Six ways leaders can inspire 21st century employees

By Sam Bell FIML

 

Many leaders struggle to inspire others. Yet, according to a survey conducted by Bain Research, employees are more than twice as productive if they are ‘satisfied’ employees. This suggests leaders who can inspire might provide a powerful competitive edge for their organisations.

In a similar vein, Harvard Business School gathered data from the assessments of more than 50,000 leaders, and the ability to inspire stood out as one of the most important competencies. It was the single trait that created the highest levels of staff engagement, and it separated the best leaders from everyone else. Crucially, it was what most employees wanted to see in their leaders.

Underscoring the importance of inspirational leadership inside workplaces, Gallup identified in their State of the Global Workplace report that 51% of employees are unengaged in their work and 17% are actively disengaged. This means that, on average, only 32% of employees are actively engaged in the workplace. Ultimately, organisations cannot survive or perform well with statistics like these.

 

TWO TYPES OF INSPIRATIONAL LEADER

I believe inspirational leaders can be placed in two distinct categories. Firstly, there are leaders who inspire a diverse population of people whom they have never physically met. These are usually leaders in their field – sport, politics, military and business – whom people admire because of their vision, their struggle, their achievements or their failures. Perhaps the most highly acclaimed inspirational figure of recent times who falls into this category is Nelson Mandela. People admire his lifetime of struggle and leadership for his nation on becoming President. Whilst most of us never met the man, we felt inspired by his journey.

In the second category are the people you know and see every day who give you the inspiration to do better in your daily life. This category of inspiration is by far the most important in my opinion. These people might be your family, friends, colleagues and yes, your workplace managers and leaders. It’s these ‘everyday people’ who give you a vision to be better, to improve, and who provide a purpose in life. These leaders understand the shadow they cast over others and ensure that, within their shadow, people know where they are going and the role they are playing to get there.

Today’s workplace leaders in this second category often lack the playbook to inspire today’s workforce, which is increasingly made up of employees who expect more meaning and value from their workplace. Where today’s leaders have typically cut their teeth in the workplace of the 20th century, today’s employees are increasingly products of the 21st century! The critical question when solving this leadership dilemma is: how do today’s ‘everyday leaders’ inspire the people they lead?

 

SIX WAYS LEADERS CAN INSPIRE OTHERS

  1. Be passionate about the vision and mission. Sharing a vision and mission in a way that enables others to feel passionate is a useful starting point when inspiring staff. The vision and the mission provide essential anchors for empowering others to feel that their work has a purpose and meaning beyond everyday tasks. When a leader communicates the big picture regularly it can assist in reinforcing why the organisation exists.
  2. Listen to your employees. People need to see their ideas being incorporated into the team and into the organisation and/or they need to understand the reasons they weren’t adopted. The ability to inspire others is not only about doing; it’s about listening and explaining.
  3. Make people feel included. Feeling inspired is about feeling connected to the actions and processes that lead to the achievement of the organisation’s goals or to the decisions made. When a leader includes people in the decision-making process they feel a sense of ownership of that decision.
  4. Demonstrate integrity. While vision and passion are important, employees must also trust a leader. Trust stems from seeing that a leader’s behaviour is aligned to what they say. They speak and live by their values and behave ethically. Leaders set the pace through expectations and example.
  5. Establish an environment of continuous improvement. This includes providing opportunities for employees to grow and develop, both personally and professionally, and can be achieved by setting goals and targets, allowing for secondments to other parts of the business, establishing special projects or encouraging further study.
  6. Recognise achievement. While financial reward is undoubtedly a significant motivator, recognition plays a vital role in making employees feel important and appreciated. Indeed, research has shown that a key source of inspiration for employees is speaking directly to them about the value of their work to the organisation.

 

It’s vital for workplace leaders to remember the influence they have over others. Take action to become an inspirational leader. Someone is always watching.

Leading Well book
This is an edited extract from IML ANZ’s latest book, Leading Well: 7 attributes of very successful leaders (Major Street Publishing, A$34.95).

The book highlights seven attributes that ignite inspiring leadership. It focuses squarely on the personal attributes that can transform managers into leaders and good leaders into great leaders.

Order your copy here.

 

This article originally appeared in the September 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Five things Shakespeare can teach you about leadership

By Andy McLean MIML | Photo by Prudence Upton

 

Modern-day managers and leaders can learn a huge amount from the epic plays of William Shakespeare.

Here are just five lessons:

 

1. Bring your people with you

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a military and political leader who has begun to believe his own publicity. He claims he is ‘constant as the northern star’ and his success to date makes him think his decision-making is infallible. Caesar’s failure to listen (to his Senate peers, his wife, a Soothsayer and others) proves fatal.

Leadership lesson: It can be lonely at the top – but it doesn’t have to be. By definition, a leader is someone who brings people with them. In business, that means taking time to consult with stakeholders and explain the reasons for decisions.

 

2. Take time to recognise people’s achievements

The Percy family literally risks life and limb to support Henry Bolingbroke’s battle to become King Henry IV. But, once in power, Henry is distracted by new priorities. He neglects his former allies and disregards their contribution to his success. This oversight almost costs Henry IV the crown when the embittered Percys later raise an army against him.

Leadership Lesson: In today’s market, where change is constant and time is short, it’s tempting for leaders to focus solely on the challenges ahead. But it’s essential to pause occasionally and recognise the achievements of individuals and teams. Rewarding the right behaviour helps to role-model the organisation’s values, foster loyalty and propel people to even greater heights in the future.

 

3. Give your people purpose beyond profit

In The Merchant Of Venice, everyone is consumed by the pursuit of wealth. There’s Shylock lending money, Antonio wheeling and dealing, Bassanio hustling to raise funds – and Lorenzo even wooing Jessica with one eye on the till. All of Venice’s most influential people are clamouring for cash and a toxic culture infects the city. Bell Shakespeare’s James Evans, who facilitated a Leadership In Action workshop, points out: “In one of the best opening lines of a play ever written, Antonio says: ‘In sooth, I know not why I am so sad’. He’s got everything that money can buy, but he’s still not content.”

Leadership lesson: When it comes to work, money is not the be all and end all – and your workforce knows that. As a leader, people will only follow you if you can articulate a purpose beyond profit.

 

4. Show empathy to inspire your people

On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, King Henry V and his army know they are outmanned and outgunned by their enemy. Henry spends the night in disguise, listening to his soldiers’ hopes and fears. The next morning, before the fighting starts, Henry delivers a motivational speech that unites and emboldens his people, including the immortal lines: ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me/Shall be my brother’.

Leadership lesson: If you know what makes your people tick, then you can help them achieve extraordinary things. Use surveys, forums and informal feedback to gauge the mood of your staff. Incorporate what you’ve learned when you communicate with your people. And never underestimate the power of public speaking!

 

5. Plan your succession carefully

Shakespeare wrote that, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all men and women merely players, They have their exits and their entrances’. Time and again, his plays remind us that – no matter how great the leader – their tenure is only temporary. Yet too often, those leaders fail to ensure a smooth handover of power. Rome is plunged into civil war because there is no prearranged Plan B after Julius Caesar falls, and King Lear pays a bloody price for leaving his kingdom in the hands of his two devious daughters.

Leadership lesson: Ultimately, it must be a leader’s mission to leave their organisation in a better position than when they found it. That means always keeping an eye on the long term and identifying the right talent to lead in the future.

On stage near you

Bell Shakespeare’s national tour of Much Ado About Nothing continues across Australia until 24 November. Their production Titus Andronicus will be staged in Sydney in August and September.

About the author

Andy McLean MIML is the Editorial Director of Leadership Matters magazine.

A former Wing Commander heeds a creative calling

By Nicola Field

 

When Chris Huet AFIML promises to help his clients speak with the precision of a fighter pilot and the passion of a poet, he’s not joking. This former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot, award-winning poet, and now communications coach, has a career path that can rightly be summed up as ‘Top Gun meets the Bard’.

Huet kickstarted his career in the RAAF, completing a Bachelor of Arts through the Australian Defence Force Academy. It wasn’t long before Huet found his wings, climbing through the ranks to become a fighter pilot. It’s a role Huet describes as “lots of fun and very rewarding – it was an opportunity to fly and visit different places around the world.”

In a near-20-year career with the RAAF, Huet reached the distinguished rank of Wing Commander. In his final role, as a squadron Commanding Officer, he was responsible for a fighter training school, overseeing 200 personnel and 14 F/A-18 Hornet jets. Under Huet’s leadership, the squadron was officially recognised as the RAAF’s first Learning Centred Organisation.

Huet’s experience in the RAAF reinforced two critical leadership skills: the ability to galvanise a team, and the need for outstanding communication. He explains, “You may be flying alone in a single seater F/A-18 but you’re always part of a team. And across the Air Force you deal with a multitude of diverse people, each responsible for different roles. It makes good communication skills essential.”

Fast forward to 2006, and Huet was ready to hang up his wings. Having completed a Master of Management, he was keen to use his management skills in a broader sphere.

Huet gradually transitioned out of the military, initially consulting to the defence forces and later taking on the role of Business Development Manager at Lockheed Martin. It was here that he harnessed his communication skills to negotiate a A$1.2 billion contract for the Project AIR 5428 Pilot Training System.

 

FROM THE SKY TO THE STAGE

Behind the scenes, the right side of Huet’s brain was bubbling away. He had always been interested in poetry and creative writing, and a little over 10 years ago Huet’s alter ego, CJ Bowerbird, took to the stage.

Under the moniker of CJ Bowerbird, Huet has performed poetry at folk and writer’s festivals across Australia, Asia and the United States. He is a former Australian Poetry Slam champion (slams are competitive poetry readings), and a member of Canberra’s Sound and Fury Ensemble as well as a two-time TEDx presenter.

 

THE COMMUNICATIONS COACH TAKES OFF

Several years ago, Huet had a moment of epiphany – one that would see him fuse his management experience with his talent for the spoken word.

“I was writing my CV and trying to find the real story behind who I am,” explains Huet. “I realised that what I really enjoy most is communicating with others, and I wanted to combine my creative pursuits with my technical and business work.”

Although uncertain about the market for a communications coach, in 2017 Huet opened the doors of Understood Consulting Services. He reports being “pleasantly surprised” by the level of demand for his services.

Describing his role, Huet says, “It’s not solely public speaking that I teach. Often it’s one-on-one verbal communication skills that my clients are looking for.” Huet says his services are in particular demand among professionals such as engineers, whose career strength to date has centred on technical rather than communication skills.

Huet’s passion for poetry has proven a tremendous asset in teaching the art of communication: “Effective communication has energy and emotion. This lets you connect with the people you’re talking to. And poetry connects emotion with concrete images, motivating and exciting us.”

 

THE POWER OF FACE TO FACE

While Huet claims he hasn’t yet met anyone who couldn’t improve their communication skills, he has observed “the bland language used by some leaders – be it in politics or business.” Despite the growth of digital communication, Huet is a firm believer that there is no substitute for face-to-face contact.

“Communicating face to face is extremely powerful,” he explains. We communicate through tone, volume, pacing – and our entire body. Anything other than face to face is less effective and is more likely to be ignored.

“If you really want to motivate and inspire people to change, you have to do it face to face. Sending an ‘all-stations’ email is nowhere near as effective.”

Huet acknowledges that speaking, especially in front of large groups, is a common fear. “It’s perfectly normal to be nervous about speaking in front of others. I think it’s probably an innate thing – a fear of being rejected by the tribe. Even the best public speakers get nervous. The difference is that they direct that energy outwards, towards their audience and into the way they’re speaking.”

 

FINDING A PURPOSE

Whether it’s piloting military hardware at 30,000 feet or helping professionals find their inner voice, Huet has certainly notched up a high-flying career as a manager and leader. “I’ve been lucky to bring everything I enjoy into the work I do,” he acknowledges.

But luck has played only a small role in Huet’s career path. It’s been more a case of harnessing all of his skills and talents, and he encourages other managers and leaders to tap into their creative side.

“It’s important to find a purpose in the work you do,” he says. “Creativity isn’t just about poetry. It’s about solving problems and being able to see things from a fresh perspective. Being able to channel my creative side has been very beneficial in my work and in my life.”

This article originally appeared in the September 2019 edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Other Life: Volunteering as a willing sounding board

By Lisa Calautti

 

Volunteering for less fortunate people is important to Barbara Brown, the general manager of people and culture at St.Lukes Health Insurance.

An IML ANZ Corporate Member, Brown has dedicated much of her life to volunteering, offering a helping hand to various organisations including menopause clinics, cancer support services and youth mentoring programs. As a result of her husband’s encouragement and his belief that her compassionate nature would benefit clients at Missiondale Recovery Centre, Brown has most recently pushed herself out of her comfort zone to come alongside drug and alcohol rehabilitation patients.

“I knew from volunteering in the past that most people just want someone to listen to them, and in that environment, people are there because they have already made the decision to change and are quite happy to talk about where they are and where they want to get to,” she explains. “The basis of anything I put my hand up for is looking beyond myself and my circumstances and seeing what I can do to help someone else.

“It’s always about what word of encouragement can I share, what cup of tea can I get? What hug can I give to make a person feel better about what they are going through? The motivation is never about me and I say to my family it’s about what you can do for others.”

Helping those less fortunate has given Brown an innate ability as a manager to relate to people and be more tolerant of their circumstances. Most of all, it has taught her not to take people at face value. “You realise there is a story behind every person. I absolutely believe that everyone has some sort of shadow. It is different for every single person,” she explains.

Helping people from all walks of life has helped Brown read and understand people’s behaviour. It has given her the ability to step back and have a ‘helicopter view’ of a situation rather than jump right into the problem. “It can just be having the wisdom to direct people in the right way, influencing them or helping them to be confident,” she says.

Trust is something inherent to Brown’s volunteering work and this has translated through to her role as a manager by building trust with staff through listening and allowing them to be free to explore their own ideas and express themselves. “Everyone wants to be heard, that’s what I have found. Everyone wants to have a voice,” she says. For Brown, the person she is as a leader and volunteer are consistent. “Whatever I am in my outside life, I am exactly that at work. I think it’s just about being real and not pretending to be something that you are not,” she reflects.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

How to ensure your leaders add real value to your organisation

Success in business rests heavily on getting a good return on your investment. From producing products, to upgrading technological systems to marketing services, business leaders must be meticulous in ensuring they get top results in return for the money spent.

But what about your investment on the people leading your company? Managers and leaders are often overlooked as the most important organisational asset that holds the most potential in determining the business’ success. What value do your managers add to your company?

It’s a vital question to ask. In an era rife with corporate misdeeds at the hands of poor leadership – from Volkswagen’s ‘emissionsgate’, to the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data breach, to the banking royal commission – more than ever, consumers are losing faith in businesses and their leaders.

So, who is leading your business? Do your leaders display the key qualities that drive success in today’s complex business environment? How are they adapting to the fast-changing pace of leadership for the future?

When hiring, assessing and developing managers and leaders in your organisation, ask the following questions:

Are they experienced?

In many professions, such as accounting, engineering and law, certain standards are indicated by the designations that these professionals possess. It’s a guarantee of the experience and understanding that they bring to the business. Their accreditations are recognised as an objective benchmark of professional competence and ensures they have the right knowledge, skills and experience to qualify as a practicing professional.

You would never entrust your taxes, construction or legal cases to underqualified professionals. It’s logical to think that you would treat your leadership investment with the same prudence. A professional recognised with an accreditation to manage and lead people and the business is guaranteed to practice management and leadership at the highest quality, ensuring your business is getting the most out of  both the manager and the staff they empower every day.

In Australia and New Zealand, the Chartered Manager accreditation is changing the game for leaders and businesses. As an internationally-recognised professional designation, it provides assurance to organisations that their managers have the necessary skills to lead the business towards success. Recognised by Royal Charter, it is a benchmark of management and leadership professionalism that has transformed organisational leadership around the world. In fact, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in the UK found that 96% of Chartered Managers used their designation as proof of their experience in leading people and managing change.

For Intelledox’s Head of Customer Services and APAC Professional Services, Sue Ann McKenzie-Smith CMgr AFIML, becoming a Chartered Manager helps her paint a holistic picture of her stature as an experienced manager and leader. McKenzie-Smith points out, “Being a Chartered Manager has ensured I am leading people with an industry standard recognition of my management skills to date, and throughout my career.”

Are they ethical?

In 2019, consumers know that business success and ethical behaviour are not mutually exclusive. In a decade of ethical leadership failures across organisations in all industries and locations, from Hollywood to governments to FIFA to banks, consumers are demanding businesses deliver results without sacrificing their moral compass.

Corporate ethics is an issue that concerns University of South Australia Business School adjunct professor, organisational psychologist and independent company direct Travis Kemp CMgr FIML. He recognises the importance of ethical behaviour in leaders. “A leader’s impact on society can be incredibly positive when it’s directed in the right way, to the right people, at the right time. And for that reason, we can all get better at doing it”, Kemp says. He believes leaders must guarantee that their actions are grounded on strong decision-making principles. “It keeps coming back to this notion of good people, doing good things, for the right reasons”, he adds.

As a Chartered Manager, Kemp is one of hundreds of professionals who must adhere to a strict code of conduct and practice that certifies that he commits to the highest standards of ethical behaviour whilst managing and leading. This significant pillar underpinning the accreditation is another reason Chartered Manager is transforming the leadership landscape across Australia and New Zealand as businesses begin to focus on corporate ethics as a core element of leadership practice in the workplace post-banking Royal Commission.

Are they impactful?

Managers are tasked with the often complex and difficult role of empowering and enabling people to achieve their full potential, whilst also working to achieve the business’ goals. However, it can sometimes be difficult to quantify if, how, where and what value certain managers are really adding to the business. Calculating whether leaders are providing a high return on investment is difficult to benchmark, assess and analyse. Ensuring leaders in your organisation measure up to an objective and universal standard of professionalism is essential to evaluating business success.

Kate Venables CMgr AFIML, Director of CatholicCare Social Services in Toowoomba described becoming a Chartered Manager as “the start of a journey”. Venables knows that being a manager is all about adding value by enabling those around you. According to Venables, “The importance [of being a leader] is that you empower and engage others to do the best in their job.”

As a Chartered Manager, Venables’ impact as a leader is benchmarked against the global standard of the rigorously-assessed accreditation which requires professionals to provide proof of the effectiveness of their leadership practice. After the accreditation is awarded to successful applicants, they commit to ongoing continuous professional development that guarantees their skills are updated, relevant and of the highest quality.

In their research of Chartered Managers, CMI found that:

  • 91% of Chartered Managers see the designation as proof of their ability to deliver results
  • It is estimated that Chartered Managers, on average, add $AUD626,309 in value to their organisations
  • 64% of Chartered Managers also report making significant cost savings through performance improvements and innovations

These strong statistics not only provide a clear insight into the real results achieved by Chartered Managers, they provide a benchmark of impact and leadership success amongst top managers and leaders.

Who’s leading your business?

If business success is calculated on the checks and balances of investments, then the investment in people – and especially leaders – should be front and centre of the business. Top results are achieved at all levels of the business by ensuring the person who makes decisions and manages people is the most experienced, ethical and impactful leader.

So, who is leading your business? How do you ensure the managers and leaders you hire and develop have, do and will continue to work to the highest possible professional standards? Indeed, what is that professional standard?

Chartered Manager is the global highest status that can be achieved as a manger and leader. It is an international standard of leadership excellence.

Chartered Managers demonstrate all the vital business skills and qualities to drive you towards business success. These professionals add value as leaders because they:

  • Have top-level experience: 73% of Chartered Managers have met or exceeded business targets
  • Are committed to ethical behaviour: 95% of Chartered Managers believe the designation shows their integrity
  • Make impactful business contributions: 86% of Chartered Managers made improvements to their business

Is it time for your leaders to make a real difference to your business? Is it time to future-proof your business with Chartered Managers?

If you want to see where Chartered Manager can take your business, click here.

Steadying the ship: How to lift team performance when morale is low

By Nicola Field

 

The mark of any great leader is to continue delivering the goods during times of uncertainty, pressure and flux. Leadership Matters caught up with three award-winning IML ANZ Members, who each lifted their teams’ spirits when the going got tough.

 

FACTORS THAT IMPACT MORALE

Plain sailing never lasts indefinitely, but the factors that can impact team morale are not always clear cut.

Cindy Welsh MIML, General Manager, Health and Wellbeing at St John Ambulance Victoria, says, “Morale can be impacted by things like corporate downsizing or gearing up for a new contract. Or poor morale may simply have been allowed to fester for some time.”

Paul Hughes FIML points to another way that morale can be sapped. Reflecting on his experience with the Australian Air Force Cadets, he explains, “One of the key reasons people join an organisation is because of its vision and its values. Any deviation from those values can impact morale.”

In Hughes’ case, the challenge of declining morale was the result of stagnation. He recalls, “When I came to 3 Wing (NSW and ACT) Australian Air Force Cadets, nothing had really happened for 10 years. People had lost their way and lost their sense of wanting to deliver an experience that our cadets deserved. There had been no growth, no innovation, and no real sense of direction and purpose.”

 

WATCH FOR WARNING SIGNS

In order to manage flagging morale, it’s necessary to recognise the warning signs.

Welsh explains, “A drop in morale can manifest itself through an increase in sick leave, higher staff turnover or poor performance. Or human resources personnel may be noting an increase in behavioural issues – perhaps more employees treating each other or their managers inappropriately. This can be a sign of underlying frustrations.”

She cautions that leaders and managers may ignore the warning signs because the company or department is performing well. Welsh notes, “This can be a sign of the ‘A-team’ syndrome, where competence and results are high. But they are not sustainable over the long term because people are unhappy.”

 

Welsh adds that business leaders don’t always pick up on how low morale has sunk. “They may ignore the warnings that their senior people have highlighted, or may base their opinion of staff morale purely on their own interactions within the workforce,” she says. “But not all staff are comfortable giving direct and frank feedback to the CEO or business leaders. It’s important to listen to your managers and, if you’ve been given consistent feedback, it needs to be explored.”

 

BE THERE. BE IN THE MOMENT

Leadership during challenging periods hinges on being visible. Welsh says there can be a “propensity to retreat from people during times of change”. But she adds, “Transparency with your employees is incredibly powerful. Don’t hide things from your staff.”

Welsh recommends, “Sit in the lunch room with your people and talk to them. Just listen. Hear people out. And do not underestimate the power of peer-to-peer influence. It can see low morale quickly spread throughout an organisation – even across different geographical locations.

“Think about how you can tap into influencers,” advises Welsh. “Use their powers for positivity, encouraging them to champion your change or cultural initiatives.”

Hughes suggests a similar approach, saying, “A lot of building morale as a leader involves being prepared to listen and see what you can do about the situation. Be prepared to take action on what people say – it’s not a matter of paying lip service.” He too recommends identifying ‘champions’, who will actively support your cause. “They will help to dispel the cynics,” says Hughes. “After all, peer pressure is the best pressure of all.”

BEING COMFORTABLE WITH FAILURE

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to lifting team spirit, and the approaches of the different leaders interviewed for this article proves the importance of a tailored strategy.

Professor Scott Bowman FIML, recently retired Vice-Chancellor of Central Queensland University, believes the social element of workplace teams can have a significant impact. He says, “It’s all about pulling together a group of people, who really get along well so that you have a team that celebrates shared successes and commiserates when things don’t go so well.”

He adds, “Leaders can organise events that allow everyone to take time out for reflection sessions. It’s important to look at what went right, and what went wrong. These are not just planning sessions, they are true reflection sessions.”

Professor Bowman notes, “It’s critical for these sessions to have a social element. I quickly worked out for example, that my team were all incredibly bad karaoke singers but they were all prepared to have a go.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Professor Bowman also highlights the importance of making mistakes. He explains, “It’s important for the team to be comfortable with failure. I’m a believer in the 70:30 rule, which says you can expect success 70% of the time and failure 30% of the time. If you have a failure rate below 30% you’re doing something wrong – you’re not trying enough new steps or strategies.”

Of course, the 70% of successes have to compensate for the 30% of failures but Professor Bowman notes, “The key is to pass this appetite for risk-taking down the line through your team. I was always open with my team about the 30% failure rate, and yes, it is unnerving for some people. However, it pays off when you achieve that 70% success rate.”

Welsh holds a similar view. “Foster a ‘no blame’ culture in the workplace,” she advises. “If people think they’ll lose their job because of a mistake, they will never speak up. Employees need to feel psychologically safe and comfortable about admitting to a mistake. Just as importantly, they need to understand what they could have done better and what they have learned from mistakes. Organisations that embrace continuous improvement and adaptive leadership will be the future game changers.”

The ability to accept mistakes extends to leaders also. Hughes notes, “You can collaborate until the cows come home, but ultimately decisions have to be taken. As a leader it’s about not being frightened to make tough decisions.”

Moreover, Hughes says it is important to be able to say, ‘You know what, we didn’t get it right, so what do we need to do now to change this to get the right result?’

 

HARNESS THE POWER OF PEER REWARDS

For Cindy Welsh, a simple recognition program was instrumental in lifting engagement and workplace morale. She says, “Managers can recognise individual staff, but at St John Ambulance Victoria we introduced the FISH! methodology, which sees peers recognise the efforts of each other.”

As Welsh tells it, prior to the introduction of the FISH! program, St John Ambulance Victoria had peer-to-peer engagement of 52%. Three years later, the program has boosted employee engagement to 95%.

Welsh says, “Thanking and acknowledging peers has now become part of our culture but it has taken time for this behaviour to resonate across the organisation. Increasing peer engagement is a slow burn.”

 

CREATE A BRAND OR LOGO FOR BONDING

For Paul Hughes, leading a volunteer organisation called for a different response. “We set about identifying how people were really feeling, digging deep into the issues at heart.”

He says, “We found there was no visual identity for the Wing – no branding or logo. So we developed a new logo as a visual identifier, one that best reflected the geographical area we served, which was NSW and the ACT.”

From here, Hughes helped to create a sense of purpose with the mantra ‘Setting the standard, leading the way’.

Hughes was mindful of including all stakeholders wherever possible. “By involving various stakeholders throughout the change process we were able to win over the hearts and minds of our people. This in itself became an integral part of boosting morale.” He adds, “It was about getting everyone on board the journey”.

The reward for Hughes has been a steady increase in the retention rates of cadets and staff over the past four years as well as increasing numbers of people wanting to join Australian Air Force Cadets.

With a keen eye for how your people are feeling, and some tailored strategies, it is possible to steer your team through challenging times.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine.

Finding the balance between getting things done and getting to know your people

By Shelley Flett

 

As leaders, we are influencers – and as influencers, we must encourage, enable and empower others to perform in a way that leads the business to success. We must do this while fostering a healthy workplace culture and to do it efficiently requires a different kind of balance. The most effective and successful leaders are those who can balance getting things done while nurturing their relationship with their people.

Take a look at Howard Schultz who is a great example of a leader who has perfected this balance. Schultz took charge of Starbucks in the 1980s and turned a regional coffee company into one of the world’s top brands. Howard’s net worth today is $4 billion so he’s clearly capable of getting things done and yet his focus has always been around people and building a company that “honours and respects the dignity of work and the dignity of all men and all women”.

 

Imbalance is the enemy

So why do so many leaders struggle to find this balance? Naturally, each of us have a preference of either getting things done or getting to know people and will gravitate to one or the other without giving it too much thought. And while both focuses are equally important, an over-focus in one area is often to the detriment of the other.

When a leader over-focuses on task and under-focuses on people it can result in:

  • Short term and unsustainable results driven by control, consequence or rewards (like overtime or bonuses)
  • Unrealistic pressure on the team and elevated stress on individuals which can increase absenteeism
  • Disengagement or the loss of trust by employees who may believe their leader doesn’t care
  • Impatience and frustration with conversations that aren’t task focused
  • Struggle for employees to connect with their leader who appears to be super-human with no weakness, vulnerability or fear of failing

 

Similarly, when a leader over-focuses on people and under-focuses on task it can result in:

  • A fear of upsetting others and therefore avoiding conflict or having vague conversations with implied consequences that are often misunderstood by employees
  • Saying yes and agreeing to unrealistic expectations – often to their own detriment
  • Being perceived as ‘soft’ or not serious about delivering results
  • Taking too much responsibility and justifying poor performance with peers and senior leaders

 

Why finding the balance matters

When a leader can get the balance right and pay just as much attention to getting things done as they do to getting to know their people, they will:

  • Create deeper trust and stronger relationships – regardless of the current challenges
  • Communicate and consistently manage expectations of what success looks like for both the individual and the business
  • Experience more open and transparent conversations, robust debate, challenging of ideas and innovative thinking
  • Gain greater respect for differing perspectives and encourage curiosity about alternative ways of working
  • Empower others to make decisions – including where, when and how work is performed

 

Creating the balance between task and people starts with awareness, of your own preference, and then consciously shifting your focus evenly across task and people.

Once you find this balance it’s not something you unlearn or forget – it becomes your way of leading and even your way of living.

In Schultz’s departure message to employees, he maintained the balance between task and people, writing “success is not an entitlement; it must be earned every day through hard work and teamwork. Try to listen with empathy, respond with kindness, and do your best to perform through the lens of humanity”.

When a leader can generate a culture of accountability and deep trusting relationships then they move to a position of influence!

 

Shelley Flett is an expert in leadership development and team performance, with more than a decade of experience in operations and call centres across banking and telecommunications. She is focused on maximising efficiency and building high performance team cultures. Shelley is the Author of ‘The Dynamic Leader: Become the leader others are inspired to follow’ (Major Street Publishing RRP $29.95). For more information visit www.shelleyflett.com.

Career Doctor: Why is coaching and mentoring so important?

By Peter Cullen FIML

One of the greatest privileges and sources of satisfaction for a manager is to become a coach or mentor. It’s always a privilege to have someone demonstrate their trust in you and there’s nothing more satisfying than witnessing someone achieve a desired outcome. It can have a profound impact on the individual, the manager and the organisation.

Often coaching and mentoring are mistaken for being the same thing with a different name. They are in fact, very different.

 

COACHING

When is it coaching?

Coaching is typically provided by an immediate manager to help people develop competencies, new skills and self-awareness. It also assists in improving performance and equips the coachee for new responsibilities and professional development. Importantly, it is 100% coachee-focused, open and honest. When coaching, the coachee must think of potential alternatives, determine solutions, confirm goals and take ownership, responsibility and accountability for outcomes. On the coach’s side, you spend around 80% of the time listening and 20% asking open, probing and expansive questions to stimulate the coachee to develop and confirm their next steps.

What is a good coaching model?

A very simple and popular model for coaching is GROW: goal, reality, options and wrap up. Goal is the agreement on the specific objective of the conversation. Reality is the discussion around your past and current state. Options involves creatively thinking about potential solutions. Finally, wrap up confirms the best solution set against a plan that includes follow-ups and timing of completion stages. Although GROW appears linear, you may find the need to move backwards and forwards between the steps as more information is provided.

Can coaching be informal?

While coaching can be formal or informal, following a structure leads to lasting results. For instance, if a direct report often comes to you with a problem and you happily provide a solution, that’s informal coaching. Being time poor, you might feel satisfied that you were able to provide a quick solution. Unfortunately, you are also teaching this person to come to you for answers instead of thinking for themselves. This is an ideal situation for the quick and effective use of GROW. You may also use GROW formally during performance discussions, professional development or when helping team members consider potential career aspirations.

 

MENTORING

When is it mentoring?

One difference between coaching and mentoring relates to who mentors you. Unlike coaching, a mentor is typically someone you do not report to or know, is several positions more senior and has broader experiences and knowledge in your field. It is important to have a safe, trusting and confidential environment knowing you can speak openly about your concerns and desires. Many companies also provide mentoring programs that give you access to mentors in other organisations or you can source one through colleagues, networks and business associations. Details of IML ANZ’s mentoring program can be found at managersandleaders.com.au/mentoring-program

What makes a good mentor?

Good mentors ensure the relationship is goal-oriented, focused on you and have your best interest at heart. They will happily share wisdom gained from their personal and professional experiences and guide you to build capability in areas that match your goals. The very best mentors will invite you to reshape your thinking and consider the bigger picture as part of their commitment to help you.

Coaching and mentoring are vital and valuable skills that add a great deal of depth to your role as manager. It allows you to develop individual and team capability while nurturing an open and honest environment built on a foundation of trust. Importantly, acquiring and using these skills not only benefits the coachee but increases your value as an asset to the business.

Peter Cullen is an education and training facilitator. He conducts three-day programs that engage participants in developing and implementing their capabilities as managers and leaders.

This article originally appeared in the February 2019 edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine.

Step-by-step guide to mentoring

By Nicola Field

 

Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter; Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs; the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Splinter the rat. Look behind many household names, and chances are you’ll find a successful mentorship.

That’s because leadership is not about being the best. It’s about bringing out the best in others. And this lies at the heart of what mentoring is all about – allowing up-and-comers to tap into the knowledge and experience of someone who’s been there before them.

What’s particularly special about mentoring is that it benefits both people in the relationship. But it’s a partnership that calls for careful management to deliver maximum results.

 

TWO-WAY REWARDS

A wealth of studies confirm the power of mentoring. Mentees typically enjoy increased compensation, a greater number of promotions and enhanced career satisfaction. They are more engaged in their workplace and feel more positive about the organisation they work for.

On the other side of the partnership, mentors can also enjoy greater career success and personal fulfilment.

Mobile Learning Business Manager at the University of Melbourne, Edwina Coller AFIML, has extensive experience as a mentor both through local government initiatives and, more recently, through the formal mentoring program – Member Exchange – run by IML ANZ. Coller’s personal experiences confirm research findings.

“I really enjoy watching people expand, grow and move forward,” she says. “I’ve seen mentees make extraordinary leaps and bounds – to new jobs and new titles – it’s very exciting!”

Onno Van Es FIML, Manager HR Strategy and Engagement, Mackay Hospital and Health Service, has been a mentor for nine years. He agrees that the pluses flow both ways: “Mentoring is extremely good for my own self-development through the sharing of experiences and the self-reflection it brings.”

Van Es cites the example of a mentee he worked with, who was highly qualified but quite introverted and keen to learn about self-promotion. Together, they set out to build the mentee’s confidence. Van Es observes, “It made me realise that I can have similar people on my own workplace team, and I could use the same techniques to help them reach their full potential.”

 

CONNECTING THE MENTEE WITH THE RIGHT MENTOR

Emily Allen-Rose MIML, who oversees IML ANZ’s mentoring program, says, “The beauty of mentoring is that it provides a very individual perspective – an ability to focus on exactly where the mentee wants to improve, and that gives mentoring an intensity that you just don’t get through group training sessions.”

For mentees however, it can be challenging to find an appropriate mentor. As Coller points out, seeking out a more experienced colleague within their workplace is not always the best solution.

She explains, “There are often areas that mentees don’t want to discuss with their manager because it’s about them personally and not relevant to their role.” The sorts of issues Coller is referring to can range from job interview tips to the career impact of starting a family. Topics that understandably may be off limits with a workplace manager.

Coller notes that other areas of mentoring such as learning how to conduct a meeting or how to get a team to listen to you, can be difficult to raise with a manager. “The mentee may be concerned it will reflect poorly on their skill and abilities,” she explains.

It can make outside mentors a sensible option though this can be a costly process. As the value of mentoring becomes widely understood, the number of organisations offering a user-pays mentoring service has mushroomed. Some industry bodies offer programs for as little as A$300 though mentoring programs available through the private sector can cost upwards of A$10,000.

That’s where IML ANZ’s program fills the gap. Not only is it free to IML ANZ Members, Allen-Rose explains that their mentoring program uses a professional matching service that ensures a strong correlation between the mentee’s goals and objectives, and the mentor’s experience and industry background. This matching can be especially helpful when mentees are looking for guidance on niche issues such as working in a particular overseas location.

 

SETTING THE PARAMETERS

Allen-Rose is quick to point out that mentoring is by no means an easy shortcut to career success, and the first meeting is essential to set some ground rules. She says mentors and mentees are encouraged to discuss expectations and boundaries – the latter being instrumental in establishing confidentiality and building trust.

For Coller, the number one factor to be bedded down is the mentee’s motivation. “As I’m giving up my time for the mentee, I want a commitment from them, and it’s critical that the desire to be mentored comes from the individual not from their boss,” she explains. “The mentee has got to want it for themselves – be prepared to invest in themselves, make change in their own life, and they’ve got to be prepared to put the work in.”

In fact, gauging the mentee’s level of commitment is critical. A US study found successful mentoring relationships were characterised by mutual respect, clear expectations, personal connection, and shared values. Failed mentoring relationships, on the other hand, were characterised by poor communication and lack of commitment.

 

 

ESTABLISHING GOALS, BOUNDARIES AND FREQUENCY

Research by recruitment firm Robert Walters found that mentoring can be most effective when a clear set of goals is in place backed by calendar dates that confirm the frequency of meetings.

In terms of goal setting, Van Es says, “Different mentees all have different reasons and motivations for seeking a mentor. That’s why I always start out by asking, ‘What do you want to get out of mentoring?’”

He notes, “For some mentees it can be a single issue goal such as building their LinkedIn presence. Others are making a transition in their career; some want to improve their networking skills.”

Coller also onboards mentees by discovering what they hope to achieve: “This helps to formulate a direction, and from there a strategy.”

In terms of a timetable, IML ANZ’s mentoring program spans four months with a recommended six to eight meetings though Allen-Rose notes this is flexible. “We suggest the initial meeting lasts 1.5 to 2 hours,” she says. “From there, meetings are generally held every two to three weeks.”

As a guide to the degree of flexibility, Coller says she generally meets mentees for two hours in the first meeting, with one-hour monthly meetings thereafter.

IML ANZ’s mentoring program formalises the relationship by asking mentors and mentees to sign off on set terms and conditions. “It’s our way of establishing boundaries but it also represents their commitment to the mentoring partnership,” explains Allen-Rose.

 

mentoring experts

THE MENTORING METHOD

Exactly how the mentor helps the mentee achieve their goals varies widely. Van Es explains, “My style of mentoring is based around adult learning principles. It’s not a lecture style of learning, where I provide all the answers. Rather, I focus on the mentee taking ownership of their learning by being internally motivated and self-directed. At the end of the day the mentee has to drive the learning process.”

Coller uses a similar approach, saying, “My belief is that the mentee often has the resources they need within themselves – sometimes they just can’t see how to draw upon their own abilities.”

Reflecting this, Coller focuses on the mentee’s strengths and how they can tap into these. “It’s about leveraging what’s working well. We tend to lose sight of this within ourselves. But when you foster this, a person can truly develop.”

Flexibility is the key according to Van Es. “The strength of mentoring lies in developing a program unique to the individual mentee. It’s a bit like sports coaching: you customise your approach to the mentee’s level of skills and experience.”

Allen-Rose says that, in most cases, mentees work hard to be accountable to themselves and to get the most out of the experience.

That said, mentors are encouraged to push mentees to apply their learnings in the workplace. “It’s about mentees getting out of their comfort zone and exploring new ideas,” says Allen-Rose.

 

AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP

While IML ANZ’s mentoring program typically spans four months, in many cases the mentoring relationship continues for much longer though at a less intense level than in the early stages.

Van Es says, “I still maintain casual contact with mentees that I worked with years ago. Even though I may only hear from them a few times a year once the formal process of mentoring is completed, my mentees all know I’m still there to help them if they need it.”

 

PASSION – THE KEY INGREDIENT

It’s worth noting that mentoring isn’t always about the young harnessing the experience of older peers. IML ANZ has received enquiries from octogenarians seeking a mentor.

What matters, says Van Es, is that mentors have a passion and a real willingness to help others. He adds, “I get a real kick out of seeing people grow and become better managers and better people.”

Coller sums up the rewards when recalling how a colleague, moving to the next stage of his career, recently remarked to her, “You saw something in me that I didn’t see myself ”. And that, she believes, is the essence of good mentoring. “It’s incredibly worthwhile and rewarding watching people grow and rise to new challenges.”

Why you need to re-engage demotivated employees

There’s no denying that motivation drives performance. So when employees lose their drive to succeed how can managers help them? More importantly, should managers try to salvage motivation?

Motivation is the force that leads to success. In fact without the willingness, persistence and mental effort that result from high-motivation, 60% of team projects fail. High-performance cannot be achieved without motivation.

Employees, however, lose this drive for various reasons. They may no longer feel positively challenged in their role or perhaps they are dealing with a difficult situation. They could also be feeling that they are not rewarded fairly for their work.

It’s therefore prudent for leaders to be supportive when good employees lose their motivation. You don’t want them to be demotivated to the point of leaving. IML ANZ’s National Salary Survey found that on average, it costs A$23,410 to replace staff who leave. Not to mention the invaluable cost of losing the knowledge and understanding those employees have of your organisation and customers.

What can managers do to re-engage demotivated employees? Here are some ways:

 

Reward for extrinsic motivation

This includes external or tangible rewards such as salary, benefits, the conditions of work and even the physical work environment.

Managers must be cautious not to assume that extrinsic motivation is the quick fix. There could be a number of factors that influence de-motivation. Instead, use extrinsic motivation as just one of the ways to re-engage your employee.

 

Support their intrinsic motivations

Here is an area where leadership skills can truly make an impact – boosting an employee’s intrinsic motivation. Unlike extrinsic motivation, this takes time, effort and commitment to build within employees.

An intrinsically motivated worker is one who feels confident in their capability, enjoys a healthy sense of challenge in their work feels appreciated by workmates and displays care and consideration for those around them.

There is also no silver bullet for boosting intrinsic motivation. Much will depend on ensuring that you value the achievements of employees in a fair and visible way. It also helps to work on communications skills so that you can be a source of reassurance for employees who may be waning in their motivation.