marketplace. Isn’t that a concept you can get behind? Let’s start today.

Click here to purchase Kim's book, Leveraging Diversity at Work.

Free Diversity Teleconference

Celebrate Diversity
          May 6, 2008-- 8:45 - 9:45 p.m. EST        

Do you maintain a diverse workforce in your place of business? Do you celebrate diversity? Would you like to learn how to create a diverse workplace that embraces diversity? Register for this call and learn how creating a diverse workforce in your place of business can increase your bottom line and create a more pleasant work environment for you, your co-workers and your employees.

Diversity Workshop

Diversity from the Inside Out
  Prairie State College,   Matteson, IL
  March 20, 2008
  8:30 - 4:30

Discover how to create a diverse workplace that embraces diversity. Register for workshop now and discover how creating a diverse workforce in your place of business can increase profits, reduce turnover, and create a more pleasant and productive work environment for you, your co-workers and your employees.

Happy Martimas Day

Today is a day set aside to honor the life of one of the greatest leaders of our time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This man gave his life for fairness and equality in the United States.

Today I plan to go to DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago and plan to listen to my friend and colleague, Marcus Gentry, perform an emotional rendition of the life and times of this great man. Please come and join me.

What did you do to celebrate Martimas Day?