Category: Leadership

Reading Time: 7 minutesOur brains are naturally wired to find repetition and patterns and to stick to what works. This tendency creates a path of least resistance, making our work more efficient. However, it can hinder creativity and innovation. For example, take our morning routines. We often perform these on autopilot, until something disrupts the process, such as running out of shampoo or losing our phone. While this mental efficiency can be helpful in some situations, it can become problematic when we need to think outside the box. Leading in an uncertain world poses an even greater challenge. The post-pandemic context, the possibility of economic recession, and the rise of artificial intelligence are just a few examples of the rapidly shifting macro-environment. This doesn’t even consider the movement of people into and out of our organizations, funding changes, the market’s evolution, etc. These factors can make it difficult to maintain stability and make informed decisions, highlighting the need for resilient and adaptable leadership. With these challenges in mind, there are seven critical components for leaders to develop or reinforce a resilient team. Understanding The Future Workplace Activating Emotional Intelligence Within Your Team Factors Of Employee Motivation Strategies For Employee Engagement A Hybrid Work Model For Collaboration, Flexibility, & Fulfillment The Power Of Coaching In The Workplace Reducing The Impact Of Labour Turnover So how do we cope with all this change? And as a leader, how do you help your people navigate times of uncertainty? First, consider the sequence of events. Uncertainty precedes change and often makes it difficult for humans because it forecasts possible change. The fear of the unknown is often more daunting than the actual impact of the change itself. This experience can be seen in a common chart known as the change curve (see below). This diagram has many variations, but the basic concept is the same. What To Expect As A Leader Amid Uncertainty Disruption: An event occurs providing knowledge or data about a particular situation. Uncertainty: Next, we process the potential impact and begin to analyze it to understand the potential impact. Exploration: Based on our analysis, we experiment and make necessary adjustments to adapt to the new reality. This could involve changing our behavior, attitudes, or actions to better align with the new information. Adoption: We begin to feel a sense of ownership and embrace our ability to influence the future. This means we are more confident in our ability to navigate the challenges that lie ahead and make decisions that will help us achieve our goals. 3 Types Of Support Systems That Can Help Leaders Stay On Track As we navigate the different stages of our personal and professional growth, we experience various emotions that can make the journey feel like a wild ride. We need specific tools and support systems for problem-solving to make sense of these emotions while staying on track. Frameworks are structures for identifying and processing. Relationships are sources of support and connectivity. Perspectives are solutions for confusion and problems. Frameworks are valuable tools for managing our emotions and improving decision-making. They can help us understand the patterns and triggers of our emotions and develop strategies for managing them. Plus, we often need support from trusted advisors to help navigate challenges and embrace change. These advisors can offer valuable mentorship and a seasoned perspective on current situations. Leaders who provide this kind of guidance can be especially helpful when processing emotions. By offering support, these leaders can help us identify blind spots, provide advice for overcoming obstacles, and suggest a new course of action. Did you notice an emerging theme within the previous content? Emotions. However, if you read most of the literature or frameworks on change and uncertainty in the workplace, you will notice little mention of the personal impact. Why Leaders Must Focus On The Emotional Toll Of Change Upon Their Teams Most change information, programming, and market consulting focus on organizational impacts. The two most common things you will hear concerning the workplace are change management and change leadership. Change Management: typically associated with a project or initiative and managing the change impact associated with that effort. Change Leadership: large-scale organizational changes that could impact culture or business operations. However, neither can happen effectively if we are not helping individuals deal with the emotional toll during times of uncertainty. Our employers, just like all of us, are at a loss. We did not evolve to work in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) whitewater, yet here we are. We know that if we do not take action, many will suffer. When employees are uncertain about the future of their job, the organization, or the industry, it can heighten anxiety, stress, and fear. These emotions can lead to several negative outcomes impacting the organization’s success. – time.com Organizations must recognize the impact of uncertainty on their employees and take steps to support them through periods of change. If not, leaders can expect to experience heightened levels of adverse effects in four critical primary areas. 4 Ways Change and Uncertainty Can Impact Organizational Health Less Productivity: Employees distracted by worries and concerns about their job security or the organization’s future may have difficulty focusing on their work, leading to lower productivity. Poor Morale: Uncertainty can create a sense of unease and erode employee morale, decreasing employee engagement and motivation. Higher Turnover: Employees uncertain about their workplace may seek more stable opportunities elsewhere, leading to higher turnover rates and increased costs associated with hiring and training new employees. Resistance To Change: When a disruption occurs, employees can fixate on their concerns, losing sight of the potential benefits of the change. As a result, the organization may struggle to gain traction to move forward amid uncertainty. Unfortunately, some leaders overlook the impact of ignoring or not supporting their team in this area. This is a grave mistake, as leaders can significantly influence how employees respond to change within their organization. Leadership contributes 71% of the success of change amongst employees.

Reading Time: 4 minutesThere is an old adage in leadership circles that “the best test for whether a leader is exceptional is how they handle a crisis.” Unfortunately, leading during crises is tricky. A crisis situation presents a ton of competing tensions. The best leaders manage these times of uncertainty by embracing paradoxical leadership—behaviors that manage seemingly competing, yet interrelated demands.  Outlined below are four paradoxes that can pop up during times of change. To help practicing managers understand how best to flex their “paradoxical leadership” potential, I offer some examples specific to the coronavirus pandemic. For managers, the outbreak was complex and confusing to overcome, making it a textbook opportunity to evaluate how best to lead during uncertain times. https://youtu.be/5AFbizzwffQ Balancing Speed and Accuracy When a crisis hits, team members want to know what’s going on and what the plan of action is. For example, as the pandemic spread across the U.S., leaders were struggling to make big decisions because the situation was constantly changing. They had to make big decisions, such as travel restrictions, remote work policies, and preemptive cost-cutting solutions. The challenge for leaders is balancing the need to communicate with team members in a timely manner, yet provide information that is accurate and actually helpful. When leaders wait too long to communicate critical messages, employees fill the void with their own assumptions, and often lose faith in their leader’s ability. But when business leaders provide half-baked, unclear, or misinformed messages to their employees, it makes it that much harder to overcome the challenges as a team. Leaders should proactively consider varying courses of action, ensure that they are in-the-know as critical information surfaces, and then immediately focus their attention on offering timely decision-making and direction, but never at the expense of accuracy. Balancing Uncertainty and Clarity Crises are unfortunate in that they cut to the core of a need we all have: security. Although a leadership team might feel compelled to reassure their employees that everything is going to be fine during difficult times, in reality, they can’t make that promise. Making statements, for example, about when pre-pandemic policies will go back into effect may have satisfied employees’ immediate concerns, but was a guess at best. What a leader can do is communicate what exactly they are doing to manage the uncertainty. This, in and of itself, is a way to help people feel more secure. For example, leaders should have been outlining who they are working with or talking to in order to have an evidence-based recommendation for how to overcome each step of the outbreak. Balancing Details and the Big Picture Crises tend to have varying levels of uncertainty and a wide variety of implications. Specific to the pandemic, it affected individuals’ health and livelihood, organizations’ short-term profitability and long-term survival, and society’s overall health and economic stability.  Leaders must carefully explain to employees why and how their choices affect these important and connected systems. It’s a mistake to only explain to employees how the organization’s decisions affect them individually. For example, it should have been clear that the reason employees were being encouraged to work remotely had just as much to do with contributing to the societal-level initiative to “flatten the curve” as it did with employees’ personal health. Balancing the Past and the Present When the coronavirus was finally under control, lots of us stopped working 100% remotely, customers re-scheduled their canceled meetings, and supply chains eventually caught up. This was actually the best opportunity to evaluate crisis leadership. We tend to think of crisis leadership as an in-the-moment phenomenon. But this is only partially true. When the dust clears, everyone will have plenty of time to critique the extent to which their leader was prepared to manage the crisis. It will be at this stage where great leaders admit their mistakes and create a plan for going forward, while weak leaders will spend so much time covering their tracks or justifying their decisions that they will squander the opportunity to re-group. Crises, by definition, are complicated and unpredictable. Mistakes are inevitable. Effective leaders embrace the mistakes of the past, yet have a clear plan for the future. Crisis Leadership Is About Balancing Paradox Leading a crisis is an imperfect balancing act. The change and uncertainty that teams will face is loaded with paradox. That’s why we need leaders that can embrace these tips in order to manage difficult situations. Instead of judging your crisis leadership skills on whether or not you did one thing perfectly (e.g., speed), consider evaluating whether you simultaneously did two things well (e.g., speed and accuracy). And instead of judging yourself on whether or not your decisions where “perfect,” it might instead be helpful to evaluate whether the way you communicated about your decisions included room to correct mistakes and acknowledge the complex realities of the situation. By definition, it’s impossible to “solve” paradoxes. All you can really do is acknowledge them and then do your best to keep afloat. If you’re a leader ready to learn practical management skills that utilize coaching to develop your team, check out the Boss To Coach Playbook. Learn More About Dr. Scott Dust Scott Dust, Ph.D. is the Fealy Family Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati. Scott is also the Chief Research Officer at Cloverleaf, an HR-tech platform that facilitates coaching insights for everyone. Scott earned his Ph.D. in Management and Organizational Behavior at the LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, and his B.S. and M.B.A. from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. His primary areas of research are leadership, leader-follower relationships, and teams. His work has appeared in academic journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Leadership Quarterly, and Human Relations, and he currently serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Group and Organization Management, and Journal of Social Psychology.

Reading Time: 4 minutesHow much does trust REALLY matter? Let’s do the math (Thanks Workforce Institute) Nearly two-thirds (64%) of employees say trust has a direct impact on their sense of belonging at work. Employees who do not feel trusted are less productive: Two-thirds (68%) say that the perception of low trust hurts their daily effort. Those are some interesting numbers but what does that mean for YOU, a new manager, faced with managing a group of humans waiting for you to guide them?  You may also be thinking that employee trust is a two-way street, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But right now, you only have 100% control over yourself, so let’s start there. Building Trust Starts with….Relationships Think of the person you trust most in your own life. Maybe it’s a partner, parent, or best friend. When you think of WHY you trust them, what comes to mind? You might feel that there is a lack of feeling judged, a feeling of being able to be yourself and they might even be great listeners.  While work relationships and employee engagement may be a bit different, having some of these aspects present between you and your team members can only be a good thing. This will be easy with some people. Others may make you reach for that second cup of coffee while trying really hard not to eye roll. Yes, sometimes we have to manage difficult people, people we would NEVER be friends with outside of work, and even people who utterly annoy us.  This is where you grow and build mutual respect. Where you get to shine as a leader is in how you build trusting relationships in your work environment with those that are the most difficult. How Trust Opens Doors We’ll get to the HOW of trust in a moment, but ultimately, trust between you and your individual team members AND within your team just makes things happen. When you establish trust it opens the door to increased productivity, quality of work outputs, and yes, an ENJOYABLE experience at work. 50 years ago people went to work to get a paycheck. Now people (rightfully so) demand that they might actually get to enjoy what they do.  When trust is present 1-1 with your team members: You’ll be perceived as approachable and able to get ahead of problems that need to be solved ASAP. You’ll learn more quickly how to leverage the talent of your team members for optimal performance.  You’ll keep people: If you’ve ever had to pick up the slack when a team member leaves, you know the importance of employee retention. When trust is present AMONGST your entire team: You might actually like going to work. You’ll all feel like you’ve got each other’s backs. This leads to less stress and burnout when a company culture where no one is left to fend for themselves is in place. You’ll unlock creativity and potential in each other which has a ripple effect on collaboration, and productivity while helping people do their best work. How and WHY to Identify a Lack of Trust You’ve just been promoted, and you sense that a member of your team is pretty stand-off-ish. In your first 1-1 with this team member they give a lot of one-word answers, don’t make much eye contact, and don’t seem too interested to let you in. We don’t always know EXACTLY what is going on so be careful not to jump to conclusions. When you sense a lack of trust, good leaders know how to get in there and open up the difficult conversations. If trust isn’t present, you have to do the hard work and find out why. Now, this doesn’t mean going full-on “Olivia Benson SVU” and interrogating the person as if they are suspected of a crime. It does however mean an honest conversation with a few powerful, yet tactful questions: Start with:  “I want to make sure you feel comfortable coming to me with whatever you need support with.” Followed by these options: How do you think we can work together best? Is there anything you need to share for us to have the most productive work relationship? What type of support do you feel you need most from me right now? From what they share, LISTEN before responding, and know that this may take more than one conversation. HUMAN SKILL PROGRAMS ARE HITTING LIMITATIONS…​ 5 THINGS THIS FREE RESOURCE WILL TEACH YOU Close the widening gap between learning and on-the-job application Overcome the tension of pausing productivity for development opportunities Integrate learning so it is actually in the flow of work The evolution of human skill development What Automated Coaching™ is and how it works. How to Build Trust With Your Team Let’s go back to what people are actually saying. In that same Workforce Institute research we shared earlier, they asked team members how their managers can earn their trust. Here are some of the top answers and some practical tips to go along with it. Be Dependable For people to count on you, they need to be clear and consistent. Do what you say you will, and if you CAN’T do it, communicate the change as soon as possible.  Be a calendar warrior. Include reminders for when you said you would check in with individuals or projects and don’t rely on sticky notes or your own memory. Ask for help from YOUR boss when you need it. Don’t try to be a hero or a lone ranger. Lean into teamwork and speak up when you need support.  Actively Listen Active listening is an art. It means NOT thinking about your to-do list, your weekend plans, or your latest Netflix series obsession while someone else is talking to you. Trustworthy leaders focus on improving their employee listening skills.  Focus on what the person is also NOT saying. Observe their behavior, emotions, and body language. What is your gut telling you to say or ask next? Clarify and reflect back

Reading Time: 3 minutesCongratulations! You’ve just been promoted to management.  Whether you are a first-time manager or a new manager within your organization, this can be an exciting time. You’ve received your “how to manage people in all circumstances” handbook right? (Just kidding). Managing humans is something we aren’t always prepared for. We might be highly skilled in our industry, but have a lot to uncover about being a great leader. It’s an ongoing journey. Here at Cloverleaf, we are all about supporting people AND teams to thrive.  You may have heard it said that people don’t leave jobs, they leave their boss. In Gallup®’s research, featured in the 2019 publication, “It’s the Manager,” one of the most important data points is that an overwhelming 70% of variance between high workplace engagement and workplace disengagement can be directly attributed to quality of the leader.  https://youtu.be/ebkSjoau8d4 What does coaching mean to you?  Being a “boss” might conjure up images of status and power, but being a “coach” presents you as a champion for your team. Your job as a leader is not about checking off boxes when things get done, but ensuring that each team member is engaged, productive, and continuously being developed. You don’t have to learn to be a master coach, you still have your own job to do. This is more about learning to take a coaching approach to leading, or moving from a boss to coach mindset. It’s not something you learn overnight. It’s almost like learning a new language, the language of leadership.  Here’s a quick example: Boss: “That report needs to be complete asap no matter what. There’s no other option than to get it done.” Coach: “That report is definitely a priority. What support do you need to prioritize what is on your plate to ensure we can meet the deadline?” What does a boss say vs. what does a coach say? How to move from boss to coach We’ve gathered some of the most important tips to empower first-time managers in their new role and to help you go from boss to coach. Along the way, we’ll share bite-size practical management skills that you can use right away. Here’s a sneak peak: Leadership Vs. Management: We’ll help you discover the difference between managing and leading. By learning this distinction you’ll get clarity on when you use which approach.  Humility, Empathy, and Better Communication: Discover optimal communication strategies for multiple situations. By gaining clarity on how to leverage humility and empathy appropriately, you’ll create a work environment built on respect. Building Trust: Create a deep understanding of what building trust in the workplace looks like. Learn practical repeatable strategies on how to build trust with your team as you manage.  How To Coach As A Manager: Coaching Skills 101: Learn how to coach as a manager using quick and easy techniques to have impactful conversations with your team. Learn how to coach on the fly in almost any situation.  How To Give Feedback: Find out how to prepare for providing consistent positive and constructive feedback. Apply specific approaches to giving good feedback that contributes to developing a culture where feedback is solicited.  Conflict Resolution & Having Difficult Conversations: Walk away with specific difficult conversation starters you can use for tough topics and how to manage conflict. Strategize and create your own signature process for tackling team conflict and difficult conversations.  Motivating Employees in the Workplace: Learn how to tap into employee motivation to get the best work out of everyone. Discover micro-recognition activities that can fast track igniting employee motivation.  Performance Management: Discover a new and innovative approach to performance management through multiple touchpoints and coaching conversations. Find out how to use goal-setting effectively to help team members get results and develop their careers. Virtual Team Management: Uncover simple strategies to create healthy communication and productivity with virtual teams. Find out how to recreate “water cooler moments” when your team is dispersed. Leading During Change / Uncertainty: Leverage key approaches to leading people during change to support performance and engagement. Uncover important pitfalls to avoid while managing change. Managing and Developing High Performing Teams: Now that you have your playbook of things to remember, uncover the strategies on how to manage and develop high-performing teams. Help people win individually and together. One of the most important places to start is distinguishing between leadership and management. We may use these terms interchangeably, but they are different concepts. Once you have “leader mode” articulated you can be aware of when to leverage it for success. This awareness will help guide you through all of the other information about coaching employees we are going to share. Here’s to your success. If you’re a leader ready to learn practical management skills that utilize coaching to develop your team, check out the Boss To Coach Playbook. Take a product tour