Energize Your Organization!!

Just like the ‘Energizer Bunny’ sometimes a leader must keep going and going—Go everywhere, Be everywhere, communicate everywhere.

A big part of a leader’s job is to provide energy for the team and organization.  Leaders are the batteries that jump-start people and get individuals moving together, in a similar direction.  Along the way, leaders serve as cheerleaders to keep the energy up and their team running at its best.

Getting and keeping people excited about their jobs, enthused about the team, and motivated about what they can accomplish is no easy task, of course.  But every day we are seeing examples of leaders that find ways to generate the energy that keeps their team and organization to success—in organizations of all sizes.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.  –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Discover the "IRE" of Leadership..

DESIRE………a Better Way

INQUIRE….....into Facts and Findings

PERSPIRE……often and a Lot

ADMIRE……..others’ accomplishments

INSPIRE………the people around you

REQUIRE……..effort and results

More Leadership Tips to Improve your LISTENING Abilities…

1.       Welcome others to share their issues and concerns (most like to shy away from this) .  If you’re not hearing about problems, it could mean you’ve been out of touch and need to seek out more information.

2.       Set the example for others.  Show them that listening is a means to further learning.  When they see you engaged in the listening process they may emulate your behavior.  You might have an entire organization of listeners.

3.       Create an  “e-grapevine”—use your intranet as an idea-posting site for suggestions to improve (monitored of course).

4.       Remember that experience is often the best teacher.  Make a habit of inviting people to share their problem-solving experiences with you and your team.

5.       Take a lesson from “the enemy”—If your competition is doing something better than you be open to listening to the details, or improving upon it.

6.       Make time to learn from your customers, in every form that may be delivered in—positive feedback, negative comments, ideas that you hadn’t had time to listen to…

7.       Schedule ‘agenda-less’ meetings . Invite people to speak freely about concerns they’re experiencing ..

8.       Learn from Failures—sometimes the idea is good but the execution or timing is not.  If people believe that failure is a learning opportunity rather than a witch hunt they’ll be more encouraged to try alternate methods and work as a team.

Tips to Improve your ‘Hearing’…and ‘Listening’!!

1)      Know the difference between hearing and listening.  To hear means ‘to perceive’ by the ear.  To listen means ‘to pay attention to a specific perception’.  Big difference.

2)      Practice the ACT of Listening.  Employ body language that expresses this.  Look at the person who is speaking to you.  Make and keep eye contact.  Position your body to show that you are receptive to what others are saying.

3)      Adopt the 2:1 Rule—Listen twice as much as you talk.   Why do you think we have 2 ears and 1 mouth?

4)      While listening ask follow-up questions to demonstrate interest as well as soliciting more information (Ex. “Can you tell me more about..?”)

5)      Play the concentration game—Truly focus on what the speaker is saying.  Try not to jump to conclusions before the speaker is finished speaking, or jump in before they’ve finished.  Listen fully to allow speaker to complete their thought—as you would like too.

6)      Welcome ideas that are not your own, or different from your own. Be open to what others have to say without getting defensive.  Make sure your environment allows others to share ideas.

7)      Be open to listening to the truth and all facts involved—even if things aren’t going very well.

8)      Practice listening to ALL SIDES, before making a decision.  The more you learn, the better prepared you’ll be to make a final decision.

9)       Make a habit of letting others speak FIRST.  The leader who presents his or her ideas first risks cutting off discussions, or worse, stifling goods ideas.