If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, this freaking pandemic might be the perfect time to try something new. You have time to consider what matters most, what lights you up, and how you can add the most value to the world.

So today here is the Let’s Grow Leaders “get out of the rut” challenge.

Get Out of the Rut: Different and Also the Same

It’s weird, right?

In some ways, EVERYTHING is different. And yet if you’re like many leaders we work with—there are some “old news” areas of your life that continue to be stuck.

And, they’re feeling a bit more stucky now that you have more time to think about it.

Are you yearning to get out of the rut?

A Groundhog’s Day Tradition and Stuck in a Rut

My parents had a wonderful Groundhog’s Day tradition. That’s when they would celebrate their love with snuggly stuff and romantic gestures. Somehow, early on in their relationship, they preempted Valentine’s Day, and it stuck.

Hey, it was the 60s, who needs Hallmark when you have a groundhog? This rodent continues to inspire. Sadly, my mother has since passed away. But my sister has been making Groundhog’s Day cookies and delivering them to her friends and kids’ teachers for years (but I digress).

Oh, and here’s her Zoom background today for virtual celebration. Just saying.

As for me, somehow each Groundhog’s Day, I wake up with a respectful and enthusiastic nod to these groundhog romantics. AND, the curse of contemplation, not of love and romance, but of which areas of my life I have become more like Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray, in the 1993 classic, Groundhog Day) stuck in a rut.

Phil is cursed to live the same day over and over, until he finally recognizes the patterns, looks deeply into his own behaviors, and changes his approach.

A curse can become a blessing.

How many times have your heard someone say, “This feels like Groundhog’s Day?”

We all get stuck. We get stuck in patterns, in behaviors, in outdated beliefs about ourselves and others, in jobs.

How to Get Out of the Rut

I recently ran into a guy (no longer so young) who worked on my team MANY years ago.

“What are you doing these days?,” I asked, eager to hear about what he had become and what he was learning.

“Oh, I’m still doing exactly the same thing.”

get out of the rut and build a Courageous Culture

Wait, what? I was shocked and saddened.

This was a bright kid, full of energy, ideas, a great team player.

Why had he gotten stuck in that job? Why hadn’t anyone continued asking/encouraging (okay pushing) him to accomplish his potential? Who else was left behind in this same organization?

And then. I talked to an old friend. She shared,

“I finally figured out that I keep repeating the same patterns, both in dating and in looking for jobs.

You see, I have this perfect list of what I think I want. Then, I go after him or the job full tilt. I attract the guy, or get the job. Of course, it’s THEN that I realize it’s not really what I want. I break up with the guy. I begin looking for a new job. I’ve got to find a way to interrupt that pattern.”

Another friend’s Christmas card read “Nothing much new has happened for me this year, but I guess that’s the way it is at this age (see It’s Never Too Late to Grow Great)

Breaking Your Groundhog Day Patterns

So today. Where would you interrupt?

Is it time to smash the alarm clock?

• What patterns do you keep repeating?
• What routines do you wish you could change?
• Where is your team stuck?
• What processes and rituals no longer serve your vision?
• What if you interrupted the patterns?

The first step to getting unstuck is recognizing the patterns.

Of course, if you chose February 2 as your day of romance that sounds good too.

A worthy tradition.

If you’re looking for new ideas and to encourage more innovation on your team, you might want to check out our new book, Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates.

You can download a FREE sample chapter and Dr. Amy Edmondson’s foreword on courage and psychological safety here.

The post Get Out of the Rut: A Groundhog’s Day Challenge appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

In the age of Twitter and Instagram, you hear so many people talk about “authenticity” – but what does that actually mean for you as a leader? It’s probably not awkward social media posts. Recently I interviewed master-performer, emcee, and keynote speaker, Jason Hewlett, about authenticity. For Jason, authenticity is all about keeping your leadership promise.

Your promise is what makes you uniquely you. Here’s one example:

(You can watch or listen to my entire interview with Jason here.)

Your Leadership Promise

Maybe you don’t sing – it’s not my thing (though Karin Hurt does), but you definitely have a unique set of characteristics, talents, and values that make you the leader you are when you’re at your best.

For me, it’s teaching. My promise, the part of me that is so authentically me, is that I will invest in people and help them become the best version of themselves. It’s why I do the work I do. When I don’t live up to that best part of myself, I don’t lead well.

Teaching is my leadership promise; what’s yours?

One way Jason suggests you can identify your leadership promise is to think about who you promised yourself you would be when you were early in life. Are there areas where you’ve let that authentic-you hide? If so, it’s a great place to look for your leadership promise.

When you’re wondering how to show up authentically as a leader, think about the commitment you’ve made to your team. You might have made it years ago. Maybe you’ve never said it aloud. Regardless, that’s the authentic you. Own it and you’ll have more influence with your team and positive impact in the world.

Your Turn

Check out Jason’s interview – he’s an incredible example of what it means to keep your promise. Then, I’d love to hear from you – leave a comment and share with us: What is your authentic promise to your team?

The post What is Your Unique Leadership Promise? appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

A note to our international readers: we recognize that we have readers from around the globe, but our home is in the United States and tragedies at home run deep. Whether you are reading from the US or elsewhere, we invite you to lead with listening and with dialog.

Our future depends on it.

It’s easy to feel like you’re out of words.

We wrote after Ferguson, and just a few months later as more tragedies unfolded in Baltimore. And here we go again. Another brutal, senseless murder, followed by more tragedy and destruction.

We watch with heartbreak as the powder keg of social injustice, economic disparity, and racial tension explodes once again. But this time, spreading even faster, aggravated by our worn-down resiliency and virus-induced uncertainty and fear.

Your team members are watching too. None of us know exactly what to do or say.

Making Space For Grieving and Conversation

During normal circumstances, it’s pretty sound advice to stay away from politically contentious topics at work. We’re beyond that luxury now. Our nation is in crisis. People are grieving and angry and tired and scared. Asking employees (many of whom are still isolated at home) to “leave their troubles at the door” and focus on the customer like so much customer service training suggests, just isn’t going to work.

More than ever we need to really listen with our full hearts to every member of our teams.

A friend of ours is a physician who also serves in a variety of medical leadership roles in organizations and associations throughout the country. He is also Black. As we discussed everything that’s happening he told us that his organization had just reorganized and he got a new supervisor three weeks ago.

“Yesterday,” he said, “she texted me this…” He showed us the message:

I was catching up this evening to make sure you had access to the morning huddle starting tomorrow. Mostly though, and I know we haven’t worked together for long, I wanted to see how you are doing personally with everything currently happening. Please let me know if you need anything or how I can support you.

After we read the message, he continued, “In all the years of injustice and tragedy, she is the first leader I’ve ever had who acknowledged what was happening and asked me how I was doing with it.”

He paused to gather himself. “I can’t tell you how meaningful that was. My father was just diagnosed with the virus, my mother is at risk, I can’t help patients the way I want to, and on top of all of that, every day I see that picture of that man dying with a knee on his neck…”

“I imagine it was awkward for her. It’s certainly awkward for me. I don’t want to need help, but the fact is I do. Any sane person would. It may be awkward, uncomfortable, or imperfect, but we have to try. Try to connect. Try to support one another. I’m glad she did.”

We Have to Try: Listening During Tragedies and Crisis

We’re not experts on how to fix everything that’s broken, but we do know that in times of crisis people need a chance to say what’s on their minds and know they will be heard.

1. Acknowledge and invite (I know this is a crazy time and we’re all experiencing this series of tragedies in different ways. If you want to talk, I’m here to listen.)
2. Establish some ground rules for respectful dialogue.
3. Allow some space (in times like these, members of your team may be rightfully distracted). Give them space to grieve.

It won’t be perfect. It will feel uncomfortable.

And we have to try.

See Also:

This week James D’Silva of Smartbrief on Leadership, put out a direct challenge to leadership thinkers, “Why are leadership thinkers silent about Floyd and the protests?”

The post How To Help Your Team Process Tragedies Weighing On Their Hearts appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

“I wish someone would have told me some of this before I started leading. Life would have been so much easier. I bet my team wishes I knew it too.”

We hear this sentiment after almost every leadership workshop or keynote speech we deliver. And we get it – we wish we had access to all these leadership tools and strategies earlier in our careers. That’s why we built them, and are so passionate about sharing.

But you know as well as we do, leading well isn’t JUST about mastering tools and techniques. It’s a mindset.

So today we bring you six leadership realities we wish we learned sooner.

6 Leadership Realities  to Ground Your Leadership

1. Everyone is a volunteer.

Control is an illusion. You don’t control anyone or anything except for yourself. Everyone you work with chooses what they’ll do and how they’ll do it. Yes, your team is paid and if they choose not to perform at a certain level, they can lose their job – but that’s still their choice.

When you remember everyone is a volunteer you know that the effort you want your people to give is their choice. Sure, you get to influence that choice. When you recognize that everyone chooses what they do, it transforms their work into a gift, and that changes everything.

2. You’re in the hope business.

This is one of the most neglected truths about leading a team. Leadership is the belief that if we work together we can have a better tomorrow. Together we can do more, be more, and add more value to the world.

That’s a big deal.  It might be the biggest deal of all.

And some of the time your team will be stressed and discouraged, your job is to help them find the hope.

Without hope, you’re done. When your team has hope, you have a chance.

3. Change isn’t a choice.

When you’re leading you’ll never have it handled.

There are moments of dazzling teamwork where everyone aligns and you achieve more than you ever thought possible. But next week, one of those team members moves away or technology changes or your competitor does something different that you can’t ignore. Now you’re working hard again to create the next future.

Leadership is a journey where are no final destinations. At some point, you will leave your team – hopefully, in the capable hands of leaders whom you’ve invested in and developed. In the meantime, whatever you did last week opened the door for the new challenges and change you will face this week.

4. Effective or right?

Many new leaders (and more than a few experienced leaders) get stuck because they cannot see past their own “rightness” and do the things that will help them achieve results and build relationships.

For example:

“Why should I have to tell them again…I said it once.”

Yes, you did – three months ago. People have many priorities competing for their attention. If it’s important, communicate it multiple times in multiple ways.

“Why should I encourage/thank them? they’re just doing their job.”

Yes, they are. Yet people are more engaged when they feel appreciated and are seen as a human being, not just a cog in a machine.

“Why should I hear opposing viewpoints? I’m an expert in this subject and I’ve looked at all the options.”

Yes, you are and we’re sure you did a thorough analysis, but if you want your team to be committed to the idea, their voices need to be heard. Besides, you might be surprised by someone else’s perspective.

If you want to achieve results and increase your influence, look for places where you’ve clung to being “right.” Then let it go…and choose to be effective.

5. Harder isn’t smarter.

“Work smarter, not harder” is a cliché for a reason. More effort isn’t always the answer. Twelve hour days filled with back-to-back meetings may feel busy, but they’re not healthy, strategic, or ultimately productive.

When you’re leading, creating time to think and get perspective will often be far more valuable than pouring in a few more minutes of sweat equity. Once you’ve got motivated people and clear shared expectations, the changes that will do the most good often aren’t more effort, but better systems.

6. You are not alone.

Too many leaders suffer in lonely silence. You don’t have to. In fact, leading by yourself will limit your career and influence.

Effective leaders connect with people. Connect with your colleagues and invest in one another’s success. Connect with your team and they’ll make you better. Connect with mentors or coaches to grow. Connect with a community of leaders for support and encouragement.

Your Turn

When you build on a strong foundation, leading is more rewarding and you’re more effective. Leave us a comment and share a foundational truth or mindset that has served you well.

The post What No One Tells You About Leading But You Desperately Need to Know appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Do you ever wonder if they’re going out of their way to keep you out of their way?

That seems ridiculous. AND, it’s entirely possible.

Here’s the scary part if you’re looking to build a courageous, truth-telling culture. The higher your name is on the org chart, the more likely this is happening to you.

(As we write this, we’re envisioning our favorite direct reports Facebook messaging one another “Should we tell them we did that to them too?”) This “keeping you in the dark” thing happens to most leaders from time to time—even the best-intentioned.

When the pressure for performance is high, your team really cares, and they’re not getting the support they need—they may be tempted to work around you.

Your team decides what you can handle. Like parents protecting young children, they safeguard you and themselves.

To get the real deal, avoid these common traps.

6 Reasons Your Staff Keeps You in the Dark (and What to do Instead)

1. Rush To Fix It – Did you ever have a boss that tries to fix every problem themselves, without fully understanding the subtleties of the scene? It can wreak havoc, right?  Keep in mind that your “fix” may aggravate the situation. Escalating a concern may damage peer relationships they’ve been working hard to develop. Calling the supplier directly may derail negotiations. Instead, ask how you can best help. Our 9 What’s Problem Solving model is a great process for helping your staff think more critically and solve problems on their own. 
2. Model It – Your team watches how you manage your boss. Watch what filtering you model. If you want them to be more transparent, be more transparent. We’ve seen managers who simultaneously encourage their team to bring them issues AND coach them not to breathe a word to their boss.
3. Freak Out – Breathe. Nothing will shut them down more than high-emotions.
4. Use It Against Them – They don’t want their mistakes to haunt them. And after all, if you don’t know, you can’t “ding” them. Work to help your team recover from setbacks and mistakes. Sharing some stories of your own mistakes and poor choices can help too. Empowering them with the D.A.R.N. method for delivering bad news can also make a big difference.
5. Assign More Work – They’re already overwhelmed working the issue.  Roll-up your sleeves to brainstorm what needs to happen next AND what needs to move down on their list to make room for that. We’ve seen too many managers leaving their boss’ office cursing under their breath regretting bringing the whole thing up.
6. Require More Updates – Now you’re nervous. It’s natural to want more frequent updates. If you need more info, make it easy for them to share. The team doesn’t have time to build more Powerpoints to update you. They’ve got work to do.

You get more of what you recognize and appreciate. If you want courageous transparency, thank your team for shedding a little light on what you really need to know.

Your turn.

What are your best practices to encourage your team to tell you the truth?

The post 6 Reasons Your Staff Keeps You in the Dark appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Amanda is a team leader for an international clothing producer. She loves her work, finds it inspiring, and she cares deeply about her people and the quality work they do. Like many leaders, however, her passion has turned to frustration as she struggles with managing emotions.

Leadership is challenging. Things never go exactly according to plan, disappointments creep up where you don’t expect them, and people can be erratic. Leading means you’ve got to deal with the human element.

If you’re going to succeed over time and achieve breakthrough results that last, you can’t walk around stressed out and frustrated all the time. You’ll break down or you’ll lash out at your team. Either way, your credibility suffers.

6 Steps for Managing Emotions

Recently one of our workshop participants mentioned a manager who said, “I’m here to manage results, not manage emotions.” Frankly, I think that statement is naïve, dangerous, and self-sabotaging. Managing emotions, starting with your own, is a critical leadership skill. Here are six ways to help you stay grounded and manage your emotions:

1. De-personalize issues.

Like many leaders, Amanda was taking her team’s behavior personally. She was basically saying, “How can they do this to me?” But here’s the thing: another person’s behavior is almost never about you. They are living their life, trying to do the best they can with what they have. They didn’t wake up that morning thinking about the best way to anger you.

In short: You are not the center of anyone else’s universe. (Unless you have a dog – then you’re totally the center of their world.) De-personalize the issue by recognizing that this isn’t about you. You need to lead through it, but it’s not about you.

2. Name your feelings.

This is a powerful way to lessen the grip of powerful emotions. When you realize you’re feeling tense, upset, tight, or can’t breathe, take a moment and try to name the feeling. Eg: I’m feeling scared, I’m feeling frustrated, or I’m feeling sad.

Your emotions are there for a reason. They’re like a warning siren calling for attention. When you ignore them or try to push them away, they turn up the volume. Over time, consistently ignoring them can do serious damage. But when you name it, it’s like you’ve acknowledged the warning call by saying “I see you – thanks for alerting me.” Just naming the feeling helps it to move through you and loosen its grip.

3. Apple catching (choose what you allow in.)

Imagine someone tossed an apple to you. You would not catch the apple with your mouth, immediately chew it up, and swallow it. You would catch the apple, inspect it, and then decide if and when you want to eat it.

Feedback is the same way. Don’t automatically internalize every bit of feedback you receive. If a 4-year-old stomped their foot and said “I don’t like you very much” it probably wouldn’t offend you.

But have a 44-year-old colleague say those same words and many people automatically take offense. They swallow that feedback without first evaluating it and whether or not it has something useful for them.

4. Get perspective.

Imagine holding a penny right in front of your eye. It blocks out your entire vision. Even if there is a huge mountain right in front of you, you won’t be able to see it because that small penny is consuming your vision. Move the penny farther away from you – get it back in proper perspective and it no longer blocks your vision.

Leadership problems and frustrations are often similar. You care, you devote so much of yourself to your work, so of course, the problems seem huge. But without perspective, it’s often impossible to find the healthiest solutions.

What helps you restore your perspective? For me, it is nature, sunsets, stars, forests, rivers, and mountains that remind me that this is a small problem in a very large universe. Time with family and friends restores my value of what matters most in life and gives me the energy and reserves to tackle the challenges I’m facing. Moving your body helps – a short walk, run, or bike ride can do wonders and give your mind time to process and work through what you’re feeling.

5. Give yourself room to feel.

You’re a human being and those emotions that have you in their grip are there for a reason. Anger is a sign that something’s wrong. Sadness is an acknowledgment of loss. Fear is a normal feeling when faced with the unknown. It’s okay to have these feelings. You can’t erase them. Rather than ignore them or fight them, acknowledge them and allow yourself a moment to feel. This doesn’t mean you’ll wallow in them or stay stuck.

When that promotion doesn’t happen or your team lets you down, give yourself time – maybe an hour or even a day or two to feel sad. Then move forward. Let the emotion do the work it needs to.

6. Move to “How can I…?”

After you acknowledge your feelings, it’s time to figure out what comes next. One of the best ways to do this is to ask yourself a “How can I?” question. For example, if you didn’t get a promotion, ask “How can I better position myself for the next opportunity?” When your team lets you down, ask “How can I ensure they are able to do what needs to happen the next time?” Maybe you need to clarify what success looks like or have an overdue INSPIRE conversation.

Moving to a “How can I?” question re-empowers you and produces positive energy. Don’t move to this step without first identifying what you’re feeling or you may ask the wrong “How can I?” question.

Your Turn

When you’re feeling more frustrated than focused, remember that your feelings have a job to do. At the same time, if you don’t develop the skills for managing emotions, they can also cripple your leadership. Effective leaders lead themselves first. They acknowledge their own humanity and lead their team through theirs.

Leave us a comment and share: What is your best strategy for managing emotions at work?

PS: If you’re unable to cope with your emotions over time – whether it’s depression, rage, or anxiety, please seek the help of your doctor or mental health professional. Your mental health is every bit as real a need as your physical health – take care of yourself.

The post Frustrated or Focused – Leadership Tips for Managing Emotions appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

You’ve probably heard leaders say it and you might have even said it yourself when you were hoping to motivate your team.

“I treat my team like family” or “We’re one big family here at XYZ Corp.”

It feels like a nice thing to say. You want them to know you care about them as people; that everyone cares about each other; and we may fight at times, but we always come back together.

We are all about genuine caring and connection. Winning Well leaders focus on both results and relationships.

However, there are three problems with comparing your team or company to a family and they can badly undermine your leadership and your team’s effectiveness.

1. You don’t know what “family” means.

Each team member will interpret “family” differently depending on their past. For some, the definition of family is “that safe place where you are always accepted no matter how badly you’ve screwed up.”

For another team member, the family might mean a dysfunctional, tense situation that they left as soon as they could.

For another team member, family means they just wait for their parent to tell them what to do and they don’t have to think for themselves.

As soon as you use a word like “family” you’ve lost a shared, mutually understood set of expectations about what success looks like.

2. You’re not a family.

When it comes to motivating your team, one of the biggest problems “family” language creates is the obvious one: you’re not a family. One big difference that I’ve seen create problems for many businesses is the idea that you can’t fire a brother or sister for poor performance.

I’ve listened to sad employees receive a letter of separation and tearfully tell their manager, “But we’re supposed to be a family. This isn’t right.” And they believe it, and they’ve been allowed to believe it, because the manager so frequently spoke in terms of family.

Teams exist to achieve a shared goal, whether it’s to serve your customer, create change in the world, or solve a significant problem. When your behavior doesn’t align with that goal, you can and should be removed from the team. Families may or may not share a common goal, and rarely does poor behavior get you removed from a family.

3. You make growth difficult.

Small teams and businesses will often speak of themselves as a family. It’s natural–the constant time spent with your team, high pressure, the informal meetings, and lack of structure that often come with small organizations can feel very family-like.

However, this mindset makes it very challenging to motivate your team when you want to grow. Team members who enjoyed the casual environment and lack of structure start to complain when you introduce role clarity, define MITs, and increase accountability.

This is where you hear things like, “We used to be a family, but now we’re becoming so…corporate!” Corporate is said as if it were a poisonous snake (and, to be fair, if their experience of corporate has been to be treated like a number, not a person, it may have been poisonous.)

How to Motivate Your Team When They Talk About Family

When you hear your team talking about being a family (or if you’ve used this language yourself), I invite you to Ditch the Diaper Drama with your team and have a straightforward conversation. You might start with:

“I’ve heard us talk about being a family and I’ve said it as well. I want to talk about that. Family can mean different things to different people and I’d like for us to make sure we are on the same page and understand one another.”

In this conversation, you want to reinforce that you are a team (or organization) focused on both results and relationships. Clarify the MITs and What Success Looks Like. You might use the Expectations Matrix to facilitate a conversation and identify gaps in expectations.

Clarify your culture (How people like us act) with regard to how you will treat one another with respect, compassion, and hold one another accountable. If growth is in your future, talk about how it will require more role clarity and more structure, and how treating one another with respect, compassion, and holding each other accountable should never change.

Your Turn

Remember that “family” can mean something very different from what you intend and create bad misunderstandings for your team. To motivate your team, take the time to clarify shared expectations about your purpose and the ways in which you will respect and care for one another.

We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a comment and share your thoughts about what it means for a business team to be “like family.”

The post How to Motivate Your Team – Stop Treating Them Like Family appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Now what?

We recently spent a week in Germany sharing Winning Well practices with project managers from throughout Europe and the Middle East.

One of the most striking aspects of our travel in Berlin was the way in which Germany has chosen to confront its own history.

In the center of Berlin you will find monuments to the millions of victims of the Nazi regime. Holocaust education is mandatory for every student. Sections of the Berlin wall remain along with memorials to those who were killed trying to cross that border.

The ways in which Germany has acknowledged and taken responsibility are solemn and humbling examples of how to address your own failures so you can rebuild your influence and credibility.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany

1. Don’t Hide

Germany has chosen not to run from its past. It is literally out in the open for everyone to see. When you screw up, break a promise, or hurt someone, don’t pretend it didn’t happen. Acknowledge it. Own it.

2. Apologize

German leaders up to this day have apologized with statements of shame and repentance. Many leaders struggle to apologize for fear that it will make them look weak or ruin their credibility. The opposite is true. It takes strength to apologize and a straightforward apology builds your credibility. It signals that your team can trust you and it models how they should behave when they let one another down.

3. Learn and Make It Right Going Forward

When you’ve hurt someone or broken your word, do what you can to rectify the situation. These actions and commitments don’t erase what was done and, depending on the severity of your behavior, you may not regain the trust of those you hurt, but they do give you a chance to rebuild your credibility, influence, and relationships. Following large reparation payments and support for survivors, Germany has committed itself to human rights and living up to ideals of human dignity, diversity, and respect.

Progress Not Perfection

It’s not perfect.

Germany continues to struggle with anti-Semitism and the challenge of welcoming refugee immigrants while integrating new arrivals into a culture that strives to live up to its ideals of diversity and respect.

Your team doesn’t expect you to be a perfect person. They’re not perfect and when they see you screw up, own your failures, and move forward, you make it more likely that they’ll trust you and be able to do the same.

Final Thoughts

We recognize that for some readers this may be a challenging article. We do not mean to make light of the pain you have experienced nor would we suggest that you should readily trust someone only because they have apologized.

For others, we recognize the challenge that comes with discussing what has become the embodiment of evil in our age. We do not intend to make light of these events nor make false equivalencies between a leader’s broken promise and the systematic extermination of human beings. Even so, the principles that apply here apply to us all.

Lead well – the world needs you.

The post Massive Failures? What Great Leaders Do Next appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Have you ever been given a goal by your supervisors and thought, “Ugh! What are they thinking? My team’s gonna hate this!” If so, you’re not alone. Every manager has to figure how to motivate your team in situations like these.

People don’t like it when they feel goals are ‘shoved down their throats’ – goals that might have been set by people who may not have all the facts and didn’t ask for input.

How to Motivate Your Team When You Don’t Set the Goals

The good news is that you and your team can still thrive in these situations – there are ways to motivate your team even when you didn’t set the goals.

1. Understand that you don’t actually motivate anyone.

A person’s motivation always comes from inside them. Your responsibility is to help release that motivation. The first step when you’re wondering how to motivate your team is to remember that you can’t actually motivate anyone. Don’t motivate, cultivate.

2. Take Responsibility.

In these situations, the very worst thing you can possibly do is walk into your team meeting and say, “Those clueless jerks gave us these goals and I guess we’re stuck with them.” These kind of statements are leadership suicide. They kill your credibility, disempower you and your team, and make your team wonder who they should be talking to, if not you. Do not shirk this responsibility. Own it.

3. Be Transparent.

While you don’t want to act like a victim nor encourage victim-thinking in your team, it is also okay to acknowledge the situation. If the goals are difficult, say so. Remember, the most important currency you have with your team is their trust. If the team is clearly feeling that the situation is unfair or challenging, it is okay to voice those feelings for the team. Eg: “You may be feeling that this is tough or even a little unfair, and I get that.”

4. Believe In Them.

Your team needs to hear you voice your belief in what is possible. This is the “vision” work of leadership – picture your team succeeding and let them know their own potential.” Yes, these are difficult goals and I know you haven’t done anything like this before, and I also believe we are up to the challenge. In fact, this will be the most significant achievement we do together.”

5. Help Them.

Rather than, “These are your goals, go figure it out and stop your complaining…” Try, “This will be our greatest achievement…and, you won’t be alone. I will be with you each step of the way. I’m committed to helping all of us succeed together.” Note: you MUST back this offer of help with real action or you won’t be asking how to motivate your team, but how to reclaim your lost credibility.

6. Own the Problem.

Top-down goals are difficult because people feel disempowered. Motivation drops when they don’t feel they have control over their own fate.Your job as a leader is to restore some of that power. You may not have had input into the goals, but as a team, you can have full ownership over how you will accomplish them. Ask: “How can we solve this problem?”As you settle on specific strategies and tactics, make sure to get people working out of their natural talents and energy wherever possible.When you help the team own the solution, you will have restored some of their power (and their motivation!)

7. Advocate for Your Team.

Part of your responsibility as a leader is to advocate for your team, department, or organization. Actively manage up and get as much information about why goals were set the way they were. The more information you can share with your team, the better. Also, take the opportunity to share any facts the decision-makers may not be aware of – be sure to share it in a way that will help them with their needs and goals. Note: you will not always succeed in changing the decision-making, but your credibility with your team and the organization will grow. Your team knows you have their back and, over time, you will gain more opportunity to speak into the goal-setting process.

8. Do It.

Whatever strategy your team developed – do it! Become its biggest champion. Remind everyone of their potential, the process, and their input into the decision. Hold yourself and the team accountable for results.

9. Celebrate.

When you get it done – make it a big deal! Thank individuals for their efforts. Celebrate the team effort. Fly the flag and let your own supervisors know what the team did and how they did it.

Your Turn

When you’re wondering how to motivate your team, remember that you don’t actually motivate anyone. Cultivate an environment where you honor them and bring out their best.

Leave us a comment and share your thoughts on how to motivate your team – especially when you don’t set the goals?

See Also:

Stretch Goals: How to Motivate and Challenge Your Team

The post How to Motivate Your Team When You Don’t Set the Goals appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

I was sitting with a leader who had just crashed and burned. He’d made a decision that had cost him his reputation and maybe his job.

He looked up at me and with a quiet whisper, Mark asked, “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

The sad part was that it didn’t have to happen this way. People in his organization knew it wasn’t a good call. He had everything available to ensure that he made the best decisions…

But he never heard their feedback.

He was known for an explosive temper, for belittling and shaming people who saw things differently than he did, and he only ever asked people to validate what he thought.

In short, he never knew how to Channel Challengers.

Many people in positions of power often sabotage themselves and create environments where no one will tell them the truth – often difficult truths about themselves.

If you want to achieve breakthrough results, however, you’ve got to make the best decisions possible. To do that you need to have as much relevant information as possible.

6 Ways to Get the Information You Need to Make the Best Decisions

Here are six ways to Channel Challengers and ensure you have the truth and get the feedback you need to make the best decisions:

1. Ask for the Truth

Regularly encourage dialog in your team. Ask people to teach you one thing you didn’t know. Become a person known for caring what’s really going on. Does what you hear match what you see?

2. Say Thank You

When someone shares a hard truth, especially about you, thank the person for having the courage, taking the time, and caring enough to share it with you.

3. Respond

If you ask for input, take time to respond. Even if the ideas aren’t actionable, when you acknowledge that the ideas were heard and considered, you increase the likelihood of hearing more in the future.

4. Never Ever Shoot the Messenger

If someone has the heart and courage to bring you a difficult truth, even if you vehemently disagree, bite your lip. If you attack them, they won’t bring you another concern.

5. Find Your Truth-Tellers

There are people who understand their team, environment, or processes and are willing to voice their observations. Find these people, keep in regular communication, and let them know you value their observations.

6. Look In the Mirror

If you suspect you are not hearing the truth from those around you, it is time to look in the mirror and examine how you are interacting with others. I would bet you are not doing one or more of the first four items on this list.

If you are struggling to see it, ask others for input, find a mentor, or consider a leadership coach.

Your Turn

It may take time, but if you consistently Channel Challengers by asking for the truth, showing gratitude for input, and responding to it, you will earn trust, gain credibility, and have the information you need to make the best decisions.

Leave us a comment and share: How do you ensure you hear the truth from your team and colleagues?

The post 6 Ways to Get the Information You Need to Make the Best Decisions appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.