My Thoughts on Business

linktr.ee/jdbuzzard

Here I will post thoughts on the subject of Business, that can be used for both work and life. I have been posting across social media for three and a half years (below posts from 2023-2025) using my thirty five years of working knowledge, and will consolidate my thoughts here. I also intermix how business and quality interact with each other.

My Linktree can be used to locate where I post on social media. Additionally, my books My Thoughts on Quality, Business & Life & More Thoughts on Quality, Business & Life, can be found on Amazon. The below thoughts can be found within these books.

As I am a human, not AI or a computer, I use my innate ability to come up with topics and write about them. That means there may be spelling/punctuation errors posted here and there, but using critical thinking and not losing our humanity is important to me. While AI & machine learning tools may have their place to help mundane tasks in business, I do not believe they should replace us in the arts, and take over our thinking, accountability, responsibility and relationships.

Responsibility

As we move into higher positions in life we take on new and different responsibilities.

  While we may have been an expert in something, we tend to change our focus to monitoring and guiding others who are doing the tasks.

  Often people think that bosses and leaders should know or be able to do every task their people are doing. Maybe to a certain degree but others are in that role who are doing the daily activity.

  The nuances and little steps and actions that go into any given job may not be on the boss or leaders mind as they are looking at the bigger picture.

  They may be able to explain the larger steps, actions & outcomes, but they shouldn’t generally be expected to know what you are doing to the smallest degree.

  That is most certainly the case with multiple teams of people doing many different actions and activities each day.

  When you get into a leadership role your focus and vision changes. You generally are no longer doing what you did and now must ensure others are.

Don’t be a jerk to those around you, in any setting.

  Many people work to live, while some live to work. In both cases we are at work, dealing with situations daily from internal and external sources.

  In our personal lives we also deal with a wide variety of folks, from family to friends and strangers.

  How we interact with each other can play an important part in our lives, mentally, physically and emotionally.

  There should be no reason to be difficult on purpose with others. If you are, what is the root cause? We each live different lives, have had different environments, with different situations that have impacted us. These all play a part in who we are.

  We all change over time.

  Being difficult with each other only makes life more difficult, for all parties. If that is the intention of the one imparting the difficulties on others, I pity you and hope that there is a positive transforming event that changes your perspective on life and with others.

  We all make mistakes, from leadership to employees at work, to those in our personal lives. It is important to work on those and not allow them to beat us down. Both sides need to work on it with each other.

  Open communication, positive communication are needed and required for relationships to be successful in life. When people cooperate, life in both business and personal lives is easier and more successful.

  Vision, goals, actions needing to be met will always work with people who are in line with them and willing to work with each other on them.

  Failures in relationships occur when that cooperation and communication ends. It can be difficult and sometimes painful, but nothing in life worthwhile is easy.

  Think on this next time you are sending an email or verbally chastising someone on something small, or some other minor issue. Big issues will occur from time to time of course, but let’s not allow the outliers to control our view of life.

  As a leader remember that you are in your position to help those under your charge, not beat them down. Mentoring and growing your teams should be your main goal which will meet your company’s goal for the client/customer.

While not all leaders are going to do and possibly understand every aspect of what their employees are doing, it is of course beneficial to be able to.

  The issue really is when the leader doesn’t understand the amount of work that goes into any given task.

  They underestimate the work and ignore the ones doing it when they bring up issues or constraints.

  It is important to listen to your team.

  Also when a leader doesn’t understand the work being done, they are not able to give clear answers and guidance. Part of the role of leadership is to support the team.

Knowing and understanding is a part of that, otherwise you are blind to your surroundings. In addition, dare I say, you are ignorant to your teams’ plight.

While leadership will often delegate and shift responsibilities to someone working for them, shifting full accountability is another matter.

  It is important that leaders understand, in some way, the work they are delegating because they will be responsible and accountable for the end product in most cases.

  A leader who shifts full accountability to someone needs more work on what it is to be a leader. This can also lead to blame shifting.

  Empowering the team is important, as well as giving responsibility, as that is a way to learn and grow.

  The issue is when those in leadership then fault the employees for an error that they should have also seen and take credit for their work when they were not involved.

  This demoralizes employees and creates both a toxic and hostile workplace.

  Leaders are to support and mentor, not deride employees.

  There will be times and cases in the business world where companies are structured so that the employees own more responsibility and accountability in their position for a team, project, etc. In any case, leaders need to ensure they are setting up their team for success with the right knowledge, tools, systems, processes, equipment and support.

  Take it into your personal life as well because it just as important there.

Lead by positive example to get others to follow, learn and grow in the right way.

I have come across more times than I’d like to count where someone was told they couldn’t do X because of a requirement/process. Then later down the road someone else needed it and it was done for them.

  This permission of course took sr. leadership to approve.

  This simply shows favoritism in face of the requirement. It hurts morale when this is done as it is demoralizing to those who had previously needed x and damages the overall quality system.

  Up there with communication is accountability as a problem across many companies. It takes everyone’s involvement doing the right thing for the system to work, but especially sr. leadership as they drive the culture.

  Quality cannot do their job if sr. leaders will not play by the rules, and employees won’t either when they see their leadership ignoring rules, regulations and procedures.

  Quality is doing what is right, even when no one is looking. Let’s all do the right thing each day.

No one, generally speaking, can truly motivate another.

Ideas can be presented, or situations can arise that can be a motivating factor. They have to be accepted and applied by the audience/person if they are truly inspired and self-motivated to do it. We still must do the work to succeed.

  Ideas are just that until put into action.

  What motivates you to keep going, to get out of bed each day?

While it is flattering when people think Quality can answer questions or do something in place of a subject matter expert in a process, they usually can’t.

  While Quality Professionals do often know a fair amount and more than probably most of the company, they are not a replacement for a full time SME in that function.

  Quality Professionals are, or should be, experts in Quality. They will learn a lot about operations along the way and may end up knowing more than the majority working it, but they are Quality and not the operation.

  Quality is there to assist the operation as a support element within their capability, but not do their job.

  Some companies have one to a few operations, while some have dozens. While auditing, or assisting in process creation or improvements, you learn a lot. When leaders start going to Quality over the ops for input or more, it may show a lack of knowledge or ability available.

  If a company is to succeed, they need to have the right people in the right roles at the right place and time. Whether it is internal, or you need to go external, get the right person.

Humble Leadership means setting aside ego and a controlling mindset and allowing employees to thrive and offering mentorship to make them the best they can be.

It may seem difficult at times but as a leader it is important to empower those in your employ and not simply control them.

  Control can often lead to micromanagement and worsening morale.

  Dependent on the situation it can be a fine line to walk, but every opportunity should be looked at to give people the chance to make decisions of their own.

  It will allow creativity, but it is also important that boundaries are known by everyone involved.

  Each business, each task, each situation, each group of people will be different, so they each have to be looked at for the merits of one over another.

  Control and Empowerment each have advantages and disadvantages, so review each situation for what is needed. With that said, do not allow ego to simply drive the decision straight to control.

At each corporation, especially the larger ones, you will often have multiple teams of the same department.

  This is especially true for those in multiple countries, multiple programs or projects.

  When this happens, it is quite easy to become disconnected from each other.

  Ideally a strong HQ will flow down requirements to the various teams, regardless of the program or project and keep open lines of communication.

  This goes for any department from Quality, Safety, Finance, HR, Contracts, Property, Supply Chain, and more that support the business.

  Each program or project may have specific requirements to meet that is unique and needs to be understood, separate from HQ requirements.

  It is important to keep an open mind and open channels to discuss and collaborate to ensure all needs and requirements are being met for the client/customer.

  When a team ignores recommendations (and ignore emails), and doesn’t even take the suggestion under advisement, it does not benefit the greater good.

What will your legacy be? How will you be remembered?

  Who will remember you? What will you be remembered for? How long will you be remembered?

  These thoughts have been crossing my mind for some time now.

  You impact people in different ways. Some may not get their way and hate you, while others find they were treated fairly by you and remember you fondly.

  Will your life lessons be passed on through family, friends, colleagues and strangers?

  Will your kindness be known or sternness, or arrogance and difficulty to be around?

  Will you be a positive mentor to those around you or someone who holds everything in and treats others with indifference?

  There are many ways to go and you will get various results with different people.

  We can only do our best and it is up to us how we are seen by our approach.

  Some days are better than others and we all have bad, miserable days that turn us cranky. That should be the outlier and not the norm. Our environment does drive our emotions, no matter how well we try to control them.

  Be in an environment that grows you, drives you and leads you to a positive outcome. Those in power and have life lessons to teach need to instill that in themselves and their environment.

  The younger generations will appreciate it, and those legacies will live on for further generations.

Delegating takes planning as you must delegate the right work to the right people in the right way and time. Even if you want to and possibly can, most cannot do everything, and some tasks need to be delegated to others. It tends to be both efficient and empowering to others. Who we delegate to and what is delegated is critical. The wrong person can cause a disaster. It doesn’t matter if it is at home or work.

Leadership isn’t an easy position to be in, but there are times decisions can make things in the workplace much more difficult than it needs to be.

  Establishing processes or steps that bottleneck or overload a leader, causing the potential for a single point failure won’t help anyone, let alone the leader.

  Not properly utilizing employees, their experience and knowledge. Treating everyone the same when some may need more mentoring and assistance than others.

  Relegating experienced, knowledgeable and proven employees to tasks below their ability will only create a toxic environment in which they will start looking for a workplace who will treat them with respect.

  This is also antithesis of Quality and Lean.

  Leaders often get focused on the bigger picture or their own work that they forget to take the temperature of the workplace to see what the current situation is, how their employees are feeling and how everyone is doing.

  The workplace is not school where teachers will often punish the class for the mistakes of a few. Employees, especially those who are professionals, need to be treated as such. Professionals have high standards and wish to be treated with dignity, respect and consideration. When they aren’t, they will take themselves elsewhere where they will be treated right.
Long term that will harm a company’s standing with its client/customer when it begins to affect the output provided.

  It is an easy fix. Be proactive, not reactive. Make smart decisions and get feedback from the team. Learn what works and what doesn’t but be flexible to the change needed that will create a positive workplace.

Delegating isn’t easy when you become a leader because you are used to doing it yourself, but to grow, you must learn to delegate correctly.

Treat your employees well, and they will provide excellence. Treat them poorly, and they will go elsewhere and leave you in a rut. Choose wisely. 

Quiet firing is an insidious practice companies take to get people to leave, saving themselves money. The opposite of what should be done with mentoring and supporting the team for growth and success. 

Not everyone is ready to lead. Leading takes effort, time to learn and grow into, and in the end, there will be some not capable of the role.

 What are some signs of this? Some include a lack of empathy, fear of change, a need for constant structure, difficulty delegating, micromanaging, inability to trust, and an inability to handle conflict or feedback constructively.

  Additionally, focusing solely on personal gain rather than team development, struggling to make decisions, and lacking self-awareness can also be red flags that need to be worked on.

  Leadership means empowering others and not doing everything yourself. Leadership is not a title.

  Let’s take a deeper look into the signs you may not be ready to lead:

Lack of Empathy: Leaders who struggle to understand or share the feelings of others may find it difficult to connect with and motivate their team members.

Fear of Change: A resistance to new ideas or approaches can hinder a team’s ability to adapt and innovate, which is crucial for success in dynamic environments.

Micromanagement: Excessive control and oversight can stifle creativity and autonomy within a team, leading to decreased morale and productivity.

Difficulty Delegating: Reluctance to assign tasks or responsibilities to others can lead to burnout for the leader and hinder the development of team members.

Poor Communication: Leaders who struggle to clearly convey their vision, provide constructive feedback, or actively listen to their team members will face challenges in building trust and fostering collaboration.

Lack of Self-Awareness: Leaders who are unaware of their own strengths and weaknesses may struggle to delegate effectively, communicate with their team, and adapt to changing situations.

Focus on Personal Gain: A leader who prioritizes their own success over the development and well-being of their team may struggle to inspire loyalty and commitment.

Difficulty Making Decisions: Leaders need to be able to make timely and effective decisions, even under pressure. Hesitation or a tendency to avoid making choices can be detrimental to a team’s progress.

Inability to Handle Conflict: Leaders must be able to address conflict constructively and find solutions that benefit the team as a whole.

Resistance to Feedback: Leaders who are unwilling to accept feedback, whether positive or negative, will struggle to improve and grow, which can negatively impact the team.

Checklist Syndrome: Prioritizing individual tasks over team dynamics and strategic direction can indicate a follower’s mindset rather than a leader’s.

Chasing the Title: If leadership is viewed as a status symbol or a means to personal gain, it can lead to a focus on power and control rather than on responsibility and service to the team.

Avoiding Difficult Conversations: Leaders should be able to address performance issues and personal challenges with team members directly and empathetically.

Inability to Handle Silence: Leaders who need to constantly fill the silence with words or actions may be insecure or lack confidence, which can undermine their ability to inspire others.

Lack of Emotional Intelligence: Leaders who struggle to manage their own emotions and understand the emotions of others may struggle to build trust and create a positive team environment.

  Do you see this in yourself and others?

Empowerment. A powerful word when used correctly.

  It can help gain strength, confidence, and control over decisions, leading to greater autonomy and self-determination. This can be at work, home, school or elsewhere.

  At work this means leadership must provide the authority, tools, resources and environment for employees to thrive with empowerment. Their contribution, and the empowerment given, must be meaningful within their roles

  If employees are not ready to be empowered, that is when the leader needs to mentor, to provide support, get them to the point they can be successful when empowered.

  While the relationship may be a two-way street, without first trying, a leader has already failed in their role.

  In the end, empowerment will raise morale, create a culture of creative thinkers and doers, foster proactivity, and while some mistakes may be made along the way, lessons learned will strengthen the workforce.

  In leadership, giving is what is important, not taking. Grow your employee’s knowledge base, and learning is through doing, not just reading, making decisions/choices, not constantly being told them, and getting outside the comfort zone will expand horizons.

It is important, in any circumstance, that a leader in any capacity, knows what to do in the right way, does it the right way, and then shows everyone else how to do it correctly, expecting the right results.

Leadership indifference is a dangerous, toxic aspect that can creep up in a business. It is sheer lack of concern, interest, or sympathy from said leader, of whatever level, toward their employees.

  This can be seen in behaviors like lack of communication, tolerating low performance, making change with no real, tangible explanation, avoiding accountability, showing no trust or respect, and not being decisive. This can come from fear, being overwhelmed, or even a culture that prioritizes results over people.

  It will ultimately lead to disengagement, low morale, poor performance, and a lack of direction for the team, leaving many to flee.

  If as a leader you exhibit these, whether intentional or not, why are you in the role? Title, power, money? Those would be the wrong motivators.

Leadership

Leadership isn’t easy. It is easy to deride leaders, to talk trash about them. Until you are in a leadership role, you truly will not understand what all is involved.

  Often things look easy from the outside. It changes once it is you in the role.

  There is plenty out there on training to become a leader. Things to do, to not do. I would hope no one intentionally goes out of their way to become a bad manager, supervisor or leader of people. As I have said in other posts, regardless of what some might think, not everyone is cut out for the role.

  With that said I believe most of us have faced or continue to face such difficult people.

  One type to avoid becoming is what is known as a seagull manager.
They swoop in at a hint of issues arising, ready to crap on everyone’s day. They tend to run in, complain while not really understanding the issue at hand, and then leave. They give no real solutions to the supposed problem, leaving everyone even more confused.

  While they are there, they control the narrative, leaving no room for discussion. It is an title, position and ego situation at that point.

  While not a guarantee to work, being assertive in the situation may break the seagull manager from continuing to crap on the room they are in.

  As with all things, communication is key.

  Often we are faced with either a micromanager or a seagull manager, neither of which is needed in order to have a successful team and company.

There are certain traits and goals that a good leader will possess and strive for, with bad leaders/bosses on the other end of the spectrum.

  Having a clear vision for the company and employees on your team is one.

  Clear, understandable and two way communication is another.

  Supporting the team and giving them the ability to make decisions will grow the teams capability.

  Having integrity and being accountable to one’s self should be a fundamental aspect to the character of any good to great leader.

  And understanding their team through emotional intelligence is critical to a well-built team with trust and empathy all around.

 This isn’t the old days of the business world, or at least it shouldn’t be. By that I mean you shouldn’t have to tough things out and put up with a negative, toxic environment driven by workaholics who put the business and unimportant tasks over living a life.

  There should be no more badge of honors for putting in free hours, missing family events, getting berated and generally tolerating idiocy.

  Let’s get past that and work on a healthy balance in our lives. Be a good to great boss, not the opposite that no one wants to be around.

  For all employees, you don’t have to be a leader to have all these positive traits. You also make a place pleasant or not.

 As leaders, we should not throw people to the wolves, especially new hires. That is one excellent way to keep high turnover, which costs more and causes a workplace to suffer.

  New employees should be given time to adjust, trained on all internal requirements and tasks, and given the leadership’s attention when questions are asked.

  They should not be thrown into a workplace with no resources, no training and no assistance. That is improper leadership and management of employees.

  Existing personal should also not be treated the same if something new comes up.

  It is important that leadership understands it is their duty and requirement to give their employees what they need to succeed. This isn’t just for the customer/client, but for themselves as a company.

  If the employees don’t have what is needed, the customer/client won’t get what they need, and in turn the business will falter and eventually fail.

Let’s talk about leadership who either can’t make a decision and gets wishy washy when figuring out how to decide.

  Part of a leader’s job is to make a decision. Some are easier than others, but there are decisions to be made daily.

  If a leader can’t decide on something, maybe they aren’t in the right line of work. If a leader keeps changing their mind, again, they may not be in the right line of work.

  Situations change in the workplace, and in life in general. Change is a part of life. I believe we all know that.

  A leader though who can’t decide to begin with, stick to a decision previously made or is constantly changing their mind only invites chaos. This will lead to a confused team and company and an unhealthy environment.

  Another situation is a leader will not decide due to an insidious plan to undermine their people. It could be because they do not like a person or persons on their team. That is not what a leader does to their team. That mindset is not for anyone in a sr. position. A leader is there to support and mentor. They grow more leaders, not kick people down.

  They also empower their team to make decisions, so every idea or directive does not need to come from one sole person… them.

  Don’t paralyze your team. Don’t paralyze the company with either on purpose lack of decision making as an attack or as a side effect of not being capable of the role of deciding.

Throughout our lives we may work for many companies.

  We may change careers, look for new opportunities, look for promotions, look for money or other benefits or just want new challenges. Could be any number of reasons. It is important with that, that employees, management, leaders, not take offense with the situation.
No one should take it personal.

  Whether leadership has mentored an employee, promoted them, or guided them through a career, it does not mean they should be offended when they leave for whatever the reason.

Leadership makes or breaks a business. They are the ones who drive the culture and drive expectations to meet the client/customer requirements.

  If a company, and in turn the sr. leaders, are serious about quality, safety, finance, security, IT, human resources and more, they will drive to ensure they all are established and meet the need.

  Actions speak louder than words as often there is a lot of talk in business but no actionable change or improvement made.

  Balance is often needed to ensure internal business needs are met for all business functions but that outcomes meet the client/customer expectations.

  Too often there is an imbalance in the workplace and something pays the price, such as quality or safety to meet financial goals. That will not work in the long run as there are many real-world examples to be found on the subject.

  Putting people first will drive the company towards success for its clients/customers and get more business in the long term.

  Ethics, transparency, openness between leaders and the rest of the company employees will keep a cohesive team who is willing to work with each other for the success of themselves and those they provide products or services for.

  The consumers are no longer blind to the businesses that are putting massive profits first, leaving the employees making those profits to the gutter. This leaves a company vulnerable long term, even if the idea is to make it financially stronger. Who can trust a company that does that to employees?

  There are better ways.

Law of the Lid. A concept from John Maxwell.

  One of his 21 laws of leadership, the law of lid essentially shows that there is often a cap on the ability of someone to lead simply based on their ability.
Companies can be limited if their leadership has reached their ability. It may be important to bring in someone new that can complement leaders currently in place.

  Leaders will often not want to admit they have reached their peak, their max knowledge and ability in a role. It is important that they acknowledge they need higher level of leadership in order to be successful. That make take further mentoring or training to break out of the Peter Principal they may be stuck in. This could maybe entail a new set of skills is needed.

Find a way to raise your lid.

Legendary Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu touches on how leadership should be through his 81 poems/verses which are still true and relevant today as they were 2,500 years ago. I suggest anyone interested in understand leadership read them.

  A leader is one who sets the example for others to follow, rather than relying on their position of power to command obedience.

  They are humble, flexible, patient, disciplined, and understands limitations while also keeping things simple.

    Embrace creativity and build relationships.

    Pass on knowledge.

    You don’t need to be the loudest in the room to lead.

It isn’t easy to be in a leadership role. Not everyone wants it and not everyone is cut out for it.

  Do not make it harder through self-sabotage.

  What are some conditions considered to be self-sabotage you may say?

  Here are some. Have you seen any of these in your daily lives?

– Not asking for other people’s opinions or expertise, when a leader probably has plenty on the team to lean on.

– Reprimanding/punishing the team for any expression of disagreement. Employees should be able to offer dissenting opinion if/when warranted.

– Taking credit for other people’s work & not giving praise when it’s due. Certainly not passing along the leaders’ failure to the team.

– Leaders acting as though they are more important than their team. Ego sometimes gets to be a bit big in a higher position. We need to remember we all started somewhere.

– Questioning other people’s decisions and knowledge, especially for more seasoned team members.

– Belittling the teams’ skills or accomplishments. We all may have different abilities to contribute to the team.

– Making important changes without telling anyone sets a bad example and dependent on the change can be potentially devastating.

– Finding mistakes in everything the team does. We all make mistakes and we are all not perfect. Nitpicking excessively will just contribute to poor morale. There are better ways to go about looking to improve outcomes of products/services the team may provide.

– Putting the needs of the leader ahead of the team is not healthy. A leader should be there for the team, to support them.

– Do not undermine yourself by undermining your team as a leader, thinking it will benefit you in any way.

It is important that leaders listen, really listen, to their team. Often when you get into a certain level position you are expected to know everything, have the answers, be the go to person.

  A team though is usually made up of experienced people to rely on, and that includes leadership.

  If leadership will not listen and uses a my way or the highway mindset, they soon will not have a team. No one will be interested in giving ideas and certainty not want to be involved or in a place when their opinions do not matter.

  People cannot grow and expand their abilities if they are not allowed to try something different. Shutting down ideas and thoughts at work is simply detrimental long term.

  Teams are made up of all types of experiences and it’s up to those in leadership and those with the experience to train, mentor and help grow less experienced employees to become the future masters of their art.

It is important to listen, especially for a leader.

  Too many times leaders will go with their thought process without listening to their team. They may approach their team to get an opinion, having already made up their mind.

  It is important to get ideas and thoughts from your team because they may have something that didn’t cross your mind.

  It is also respectful to the team which will be reciprocated.

  If not you will have a team who will be unwilling to give feedback and your team, and in turn, business will suffer.

  You may not always agree with the thoughts and ideas, but they were heard. You also may be surprised with what your team has to offer.

You will often hear that people are born leaders, but that isn’t entirely true.

  While some may be naturally charismatic, which helps them as leaders, it often takes a lot of work and effort to become a leader. It is a lifelong pursuit.

  Experience is a big factor as you are continually learning as you go through life.

  Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn from those around you. Take classes and trainings when you can. Absorb knowledge.

  Never stop learning and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We should learn from them and improve. Remember that when others do the same.

  Mentor the next generation of leaders when the time comes.

Often times when a new leader takes over a team, they jump straight in and start making decisions and changes.

  While this may occasionally be needed in some cases, the majority of the time it is important to take some time first.

  Get to know the team, what they do, why they do it before making changes.

  What they are doing may be working or they could use some improvement.

  Especially for new leaders, you will not know everything. It is okay to learn from those around you as you grow into the role.

  Those who have been in leadership for a long time, you can still learn from those around them, and what may have worked for them in the past may not work in another leadership role.

  Remember to listen and not just talk. Learn your teams’ capabilities and delegate when needed. Empower the team.

  Keep communication channels open.

  Establish trust because without it, it is all for naught.

  As you are establishing yourself, goals need to be clearly outlined for employees to meet for the success of the team. Be open and honest.

  First 30 to 90 days in a new leadership role is important to show everyone what you have what it takes.

Yes, there is a difference between a Manager and Leader.

  Managing is ensuring the workplace is running smoothly to meet the mission. Following a set process to meet requirements, looking for efficiencies and solving issues through controls.

  A leader looks to motivate, to encourage the workforce through a vision to achieve. Giving clear guidelines and goals to follow, mentoring and pushing employees to succeed in a positive manner.

They look around to see what can be changed for the better to move the team and company into the future.

  Not everyone can be a successful supervisor or manager and not everyone can be a successful leader. Not all managers are leaders.

  Leaders are not born; they are made through life experiences. Leaders are those who people want to follow, not because they have to due to authority, but because they want to.

  Titles are temporary.

  Be a leader who takes accountability, not throwing their team under the bus when issues arise.

  Be a leader people want around.

  Be a leader with or without a title.

Leadership is a driving force at work. It can be a driving force for good or bad.

  Everyone has bad days, but if leadership is consistently negative, it will drive good employees away and affect the client/customer relationship.

  Communication is a consistent issue across many organizations.

  Leadership is supposed to be there for employees, to help, mentor and guide them. Passing blame to them, setting unrealistic expectations and nitpicking their mistakes and weaknesses will not improve a thing.

  The workplace should be intimidation free and open and clear with intent and goals.

  Without that you will have chaos and inefficiencies.

  Putting in place the right people and letting them do their job and be creative will build trust and will improve morale which spills over to the client/customers.

  Not treating the workforce with dignity will in a short time create a unsafe, low quality environment that will affect the business.

  That is bad for business.

It is a sad day when leadership would ever purposefully create a negative workplace by managing employees out. No one should ever want that.

  The backbone of a company are the employees who work each day to achieve the requirements set forth by the client/customer.

  While some employees may not be at peak performance, it is leaderships role to mentor them and get them to where they are productive.

That may not happen at the end of the day but managing out is also used on employees who are not having performance issues.

  That is where ethics get fuzzy.

  The question is, why go that route?

Rarely is micromanager and absentee manager a good thing and combined it certainly isn’t.

  It is generally the goal to be a balanced manager.

  It’s important to be there for your team, supporting them in their daily activities.

Encouraging and mentoring the team is what leadership is meant to do as the team’s success is a plus for everyone involved.

Not being there for team meetings, cancelling meetings, not responding to emails or messages, not providing positive feedback are all negative indicators.

  It is important that leadership knows their team and interacts with them in a positive manner. Not overbearing and certainly not in quick bursts that stress out the team.

  Balanced is key.

  Whether it wants to be heard or not, not everyone is capable of being in a leadership role and be successful at it.

As a leader it is important to not let the position go to one’s head. A leader is there to support the team who supports the customer. If that support is not there, there will be no team and eventually no customers.

  We are all human and should be treated as such, not numbers or disposable… unless there are aliens among us. 😉

There may be times that you are either in a leadership role but with no real authority or you are not in a leadership role but need to get a task done with a team with no clear leader.

  Either case is not ideal, nor easy.

  Every company will have its own type of organizational structure. Some positions may be temporary as well.

  You will need to do the best in the situation.

  Building relationships with the team is important. Networking may very well assist in getting goals met.

  Communicating roles and goals will keep everyone on track. Don’t be shy to ask questions and check in on progress. Use your expertise but remember others may know something you don’t.

  Earn their trust and respect.

  Everyone has some level of responsibility in their position, regardless of title.

While it is important for everyone to keep learning as they get older, even leadership, it is also important that leadership mentors those around them.

  Learning and mentoring takes initiative and work and will only be successful with those interested from both sides.

  As we learn it is important to pass along that knowledge and not keep it bottled up.

  Be involved in those around you.

It is important, whether at work or in our personal lives, to walk the walk and talk the talk.

Too often there are some who tells one thing but does another. What makes it worse is when they hold others to it but won’t do it themselves.

 In a leadership role that is rarely looked upon favorably.

  From a Quality perspective, it is important that once a system is designed and setup, that everyone work together as a team and walks the walk towards compliance to their client/customer requirements.

It is important that employees are given an opportunity to voice opinions, concerns, ideas openly.

  When their voices are ignored or shut down, the business will suffer. Having a single point of view or only Sr. Leaderships opinion leaves potential for many gaps to occur in how work is done for the customer.

  You will also lose your best and brightest who will not want to waste their time in a place where their talents are not being used.
Burnout can also contribute to the situation.

  Taking care of employees, and getting and using their opinion/ideas will in the long term take care of the customer.

There are a number of styles leaders can lead by.

  Some may be better used in certain circumstances than others.

  While I feel a hybrid of democratic and servant leader may be best in most ideal situations, there may be times that quick calls and actions are needed. In this case authoritative and pacesetting may be best.

  Each person is different, and it is important to understand the setting in order to implement the best method.

Ever been thrown under the bus at work? Were all the facts known and discussed before this occurred?

  I am sure it happens in many companies all over the world, but it is an unnecessary, toxic aspect that needs to be removed.

  All it does is remove trust and openness within a team that is supposed to be working towards a common goal. Often you cannot get that trust back. Respect is lost and rarely regained, and the team will lose its cohesiveness.

  Leaders especially need to ensure all facts are known before jumping on the band wagon. Leaders doing this is far worse as they are in a role that others are to look up to. They are to set a good example, not contribute to the toxicity.

  This can also occur in our personal lives as well. It isn’t solely a work thing.

While leadership isn’t always or even usually easy, some leaders make situations harder. It is important to listen and talk less in many cases. A team is hired because of their talents and need to use those talents. Get varied opinions.

  Always work to make oneself better as well as your team. Too often, especially as some rise through the ranks, they forget where they started. Never stop learning. There is usually something new to learn no matter how old you are or how long you have been in a position.
Be open.

Often folks think it is easy to be in a leadership role, and it is not.

  There may be glaring weaknesses but also obvious strengths. It is important that we acknowledge our weaknesses and learn from them and grow. Not working on improving your weaknesses will cause long term damage to yourself as a leader but your teams’ relationship with you.

  Not everyone is suitable to be in a leadership role and it’s not always to admit that.

Leaders need to empower their team as often it’s the team who succeeds and not one person.

  When employees are empowered they feel, generally speaking, more satisfied at work and more confident.

  The opposite is true when they are watched over their shoulder, or if delegated to do something and the boss comes in and does it anyways.

  Folks are hired in a role. The experienced ones especially need to be allowed to perform in that role. Training and mentorship is important, most certainly at the beginning, but why have folks in the position if they are not allowed to do it.

  I have had plenty of people get promoted under me but I don’t pretend to think that was all me. It was their initiative and hard work that drove them to succeed. I just encouraged along the way.

  That is what leadership should do. Encourage and not stifle. Empower your team. Trust them to get the task done.

  We often learn from failures and opportunities. Lessons learned makes us stronger.

Leadership in any company is a driving force behind its success, but as with all things, we are human and make mistakes.

  Owning the mistake is important and learning from it.

  Ensuring the properly sized workforce has the tools and training they need to succeed at any task is also important. Putting blame on others when it is your responsibility is one of many reasons why employees lose faith in leadership and end up moving on.

There are times where folks let their job title go to their head, expecting immediate respect. While in business the hierarchy and leadership positions are means to be followed, respect is something that rarely is immediate.

  Positions/Job Titles should not be the catalyst to respond to email requests or other business. Every position in a company should be respected. Respect goes both ways.

One thing often overlooked for a leader is to be technically proficient. You may be a great leader, but you need to understand what is going on around you.

  Employees look to leadership for guidance and instructions which may be difficult if you have no idea what is going on or how’s it’s done.
  Also, as a leader it is important not to waste employees time when you may be able to do something or get something yourself. Delegation may be needed at times but isn’t always the answer.

A good to great leader started as a follower. They also work to create more leaders, not followers.

  Aristotle spoke on this over 2,000 years ago and it is as relevant now as then, if not more so.

  Remember to be humble, loyal to your team, listen, learn, and check your ego at the door.

Quiet Manager.

  The opposite of a micro manager, a quiet manager will give employees space to work, to breathe and be free try things.

  It builds trust with the team knowing you have faith in their ability to complete tasks.

  As with everything, there are positive and negatives to it. Just don’t be too hands off, too distant. Be available to assist, mentor and provide resources.

  Allow employees to do what they are there to do.

Commanding, equipping, and influencing are three core elements of effective leadership. Commanding involves directing and guiding a team, equipping focuses on providing the necessary resources and support, and influencing is about inspiring and motivating others to achieve a common goal together.

  Clear and concise direction is important, as without it, employees cannot easily make decisions, and ensure their duties are executed effectively. Vague feedback will not work. An employee should not be left guessing.

  Inspiring and motivating others towards shared objectives, while giving them the tools, training, resources, and support they need to succeed is critical as a leader.

  You don’t give them what they need, support them, mentor them and congratulate them on successes, then you are failing as a leader. You are in a leadership role to see the team and individuals succeed for you, the company and its client/customer, as well as themselves.

It can be challenging for someone in a leadership role to move on from their old job and tasks, but their new role and task is to support their team and their tasks. Be the coach and motivator they need to succeed.

A winning leader will build a rhythm in their daily work.

  They will set aside time to learn, to teach, coach and mentor their team, to analyze how their team is doing against goals and to celebrate their team’s success with them.

  Often negatives outweigh success and discipline is used more than celebrations, although errors occur far less than wins.

  Tempo may change within an organization dependent on what is occurring, but it is important that leaders don’t allow the chaos around them to break their rhythm and focus.

Power corrupts absolutely is a portion of the full quote, but I am sure we have all experienced people in seniority that have abused power for their own gain, as well as those they favor.

  There are different forms of power that those in leadership positions can use. Which type will speak volumes of the person’s character.

  Back in the 1950’s, power was originally categorized as coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent power. Informational, which is based on control over information, was added in the 1960’s. There are newer categories such as formal, which is based on a role, personal, which is based on the individual, and connection, which is based on networking.

  • Coercive Power: The ability to punish or withhold rewards to influence behavior. Expects and demands obedience.
  • Reward Power: The ability to provide positive outcomes or rewards for motivation.
  • Legitimate Power: Authority derived from a formal position or role.
  • Expert Power: Influence based on specialized knowledge or skills.
  • Referent Power: Influence based on personal charisma, admiration, or relationships.

  In my personal and professional opinion, anyone who relies on coercive power should not be in a leadership role. A hostile and toxic work environment is not healthy for anyone and will not provide the best environment to succeed for the client/customer.

  Legitimate power is what is often seen in business as there is a hierarchy, but that power is a title and does not necessarily mean automatic respect, instead requiring time to build.

  Expert and information power are who people will go to for assistance, ideas, and support because they generally will have the most knowledge and experience. Not everyone in a role of power will have the answer.

  Certain situations, people and teams may require a mix of use between these various types of power, as one may not work for another.

We are all people in this world, living our lives the best we can. We are not just numbers and leadership need to understand that to ensure that their teams’ potential is discovered. Empathy isn’t a weakness but a strength to and tool to use.

It is important for leadership and Quality, Safety and a number of other functions, to do a regular Gemba Walk (going to the source) in the workplaces.

  Far too often we sit behind a desk and look solely at numbers, or write a document without seeing the operation and what is really happening, or go through a checklist with a leader without taking a look at the work behind the question.

  Employees will often appreciate a leader who goes out to the floor and check on things and ask how everything is going. They will appreciate having their feedback incorporated into a process, or an idea taken into consideration for improvement.

  For Quality, Safety and other support elements it is important to see what goes on behind the questions being asked. It helps you understand the operation better and gives an opportunity to suggest potential improvements through Lean or Six Sigma methods.

More importantly, it gets your face out there and interacting with the operations can build understanding and cooperation between the operation side and support elements.

  While Quality, Safety and other support elements need to be experts in their specific field, learning, growing and understanding other operations can only make you better, stronger and overall, more knowledgeable.

I appreciate it when a process owner, a leader of a function, is attuned to their environment, team and requirements.

  It is great to talk to someone who can walk you through their process and understands everything that is needed.

  While no one is perfect, no operation is perfect, the effort is important to make.

  You will still find those who do not know their requirements, which does baffle me because you are there, in charge, getting paid and doing something.

  Clients/customers are not always proactive to check on things and by the time something is found it is too late.

  Thank you to those who make everyone’s day easier.

Some leaders believe fear should be a driving force to get employees compliant, or to get more work.

  While fear, often stemming from pressure or intimidation from leadership and others, can ultimately drive individuals to work quickly, it too often comes at the expense of accuracy, attention to detail, and the overall quality of whatever they may be working on. This is because fear will increase stress, and a reluctance to take risks or ask for help, all of which negatively impact the final product they are working on.

  Leaders need to foster an environment that is trusting and supportive, where employees can take risks, learn from mistakes, contribute, feel listened too and allowed to innovate. This will lead to a more engaged and productive team and will be for the betterment of the company and its client/customer.

It is important to have a management review to review not just the results of internal compliance related audits and system/process reviews, but to ensure the business and its employees are working in unison for the client/customer. These management reviews should occur at regular intervals.

The role of leadership is to create the next set of leaders, to mentor and support those around them. It should never be about power and control but instead to guide and get people to their potential.

Remember that without Quality, in time, you won’t have clients/customers. Include Quality in what you do. It will be profitable when you have quality products/services.

I am sure those in compliance related fields have heard certain phrases or received the cold shoulder or eye roll when you are walking in or reaching out concerning an audit, surveillance, inspection or review. Could be Quality, Safety, Security, or based on Medical or Financial regulations to review a given area or task.

  As much as Quality Professionals, as well as other compliance professionals, will try to instill a sense of importance into why x, y and z are important, only leadership of functions can make it happen.

  Leading by example by including the various requirements and monitoring activities within the workforce will be how the business will get to the positive, compliant end result for their client/customer. It may at times feel tedious or even overwhelming including so many potential aspects into the long list of daily tasks, for those in certain fields, it is essential to success.

Making Quality at the Source successful in a company requires everyone’s participation. There should never be employees, especially those in leadership saying “I have real work to do” or “I am too busy to deal with you right now” or simply blowing off those in compliance.

  People, especially leadership, should want to do the right thing, do it safely, securely, ensuring the client/customer is satisfied and that the employees are also taken care of. They are all intertwined and not singular or certainly should be.

  There will always be those who just want a paycheck, disgruntled for a variety of reasons, generally unhappy and make the environment challenging. It is important to remember that we all are human, have our own problems, desires, ambition (or lack of), and motivation. It can be a challenge to grab hold of all that and make a successful team and business, but the first step is to understand it is there.

Not everyone is a leader, but they have valuable information that can help a team, project or company. It is important that those in leadership mentor those around them to create the next group of leaders but also take on ideas from those around them.

  Those in leadership positions do not have all the answers, no matter how many years they have been around.

  Listen and not just talk. Don’t waste talent and be open to new ideas.

For those in leadership who are a manager in title only, I sympathize, depending on the circumstance. It refers to someone with a manager job title who does not have people reporting to them or direct management responsibilities, such as hiring or firing.

  There could be multiple reasons for this. It can be for those with high-level contributions to the company’s goals, it may be a strategic move to reflect their expertise as an individual contributor with significant influence and possibly some level of power within a specific function, project or department/section.

  It could also be a way to push out the individual by taking away responsibilities. It’s all the intent of those in sr. positions, but if there is a manager who has experience, knowledge, ability and capability who is being underutilized, then that could certainly be deemed a waste.

  On the flip side, there is also a manager with a title who does nothing to support their team, so the title is just that. Those folks do not need to be in the role as that is not the concept of a manager or leader.

Having a change mindset, looking for better/different/new ways to do things, can keep a business competitive and relevant.

Being a leader in difficult times will test you, strain you, and reveal strengths and weaknesses to yourself. It is important to surround yourself with those who will support you, that you can lean on.

Leaders need to take care of themselves first in order to take care of their team. Everyone can burn out, get sick, and health is a priority. Then, you can work on building and sustaining your team.

We all have an ego, even if some mask it better than others. An ego isn’t necessarily bad, but an over inflated or unhealthy ego certainly can be.

  An ego is a part of our self-identity and can help us navigate in this world and social situations, especially for personal goals. It becomes a problem when it leads to arrogance, selfishness and distorts our perception of ourselves and others.

  In leadership you can see egos throughout all levels

  Ego-led leadership focuses on the leader’s needs and self-image, potentially hindering team growth and organizational success. It can be about control. There is often a lack of empathy and resistance to feedback. It creates a toxic environment for all those involved.

  What should be the goal is Learning-led leadership. It prioritizes continuous learning, collaboration, and the well-being of the team, fostering a more positive and productive environment. It allows for an adaptable and flexible environment focusing on the long term and not short-term gains, reducing the potential for burn out.

As a leader, set out to make a positive difference to those around you.  You are there for people, not the other way around.

As a leader, it is vital to be clear with expectations, roles, and tasks. Without clarity, you are setting the team up for failure and creating a chaotic environment, which should never be a goal of leadership.

Leadership is rarely something we are born into or inherit. It may seem that some are born with the gift to lead, but it takes effort and training to get there. It can take years of study and determination to get to where you are comfortable in the role and years further to truly master leadership. One thing though to remember is that we can all still learn at any age and in any position.

  There are many different types of leadership styles that we can take on, each with its own approach to guiding and motivating the teams of people we are to lead. There will be times that you need to use different styles for different situations.

  There are some common leadership styles, some are considered the primary styles while others are lesser known. Here are some of the various styles in no particular order. Which one do you believe you use when in a leadership role?

Autocratic Leadership (Authoritarian): This style is characterized by centralized decision-making, where the leader makes all the decisions with little or no input from the team.

  • Pros:
    • Quick decision-making, clear direction, efficient task completion, especially in crisis situations.
  • Cons:
    • Reduced employee morale, stifled creativity, potential for resentment, and limited input from team members.

Democratic Leadership (Participative): In contrast, democratic leaders involve their team in the decision-making process, fostering collaboration and a sense of ownership.

  • Pros:
    • Increased employee engagement and commitment, diverse perspectives leading to better decisions, fosters a collaborative environment, and encourages innovation.
  • Cons:
    • Slower decision-making process, potential for conflicts, and can be less effective in urgent situations.

Laissez-Faire Leadership (Delegative): This style involves minimal interference from the leader, allowing team members to work independently and make their own decisions.

  • Pros:
    • Encourages employee autonomy and creativity, promotes a sense of ownership, and can be effective with highly skilled and motivated teams.
  • Cons:
    • Can lead to lack of direction and coordination, potential for decreased productivity, and may result in a lack of accountability.

Transformational Leadership: Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams by setting a clear vision and encouraging them to achieve higher levels of performance.

  • Pros:
    • Inspires and motivates employees, fosters a culture of innovation and growth, and encourages continuous improvement.
  • Cons:
    • Requires significant time and effort from the leader, relies heavily on the leader’s personal skills and charisma, and may overlook practical details.

Transactional Leadership: This style focuses on setting clear goals and using rewards and punishments to motivate team members.

  • Pros:
    • Provides clear expectations and rewards for performance, establishes a structured and organized work environment, and can be effective in achieving specific goals.
  • Cons:
    • Can limit creativity and innovation, may not foster a strong sense of commitment, and can lead to a focus on short-term results rather than long-term growth.

Servant Leadership: Servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team members, focusing on their growth, development, and well-being.

  • Pros:
    • Prioritizes the needs and development of team members, fosters trust and loyalty, and can lead to a positive and supportive work environment.
  • Cons:
    • May be perceived as weak in situations requiring tough decisions, can be challenging to balance individual needs with organizational goals.

Visionary Leadership: Visionary leaders have a clear sense of direction and inspire their teams with a compelling vision for the future.

  • Pros:
    • It can inspire innovation, motivate employees, and create a strong sense of purpose.
  • Cons:
    • It can lead to unrealistic expectations, potential disconnect from the present, and difficulty in managing day-to-day operations.

Coaching Leadership: This style focuses on developing the skills and abilities of individual team members, helping them to improve their performance.

  • Pros:
    • Focuses on developing individual skills and capabilities, builds strong and capable teams, and promotes a growth mindset.
  • Cons:
    • Requires significant time and effort from the leader, may not be suitable for all situations.

Bureaucratic Leadership: This style follows established rules and procedures, often found in large organizations.

  • Pros:
    • It offers stability and predictability through organized structure.
  • Cons:
    • This style can also be slow, inflexible, and stifles creativity.

Pacesetting Leadership: Pacesetting leaders set high standards for performance and lead by example, often working alongside their team.

  • Pros:
    • Quick results can be achieved, and it fosters a culture of accountability.
  • Cons:
    • The risk of burnout and decreased employee engagement can easily occur if not balanced with support and feedback.

Affiliative Leadership: This style focuses on creating a positive and harmonious work environment, prioritizing the emotional well-being of team members.

  • Pros:
    • This style prioritizes strong relationships and harmony within a team, which offers benefits like increased morale and trust among the team and peers.
  • Cons:
    • Potential conflict avoidance and decreased productivity are the risks for this style.

Situational Leadership: This style involves adapting the leadership approach based on the specific situation and the maturity level of the team members.

  • Pros:
    • This style offers flexibility and can boost employee development.
  • Cons:
    • Downside is that it can be complicated and potentially confusing if not implemented consistently.

Strategic Leadership: This style focuses on setting long-term goals and developing strategies to achieve them, often seen in top-level management.

  • Pros:
    • Provides a clear vision, encourages innovation, and enhances decision-making.
  • Cons:
    • Can lead to inflexibility, high costs, and potential for inaccurate forecasting.

Charismatic Leadership: They use their personal charm, persuasive communication, and ability to inspire to motivate and influence others.

  • Pros:
    • Inspires high levels of commitment and enthusiasm, creates a strong sense of vision, and can drive significant change.
  • Cons:
    • Relies heavily on the leader’s personality and presence, can be overly dependent on the leader, and may overlook practical aspects of leadership.

  Now going through this list of leadership styles, a question I have for leaders is what style do you wish to be led by, in any given situation? Remember that when you are leading others.

Here’s how different leaders might handle the same situation for a scenario.

  A key project milestone was missed. The team is gathered to discuss what happened.

Autocratic Leader.

“The deadline was missed because the process wasn’t followed. From now on, all work must be reviewed by me before it’s submitted. No exceptions. Let’s get back to work.”

Democratic Leader.

“We missed this deadline as a team, so let’s figure out why as a team. What were the obstacles? What ideas do you have to get back on track and prevent this next time? I want to hear from everyone.”

Servant Leader.

“I know everyone worked hard. A missed deadline is usually a system problem, not a people problem. What did I fail to provide you with? Was it clear direction, enough resources, or support from other departments? My job is to clear these obstacles for you.”

Coaching Leader.

“Let’s use this as a learning opportunity. John, what do you think was the main cause? Maria, if you could change one thing about the workflow, what would it be? My goal is to help us all develop the skills to handle these pressures better in the future.”

Laissez-Faire Leader.

“The deadline was missed. I trust you all to figure out what went wrong and correct it. Let me know if you need anything.”

The takeaway is that there’s no single right style for every situation.

  In a crisis, an autocratic style might be needed for speed. For building long-term team commitment, a democratic or servant approach is often more effective. The best leaders can adapt their style to the context.

Leaders need to be visible, to a degree, even if they are remote or distant from the team on a trip. Not checking in, saying hi, or showing interest with the team will damage and deteriorate the team’s cohesiveness, teamwork, functionality, and erode trust with the leader.

Interested in learning what your leadership style?

  You don’t need a title to be a leader. Think about how you naturally interact with others in group projects, at home, school or other activities. For each question, choose the answer that feels most like you.

1. When a tough decision needs to be made, you typically:

a) Make the call myself based on the information I have. It’s efficient.

b) Gather the group, present the options, and take a vote.

c) Ask questions to guide the group toward what I believe is the best consensus.

d) Delegate the decision to the person most affected by it.

2. Your primary role as a leader is to:

a) Ensure tasks are completed correctly and on time.

b) Create a fair process where everyone has a voice.

c) Support my team’s growth and remove barriers to their success.

d) Provide the resources and then get out of the way.

3. When a team member makes a mistake, your first instinct is to:

a) Correct it immediately and show them the proper procedure.

b) Discuss it with the team to see what we can all learn from it.

c) Ask them what they think went wrong and how I can help them succeed next time.

d) Assume they are aware of it and will self-correct.

4. During a team meeting, you usually:

a) Directing the agenda and assigning tasks.

b) Facilitating the conversation so all sides are heard.

c) Listening closely to understand everyone’s challenges and perspectives.

d) Present, but I let the team run the discussion.

Here are the results, which by the way is not exactly scientific, so keep that in mind.

Mostly A’s.

The Directing Leader (Autocratic/Transactional).

You value efficiency, clarity, and results. You provide clear direction and expect it to be followed. Your strength is getting things done quickly, especially under pressure.

  Be mindful of ensuring your team feels empowered and heard.

Mostly B’s.

The Democratic Leader (Participative)

You believe the best decisions come from collaboration. You build strong buy-in and morale by valuing everyone’s input. Your strength is building cohesive, committed teams. Be mindful that this style can be slow when a quick decision is needed.

Mostly C’s.

The Coaching Leader (Servant/Transformational)

Your focus is on the growth and well-being of your team. You lead by asking questions and providing support. Your strength is developing talent and fostering intense loyalty. Be mindful of ensuring that tasks and deadlines are still met effectively.

Mostly D’s.

The Delegating Leader (Laissez-Faire).

You trust your team’s expertise and give them high autonomy. You avoid micromanagement. Your strength is empowering highly skilled, self-motivated teams. Be mindful that this approach can feel like a lack of support if the team needs more direction or structure.

  Remember that this is just a snapshot. Most people use a blend of styles. The key is to be aware of your natural tendencies so you can consciously choose the most effective approach for each situation you face.

Leaders need to empower others in order to build the next set of leaders. Just don’t leave some behind for others. That creates an imbalance and fosters favoritism and unfair practices.

Management by Walking Around (MBWA) is similar to a Gemba Walk, but more informal, less structured and spontaneous, allowing leadership to get out of the office and behind the desk to interact with employees.

  It is a good opportunity to see how things are when not planned, talk to the ones doing the actual work and be seen. Getting feedback, opinions, seeing opportunities for improvement for yourself are all good for morale, and keeping the operation running smooth and efficient.

Planning

Lately it seems that companies are short term planning and not long-term planning.

  Both are needed of course but making short term decisions without thinking long term impact can have serious negative consequences. There have been plenty of articles in the news on this, some of which I have posted.

  Leaders need to look at the forecast of activities, of workload and of history. We often forget about history and that can hurt both a company but also people as a society.

  I am a student of history and I try to use lessons learned in my life. That doesn’t happen as often as it should as we often repeat failures from the past. You see this in business and politics all the time, let alone in our personal lives.

  A business making a rash decision to cover a short-term plan at the expense of the long term will certainly not help. Also, not using what has worked in the past for future, long term planning is foolish. If it worked why throw it away unless requirements have changed.

  Shooting from the hip, making quick and rash decisions will always come with risks. You must live with that as a business or in your personal life.

  It is up to us to make the best choice we can in our short time on this planet, whether we are the decision maker or those impacted.

Understanding current workload, tasks and future work will put companies in a good position to provide what their current and future customers need.

  Eliminating positions is not always the answer to saving money. It can and does backfire with companies. There are a number of ways to improve financials without always shooting from the hip and laying off people.

Lessons Learned.

  Whether at work or in our personal lives, if we do not learn from our successes and certainly our failures or missteps, we will be doomed to repeat the negative aspects.

We should want to continually succeed, even in small ways, so using what we have done in the past that worked should be the formula to use.

  Outside of ourselves though, we should also help others succeed through our lessons learned.

Think the 5 P’s as part of planning. Without proper planning there could be a very good chance of poor performance for your client/customer.

  Additionally, it can simply cause chaos and inefficiency with the workforce leaving them stressed and worn out for no reason.

  Proper planning is a win win.

Planning.

  Whether for companywide, portfolio, program, project or in our personal lives, it is important we plan things out.

  The right people need to be involved, to include Quality & Safety, with the right knowledge for everyone to do their part. Additionally, it also needs to be the right time and on time once started.

  While some issues you can find online as examples for when plans fail may be funny, they are also costly as well as a nuisance. They can also cost lives.

  Failure should not generally be considered a negative situation, although it often is. It is instinctive to not want to failure, to be embarrassed by it. We all want to be successful in what we do.
  It is important though to keep learning from mistakes, improving each time, innovating towards success.

  History is replete with examples of repeated failures that became outstanding successes.

  Keep at it.

While planning is fundamental in what we do at work and inputs and requirements are generally an important part of it, what is important in the end is the output and outcome.

Too often the inputs can be micromanaged. If the outcome is positive, the outputs are compliant and on time, then it is a success.

While we can use Lean in the workplace to improve upon the inputs, we need to remember that we are not robots. You can get to a point where all the enjoyment is taken away, which is often limited as is.

For a business to be successful, planning is a big part of it. Know what you need, your client/customer requirements, and get the right people in place to make what you put in place work and maintain it through checks and balances.

  Communication is another important element to be successful and often times underutilized.

  Lastly, never forget about looking for improvements. Often, we get used to the way things are when we should see it as they could be.

  Be open to the possibility.

Lessons Learned are often an underrated tool companies can use. Companies can become so big and departments focused only on their own status that no one passes ideas around. Documenting Lessons Learned from projects or tasks can help others learn from the good or bad that developed. It can also help to remind you for a future project or task so you can continually improve.

Planning is critical for the success of any business. Poor Planning = Poor Outcome. A picture I have had in my office for a decade now reminds me of that. Putting stress on Colleagues, Customers and Clients due to last minute deadlines, changes or procrastination will create a chaotic, toxic workplace.

When everything is urgent, nothing is.

  It is important that urgency be used when it is real and truly needed.

  When everything is treated as an emergency or urgent, it is either because of poor planning or a lack of prioritizing.

  It is vital that leadership properly prioritize tasks as to not unnecessarily overwhelm and stress out their employees. Leaders should understand if their employees become vocal and not slap them down (metaphorically speaking).

  While procrastination is never good, a culture of false urgency will simply break down the team.

  Having clear roles & responsibilities, while also keeping tasks on point and not constantly changing are musts. Change for the sake of change or constantly changing how work is done is not good change.

  Micromanaging a professional staff will also never end well.

  There is good stress at work, contrary to beliefs, when expectations are known for handling the work load which includes true urgent tasks.

Should we set our goals high or realistic?

  That is difficult because we often want top tier goals, but make them so high they cannot be feasibly reached.

  It is important to be realistic when we set goals because they should be attainable and not considered a failure if we can’t meet them regardless of how much we try.

  Are you committed? Are there obstacles/limitations to consider?

  Plan it out well, researching what you can do. Stretch yourself, just don’t overwhelm yourself or others.

It should be a goal of any company to have high performance teams.

  It should be a goal of an employee to want to be a part of a high-performance team.

  It takes the Sr. Leadership to establish that culture.

  It always starts with open and clear communication and reachable goals to build trust from.

  Giving employees a voice and praise will give them the opportunity to be a part of the company and give ideas that can positivity grow the company.

  Break out of silos and work together, forging bonds between teams that will create a high performance company.

  Be willing to put time and effort into the employees, giving them training and education opportunities.

  If a company wants to be the best for their client/customer, get the best and cultivate to keep and grow the best. Mentor and build relationships that will stand the test of time.

Success isn’t always easy. It takes a lot to make it work. Whether in our personal lives, or a business which has multiple functions working together.

  Keep striving for goals, meeting requirements, breaking boundaries and one step at a time you will reach success.

In a large company the organization may have people working directly and indirectly for leadership.

  This can be complicated at times but when managed properly can be an asset.

  A straight line means you work directly for that person. They generally approve time sheets, complete performance reviews and give direct requests to be followed.

  Dotted line means that while that person doesn’t generally approve time sheets and may not play a part in performance reviews, they send requests to be completed. Often it is for projects, reports, deliverables that may be needed and tracking of progress for certain requirements.

  This relationship entails cross communication and collaboration and can be beneficial to a company.

  While dotted line may be considered secondary, it is still important and often vital when implemented to ensure various tasks are completed.

  It is important though that roles, tasks, limitations and boundaries are set at the beginning to have everyone involved understanding clearly what is needed and required.

  It should be a team effort and not an adversarial or combative relationship. This structure will often allow those involved to learn from one another to the benefit to themselves and the business.

I don’t like the word quit. But with that said, it is important to know when to shut a project down if it isn’t working, moving on from something if it isn’t working for you and just understand when enough is enough.

  In business it is important to know when to stop sinking money into something that is not materializing.

  We all have breaking points in our lives and we should not consider it quitting to move to the next phase or step in our lives.

I don’t like the word quit. But with that said, it is Important to know when to shut a project down if it isn’t working, moving on from something if it isn’t working for you and just understand when enough is enough.

  In business it is important to know when to stop sinking money into something that is not materializing.

  We all have breaking points in our lives, and we should not consider it quitting to move to the next phase or step in our lives.

Planning.

  Without planning there is a good chance of failing at something. Winging it rarely works across the board.

  It is important to look at everything prior to starting something, a project, new work, even existing work, etc., to ensure you have the right resources in place.

  There are different tools and methods you can use, but one is a FMEA. This can be used by Quality & Safety.

  A Failure Mode and Effects Analysis takes a look at the various work/processes being performed and grades the potential risk and possible failures for each to understand what needs to be tackled from a level of importance.

  It is important to be able to create it, or any tool, but also for people to understand it. In Quality we often train to the level of capacity and competence of the workforce, which can vary greatly. It is also important for employees, and especially leadership, to grow and learn. It is a concerted effort from all parties.

If effort is taken to create something to use to better the business, those in that business need to take some effort to learn it and implement it. Their client/customer will appreciate the effort.

When a business moves assets around to constantly fight fires or competing needs that creep up in different places, they are not helping themselves.

  When you move people to help in one area and another is left to its own devices, there is a good chance you will have multiple areas that will be failing at one time.

  This shows a simple lack of proper planning and leadership oversight.

  It is even worse when you drop Quality and Safety, among others, off the radar of importance.

  It is doubtful that the client/customer would think this is in their best interest. Even worse is when you prioritize one over another. What would happen if the client/customer you are putting off to the side for another, even temporary, found out?

  There are better ways.

  Starting with proper planning and having the right resources in place is a start. Don’t just wing it. Be proactive and do things the correct way the first time for all parties.

  It is also important to have something in place like a procedure to work off of instead of, I don’t know, winging it.

It is important to get into a fire prevention mode and not a firefighting mode. Preventive and not reactionary to our environment, which takes work. It takes planning. It takes everyone outside of Quality to implement and sustain. It is important to sustain the Quality Management System through regular risk-based audits against the company systems and processes.

  Looking for improvements within each function of a business, while concurrently having a system in place that ensures compliance and triggers the alarm when there is a noncompliant situation to contain, correct and prevent.

  Think inside and outside the box for solutions. Work as a team. Get a solid foundation and system in place and you won’t be scrambling around the workplace in a panic.

If a person in charge comes to a team and brings up an idea or change and asks if there are any questions, ideas, or thoughts, but has already passed it by their superior and gotten approval, it is too late for feedback. Do not be surprised when the team is silent. Their opinion on the idea or change obviously does not matter, even if they are the ones who have to implement it.

  You want feedback, bring it to them before presenting it up the chain. The team will then feel included, even if the outcome may not be to their liking.

  On a regular basis we have tasks to do, reports to send, places to be. There are times we miss them. We get busy, tied up with other things or just forget.

  It is important to use tools to help remind ourselves. If you have reports to submit to the US Government or internally, you can set up reminders in outlook/teams for all those involved. If you have Maximo, a work order can be set up to send out a reminder of a task to be completed, which also documents the task if needed to show.

  Using tools, even in small ways, can help us all keep track of the many aspects we deal with each day.

  Work smarter, not harder.

You can’t change or create a process and expect it to work if you don’t map it out completely and discuss all potential impacts. Guessing or hoping won’t win over most clients/customers. Don’t take an unnecessary risk.

Not everyone is good with paperwork. Not everyone is good at writing a process or even an email.

  Everyone has strengths, and yes, weaknesses. One of my strengths is having no weakness… kidding.

  Operations in companies of various size often focus on the mission. Sometimes the mission on ground is the hands-on approach to meet the client/customer needs and that may or may not include paperwork. More often than not the paperwork is less important as it is not the visual the client/customer cares about at the time.

  The paperwork drill is what in the end may save the company when done right. It will show the various requirements were met to support the action, when done correctly. It will support that payment they receive for their effort.

Preparation is just as, if not more important, than the execution. Without a good plan, the outcome may be less than ideal. If you plan well, you can succeed.

There can be nothing to improve if there are no standards to follow, but the improvement can be to create the standard. Improvements are continual, and there will be better ways to do it as time goes on. Don’t stay in a box.

In decision making, it is important to understand that speed is also involved as too quick or too slow could be fatal and/or costly to you and those around you.

  Moving at the speed of smell. When decisions and actions move so slow that it feels nothing is happening, you may have a problem.

  Approving a document or process, or action to keep the ball rolling should not be slowed to a crawl due to internally designed constraints.

  In Quality we look at lean, removing waste, bottlenecks in the process and streamlining the operation, so it is even worse when Quality plays a part in over complicating things.

  Keeping things simple is the preferable way to go. Not creating over complicated processes, steps, or actions in an operation will keep the operation flowing easier and quicker but also remove the possibility of not meeting a requirement because of a missed deadline or something similar.

  While there are sectors that require certain constraints per regs, each operation needs to be looked at on its own merits and requirements, along with the workforce capability.

It is important to be proactive and not reactive as that is not effective long term.

  In the business world, lead (ing) by design means to proactively shape a desired future rather than reacting to the present or passively accepting what happens.

  To create this, the conditions for success are through strategic thinking, purposeful action, and a focus on desired outcomes, rather than simply managing the present.

  Instead of responding to situations as they occur, leading by design involves anticipating challenges and opportunities and proactively shaping the path forward.

  Leaders must define a clear vision for the future and ensure that all actions, objectives, and strategies are aligned with that vision.

  Leading by design requires continuous learning, testing, and adaptation to new information and changing circumstances. To succeed, everyone must be involved.

  Leaders need to create an environment where team members feel empowered to contribute their ideas, collaborate effectively, and work towards shared goals.

  Achieving desired results and making a meaningful impact is the goal, rather than simply focusing on processes. While processes of course are important and often needed, the end outcome for the client/customer is what is important. We are, after all, in business for them.

  That involves understanding user needs/desires, testing solutions, and receiving feedback to achieve the best outcomes.

  In summary, leading by design is a proactive & strategic approach focusing on creating a desired future rather than simply reacting to the present.

  Long term vs short term thinking.

Leaders build a system, hopefully with a long-term vision, but allows the team to run within it. They should not be dependent on the leader. This will just cause delays waiting on the leader but also becomes a situation where the employees second guess themselves, questions themselves, slow down and work stops.

  Leaders cannot be involved in every aspect of the function as they will get overwhelmed. That is why there is a team to depend on. Put some trust into the team, give them clarity in expectations, be there to support and mentor, and let the team succeed.

While you may not work in project management, there are elements in project management that can be used in everyday work to make you do more efficiently.

  Project management as a model is the planning, organizing, and managing work to achieve goals with defined constraints of scope, time, and budget.   

  It requires using knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver a project’s objectives and final deliverables.

  The core phases of project management and Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) include initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure, which guide the project from start to successful completion. These are the elements that can be used in everyday work because you need to plan out the processes, conduct the work and ensure it meets the client/customer requirements.

  Within PMBoK there are ten elements that project managers use, that can also be used by others.

Integration Management- This focuses on organizing various project processes and activities to ensure they all work together to achieve project goals. This can be done for any activity, not just a project.

Scope Management- What is required by the client/customer is within the scope of the project or task/activity the team is required to complete.

Schedule Management- Managing the project timeline, including defining activities, and durations, is critical and timelines are important to track for any activity.

Cost Management- Costs are important to track through planning, estimating, budgeting, and controlling for anything to ensure it stays within its financial constraints.

Quality Management- Quality is vital for anything within an organization, not just project management to ensure the needs of the client/customer is met through planning, managing, and controlling quality throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Resource Management- Managing the resources (people, equipment, facilities) needed to complete any task successfully is vital. You don’t have what you need, you will fail. How do you know unless you track what you need.

Communications Management- Communication, communication, communication. Must have open lines of communication for timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval, and disposition of project information. Communication is critical for any function within any business and is often the one element not seen through properly.

Risk Management- There are risks with everything we do. It is important to identify, analyze, respond to, and monitor risks to minimize potential threats and maximize opportunities. Risks can be related to safety, quality, financial and more.

Procurement Management- A good supply chain is needed to order what you need to succeed, whether goods and/or services from external sources.

Stakeholder Management- Who is involved in meeting client/customer requirements? All stakeholders need to be included within processes to ensure there are no gaps.

  Again, while project management might not be your role, these elements can be used in many jobs and functions across many industries.

There are many risks within a business which they need to watch out for. Not planning for them can spell disaster later.

  Quality is only one risk.

  There are risks in the operations, safety risks, financial risks, supply chain/procurement risks, technology can be a risk as well as the reputation of the business. Reputation is especially important as it is how the client/customer sees their end product and how they handle business.

  Don’t let risk management go by the wayside when planning.

Two elements in project management that can be used elsewhere, especially for process improvement projects are fast tracking and crashing.

  Project crashing is a method that allows resources to be dumped into the project to get it competed early or on time.

  Fast tracking is when you need to speed up the work and complete multiple tasks on the work breakdown structure, schedule or something similar. Whether you are tracking with a Gantt Chart, Rail, or something else, you can ensure that all elements are completed early.

The challenge when bringing in technology of some kind, is balancing its use with the workforce. If you bring in too much tech, or tech too fast, there will be a steep learning curve and/or gaps in service that will disrupt not only the workforce but the client/customer. Planning this change properly, will allow for a smoother transition.

  Technology has always been controversial. Since the time of the Luddites throwing their wooden sabots into the machinery to stop or slow down production, there have been people who tried to slow the advances that changed life and affected livelihoods.

  Machinery in the industrial age drastically altered the lives of those in that time. Now we are in the age of technology, and although different, technology is again drastically altering the lives of many across the world.

  While it is important to pivot, to change with the times, it can be challenging when it is a sudden change. Not everyone can easily adapt, or in some cases, can.

  It is important for companies to not focus on technology first but continue to keep their client/customer in mind as well as the human workforce. You will find, that even though technology can be used as tools to assist, people tend to still want to work with and deal with people, feeling that connection.

  Planning a human first tech strategy where tech is a tool and possibly teammate who can handle/augment routine tasks, will enhance the personnel and not outright replace them.

  Quality of service should not be impacted negatively by the use of technology but should enhance it.

Using the start, stop, continue method is a way to see if what you are doing is working. We often plan something but after evaluating it, find that it isn’t quite what we expected. It allows a review to ensure you are putting efforts where it matters and needs to be. This can also be used for process improvement projects.

Experts, Motivation, Ambition & Vision

Where have all the experts gone?

  I saw a video once concerning this topic and it brought up an interesting point.

  There are a lot of leaders in companies, but many couldn’t do the work of the people below them. They are in management but that is it. They can probably lead but wouldn’t necessarily be considered a subject matter expert in a certain field.

  Innovation is often driven by experts. They look at the current task and processes and work to make it better, more efficient. This takes experience in certain aspects, tools and roles to implement.

  Cross training and continually learning and expanding understanding also improves experience.

  It takes time and effort to become an expert, but experts once known also need to be properly utilized. Utilized, not abused.

  Companies need more experts which are leveraged for a stronger and more creditable business for current and future clients/customers.

Training is vital to the success of a business and its employees, but even more important is effective training. Too often a sign in sheet is passed around to document training without ensuring that the employees understand. That is where leadership comes into play.

  Secondly, training by itself does not prevent issues as we all may forget a step and forget to fall back on the process in which we are to follow.

Ambition.

  We often have it when we are younger as we are starting out in the business world.

  Not always, but sometimes, we lose that ambition as we get older.
While we want to drive to do things, to have things when we are younger thinking we have the world in the palm of our hand and long life ahead, we realize as we get older how short life is. We often see, looking back, how much that we missed in our ambition.

  Each person is different. Different environment, different goals, different abilities. Don’t let anyone take away your ambition but also understand that your ambition may change over time and may not always align with those around you.

  Take time to look around.

  Ambition, especially when we are young, is the goal to strive to for more. More hours at work to get that promotion, more prestige, both at work and in turn our personal lives.

  With that said, the prestige, the titles, the possessions accumulated may come at a cost of time and relationships. Often at times as you get older you find you wish you had that time back to develop relationships and more.

  Understand your goals and ambitions to know what you want and what the cost will be.

Motivation comes in many forms.

  Motivation affects our work life and our personal life. We are motivated to do different things in both and at different times in our life.

  We may be motivated to travel, to start a hobby, to volunteer, and at work we may need different motivation to stay productive.

  Sometimes, especially recently with the uncertainty we often face, financial motivation is a main motivator.

  It could be the thought of promotion, other awards or praise. It could be wanting a safe, secure quality workplace to work in. It could be something within that just makes you feel good.

  If employees are not motivated they will become disengaged and will often look elsewhere.

  Companies spend more looking for new employees than working to keep current, successful employees.

  It is important that leadership find ways to motivate employees.

  Now if a company only will treat employees as numbers, there isn’t much to be done with the current leadership, but turnover will cost companies more from their bottom line over time.

  Building trust, having transparent and open communication and clear, achievable goals are just the first steps towards a motivated team.

  We should all want a positive workplace to thrive in.

  In the end a business is there for its client/customer and a strong workforce, motivated to be there, will make a successful operation.

I see on various social media sites folks saying how easy something is to achieve and life is easy.

  I get the mindset behind it. Motivation is important, but so is reality.

  Life isn’t easy. Each day is met with different challenges. Some days are great, good, okay, bad & terrible, sometimes all mixed up.

  Our lives are like a mountain range.

  Beautiful to look upon but depending on if we are climbing up, or climbing down, will determine what we face. Either way each day is a challenge that we face, hopefully with an optimism to make it, ourselves and those around us better. It is a daily task that we may not always achieve in a positive manner, but it is important we never stop trying.

  You should always have a sense of purpose and a reason for being whether in our work life or personal life. Find your passion.

Short term vs long term vision.

  There is research available online from studies that show due to short term thinking and a profit taking approach, long term success and company culture paid the price. Employee morale fell and they became disengaged and returns fell.

  It is important to not forget about the big picture as well as what the client/ customer wants.

  Putting people over profits will generally harm a company long term, as well as their reputation.

  There must be a better way.

Vision is important for a company and leadership to drive towards achieving success for themselves as a business, but ultimately the client/customer.

  A vision statement are only words unless put into practice and followed.

  It needs everyone’s active participation in order to work. Employees need to understand and believe in it and that comes from leadership through inspiration.

  Communication as always is important, along with accountability, for the vision to be implemented properly.

Having a vision is not enough.

  It needs to be actioned. But first it needs to be shared.

  Visions require collaboration, discussion along a team to make it work. The team will be the one to make it work.

  Get into details. The big picture alone is not enough.

  Without the team on board, understanding the goal, the vision may not succeed. Often it takes more than the one who created to idea to make it successful.

  The why something needs to be done needs to come before the how and what to do. Vision and inspiration.

What is Important

Importance.

  What is important to you?

  At work it is often the mission. The focus is on whatever your function does in your company for the client/customer.

  In doing this there are often elements overlooked, ignored or just missed.

  Quality, Safety, Environmental, Health, Security, and more are sacrificed to get the mission done when they should be part of the mission, dependent on the job.

  Don’t have time for that because I have a priority request from a customer to do x, y, z. I can ignore this because it is not important at the moment, even though it is and will come back to bite them in the behind.

  In the end it is about priorities, importance, accountability and what people are held to in order to get accomplished their list of tasks. Sometimes we have too much on our plate. I know. We may have to pick and choose certain things. I get it.

  We must do our utmost to be the best we can be each day and ask for help when needed. On a team it takes support. Solo it takes proper tasking and scheduling to stay on point.

  In our personal lives there is a whole other set of what is important.

  Don’t let certain elements distract us from what really matters in life. We don’t take money and things with us when we leave this plane of existence.

  Cherish time with people, places and moments.

Whether you are a leader or not, if you expect a certain outcome for a task/assignment that you need from someone and didn’t give proper guidance/direction, you will get what you get.

  It is important, most especially from leadership, that clear direction is given. If not, the one doing the work will be confused, frustrated and may give an end result that is less than ideal.

  If questions are asked and ignored, again you will get what you get.

  Leaders especially should not demean anyone when they are not being leaders and doing what they should and mentoring and guiding.

  If none of this is happening the leader is not doing their job and their employees will never meet expectations that are not clearly outlined.

  How can anyone function in that situation? Why would they and why should they?

  People in leadership are there to support, to help employees grow. Often people in these roles forget that and sometimes some may not care about that.
Not an ideal work environment to thrive in and even survive in and the customer will feel it.

  Having open communication where all parties talk and work as a team is the only way to properly succeed. Shutting each other out will never work.

Communication

Communication I have found has been an ongoing issue in all our lives, whether at work, home or out in public.

  We all interpret things differently and react in different ways. It could be shown as confusion, frustration, annoyance, anger, irritation at the way the communication is perceived.

  Whether it is reading an email/message, speaking with someone or being spoken at by someone, or body language, what we want to convey may not always be interpreted the way we wish.

  In business and especially Quality, we try to get across the importance of meeting the client/customer requirements. This can be through meetings, emails, message boards, audits and more.

  We point out perceived fallacies in the workplace, suggest improvements, work to train, educate and mentor those who need assistance with understanding the intricacies of compliance, continuous improvements and customer satisfaction to name some.

  And with even the best intentions in mind, actions will be taken in a negative way by the workforce.

  We will never please those around us 100% of the time. All of us will fall short of that mark.

  It is important that all parties are open to listening, to learning.

  Not everyone can do every aspect of every job in the workplace, even after being taught, explained, shown and given hands on training. Some in the workplace will be stronger and weaker in some areas.

  It is important that leadership use the right talent in the right places. Together with open communication, the team as a whole will be stronger to give their client/customer excellent service every day.

  It is how communication is given and received that will ultimately gain or retract support for an initiative.

  Quality is one area that needs support by everyone to succeed.

Cross Tell. Cross Communication

  It doesn’t happen as often as it should.

  Functions within a company are often happy in their separate silos. That will inhibit a company’s growth by stunting knowledge that one function may have that could improve another.

  It all starts with communication and a willingness to reach out and reciprocate.

  Company goals for the client/customer will often take more than one section to achieve. Working together as a team with clear objectives will make for a winning strategy.

  No need on hide from each other.

  This also goes for those in the same field from different companies and countries to further improve their field.

Heard it through the grapevine.

  While a good song, the phrase is negative in other aspects.

  When this occurs in the workplace it is often because of uncertainty and unclear or a complete lack of direction, guidance, and overall communication blackout from leadership.

  This leads to rumors, whispers, uncertainty, stress and negative conditions that affect the employees, impact work and may certainly impact the client/customer.

  Communication is often the #1 weakness in companies and life in general. With so many communication choices available you’d think we would better at it now, but we often are not.

  Transparency and openness are the main drivers toward trust. Without it, teams within a business will crumble and eventually the entire company from collapse from within.

  If that is the goal, keep at it. If not, change the direction toward clear communication.

Here is a serious thought and question we all probably face in our daily lives.

  Why won’t they respond to my text, email, message, phone call?

  Why are they not paying attention to what I send?

  With communication so easy now, why does it seem harder than ever?

  This can happen to friends, family, colleagues & strangers.

  Is the message wanted? Important? Needed to be responded to by a certain date/time? Is it relevant?

  Are you being ghosted, simply ignored because the other party doesn’t care?

  Is too much information being conveyed in the correspondence?

  It is important to understand the context but is also important that both parties be open and understand the need for the communication.

  If it is at work and an email or message is being sent on important information/updates, it shouldn’t be ignored. It could either jeopardize the operations or because time being wasted later. The receiving party needs to respond and if needed, ask questions. Ignoring is simply bad business.

  In our personal lives there may be times where we may not want to answer a message from a friend or loved one for a variety of reasons, but ignoring the message and attempt to communicate won’t improve the situation.

  There are always going to be outliers, unique situations, but communication needs to go both ways and not ignored by one party.

  You cannot stay in a communication silo and expect to succeed alone in this world, whether business or personal.

Communication.

  It remains elusive to many, frustrating to most and difficult for some.

  Why though?

  There are so many ways we can communicate now. Maybe it is communication overload?

  I don’t know. I just see a lot of ignoring of communication that is available in the workplace.

  Whether it is the company or a department sending an email out or using a message site/app like Teams, or something like Yammer (Engage), Slack or Meet.

  It can be a topic brought up in a meeting.

  After using all that, whatever the topic was, the issue remains because no one listened, or cared. No one may have passed the word to others as well.

  There are so many variables but without reading, listening, comprehending, asking questions, following up, progress will always be an arm’s length away. Just out of reach.

  Whether at work or in our personal lives, let’s take the extra effort to get better at communication in both giving and receiving.

Communication continues to be an important element often ineffectively used in our lives.

  It is important that we have open channels to use to talk to each other at work, but also in our personal lives.

  Listening is just as important in communication but also effective understanding of the discussion is key.

  If you leave the discussion not clear on the intent or there was an impasse, you are in limbo.

  Being ignored is also detrimental to any relationship.

  Transparency and clarity of what is needed and what is occurring keeps employees engaged at work. When emails, messages, verbal comms are garbled, unclear, or just plain evasive, you will breed doubt, and possible contempt in the workplace.

  That will not be conducive to an environment that will flourish for the client/customer.

There may be plenty of times, whether at work or in our personal lives, people will not listen. They may have their reason, but it sets us roadblocks in communications and inhibits growth in relationships.

  Being in a leadership position does not necessarily mean you will be automatically listened to. It’s important that communication is two way and open.

  If a leader constantly shuts down their employees, doesn’t listen, take advice and act upon it, it will quickly become one-way communication and information will stop flowing.

  There may be plenty of others who will listen and take the advice.

How often have you found something that has changed when you go to do something at work? Was it communicated? Is it documented even? How do you know what to do to be successful?

Far too often things are done on the fly and/or without cross communication and chaos can ensue when it is implemented without controls in place. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Do what is right from the beginning.

An effective Business and Functional Leadership structure will not have a silo mindset.

  Open communication is important and cross communication and assistance is vital to the success of a business and its employees.

  There may be best practices out there you can use from someone else because in the end a business is there for its employees, customers and clients.

  Strive for excellence.

Life is challenging.

  Making life more challenging with unnecessary actions just makes it worse and is often pointless.

  At work, many companies have many layers of bureaucracy, slowing work to a crawl, making decisions slow, difficult, or nonexistence. Bottlenecks cause further issues with single point failures, time wastes and simply extra steps and people/departments to go through that hinders the workplace.

  Efficiency should be the rule. Layers should be removed, bottlenecks eliminated through redundancy (backups), middle people removed, and extra steps cut out.

  Functions within a company should work together and not butt heads. A company which infights, will not prosper and will wilt and collapse over time as people will get tired of the politics and leave.

  It can be no different at home. People like drama and may on purposely bring it into their lives.

  It may be tolerable on tv, or movies, but I know I speak for myself when I say drama can stay out of my life. That goes for both work and home life.

  Life has enough challenges that throw us curveballs. We should not give ourselves and others more difficulties.

  As with everything, communication is a big part of this, and it is generally one of the top 3 issues in our lives, especially at work.

  Accountability is another, and those who are unnecessarily difficult need to be held accountable.

  Let’s make our days a little bit better by getting better at this. Small steps in the right direction will get us there, even if slowly.

Soft Skills.

  While often times hard skills are what is looked for by companies, training can often solve that part.

  Soft skills are more challenging and are quite important for people to have from the get go.

  Ideally soft skills need to be taught to us when we are young and then develop them over years.

  They will often make up our personalities and will impact how we interact with coworkers.

  No matter what our age, it is important to keep working on soft skills to continually improve how we effectively perform at work and even in our personal lives.

Listening is a soft skill not everyone has.

  It is important that when listening that you listen to understand and not just reply.

  There are plenty out there that like to talk, talk, talk, but that is not conducive to an environment where ideas should be shared, opinions matter and people feel engaged and their thoughts listened to whether at work or in personal lives.

Communication can be challenging in life, but if you implement the 7C’s, it will help guide you to more effective communication, regardless of the type.

Clear: Your message needs to be easy to understand, using simple language and avoiding jargon, ambiguity, or multiple ideas in one sentence.

Concise: Get straight to the point by eliminating unnecessary words and focusing on the essential information.

Concrete: Provide facts, figures, and examples to support your points, making your message more factual and less vague.

Correct: Ensure your message is accurate, free of grammatical errors and typos, and uses reliable facts to maintain credibility.

Coherent: Structure your communication logically so that it flows smoothly, and the ideas connect to each other.

Complete: Include any and all the information for your recipient to understand the message and take any required action.

Courteous: Be polite and respectful in your communication, showing empathy towards the recipient and building goodwill.

  Implementing this will help your message be understood, build credibility, and foster positive relationships in your written and spoken communications.

Communication is as only as good as it is given and taken.

  Even if communications are clear, concise and easy to read, if it is not read, the contents are useless.

  Whether it is Quality, Safety, IT, Property, Supply Chain, HR, Contracts, or other departments, certain information is critical for employees to get, understand and use.

  Ignoring emails or chats is willful negligence, and is detrimental to the company, even if the employees don’t understand that.

  If companies have in place processes for employees to use and they are ignored, that also is willful negligence. Processes may not be perfect or great, but as with all things, improvements can be made. Not using them or ignoring what is needed, is just bad business.

  It is important that all employees within a company understand they play an important part within the Quality System, and the success for their client/customer.

  Sr. leadership on down needs to implement and maintain any system in order for it to truly work.

  Work it as a team, not in silos. Transparency, open communication, honesty, and accountability are all drivers toward success.

Networking.

  Meeting new people in person or online, trading ideas and thoughts, expanding one’s horizons, are all good things to do, especially when it is mutually beneficial.

  With most things in life, there are positives and negatives.

  Positives may be you get a job, or assistance with something you need help on or with. It is often who you know in order to get a job, not just what you can do or bring/offer.

  That to me is also a negative. When you get a job because you know someone, you may have no clue how to do the actual job. That may not initially bother the person who now has a job, but it might to those they work with, and possibly for in the not so near future.

Those in certain roles, especially in leadership, may not have to know all facets of those under them. They should have some ability though, especially to support their team and fill in when needed. The leader of the team doesn’t have to be the smartest one there but having zero clue will demoralize their team. Hand holding a leader, someone who generally makes a tad bit more than the rest, will wear down the team.

  A demoralized team will soon after start looking elsewhere for work.

  While networking is good to meet new people in your field and outside it, it should not be abused to allow those who do not belong in roles they are not fit for.

  It is important in any company to have the right people in the right place with the right tools at their disposal to be successful for the client/customer and themselves.

Communication remains and will remain an important element within our lives.

  Whether in person or remote, we have to communicate with others in some manner for some reason.

  Cross-department communication within companies is important and needed to keep all employees engaged with each other.

  Too often we have silos built that keep departments within their own part of the company and rarely engage with others. It is important to know that exists and work to eliminate it.

  There are plenty of times when departments are dependent on each other, even if they do not want to admit it. The mission the company has for its clients/customers may require multiple departments working hand in hand to meet the goal. It is important to understand and recognize that.

  The company and departments within should have a vision and set goals to rally around as a team. Communicate on a regular basis and share ideas. Ideas can be shared and used to better each department. Experience and knowledge should be valued.

  It is important for leadership to create a safe space for this collaboration and foster it, so it grows. Just like in brainstorming, all ideas should be on the table for discussion.

  Keep transparency at the forefront and don’t forget to celebrate wins. We like to harp on problems and issues when they arise but need to remember to celebrate wins the teams achieves. Don’t forget that failures can be turned into wins. Use technology when it is available to stay in communication and make it easier to pass along information.

  Keep dialogue open, be genuine, and flexible and you never know what the result may be.

Communication can get mixed up when flowed down from leadership.

  If, for example, a new direction is taken and communicated by a sr. leader like a vice president or even a director and dropped/stopped by someone else down the chain, it confuses all affected employees.

  A lot of companies are looking at streamlining the number of levels of leaders as well as the total amount of leaders because of various reasons. Now while I think leaning and streamlining operations and structures can be a good thing, long term it may cause issues with overburdening the remaining leaders. It may also slow down progress as a consequence.

  The issue is communication and enacting the goals and initiatives the sr. leaders want in place. Not all, of course, may be well received.

  While supervisors, managers and directors may have ideas to convey, as well as others, it shouldn’t slow down progress intended by the sr. most leaders.

  Only outlier situations, as an example, that could damage the company, its employees, and client/customer should be pushed.

  Keep communication open, clear, transparent and honest and there may be less push back and confusion.

  Remember that we are all human with emotions… most of us at least.

  This is also not just for the private sector as we have seen this occur recently in the public sector. When there is a lack of guidance direction, mixed signals and confusing communication, it raises stress levels, anxiety and causes a disruption in the workplace. This not only harms employees but also the client/customer.

Have you ever gotten a nudge from someone about something? A subtle hint to try something or do something?

  That is the nudge theory. It should be used for positive change, but it can be used for negative change as well.

  As with most things in life, you need to be cautious and trust in what you are comfortable with.

Communication is a fickle thing. You will get a variety of opinions on it, to include from me, but like people it comes in a variety.

  Some are terrible at communicating, some excellent, and many in between.

  Verbal, physical and digital communication will have different outcomes, results and approaches.

  Communication can be taught, you can get better at it, but each person will have their own approach to it. One way may not be a better way. What works for one may not work for another.

  Trying to be better is the goal. Whether the person on the other end returns the favor is another matter.

  Even when we do our best and are clear, we may get ignored for whatever reason.

  Not everyone wants to listen or respond. We can only do our best.

  In the business world that may require escalation.

  I prefer to keep things at the lowest level, but unfortunately that won’t always work.

Companies of any size and sector should want employees who voice advice and opinions that better the company. Not all opinions and advice may work but shutting down such conversations will rarely strengthen a company.

  Being surrounded by yes people will not gain insights on how to improve, and contrary to popular belief, those in sr. positions do not know everything.

  Innovation will not happen without brainstorming and an open conversation with employees. Innovation can drive success, not status quo that many enjoy. Change through improvements may not always be easy, but they should at least be brought up.

  Leadership at any level should want this.

I didn’t know that gaslighting was based on a 1938 play. It feels like something relatively new. Guess we just rediscovered the term.

  Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation/abuse where one person makes someone doubt their own sanity, perception of reality, memories, capability and ultimately themselves. It’s a type of emotional abuse that can leave those victimized feeling confused, anxious, isolated, frustrated, worthless and depressed.

  It doesn’t matter if it is at work, home, school, anywhere, no one should be allowed to do that and no one should doubt themselves because of another person.

  The gray rock method is simply a tool to use against manipulative people where you act as emotionless as a rock, not giving them the satisfaction of beating you down. As with most things, there can be downsides long term and it may be best to remove yourselves from the negative situation, if possible.

  Life has its challenges. We don’t need to compound it.

Grapevine Communication is rarely the best way to pass along information as informal discussion can lead to misinformation. While popular, it should be avoided.

While listening is a soft skill that requires effort and work, so does reading.

  In today’s world it seems that attention spans are short and folks don’t take the time to both read and listen in any setting.

  People will put out information, especially at work, and it is glossed over and ignored.

  Communication will remain an important topic, probably till the end of time, and it takes effort to improve it from giving it to receiving it.

  When you are ignored repeatedly, silence will often be the end result, which could lead to lackluster results long term for everyone.

Communication and relationships are not always easy. Actually, it can be challenging to maintain both communication and relationships. They take effort. It doesn’t matter it you are at home, work or in public. New technologies that will be ever evolving have the side effect of damaging both communication and relationships.

  No different than when cars took over from the horse and buggy, computers were introduced, power tools replaced hand tools, and various inventions were created to make life easier, modern technology through AI, machine learning and other innovations will continue to change how we perceive and interact with the world and those within it. The difficult part of that will be to ensure we do not lose our ability to critically think, effectively engage with others and not lose our humanity.

  When we rely on technology to write something or respond to an email, or do something, anything, we will begin to lose our ability to think on our own, to interact with those around us because we can’t type in a question to get an answer immediately. We will lose basic skills over time. You have already seen that in the past couple decades where we no longer write and use cursive, as it is all done on a computer.

  Technology, like anything new and innovative, is there to use as a tool, and should help us and not hinder us. It should not take away our creativity, or ability to think, to interact with others in a healthy manner, or be the best we can be. This is even more important for those in leadership roles as relationships are important and communication is even more important. Building trust, transparency, honesty, integrity and establishing an ethical environment for those in your stead can be hampered when you rely on technology for all the answers.

  If days or weeks go by with no response to inquiries, attempts at clarity, questions of direction, review of output, etc., then there is a problem. Using technology to come up with responses will rarely work as it will be seen as such because you can usually tell. Calling or stopping by the office, desk, or work floor will get a much better response. We are still people and need that interface, and you won’t get better at communication and relationships without putting in real effort. It takes practice like most things.

You may hear of that being too direct can be rude. It, like most things, is how it is communicated and the manner it is communicated in. Being direct and assertive is usually appropriate when communicating needs, setting boundaries, expressing opinions, providing feedback, and even protecting yourself, especially when clarity and efficiency are important to clear the air. However, be mindful of context and you may need to choose a less direct approach when dealing with sensitive issues, building relationships, or when the other person’s emotional state is a factor.

  In the end it may be a agree to disagree situation, but clearing the air will allow for all parties to at least understand each other’s positions. It is important to not impart blame in the discussions and be mindful of tone in how words are conveyed. Do your best to remain respectful, even if it may not be returned.

Follow ups are an important piece to communication.

  Following up means checking in with someone, providing updates to someone, or pursuing a topic further to keep the issue moving forward.

  Follow-up maintains communication through consistent engagement, reinforcing commitment to facilitate progress and keeps everyone informed.

  The problem is when it is one way communication, having to send multiple follow ups because there is no response on the other end. To put it frankly, that is just rude and unprofessional, and yet it is very common.

  No one should have to constantly follow up to get a status update, information, or whatever it may be. It shouldn’t take days or weeks for anyone to respond.

  People may be busy, but it doesn’t take long to say you are working on it or provide it or any other response. A minute of time.

  To improve, take some time and effort, and you will.

I have seen different perspectives on this topic, the open-door policy.

  An open-door policy generally refers to a management practice that encourages employees to approach their leadership with questions, thoughts, concerns, etc., without needing a formal meeting. This can help with transparency, trust and honesty within a team and organization.

  I have always had an open door in leadership. When I have had an office with a door that can close, it is left open.

  Now on the flip side, having this policy in place can allow a leader to possibly get inundated with their employees eating up their time, so it is also important that the employees be aware of this when proceeding.

  As a leader you should be checking in on your team and not waiting for problems or issues to be brought to you. Don’t get lazy.

Being ghosted is bad enough in personal lives but at work it is uncalled for. When emails and messages are ignored, it is just downright rude.

Active listening is a skill that takes effort to learn and use and is underutilized.

  To be successful, you need to give the speaker your complete, undivided attention in order to comprehend what they are trying to convey. This can include both verbal and nonverbal (body language). Eye contact is a vital component in this.

  Remember that instead of just waiting to respond or getting distracted by your own thoughts, you must focus to give them the full attention needed and expected.

  You may need to respond with questions to clarify and understand and it is a step toward building trust and relationships.

  This is actually a critical skill for those in quality, safety and other compliance related fields because listening can be just as, or more important, than asking questions from a checklist.

Active listening is more than just hearing

  We often think listening is passive, just waiting for our turn to talk, but active listening is a skill that requires effort. It’s the difference between hearing words and truly understanding the message.

Here are a few examples on how to practice it.

1. Give Your Full Attention

What it isn’t.

  Glancing at your phone, typing an email, or looking over their shoulder while they speak.

What it is.

  Putting your phone face down, turning your body toward the person, and making comfortable eye contact. It signals that they have your undivided attention.

2. Use Minimal Encouragers.

What it isn’t.

  Remaining completely silent, which can feel like an interrogation.

What it is.

  Using small verbal cues to show you are following along. Simple phrases like:

“I see.”

“Go on.”

“Okay, tell me more.”

  These encourage the speaker to continue without interrupting their flow.

Paraphrase to Confirm Understanding.

What it isn’t.

  Parroting back their exact words.

What it is.

  Summarizing the core of their message in your own words to ensure you’ve grasped it.

4. Ask Open-Ended Questions.

What it isn’t.

  Asking questions that can be answered with yes or no.

What it is.

  Asking questions that prompt elaboration and deeper insight.

  Instead of asking “Are you frustrated with the process?”

  Try: “What part of the process is causing the most difficulty?” or “How is this situation impacting the rest of the team?”

5. Reflect Feelings.

What it isn’t.

  Telling someone how they should feel.

What it is.

  Acknowledging the emotion behind the words. This builds connection and shows you’re listening on a deeper level.

  Active listening isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating the space for the other person to be heard and understood. That alone often solves half the problem.

For communication, if you are on a mass email, do not reply to all unless everyone absolutely needs to know what you are sending. This is also important when the original sender of the email says not to respond to all on the email for any response back.

  All it does is clutter everyone’s inbox unnecessarily.

 This is simple email etiquette. In addition, it is not always necessary to cc the world on your emails.

Context is important because when certain parts are taken away, what remains can be abused. This is critical within processes and documenting nonconformances. They need to be clear and correct. Outside of that, context is vital to understanding the point behind communication such as an email, or message. You can’t fully respond without all the information provided. Guessing or assuming rarely turns out well.

Ego, Confidence and Emotional Intelligence

It is important to understand the difference between ego and confidence.

  I am sure in our lives we have faced people with a big ego and nothing to back it up.

  We have probably encountered many quiet people that exude confidence.

  You don’t need to be loud or an extravert to have an ego and quiet people or introverts can be confident. Don’t let these definitions define you and don’t peg people into a certain category.

  No matter the role or position in a company or life in general, it is important to not allow ego to get in the way of learning, listening and growing.

  We all have something to learn from one another throughout our lives.

  Be open to it.

  It is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and together we can stay on the side of confidence.

Too often titles go to one’s head.

  We must remember that titles are temporary, and we generally started at the bottom and worked our way there.

It is a leader’s job to assist their team in their rise through the ranks, not hinder it.

Forcing someone to do a task because of a title won’t necessarily get the best results.

When the culture or accountability is not strong and folks do as they wish in a company, the result may be the customer/client getting less than desired or no products/services. At this point they could demand money back or the product/service they expected, on the dime of the company providing it. They could also pass along to other companies the less than desirable work and the company reputation takes a hit.

  It is important and vital that leadership takes seriously the quality of work they provide, processes needed to be successful and advise given by those in the position to help.

  Ego should never be involved.

Unless social media is blowing things out of proportion, it seems that emotional intelligence in leadership has nosedived off a cliff.

  It feels that the business world has taken steps backwards in time.

  While companies are often revered in good times, how they treat their employees and clients/customers in difficult times is more telling of the culture they have.

  Any good to great leader in the world needs to have a higher level of EQ, unless you are planning to be a maleficent dictator, James Bond villain, or other such character.

  There are plenty of free tests online you can find to see where you fit.

  We are a social species, even when some of us are introverts. It is important to understand one another, whether at work or our personal lives. As a leader this is even more important and EQ is something that can be worked on.

  If you are not interested in emotional intelligence and how it can positively impact people as well as in the other direction, I feel sorry for you. That goes double for those in leadership roles because you play a vital role in people’s lives.

Emotional Intelligence.

  Even though this is something that all leaders, and really all employees should work on.

  From both a standpoint that you need to control your emotions at work, be self-motivated and treat fellow colleagues well, leaders need to exude these characteristics more so.

  It is important to know and understand your fellow employees and read their emotions as they will play a part in the work being done.

  We are not robots and a workplace will be more successful when employees are treated as people and not a number.

  Whether in person or virtual, it is important to have that social connection with the team because like it or not, even for us inverts, we are social beings.

  This skill is also important in our personal lives. There are tests you can take for free online to see where you fall in your EI/EQ and where you can work to improve.

What makes a happy employee? What can a business do better out there?

  I can certainly see work-life balance as an issue. Being able to turn off work and relax our minds and not forced to stress or worry about work 24/7.

  Accountability from Sr. Leadership on down is another, which will be another post. Positive and known work expectations. Piling on work with short timetables never really helped anyone.

  Micromanaging rarely works. If you hire creative and talented folks, let them do what you hired them for, right?

  Respect and Acknowledgement of employees certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s a two-way street in the world of business and personal lives.

  If you want Quality & Safety in the workplace, it takes effort to build that culture and it’s the employees and leadership working together who make it happen.

Teamwork

With so many companies these days focusing strictly on the bottom line at the expense of their people and sometimes customers, even while making millions and billions of dollars, it is important that leadership not then complain when about the consequences.

  If money and hours are being strictly watched and enforced, you can then not complain if work is not getting done or that calls are not being taken after hours or even immediately during the day.

  Forcing an overburdened workload onto someone because overtime will not be paid out, spots won’t be filled, or expecting an illogical amount of work to get done in a short period of time will have dire consequences long term.

  Telling the workforce from employees to lower and middle managers that week and week and month after month, hours are being watched, workload & outputs are being watched and it is an act of congress to ever get more hours is most of the time demoralizing. I don’t know too many people that enjoy working under a microscope and in a constantly hectic environment. More power to those that do. It will eventually wear a person down mentally, physically and emotionally.

  Suddenly, one day you and/or your team are the problem if you want to take some time off or suddenly it is a problem that there supposedly weren’t enough people available to possibly assist a hypothetical internal or external customer on a slow holiday week (And there probably were enough people, but leadership wasn’t paying attention).

  In a leadership position, one should have the knowledge and experience to understand what can get done in a certain amount of time with a certain amount of people, generally speaking. Each person works at a different speed and leadership needs to understand that and not abuse it. Employees in turn also should not abuse the situation and work to their best ability, communicating any issues they have.

  If a leader does not support the team in order to succeed, they should not be in a leadership role, period. There are too many leaders, seen on far too many social media sites and accounts, that are out there abusing people for no apparent reason. A power trip and inflated ego will only get you so far in life. Some may get further in life than others, but at the end of the day, at the end of a life, was it worth it?

Since the COVID 19 pandemic, the job market has seen some interesting times.

The great resignation, followed by quiet quitting, then loud quitting, then quiet hiring and now the latest and most insidious is quiet firing.

  Employees make a business succeed through their positive actions for whatever the customer wants in their given business.

  When the employees are neglected, ignored, shunned and generally treated poorly, the effect will become a negative output for the customer.

  Compliance and Safety, among other important attributes, will falter in this environment and in the long term cost money, reputation and possibly lives.

  No sane company and leadership structure should ever want that.

Ever heard of the ask, don’t tell approach?

  It is a way to get your team to think about ideas, actions, plans instead of you telling them to do x, y, z.

  It makes them part of the decision making, giving them a chance to make a difference.

  It also lends the team some accountability and autonomy in the decisions that affects them.

  As a leader you aren’t seen as barking orders but getting advice from your teams experience to influence decision making.

  This is also how you grow the team and they get upward mobility with promotions through the leadership decision making experience offered.

While it would be ideal that everyone respect each other, that is not the case.

  Respect is a powerful element in our lives and is often earned over time, not granted at a request.

  You will see varying opinions on it from respect should be earned to respect should be automatically given and everything in-between.

  Respect should go both ways and there are different levels of respect from the polite to revered.

  Firstly, be humble. Respect will rarely work if there is a level of intimidation and demand. It shouldn’t necessarily be something that is entitled.

Everyone should get at least basic decency from others no matter the situation.

Lead by positive example, teach, mentor, coach others and listen.

Respect will happen naturally.

You should be able to ask for assistance at work.

  If you can’t there are issues.

  We often don’t want to ask for help because we will feel stupid or inadequate, but none of us are perfect or know everything.

  We can all learn something new from time to time as it helps keep us stagnant. Collaboration is also a good thing.

  It also shouldn’t matter what position title we have. Learn from those around you and foster that type of environment. It can be frustrating and demoralizing. Their efforts to communicate with leaders or others in the business are ignored, whether on purpose or not.

Teamwork and Leadership.

  To be successful you need both working in harmony.

  You need a clear, concise plan and path forward for a team to work from and a goal to work towards, and leadership needs to support the team to achieve it.

  Members of a team needs to contribute, providing their piece to the overall plan and goal.

  Transparency and integrity are key to staying on course. Leadership needs to motivate, inspire and provide resources when needed.

  Responsibility falls on every member of the team.

  Communication as always is a vital aspect to teamwork.

  No one should want to fail, so work to succeed.

Appreciation. Recognition. Gratitude.

  These are all something we all crave from time to time. Whether it is at work or our personal lives.

  It is just one element that if provided will keep the company morale up, turnover low and associated costs down.

  It is though not always done and if done for employees, not always recognized by the ones who should be providing that recognition, gratitude and appreciation.

  Have you helped a family member to do something and later down the road they ask and this time you may not be able to help? They quickly forget you helped them previously and lay on guilt.

  Have you worked a big project that helped the company, it’s employees and long-term time and potential costs was saved? Was it recognized at the time? If it was, was it the right people in the company? If so, have you faced a situation later on, maybe months or a few years later where that project is history and you are no longer seen as relevant even if you have been producing great work?

  I see posts on various social media sites where people face this all the time in their lives.

  Communication is a perennial problem in life, and it can’t only come from one side.

It makes you no longer want to put forth effort, to help, to spend time that in the end is possibly a waste in someone’s eyes.

  Companies, leadership and even coworkers need to band together and raise up great performers and just each other instead of beating employees down for every minor mistake.

  We shouldn’t be just numbers in a company and there are plenty of reports out there that shows this is a big problem in many companies that is costing trillions a year in lost productivity.

  You often don’t understand the value until you don’t have it.

  We can do better. We need to do better. It will take all of us to move in the right direction for the culture across the world to change.

Leadership should always want the best around them.

  The team in the end is what makes something successful which achieves the goals and vision of the business.

  If leadership goes out and hires the best they can find, they should then let them be successful. Give them freedom to succeed.

  Don’t become alienated, jealous or threatened of their capability.
Use their capability to enrich your life, whether it is at work or outside of it.

It is important that companies put the right people in the right positions. That isn’t always easy. There will be times that an individual will be great at something but not have the capability to transfer that greatness into another role. It’s also important to not always look within to hire. Time in a job doesn’t always translate to capability for more.

  We may not always like to hear it, but there are times we may reach our pinnacle and need to understand our boundaries. Often though we find that out after we find ourselves in a difficult situation.

  This topic will tie into some future posts I will do this week and also some past posts already here.

It is important to utilize employees and not constrain them. Having a diverse team with a variety of abilities is important. While it is important to cross train, not everyone can do each other’s tasks to the same degree. We recruit folks to do a job/task, and we should help them grow and learn more through mentoring but allow them to do what they were hired for.

A business/workplace should always be willing to get diverse thoughts and opinions.

Give credit when credit is due and to the right person (s).

  Too often we get lambasted for doing something wrong, even when we do a hundred good things. People are quick to blame and slow to praise. Should be the opposite.

  Human nature or not, we need to break from that condition and change the culture at work and in our personal lives by crediting people for outstanding work.

  Additionally, those who do great work need to speak up for themselves. Doing so doesn’t make you arrogant, but it can be a fine line towards bragging, so you need to be careful.

  Credit shouldn’t be stolen by anyone.

  Let’s do better each day to praise those around us.

Single Point Failure.

  It should be something that a business prevents. It is a known risk that can be easily mitigated by ensuring that others can perform a task or track an action in the absence of the primary individual.

  When this is not in place the business opens itself up to issues from the client/customer.

  Cross training, especially if you only have one person assigned to a role, is a necessity. There should never be an excuse that someone is on vacation, out on medical, or there was a sudden departure.

  It is leaderships position to ensure there are backup plans and contingencies in the event of this.

  One person, no matter how valuable, should never put a company, department, team in a bad situation.

  I have seen this happen too often and it is an easy thing to fix most of the time.

One of the fundamental aspects of a leader’s job is to understand their team.

  Whether it is inheriting a new team at a new or existing company, or if you are promoted within the team, understanding those on your team will build a better team and relationship.

  Part of that is understanding their background, achievements, challenges, hobbies, and what makes them tick.

  Going into the role and then moving forward with plans without understanding the team and their capabilities, desires, strengths and weaknesses, may very well cause friction.

  You may get haphazard results, and as the leader, the results will fall on you. Supporting the team is in not just their best interest, but yours as a leader.

  In most companies the goal is to achieve positive results for the client/customer, even if an employee never sees the client/customer. This cannot be achieved without solid teamwork, even if some are higher performers than others. The leader needs to ensure the team can achieve those results using everyone’s ability.

With so many lost jobs across so many sectors and companies, it needs to be understood that many have lost trust in sr. leaders/executives in companies.

  Even if you were not directly affected with a lost job, you may have been indirectly affected by the outcome within the company. Those who still remain may also be on pins and needles anticipating future events.

  It needs to be remembered and understood by those who make these decisions that their decisions and choices impact people. People’s livelihood, their ability to pay for food and shelter. Also, their health, whether mental, physical or emotional is impacted. This will affect work.

  Too often people become numbers within companies and nothing more.

  For anyone below the decision makers, regardless of the title and position, there is a sense of dreads & uncertainty. It is difficult to work in that environment. Directors, upper/middle managers, supervisors, leads, and others cannot prevent the dread in their employees and themselves when uncertainty remains in their daily lives.

  Trust needs to be regained, and the only way is by showing people within company matter; matter for the company and their client/customers who they provide service for. Transparency also needs to be established with clean and open lines of communication.

  Until then there will always be a level of distrust.

Listening is a skill and an important one. We would all be better if we listened more and spoke less, and listening to not just react is also important. Sometimes we just need an ear.

Trust is important whether at home or work.

  Once you lose it, it is difficult to regain/rebuild.

  This is especially difficult at work with a leader who has done an action that caused a loss of trust.

  Even with efforts on their behalf, it will take time, sometimes a long time and a lot of effort.

  Transparency, openness, empathy, listening, letting go of toxic control, honesty/keeping your word, and providing trust to others are the first steps to regaining it from others.

  Words alone are meaningless if actions aren’t in lockstep with the words.

  Remember it takes time, effort and patience.

It is important to understand that people will come and go throughout our lives.

  Hopefully there will be more positive interactions and relationships than negative, but it is a fact of life.

  At work, especially for those in leadership roles, people will move on and that needs to be understood.
Hopefully it will be a positive move.

  I have had plenty of people promoted under my watch over the years and it is good to see them get a new opportunity to grow.

  It may be challenging to backfill and train someone new, but that is the cycle of life in business.

  Those in leadership roles who take it personally when someone wants to leave needs to stop that mindset. There can be many reasons for someone to move on to another role or company.

  Especially these days, loyalty from companies is not the norm and feels like a one way relationship, only expected of the employee.

  It is even worse when those type of leaders decide to move on and leave their teams worse than when they arrived, setting them up for failure before they hit the road.

  Hypocrisy is rarely seen as good and will follow you wherever you go.

  We need to get these negative mindsets pushed out of the workplace (fear, ego, hypocrisy, dishonesty, etc.), and out of our lives as they do no one any good. It moves from the workplace and permeates our personal lives, compounding the situation.

  I say no more.

Often leadership wants to be respected. It often feels that it comes with the title. It does not in many cases, if not most, at least in the business world.

  To get respect you also need to show it and give it through positive action.
By pushing employees to the side, not showing consideration, overlooking capable employees for promotions because they are not in the clique or a friend, kicking them from the penthouse to the basement for no reason, taking away perks, etc., you are alienating them and others around the workplace will see it.

  In the end you will be surrounded by people who will never question anything, who may be afraid to speak up, those who are simply yes people, and the innovative thoughts and excellent employees will move on to where they are appreciated. It is a diverse world, and it is important to get diverse ideas.

  Don’t ignore the past excellence that employees have provided just because the focus is on the future. Motivate to ensure that excellence remains into the future. Leaders are there to build and grow the next set of leaders, not hinder.

Customer Service isn’t easy. Having worked many years in it, there were days I hated to see a customer walk through the door. You can lose your bandwidth at times.

  It always amazes me when I see and interact with those in tough jobs, and they still have a smile on their face after a long day dealing with people. That can be infectious though. People often forget what it is like to be on the other side of difficult customer tirades when they are giving it and not the one taking it.

  A smile and relaxed demeanor can go a long way.

  Most people want to be in an environment where they can be treated in a positive manner.

  You can have a person, same person, in two different work environments and get two different results.

  It is important that leadership sets the tone, a positive tone, to set a positive environment to work in. Set clear expectations on how to handle customer interactions, to provide employees support, a helping hand, training, tools, respect, dignity and more.

  There are times where a client/customer can be difficult and times where they are out of bounds with their actions/attitude. The old adage, the customer is always right is actually only a partial piece to that quote and incorrect. It has been abused for over a century from the original meaning.

  While it seems like siding with the client/customer makes financial sense, long term it will harm the business because you will have no one there to support them.

  Take care of the employees and you will take care of the client/customer.

  Have a work environment that brings a smile to the employee’s face and where they love to be. The rest will follow.

Trust once lost is very hard to regain.

  It doesn’t matter if it is at work or our personal lives.

  Trust and loyalty is often desired but not shown or appreciated, turning into a one way expectation.

  It takes effort to regain trust and if actions and words do not align, it will be very difficult to turn around.

  This needs to be understood by all parties involved. Until then there will be mistrust and apprehension, which will lead to a toxic environment.

Process Walk.

  This is a chance for Quality to interact with employees and go through what is done.

  Too often Quality gets either used to a checklist where it is just checking off yes or no down a list of various requirements, or they get complacent and don’t really look at all or much.

  It is good to get out on the floor and go through how the operation handles the work. Asking questions from behind a desk or just with a leader away from the operation doesn’t give a complete picture.

  It also doesn’t hurt to change up what is looked at as well. Mix it up.

  Leaders should also do this, as it can be beneficial for them to stay attuned to the operation.

  It is a good opportunity to look for improvements but also interact with colleagues and get a different perspective.

It is important to back words with actions in order to be successful.

  Too often we find people will talk a good game and they may mean it, but when it comes to acting on their words, they fall short.

  We must ensure that what we say we will do, we can do. Don’t over promise or over commit.

  When it comes to meeting client/customer requirements, we must do our utmost to meet them. If we can’t meet a requirement for any reason, it is important to communicate it to them. It may be something outside our control or not feasible.

  The old adage, actions speak louder than words, is just as important today as it always has been.

Depending on the business and sector, a business may have a lot of requirements to maintain compliance to. It can be nerve wracking. Having to watch over them all the time. Did I do this or that? Oops, I screwed up, and now what do I do? Am I going to get into trouble?

  While a corrective action should not be a tool to use for discipline, it can and does happen.

  What should never happen is that the client/customer is the cause for a company noncompliant situation.

  It is important that leadership reports this so that the client and/or customer doesn’t come back at some point and blame the business.

  We may think that it is bad to do this as it may be considered either bad taste or bad customer service, but it comes down to what is right.

  This is most important in the contracting world. Don’t fall on the sword when unnecessary.

You see it in many companies where new leadership comes in and there is a shift in personnel due to new vision, new alignment, new ideas about what is needed for the business.

  CEO’s and/or other high level leaders will often bring in their team, sometimes pushing out the current staff.

  While it is important to have those close to you that you can trust, it is equally important to not alienate your new colleagues you have joined.

  Some may get passed over for promotion by an external candidate, sometimes due to the buddy system, and sometimes mindsets do not align and they are pushed out.

  While some change in companies may be due to a lack of vision by the current/outgoing leadership for not going in the right direction needed for the client/customer, there also may be stagnation in innovation, and simply not keeping up with competitors as a reason for change.

  Incoming leadership, while they may have a vision and direction in their minds, should also listen to their new staff they are inheriting. Innovation and change may often be stopped or slowed by leadership and there are some with great ideas they could utilize that previous leadership ignored.

  What worked for one company may also not work for another. It is important to take in varying ideas before final execution of change.

  Also, lessons learned is important as you do not want to bring what didn’t work with you. If you are losing contracts/clients/customers in your previous company, why bring that same mindset with you? All you will do is infect the new company and start losing instead of gaining.

  Diverse ideas will often gain diverse rewards when properly implemented.

Some may say I can be a pain at times especially when it comes to ensuring things are done right.

  Unless it is unethical, I will comply with a leader’s request, but that doesn’t mean I won’t bring up another thought or avenue to take. That comes from experience and knowledge of the operation.

  That can turn off someone in a leadership position as they feel challenged. I myself do not want to be surrounded by people with no opinions as that brings a one-dimensional view to the team.

  It is important to get ideas from the team as a leader, contrary to belief, does not know everything. We are all learning as we go.

  Time, education and experience help but does not mean we know everything about everything.

  While supporting leadership is important, giving ideas should not be considered a negative.

I have conducted many audits and process reviews over the years, both desktop (virtual), in person and a mix of the two. While all types can be successful, I still find the in-person reviews to be the best because it can be a relationship builder.

  Getting out from behind a desk and seeing the operation and talking with the people can help build trust between the operation and quality. It also allows for a view of the operation you can’t get simply by reading reports.

  Visually seeing something allows for both the possibility of identifying possible improvements but also connecting dots within the process.

  Building relationships is what will drive Quality at the Source, engraining quality into the operation when it is seen as a value. Asking questions, looking into requirements, the process and asking why this or that will give a different perspective that will help strengthen the operation.

  When quality isn’t there, they themselves can ask the question (s) and look around at their operation.

Teamwork is important for any team, but for Quality, it is even more important to be of one mind as compliance to the client/customers’ requirements are at risk.

Relationships drive us in life, even if we are not aware of it. How we act toward others impact how others see us but also how we are treated. What we do may not seem like a big deal to us, but may be to someone else, for both good and bad.

  It is important to build those positive relationships in life, both personal and in business. Helping each other succeed and not just compete against one another will help each of us grow over time and not get beat down by the daily grind.

When a leader is fortunate to have a solid team, a team of experts of their field, a team of high performers, a team who does not need their hand held to get the job done, that leader needs to let them do the job they were hired to do.

  Delegating/expanding responsibilities and allowing the team to thrive while still monitoring output, will allow for a more cohesive and professionally happy team.

  A leader is meant to grow, support, protect and mentor the team, not micromanage them into obscurity.

  While not every team is perfect and not every team member is perfect or even up to the task at times, we all are on a journey of growth no matter our age or title.

Silence doesn’t always mean acceptance. Silence could also mean that employees feel their words, opinions, advice, etc. will be ignored, swept aside and ridiculed.

  When a leader has a mindset of its my way or the highway with little to no regard for the team’s opinions, the results will be a fractured team… and silence.

  This is even more important when you have people on your team with more experience and knowledge than you. Not taking that into consideration when making decisions and gaining feedback will simply alienate the team and the result will be bitterness, resentment, anger and frustration.

  The team members will start looking elsewhere that their experience and knowledge will be appreciated and used. It’s the leader who will end up losing due to control, or ego, or jealousy, or whatever the reason was to begin with that caused the situation.

  As I have said before, not everyone is meant to be a leader. Leadership is a skill that takes time and effort to grow into. You will learn what works and what doesn’t along the way, but you should work to minimally impact the team and people around you to the negative aspects of that learning and growing.

  Some will find they are better suited as a leader in a different environment or a smaller team, as a larger team and different environment may not be their forte and the challenges are too much.

  We should all know our limits and ability and work to them and not against them. Growing and learning can take time, but as a leader we should be helping our team and not hindering them.

Within a team you will have high achievers and less than ideal employees, plus many in between. What should not be the case is enacting performance punishment. This is when you reward a high performing employee with more work without extra compensation, recognition or the chance for promotion. This is quiet promoting and is of little to no value to an employee. They may possibly gain more knowledge and experience in a task, but it does little for their resume.

  This will lead, long term, to burn out, resentment and decreased morale which will lead the employee to look elsewhere they can be properly compensated and treated with respect.

  It is on the leadership of a team to ensure a fair distribution of work, proper recognition, and when possible and in their realm of ability, to give compensation and a promotion.

  This will create a culture of appreciation for employees who will return the appreciation with continued effort, but as with most things, it is a two-way street. Both sides must give effort to receive positive outcomes.

Teamwork among a team is important, and a leader needs to support, train and coach the team, and utilize their skills and knowledge. That means no micromanaging, delegating tasks, and everyone collaborating.

Delegating is crucial for leadership as you can’t do it all and employees will never learn and improve without trying something new. Delegate tasks and mentor the next group of future leaders. Just don’t leave them high and dry with no instructions. This will only harm teamwork and the team will lose trust, confidence in not just themselves but leadership and a breakdown will occur.

You may have heard the statement “directors direct, managers manage, supervisors supervise, leads lead.” Now each company is going to be different in its hierarchy, but the gist behind this statement is that different levels within an organization have different responsibilities. It is important in team building and building relationships that everyone understands their role and place within the company. Once they do, implementing the vision and strategies from sr. leaders will be immensely easier.

Directors: They are typically involved in high-level strategic planning and decision-making, and responsible for the overall direction and performance of a specific area or possibly the entire organization. They ensure strategic goals are planned and put into actions, while ensuring alignment across different functions.

Managers: Managers focus on the execution of the planned strategies from sr. leaders as well as the management of teams. Their responsibilities include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve the vision and goals from sr. leaders.

Supervisors: Supervisors work at the operational level, overseeing the daily work of a team. They ensure tasks are completed effectively and efficiently, often acting as a bridge between management and the workforce.

Leads: Often seen as influencers and motivators within a team, leading by example and inspiring others to achieve common goals. While not necessarily in a formal management position, they play a vital role in team dynamics and performance as well as support both leaderships goals and the workplace’s needs.

  As stated earlier, the difference between these roles will change dependent on the business, and some people may perform functions across multiple levels. With that said, each role plays a distinct part in the overall success of an organization.

Bullies can be found everywhere. You would think once out of childhood; bullies would not be an issue. Bullies grow older and can be found in the workplace. Some bullies are more overt than others, but there are signs.

  When dealing with bullies, teamwork is much more challenging because there will be a constant force within pulling the team apart.

  Being subjected to repeated emotional or even physical abuse, the workplace bully deliberately manipulates, belittles, intimidates and tries to control or undermine their victim using any means available to them. It is vital that there are controls in place to prevent this.

  Putting someone down in meetings, giving a heavier workload than is manageable by anyone, excluding from social events, or meetings and communications, undermining by demeaning their work, not giving credit, constantly reminding of past errors, yelling, shouting, insulting, threatening and lastly physical violence are all examples of bullying.

  These should never be allowed in the workplace and should never be coming from someone in a leadership position. If it is, the culture is broken.

  This can certainly happen when new leadership comes on board with a new mindset. You may have been a star employee, with awards, great output and known as an expert in their position. Whether the new leadership is jealous, or set in their way to conduct business, there can be a shift in what is expected and suddenly you are no longer a star employee and relied on in your role.

  The one being bullied can document the incident (s), report the situation to human resources or other leadership if available/possible, and attempt to discuss the situation with the bully. If there is no support and the incidents are ignored or rebuffed by the bully and others, there may be no alternative then to move on, and possibly seek external guidance.

  Let’s create workplaces where this is not a situation people have to face to make a living. Accountability is key.

In a relationship, at work or home, school or elsewhere, a perception gap can be a problem with trust between people. It is the difference between one person’s real actions and another’s perception of the actions. It can happen from limited communication and a lack of clarity which can lead to inaccurate, often negative, views of others. This gap can create hostility, distrust and disengagement, hindering and often shutting down dialogue and collaboration, which can damage if not destroy teams.

  Leadership may believe they provide recognition, feedback, answers and more, but employees do not agree.

  It is important to maintain open dialog and communication channels between leaders and the team. This takes effort from both sides and active listening. Until communications are improved, the situation will never improve, and that requires engagement to succeed and is on the leader to drive as the team’s success is on them. A team can do all they can to get clarity and to open channels, but they can’t force a leader to do anything, unfortunately.

Whether at work, school, or elsewhere, bullies exist, and they can go after the high performers and the strong due to jealousy. Seek help against them when you can. Document everything. Do your best not to allow their inadequacy to defeat you.

Within a team, there may be times when one member is ostracized and treated as a target for any number of reasons, including from leadership. This creates a negative team dynamic and potentially hostile and toxic environment.

Workplace mobbing is a deliberate attempt to force a person out of their workplace by humiliation, general harassment, emotional abuse and/or terror. Mobbing can be described as being ganged up on. Mobbing can be executed by a leader, a co-worker, or a subordinate.

  This is a practice that needs to be eliminated from people’s thoughts as it is insidious, dangerous, has negative impacts not seen or understood at the time, and simply unnecessary. Ego and jealousy need to become ghosts of the past as it only damages the one presenting the feelings and can destroy the one targeted.

A confident employee can drive insecure bosses mad.

  If the boss is insecure, feels threatened, jealous, or undermined because of the employee’s competence, it may lead them to control, criticize, or diminish the confident employee’s success to maintain their own perceived authority and power.

  The confident employee can highlight the insecure bosses lack of knowledge and ability, leading the potential micromanagement, theft of ideas, being critical to a fault, and lack of support and development of the employee.

  People in leadership positions at any level, may not know everything, more likely not. It is important for leaders to utilize their employees’ knowledge, experience and ability.

  I’ve said it more than once; jealousy and ego should not be a part of business. There are plenty of opportunities to learn from each other and improve as an individual, team, department/function and company.

  The goal should always be to meet and then improve what you do for the client/customer and their requirements, whatever they may be. That takes team effort in most cases, not by one person.

Conflict is inevitable for a team, and sometimes for an organization.

  Even the best of teams will encounter issues that cause strife. The challenge is to handle it before it festers. Once it begins to fester, the team’s morale will deteriorate, productivity will decrease due to the lack of drive and/or interest, communication could shut down near completely, and the work environment will become hostile. This will lead to resentment and a significant decrease in team cohesion and effectiveness which will impact their performance and output of work and in turn the client/customer.

  This can be between team members, leader and the team, leader and a team member, between two teams, etc. Cliques forming or favoritism showing will further drive a wedge among the team, creating small silos and destroy collaboration.

Putting in an effort to resolve the issue early will prevent long term damage. If a leader is one who does not like conflict, then it may be challenging to resolve the situation. If the leader is causing the issue, outside remediation may be needed.

  Open dialog and communication are vital to keep conflicts from evolving. Not all conversations will be easy, but they are needed to maintain the peace of the work environment, which needs to be healthy for effective team collaboration.

Favoritism is a team killer, morale destroyer and creates a toxic environment to work in.

  While it may at times be a perception, when others are given opportunities, while you are overlooked, this can easily be treated as an unfair situation that leads to a loss of trust, disengagement, and frustration.

  This will reduce productivity, stifle innovation and improvements, cause turnover of employees and damage, if not destroy a team, or larger within a business.

  Socially excluding employees and colleagues, at least for me feels like high school or younger and not a professional setting.

  The only way to prevent it, is to ensure leadership promotes fairness and transparency, and flows it down to all employees. Cliques should have no place in a professional organization.

  Keep communication open, which should be easy and common, but it is not unfortunately.

  Ensure that everyone is included and has a voice and feels valued in their opinion and work is appreciated.

  When needed, there needs to be metrics that everyone is graded based on criteria and not personal opinions.

  Let’s be professional. All of us.

Teamwork is important in all aspects of life, from work, to school, to home and in between. We can rarely succeed alone, let alone prosper.

  Teamwork takes effort but pays off in the end.

Withholding information, whether at work, personal life, or in between, can be devastating to the other party. It keeps them in the dark when they need to improve or make a decision. It can be a negative form of control. Keep people in the know, as tables can be turned at any time, and it is important to remember that we all have responsibilities, those that rely on us, and getting the opportunity to make a choice can make a big impact positively.

Delegating

Delegating.

  It can be difficult for some leaders.

  They may not want to let go.

  Some may be stuck between a rock and a hard place, with their leadership expecting them to do tasks and then other times expecting it to be delegated. It also depends on the org structure and who there is to delegate to.

  This is tied though to clear communication and clear expectations of roles and responsibilities.

  Who to delegate to is also important because not everyone will be strong in every task. Even though delegated, it will fall on you to ensure it is done right. Be available to assist and answer questions if they arise.

  Work as a team and not just pass the buck and workload for the sake of it or because you are in a senior role. That certainly won’t foster trust and cooperation.

There will be times in life that no matter how good you are at juggling multiple activities, projects, tasks, etc., that you will not succeed 100% of the time.

  There are levels of importance in what we do, whether at work or home. Focus needs to be on the requirements and often we are doing things that are not needed, expected by a customer, important at the time or just not a priority ever. Let those drop off and focus solely on the important stuff when it becomes too much.

  It is important to look at the list of activities we are doing to see what is value added or not. Drop the wastes in your life.

  Delegate when you can and makes sense.

  Ask for help from those around you, if you are fortunate to have that choice.

  Time is finite. Use it wisely.

While it may be ideal, not everyone in a leadership position is going to be able to do every task their people do.

  While front line leadership may as they are the ones teaching, training and mentoring the staff, the higher you go up the ladder the more there is to monitor.


  When this happens, you may get knowledge of activities through reports, but you will probably not be in the weeds doing the tasks.

I have touched on working in silos and bottlenecks in the operation before, but it is a topic that seems to be a continually issue in workplaces.

  You do what you do, and I will do what I do.

  Send me the plan and I will get around to it.

  Both of these scenarios occur and both can be detrimental to a team and business.

  For both communication is important and communication is usually the #1 issue in business and even in our personal lives.

  Many functions within a company need to work together for the company as a whole to be successful. Break down the silos and talk to each other.

  For bottlenecks, if there is only one person that can do something, it will cause issues in the long run. There always needs to be a backup because life happens.

  And if a leader has tasks, plans, reports, whatever it may be waiting on them, it can hurt the team if it piles up and is either not dealt with or plans not communicated to other parties.

  Delegate and empower when needed. A title without authority is useless and empowering others grows the next set of leaders.

  A team should not suffer due to leadership, or lack of, and it goes the other way as well. A team needs to provide support for leadership.

  If a team is tasked with too much, especially unnecessary tasks, it should be liked at for streamlining. A part of solving bottlenecks is to look at the operation to ensure it is running smooth and even throughout the entire process.

  A company should always be ready and looking for growth opportunities and be flexible and adaptive for it.

Relationships and Building Trust

If the work environment is such that employees have to file away somewhere all the good work they are doing in order to show management, as a CYA action, the environment is not a good one.

  Doing this takes time and effort on the employees part and simply shows a negative culture in place between leadership and everyone else.

  You will never get the best out of people if they are constantly feeling the need to take time out of their day to cover their behinds with emails or documented information like slide shows, ad-hoc reports, etc. that are all in addition to the regular work.

  There should be clear ideas of tasks and duties needed which leadership should be aware of and the end results/outputs monitored as needed.

  Any business needs to have a mutual understanding as well as trust between leadership and employees in order to succeed.

Trust and respect are two things that are important in our life.

  Doesn’t matter if it is at work or in our personal lives

  Both though take time and are not immediate. They can both be lost and can take time to regain.

  They also take both parties to put in place. If only one side exhibits trust and respect, it will not work.

  Morale will suffer.

  Trust and respect come from integrity, competency and intent. Intent is important because, especially with leadership, it is important to be transparent, open and clear with colleagues.
Setting expectations and goals that can be met. Understanding current roles and not dismissing the team’s efforts are steps in the right direction.

  Works and actions are important from both sides.

  Supporting the team is key because that is what leadership does.

  Following through with commitments and being consistent with messages will help grow trust.

  Admitting mistakes from both sides will also help as no one is perfect and we all learn from them, no matter our position in life.

Presence can occur whether in a remote work environment or in the office.
It is important that leadership especially ensures they are present for their employees.

  Presence is about building trust and openness with a team. It isn’t just about taking command of a room or situation.

  Having an environment where the team wants to talk and discuss ideas. Where listening is just as important as talking and acting.

  Training through periodic workshops, hands on training or other forms, along with feedback is important.

  Not being stuck on one way to do things by being open to new ideas will remove rigidity that can destroy teams.

  Be the leader your team needs, not just a boss or person with a title.

Is it better to be liked, respected or effective at work?

  Maybe all 3?

  It is important that while most want to be liked, and respect is generally earned over time, to be effective as a leader and employee alike, effectiveness in the job will require a bit of everything.

  Having skills, expertise, thoughtful, willingness to learn, willing to be wrong, open to communicate, listening to those around you, being trustworthy, having integrity, being open to change are just some qualities and abilities that will get you there.

  Some are good at talking while others are better at doing. Some are good at both.

  Being open and willing to make the right decisions is important and may not make you friends and sometimes may be hard. It is important though that decisions are made wisely with all known facts and angles reviewed.

Accountability and Integrity

Apologies and accountability. These two go hand in hand because one without the other is often meaningless.

  A sincere apology will go a long way to mending a relationship. But empathy in the apology and follow on actions are what matters.

  If you do not follow through with your apology, of course it is of no value but will hinder any possible future relationship.

  Owning up to mistakes, taking concrete actions, following through and living the apology will be what mends the relationship.

  If actions do not reflect words, there will never be trust, in nor particular order.

Accountability.

  Outside of a lack of communication, it tends to be another top, hot button topic in both work and personal lives that is an issue.

  The right people are not held accountable while others who are actually not responsible are.

  How do you think morale and relationships will be when the environment is like that.

  Recently in the business world, a company verbally took “responsibility” for the reason behind mass layoffs, although they are still making massive amounts of cash.

Where the accountability was needed was in actions by the Sr. Leadership of the company as they were the root cause of the issue.

  Instead of putting in corrections to prevent a reoccurrence or find innovative solutions or actually taking more responsibility onto themselves, thousands are now out of work, wondering how they will pay bills and put food on the table.

  This has been happening quite a lot lately.

  Daily there are many out there at work being blamed for others failures. It is indicative of a failed culture and society as a whole. It permeates our lives even at home.

  Accountability is really something that needs to be taught at a young age and worked on throughout our lives.

  Mistakes happen. Own it and learn from it.

  Others though should not have to pay for the lack of accountability for what they are not responsible for. It should be a work in progress for everyone.

  Talk to each other like people and we may solve the lack of communication and accountability in time.

Accountability.

  If you own a solution and it doesn’t go your way, don’t pass the blame to someone else. Own up to it.

  Listening to advice may also keep the decision from going south. You may not know everything, even if you think you do. Listening to those around you, experts you may work with, may make for more positive decisions.

  A business cannot be successful with blame being thrown around. Stop throwing people, teams, departments under the bus. Listen more, talk less. Use knowledge around you instead of fearing it.

  Work towards solution making and positive outcomes for the company and their client/customers.

  The Quality you provide will improve over time because of it.

We should all be accountable in life, whether at work or at home.

  When some are treated one way compared to another group in regards to accountability, it tends to bring to the organization a negative cloud of anger, spite and bitterness.

  It is important that leadership holds the right people accountable for the right stuff, but also that accountability is equal and fair across the board. Not doing so will most certainly drive some away while making others who stay bitter, angry and no longer motivated to do their best.

  It is not conducive to a positive environment in which the client/customers’ requirements are being met. Proper accountability can and should be considered a positive situation.

Quality and Accountability. Two important topics that are inter-related.

  Remember that Quality is doing the right thing when no one is looking.

  Accountability starts with Sr. Leadership and building a positive culture is an important step in having a quality system that is compliant to the customer/client requirements. We all play a part, but it needs a kick start from the top.

Integrity.

  Whether at work or in our personal lives, integrity makes or breaks relationships.

  Without it, relationships will suffer and erode. Teams will break up and move on, families will suffer and friendships will fade.

  Be honest and do what is right even when no one is looking.

  Be responsible for your actions.

  Be trustworthy and open.

  Be respectful and considerate of others.

  Help and not tear down people.

  We can all do better each day, but it starts with looking within before critiquing and criticizing others.

  Let’s do our part to make the environment we live and work in a better place.

Without Integrity in the workplace from all employees, any system designed and implemented for the success of the company intended for the customer/client, will fail.

Accountability in life, especially at work, is key to a strong workforce. Without accountability there will be a lack of trust, transparency, and poor decision making as no one will know what is going on, or will want to make a decision.
Especially for those in leadership positions, if they are not making decisions, sticking by their decisions or passing blame for issues, those around them will eventually scatter to the wind.
No one enjoys someone in authority who will not answer questions, give updates, make a decision, stick with a decision, or pass blame onto others.

  A leader that does not make.

  Accountability and Communication are generally speaking the top two inherent issues most companies face.

  They are the two most important subjects for both employees and client/customer. They affect both.

  Both when working will propel a company and its employees to new heights, and a bigger client/customer base. When failing, the integrity of the company will be questioned and will rot, albeit slowly, from within.

  All employees need to be open, honest, communicate and the culture will start moving in the right direction.

It is important to maintain appointment orders for the wide variety of requirements that we have as a company as people come and go over time.

  Appointment orders are needed to ensure there is a primary and alternate for important functions needed and that the identified appointee is trained and knowledge.

  Slapping a name on a memo doesn’t mean they understand what is required of them. This is key to success. Trained, knowledgeable, competent and capable people in place to meet requirements set forth by our client/customer and ourselves.

It is important to ensure oversight of subcontractors is in place, being looked at properly, by the right person, the correct frequency and manner. Looking at the right things is important as gaps and issues may form over time if not reviewed properly.

There are still too many companies out there that do not understand quality, let alone their own contractual requirements and what is expected by the client. That may seem crazy, but it is true. I see this far too often. Educating them doesn’t always work unfortunately as they may become belligerent being called out, even if done politely and correctly.

  It is important that any company who has a contract, read it, flow it to all employees and have in place a method to ensure it is met. That will often require some type of documentation in place and not a good faith system in place.

  Even if a small contract, winging it will not always work long term. Working together to have what is needed in place is vital, and preferably sooner rather than later.

In order for there to be accountability, there must be known requirements to meet and receiving feedback can help to understand how you are doing. Not everyone is good at giving constructive feedback or receiving it, but understanding how we are doing can save us time down the road.

  Feedback can be categorized in several ways.

  Common types include positive (what was done well, reinforcing positive behaviors and boosting motivation which is critical long term) vs. negative (what needs improvement, often providing corrective information), constructive (specific, actionable suggestions for improvement, aiming to help the recipient grow, which is key) vs. destructive (Criticizes without providing constructive guidance, often demotivating and unhelpful, which you want to steer away from), and formal (Delivered through structured processes like performance reviews, often documented and should not be a surprise) vs. informal (Spontaneous, casual, and often delivered in the moment, like a quick suggestion during a conversation) feedback. They can come from yourself (how do you think you are doing?), your peers, family, friends, or leadership. They can be continual (throughout the process or performance period), sporadic or terminal (at the end of the performance period, project or process).

  Feedback can be written or oral and some will give and/or take better in certain environments over another.

Leadership, just like employees, require accountability. In any role, leadership or not, there will be times we are challenged. It could be to better the person or situation, it could be to clear the air for better understanding, and it can also be a negative engagement.

  Leaders who are not used to being challenged may struggle with the feedback received, be resistant to a change request, and could create a culture of fear or conformity as a result. This can lead to missed opportunities, decreased innovation, and ultimately, poor performance for all involved.

  Lo and behold, leaders do not know everything, and it is good if you have those around you who can offer advice and opinions based on history, knowledge and experience. You may have people on your team who have been around longer, done more, and using that is invaluable to your own growth as a leader.

  Suppressing that will only hinder the team, you and the goal of the company to meet the client/customer requirements. It is of no benefit. Trust will be lost, and the lack of adaptability will cause lost opportunities, good employees fleeing and a culture that will die, bringing the company down with it.

  Feedback needs to be free to give, as long as it is respectful. Take chances to improve, to learn and collaborate among the team and colleagues. You can’t learn from mistakes and improve from them if none are ever allowed or tolerated.

  Being more self-aware, aware of emotions both yours and others, will also help drive and foster a positive culture. Not understanding how you are treating people, or coming across as closed off will leave you permanently separated from those on your team.

  We can all do a bit better in communication, relationship building, accountability and trust. Work, home, school or in the general public, it is all important.

It never feels good to be undermined. It doesn’t matter if you are a leader being undermined by employees, or it is the leader undermining you as an employee. Both cases are terrible situations to be in. It can also happen at home between partners, siblings and parents and children. It can happen at school. It can happen anywhere.

  What does it mean to undermine?

  In short it means making someone weaker or less effective, often through secret, gradual, or indirect ways. It can be attacks on someone’s authority, a team’s confidence, or a business system’s stability. It can be as simple as withholding information, taking credit, exaggerating issues to harm, or making passive aggressive remarks.

  This is a type of sabotage that has no place in business and will simply destroy a team, and anything targeted.

  You can ask for clarity, approaching the person to address the situation, and work to identify the root cause, but that may not result in an improvement. You may need to escalate the situation. It is important to document and remain confident in your own ability regardless of how you are being treated.

  It speaks more of the person doing the sabotaging, than the one being sabotaged, and it doesn’t matter if it is due to jealousy, fear, job protection, office politics, attempts to advance, or whatever it may be. This may not only harm a person’s career and livelihood, which has a domino effect, but also the saboteur’s reputation long term if discovered.

It is important that when we start something, we finish it. There are many times, whether at work or in our personal lives, we start a project or hobby, and because of time, money, effort, whatever it may be, we drop it.

  Follow through means completing a commitment by taking action and seeing it to the end.

  It’s the follow-through that makes the difference between success and failure, because it is easy to stop, but ensuring tasks reach successful conclusion is vital.

  We also give up on our dreams, ambition, goals because the effort isn’t felt worthwhile. We don’t have time, money, or energy to see it through to completion or the conclusion of something that was important to us, drove us, or had our interest. Later down the road we may regret it. Regrets are harmful.

Accountability should be easy, but it feels it isn’t always the case. You can build it easy enough by following a clear cycle, a system for ensuring success. Here is a simple, five-step framework.

  1. Set Clear Expectations

  This is the foundation. Ambiguity is the enemy of accountability. Everyone involved must have a crystal-clear, shared understanding of the following.

The Goal.

  What does done look like? (Example would be to complete a report.)

The Standard.

  What is the quality, safety, and compliance requirements? (Example would be to follow the documented process exactly, with all forms completed.)

The Timeline.

  What are the key milestones and the final deadline?

  • Resources.

  Provide resources & authority. Holding someone accountable for a result without giving them the tools to achieve it is unfair and destined to fail. Equipping means ensuring they have some of the following…

The Training.

  Do they know how to perform the task correctly?

The Tools.

  Do they have the right software, equipment, materials, and access?

The Authority.

Are they empowered to make decisions needed to complete the task without unnecessary bottlenecks?

  • Align.

  Ensure understanding & commitment. Don’t assume the message was received. This is a two-way street.

Verify Understanding.

  Ask them to explain the goal and the plan back to you in their own words.

Gain Commitment.

  Confirm they are onboard. A simple “Does this plan work for you?” or “What support do you need from me to make this happen?” can make all the difference.

Inspect/Monitor Progress & Provide Feedback.

  Accountability requires follow-up. You can’t manage a secret or what you don’t know. You can’t get better or improve without proper feedback.

  • Check-Ins.

  Establish regular, predictable check-ins to review progress against the milestones set in Step #1. These are not micromanagement; they are support points. Just don’t cross the line into micromanagement.

Feedback.

  Provide timely, constructive feedback. Celebrate progress and immediately address deviations. The goal is to correct the course before the final deadline is missed.

  • Closeout.

Review the outcome & learn. When the task is complete, the cycle isn’t finished. This final step closes the loop and builds a culture of continuous improvement.

Review Results.

  Objectively review the outcome against the original expectations. Did we meet the goal? Why or why not?

Recognize & Acknowledge.

  Publicly recognize success. Thank the individual or team for their effort and accountability. You’d be surprised how well received it will be and when not done, how it will affect morale in the reverse direction.

Lessons Learned.

  If there were shortfalls, conduct a blameless review. What did we learn about our process, planning, or resources? How can we apply this learning to the next task?

This 5-step framework turns accountability from a vague concept into a repeatable process that can help all involved. It’s not about blame; it’s about creating clarity, support, and a shared commitment to results. This is the foundation of accountability.

Delegating isn’t always easy, especially when there is fear of failure, but delegating has a number of benefits for both leadership and employees when used properly.

  While some want to hold onto information as a form of job security, a part of leadership’s responsibility is to mentor and grow employees in their roles and future roles. That means giving them some leeway and opportunity to try something new and different

  Having tribal knowledge is a good way to have history, experience and knowledge in the workplace, it is also important to not have single point failures and bottlenecks. That is also why it is important to have documented processes and expected outputs to measure so employees know what is expected of them, and leaders aren’t in the dark.

Loyalty & Transparency

Loyalty.

  It is an important element in our lives, especially in our personal lives. Friends, family will often help get us through our life. Even though we may think we do, we don’t often go it alone. Support, giving and receiving is important.

  At work loyalty is just as important as we spend 8, 10, 12 hours or more at it a day. You will often hear at work that we are a family because we spend more time at work than with our family. While the time part is true, work is work and family is family.

  There often comes a time where the desire to spend actual beneficial time with family, friends will replace the desire to be a workaholic. While treating work colleagues as a second family may or may not be okay dependent on views, actual family should never be forgotten.

  Employees are often expected to be loyal to a company, to sacrifice time, energy, relationships and their health (mental/physical) to support it.

  Companies have always laid off employees with no notice, but in recent years it has become prevalent and from many multi-billion dollar businesses. These have been difficult years and the lack of loyalty from many companies have left many wary.

  How can anyone feel secure? That just elevates stress and sickness which has grown.

  Technology has over the centuries replaced workers with machines. That is a part of advancements in our society.

People though will always be the backbone of a business that will foster a culture of growth and success for its clients/customers.

  Treating employees as a number or as a throwaway will cost companies more in the long run. Those who remain or future employees will never feel truly secure which will lead to a less than ideal environment to foster positive growth in the business.

  How companies operate now needs to evolve in a positive direction and as more of the younger generation takes hold of positions of authority, I see that evolution occurring.

  Making money is great, but not at the expense of our humanity. The cost will be too much.

A burned bridge can be repaired, although in the physical sense it won’t be the same bridge.

  With relationships, whether at work with a company and/or coworkers or outside work with friends and/or family, a bridge once burned may take a long time and dedication to rebuild. It will take effort from all sides to be rebuilt, if it can.

  It will take time and trust isn’t easy to rebuild. There may be plenty of moments where sincerity is questioned.

  Actions will often speak louder than words, as words may be difficult in the early stages.

  As with many things in life it many take many small steps to get there.

Loyalty is a two-way street between employer and employee. It works only when both manage the relationship. Too often companies expect blind loyalty but do not return the favor.

There are plenty of articles on the web on the subject.

With the mass layoffs of late by many large, rather rich companies, it feeds the narrative that companies don’t care.

  Let’s change that.

Values, Vision and Purpose.

  Each company will have their own vision and values, or at least they should.

  The employees’ purpose will be rooted in the vision and the values purported by sr. leaders.

  It is important that whatever the vision and values set forth, they are followed by all. If they are not by some, the majority will see it and the values, and in turn, vision will mean nothing.

  Employees need a purpose, so it is important that within the framework of a team, the purpose is known and understood with complete honesty and transparency.

  When certain aspects of the job or workplace are deliberately kept from employees, trust can easily be lost and difficult to regain.

  This does no one any good, especially the client/customer who the employees help provide a service or product for.

  It is important that leadership set a positive tone and environment for employees to thrive.

It is important not just within quality, but any job, that we do not get lost in the repetitive nature our jobs can often lead into.

  Having a vision and expected outcomes, while also looking for ways to improve, will help keep us looking outward and upward. Keeping our heads down, and eyes closed will often make for possible poor performance.

  Certain sectors of the workplace need to be at their peak to meet client/customer satisfaction.

  The safety and quality of the service and/or product could be on the line.

I appreciate it when a process owner, a leader of a function, is attuned to their environment, team and requirements.

  It is great to talk to someone who can walk you through their process and understands everything that is needed.

  While no one is perfect, no operation is perfect, the effort is important to make.

  You will still find those who do not know their requirements, which does baffle me because you are there, in charge, getting paid and doing something.

  Clients/customers are not always proactive to check on things and by the time something is found it is too late.

  Thank you to those who make everyone’s day easier.

While pessimism and negativity are frowned upon, too much positivity can be just as bad. Toxic positivity can cause issues in the workplace just as much as negativity. 

The idea of operating around the principles of transparency seems pretty easy, being open, making information about actions, rules, and processes visible, easily accessible, and understandable to others. It doesn’t always appear that way in the world we live in. Transparency promotes accountability and holds decision-makers to their decisions and actions. There are many leaders who do not want that, being transparent and held to account. You can read the news and see that. I honestly don’t know why as it is an easy concept and not hard to achieve.

  In business there are often rules and regulations we are bound to, that must be followed to be successful and stay out of hot water with the client/customer, regulatory commissions, governments, etc.

  Some don’t want to be held to those rules, to do it their own way, but may still want the power, money and success that comes from positions, titles and authority. No one should live like that and certainly not be bound or held hostage to those in charge over them. The consequences can also impact more than the individual as it can impact the business and all its employees.

  Unlike what you can read about here and there from certain types, people who work in these corporations are people who want to live their lives, raise families if they wish, own a home if they wish, have the ability to be happy and free in the hours they don’t work and even in the hours they do work. People are not numbers or machines to be discarded at a whim because unrealistic numbers weren’t reached, or some other arbitrary reason thrown around.

  With a lack of transparency, accountability and focus strictly on efficiency and production, you lose the compassion and social responsibility to the employees that generally make the business flourish.

  As a quality professional I get being efficient and the drive to reduce errors, issues and the tracking of output, but in that we should not lose our humanity. Until the day that it is just a CEO at a desk with an AI assistant running the entire business, people need people as we are social creatures and of course need each other in the grander scheme of society. Time has shown that we still want the interactions with other real people over machines. For that to be successful it needs to be acknowledged, and a balance established where we have clear understandings, ethical boundaries, transparency at all levels and openness to ideas and creativity for everyone involved.

  It is achievable, but takes effort, interest, determination and desire to have in place and work.

Hiding defects won’t help when it’s the client/customer who will find it. Be transparent up front. Correct and prevent issues when found.

Control through confusion is a manipulation tactic where an individual or group intentionally creates uncertainty, ambiguity, or a lack of clarity to maintain power or influence over others.

  This can manifest in various ways, from creating convoluted instructions to distorting information, ultimately making individuals reliant on the manipulator for direction and interpretation. With no clear idea how to proceed, there is a high probability of error, missed work, and unnecessary stress and anxiety for the one on the receiving end.

Some examples are the following:

Obscuring information: Manipulators might withhold key details, use vague language, or provide conflicting information to keep people guessing and uncertain about what is expected or what is happening.

Creating dependency: By using confusion, those impacted may become reliant on the manipulator for clarification and guidance, thus increasing their control over the situation.

Undermining trust: Confusion can lead to self-doubt for those affected and questioning their own perceptions, making it harder to trust one’s judgment and easier to accept the manipulator’s version of reality.

Preventing action: Confusion can paralyze decision-making and prevent individuals from taking steps that might challenge the manipulator’s authority or agenda.

Maintaining the status quo: By creating a state of ongoing uncertainty, manipulators can prevent any significant changes that might threaten their position or control.

  This can happen at home, at work, in politics, pretty much anywhere there are people involved. This can cause you to feel off balance, and you should press for more information and clarity. Trust your instincts about these types of situations and seek assistance if possible.

  Boundaries may need to be set, and the more information you have documented the better.

  There may be times that after everything you do, if sr. leadership is not supportive or a part of the problem, the only solution may be to leave.

  A toxic and/or possibly hostile workplace is not healthy long term and especially if you are not safe there emotionally, mentally, and possibly physically.

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, a toxic environment will affect you in a negative way, changing your behavior.

A toxic work & even personal environment can change you if you are in it for too long. Look out for the signs and determine if you can change the situation or move on from it.

We all wish to have clarity in our lives.

  It doesn’t matter if it is at work or at home. Most people don’t like being in the dark.

  When in the dark, it is difficult to plan, to perform a task or to make any decision or progress.

  At work, clarity will need to come from leadership, communicated to the team and employees within the company in general.

  Without a clear idea of what is expected of them, what to do and how to do it, frustration is bound to happen.

  Not detailing what is expected, or what may not be right in a task (according to the leadership), will not provide the direction needed to proceed.

  It is leadership who needs to be properly support their people and not the employees who need to guess.

  This creates a team dynamic that is broken.

  Clear vision and goals will keep the team, and company as a whole, on the right track to meet the client/customer needs. With clarity comes true accountability.

Being managed out of a position is a terrible place to be. It causes undue stress and anxiety, and for someone in a leadership to do it, speaks more of the one initiating the situation than the one being inflicted.

  There should never be a situation where a person in a leadership position puts someone or a team in working conditions so difficult that you wish to leave to escape it. Now there may be business reasons for this. Getting someone to leave voluntarily will avoid formal termination processes like firing and the paperwork involved, which incurs unemployment benefits. In my professional opinion, I believe this is an unethical practice. Again, it speaks more of the ones causing the problem, than the one receiving it.

  What are signs this could be happening to you?

  Signs could include reduced responsibilities, exclusion from meetings, constant negative feedback or micromanagement, lack of support, isolation, and assignments with unrealistic goals/targets.

  Document everything. Don’t jump immediately to assumptions. Check and evaluate yourself first. If you cannot receive help from your team or outside it, and HR is not an option, then you may have to seek legal help. While a last resort, if your attempts to seek clarity, transparency and honesty from leadership doesn’t work, outside of leaving, it may be the only way.

  An organization should never condone these behaviors from any level of employee. We should be working to get past this type of behavior and mindset and focus on the client/customer needs and how to meet them the most effective and efficient manner.

  If we cannot move past this and improve relationship building across the board, the future of business will be dark.

Truth, honesty, and transparency may not always be easy and can feel uncomfortable at times, but it’s that or lies. You need to determine which you want, as does a business.

Remember that no matter how good you are, a toxic workplace will change you. You may think it won’t, or you can change the environment, but over time the negativity and difficulty and vitriol you deal with will impact your behavior, your mindset and mood.

  This is even more important to understand if your leadership is a part of creating the toxicity you are dealing with as there will be nowhere to go for resolution unless the HR department is one that won’t automatically side with leadership.

Toxicity

Are you being bullied at work?

  No different than when a child in school, it can be frustrating, especially now that you are an adult.

  Shouldn’t we be better than that as an adult?

  Being intimidating, being ignored/isolated, shamed/unduly criticized, impossible expectations put on you, constantly changed requirements, shifting blame to you, intentionally taking credit from you are just some ways you can bullied. It can be emotional, mental and physical attacks.

  If a company has a strong culture where no one will tolerate such acts, then there are methods and tools at your disposal.

  If not and Leadership and HR allows it, there are not many choices left to you.

  All people deserve a safe environment, whether at work or home.

DARVO.

  Some will use the DARVO technique when they try to pass off accountability and is often a tool narcissists use to coerce and manipulate those around them.

  They will deny, deny, deny.

  They will then go on the attack and put the blame on the other person, reversing the roles, becoming the victim I stead of the offender.

  This can happen at work, home, anywhere.

  It is a form of abuse, whether emotional, physical or mental.

  Often you cannot persuade someone using this thought process to change. The only solution is to stay away from them.

  That is not an easy solution depending on the situation.

  Stay calm and firm in your position. Seek help from others around you when possible and document encounters.

  Take care of yourself. No one should be expected to go through such a situation at work, home or elsewhere.

Don’t be a manipulator either at work or in your personal life.

  Persuasion is one thing, but manipulation is full of negative connotations that can lead to a toxic environment.

It is important to keep insanity out of the workplace. Insanity, not as in clinical, but expecting something new to happen when the process (or a lack of one at times) remains the same.

  The cycle needs to end to get new and better results.

Negativity is out there whether in our personal lives or at work. At work it is a drag on a team and company if unhealthy traits are expressed daily and then rewarded.

  Arrogance, ego, vanity, self-centeredness while entertaining in a show like Suits, is not conducive to a healthy workplace and life.

  If the team accomplished a goal, there is no I in Team. Credit should be given from actions not just talk.

  Just my two cents.

  No one wants to work in a toxic, hostile, negative workplace day in, day out.

  I know speaking for myself, I prefer to keep the drama to tv shows and movies and not in my daily life.

  For larger organizations, it may be difficult to keep politics out of the workplace, with various hierarchies/org structures in place. These elements though generally only create a difficult place to spend much of our day. It can cause high turnover and unnecessary stress to the employees and leadership. Valuing the team that supports the business should be the primary goal, not tearing down the team.

  It’s important that leaders create a workplace free of chaos and distractions that allows employees to thrive in their roles. There can’t be a safe, quality environment with uncertainty clouding the workplace

  Great leaders set out to make a positive difference/impact in the workplace. Be a great leader.

Ever heard of care washing?

  When a company has the facade of a good culture, but turns out differently, once you peel back that facade… that is care washing.

  It is an illusion that alienates employees, demotivates them and will likely cause an exodus.

  It is important for any business to be transparent and open from the beginning, otherwise they will just waste everyone’s time.

  Having the right kind of culture, the right kind of perks is important.
Frivolous trinkets and perks will not help keep the employees motivated and moving forward for the client/customer, which in turn helps the business.

  Lying is far worse for the reputation of any company.

While leaders need to protect their employees from a toxic workplace, it doesn’t correct the root cause of the toxic workplace.

  They can only shield employees for so long before they get worn down and are overwhelmed.

  The environment needs to be fixed from top down in order to clear out the toxicity.

  If that doesn’t happen. You will have all levels of employees fleeing and the business will suffer.

  This doesn’t seem understood far too often.

The word toxic and toxicity are thrown around a lot, so much so that it could lose its potency as a word in life. In the workplace the word has become synonymous with an environment that is negative, demoralizing and not conducive to making positive results for the client/customer long term.

Toxicity can come from anyone, but it is leadership who is responsible for developing the culture that removes the incitement that breeds toxicity.

  The problem is when leaders are the one causing it, not seeing the results from it, and allowing others to foster it. Abuse of power and influence, prioritize their own needs and ambitions, sometimes at the expense of their followers and the organization’s goals will very often result in decreased morale, productivity, and overall well-being of those they are responsible for.

  This can come in many forms from micro-management, favoritism, public humiliation, and unrealistic demands which can lead to burnout and the exits of even top performers.

  This may not even be intentional by some as they are not self-aware and have poor leadership skills through lack of training, knowledge or even ability. Some though are intentional in how they act, and believe it is the best way to lead. There are plenty of studies and people in the world who would disagree.

Financials

Great leaders don’t look solely at money, #’s.

  They look out for the team that makes the money, the numbers, which supports the client/customers.

  They ensure the team is supported.

  They ensure the culture and environment is a positive one.

  Focus on the people and everything else will fall in to place.

  It seems these days the focus is only the bottom line, and often the bottom line tends to be fine and people are still sacrificed. Greed, avarice, gluttony in the business world needs to end.

  People are catching on. The consumers are already moving on from some bigger corporations. Bad decisions, actions, poor planning have consequences.

  Top talent will have no interest in working for companies who continually show zero loyalty for employees.

  Let’s win by working together, planning for a positive future and treating each other with dignity.

Something that doesn’t seem to be the case for many companies these days is putting people over profits.

  It simply means that employees are valued which in turn drives sales for services/products.

  People are who make profits, who provide excellent services or products for the clients/customers. They are the face of the business and if they are treated well and are happy, that translates into happy clients/customers.

  You put profits over people, you will lose your skilled workers and eventually everyone and have no business. Clients/customers will go elsewhere, and we have seen this.

  Companies need a profit to stay in business, but it should never happen at the expense of their people.

While it is important for any business to track costs in order to stay in business, coats are not the only element that is important.

  It is vital that while the company leadership drives for strong earning for shareholders, it is equally important to ensure employees are taken care of. Sacrificing any element of social responsibility, environmental responsibility, morality, ethics, quality, safety, transparency and customer requirements will severely backfire.

  There needs to be a holistic view within a company on how to be successful.

  The workforce will eventually become disengaged, morale will tumble, burnout will occur from stress, turnover will start to become costly, and trust will be nonexistent.

  Putting employees first will create an environment where the business will thrive and customers will want the service or product offered.

It feels that in recent years that companies are treating employees as less than human and more as a number. It has always been that way to a certain degree but feels like it has become more prominent of late.

  When leadership treats its employees poorly it will trickle down to the customer. This will impact the company’s reputation if not handled and the bottom line will eventually go into the negative.

  Treating employees as human beings, respecting them and treating them fairly will create a positive environment which will become successful for the customer and their needs.

  Seeing billion and trillion dollar (value) companies lay off thousands when earnings didn’t quite reach a certain mark, or other reasons doesn’t look at the root of the issue and find ways to grow outside of just getting rid of bodies.

  While I own stocks and understand the stockholder prospective of making money, this mentality as a sole solution destroys families/lives and also inhibits other parts of the economy.

  From a company culture perspective, ensuring a quality product/service is in place & ensuring safety is in mind are all important and will only be cared about by employees who are treated well & with respect.

Words Matter

Be a doer.

  The world has too many who simply talk and certainly there are many out there who just criticize.

  Thinking and talking is okay if it is a part of doing something actionable in a timely manner.

  For those who tend to criticize, solutions make a difference to most situations. Bring a solution with you. Be part of a solution and not problem.

Often it is thought that to show or be confident you need to be loud and boastful.

  That is simply not the case. It is often more the case that when people are loud and boastful, they are insecure.

  It is also obnoxious. Those in higher positions will get away with it because of the level of power they have, but respect will probably not be given.

  It is often a sign of weakness that others will prey on.

  Those that are quiet will often speak when needed and watch and listen in the meantime.

  Talk is often cheap with actions being all that matters, which may not occur. Actions take listening and thinking to implement effectively when the time is right.

  Don’t be deluded to think that you can always talk your way through or out of situation and arrogance and brashness has its limits.

  Humility goes a long way to achieving respect from colleagues. If not, they may not be the people to want to be around.

  Humor is also important as there are times, we take ourselves and situations too seriously.

  The world doesn’t revolve around us, even if we think it should at times.

  Perception and awareness of ourselves and others is important to remember whether at work or home.

Problem Solving

Whether online or in the real world, people who only bring problems with no solution are of no value. You have a problem, an issue to address, bring a solution with you.

  It shouldn’t just be on leadership to come up with ideas and solve a problem. Only bringing up problems just leads to being seen as a complainer.
If you bring ideas along with a problem and are ignored, that is another issue.

  Online there is what is called a troll, someone who intentionally provokes, criticizes, is negative and attacks continually, often for no apparent reason. Information, and facts provided do not dissuade them.

  I would say that trolls are not confined to just the internet.

  People, whether they are doing this on purpose or not, have no place in civilized society. They should be blocked by everyone and ostracized.

  Free speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences.

  Do not feed the trolls. Instead we should work towards a platform, any and all, that no longer supports them in any way.

  Additionally, they should not be permitted in the business world to further steer a toxic environment and certainly should not be in our personal lives.

Using the 1-3-1 method at work for problems may help to alleviate issues by breaking them down in a somewhat simple and quick way to solve the problem.

  Of course as with most things, it will only be effective if embraced.

  Identify the issue and come up with 3 possible solutions and then pick one that will work the best.

  This is a way to get a team to work on issues and solutions, not just the leadership… but will only work if allowed to.

  One, the employees involved have to take it seriously and not just put crazy and impractical solutions on the table.

  Two, leaders need to delegate the ability for employees to practice the 1-3-1 method.

  Three, the entire team needs to use it to their benefit. Passing off issues only to leaders and not taking initiative or accountability won’t help, and leaders not supporting the team’s ideas and initiative will tank the effort.

  Methods and processes only work when effort is taken.

It’s not my problem is something that will doom a business.

  Whether it is Quality related, Safety related or something else, not taking responsibility for key aspects of a business will sink it.

  Not understanding your surroundings and the reason why certain things are the way they are will also sink a company.

  Certain things in the workplace are everyone’s responsibility and will only work when the team collaborates.

Whether a company calls it a Quality Circle or by another name as they have evolved over the years, it is important to get engagement in problem solving and improvements. When opinions are taken from employees and not just management, they are a part of decision making and can make a positive impact in what they and their co-workers do. If properly run and maintained, it will make the business more efficient and effective in the long run.

Flexibility

In this day in age, especially with technology, flexible working hours should be more the norm than the exception.

  There are going to be certain fields, especially the service industry that may be more rigid. Unless there is a major shortage of employees in any place, people can certainly use flexibility to handle events in their life from picking and dropping off kids from school and events to going to college to appointments.

  It helps morale, and unless productivity slumps, there is no justification to not allow it. Client/Customer requirements will often take precedence but should still be reviewed for applicability.

  What kills morale, as well as productivity, is if leadership uses flexible and does now allow their employees to.

  Hypocrisy rarely goes over well.

There have been recent studies and experiments with 4-day work weeks that showed more productivity.

  If this is an idea to do more work with less people over more time, I question the long-term success and motive behind it. There are also studies out there that show working more hours does not generally produce more or certainly better quality work.

  In certain fields, flexibility needs to become the norm for employees.

  The mindsets behind some recent corporate moves does not show an effort for a value based work environment that will produce great quality work for customers. Anti-employee policies seem to be a new fad and doesn’t seem like a good long-term strategy. Customers also see this and will choose another option when available.

Remote work has been around for a long time. It just became more popular in recent years due to COVID.

  Not every company or even section within a company can do it because of a variety of reasons. Not all fields can do it because of the need for customer facing positions or hands on work needed to be accomplished.

  Those that can should be permitted to. There is a lot of information on the web that supports the notion that it can work. From experience I know it can.

  Not every person will thrive in a remote environment, but that shouldn’t mean the majority can’t. Also doesn’t mean those who are hesitant can’t overcome it.

  Same goes for leadership. Not every leader has the capability to lead from a distance. That shouldn’t mean that employees should pay the price of their leader’s incapability. Leadership is about learning, growing and adapting as much as mentoring and leading others.

  In this day with costs rising fast and pay not always matching, saving gas money or lunch money could mean paying a bill or not.

  Leadership needs to consider this within their organization as an option and not immediately dismiss it due to old mindsets.

  The results from the output of work should be the focus, regardless of where you sit.

  There is plenty of training out there for leaders, or anyone really, to learn about how to lead and work on remote teams.

Collaboration is still very much possible even when remote. Sometimes more so and often too much with the ability to click on MS Teams or Google Meet or other such tools.

  Be a present leader, whether in person or virtual.

  Understand that whether in person or virtual, there will always be unique challenges to face and overcome.

  Technology will have its ups and downs here and there, but it is here to use and here to stay to some degree. Technology, like all things, will evolve as it has for decades.

  Don’t throw away an idea of remote work, or even hybrid because of the perceived difficulty. Use it and it may surprise you how it can benefit a team and company.

This has been a hot topic in news for some time with opinions on both sides.

  Working remote.

  Not every position can be done remote, especially those in-service industries and manufacturing as a couple examples.
But there are plenty that can be. IT related jobs as an example.

  Having successfully ran a team remote through trying times and a huge workload, I know it can be successful if done right.

  Yes, for new folks on a team, remote can be more challenging. Many like the in-person interactions, but technology allows us to be there for each other through audio and video. Might not always be the same thing but if used correctly will be just as useful.

  For leaders who need to know what is going on, KPIs (reports) are a useful tool to use to see the team’s output. Communication with the team on status and if they need assistance is important, without delving into the micromanaging realm.

  If leadership has no way to know what is going on, they may be negative towards remote work. The time through the COVID 19 pandemic though, showed the world that they can be as or more productive at home than in the office. There are plenty of stats out there on the subject.

  Businesses can in many cases save money by re-utilizing their offices for something else or selling it.

  You will see a mixed bag from companies and leadership, but there are more stats to find for the positive than the negative regarding the subject.

Are you busy, or productive?

  You might have thought that is a misnomer as you night believe they are synonymous with each other. You can be busy and not productive and that probably happens a lot.

  Often we can get so busy we forget things, rush and make mistakes and generally fall below expectations of ourselves and possibly others.

  It is important to take steps to organize our days and ensure we are setting ourselves up for success.

  Efficiency is key.

While maybe not 100% possible in all cases and can be abused by some, flexibility is important for employee’s wellbeing & mindset. In the end if their results are positive for the company and customer/client then that should be all that matters.

Feedback: Good and Bad

Feedback is important in our lives. It should be constructive and actionable.

  Vague and unconstructive feedback is simply useless. You won’t gain any insight with no useful, concrete information to learn and grow from.

  Leadership is meant to help and mentor employees, not hinder or destroy them.

  It is easy for employees to get frustrated when they get usually one sided, empty feedback and little to zero information from their leadership.

  There are plenty of stats out there on the web that shows employees end up leaving when this does not improve.

  If that is the intent by the leadership, that is not the proper way to lead. It will damage the workplace and cost the company in the long term.

  It should never be hard to give clear, concise instructions to employees and clear and concise feedback on the results.

  Open and clear communication simply makes a stronger workplace which in turn improves the client/customer relationship with motivated and goal driven employees.

In our lives, whether at work or in our personal lives, there will be disagreements.

  Disagreements are a part of life and we need to understand that. There is a difference between disagreements and disrespect.

  It is important to keep an open mind and listen. Not everyone knows everything about everything, regardless if you think you may. Setting ego aside is generally an important part of coming to an understanding and compromise.

  Leadership needs to utilize their employee’s expertise and employees need to understand that leadership cannot always move on an idea immediately.

  Respect goes both ways in relationships. It cannot be expected from only one party.

  We will not always agree with one another, family, friends, colleagues, client/customers, but it is important to not let the difference in opinion lead to disrespect, anger and hatred for one another.

  A goal in our lives needs to be to get rid of those toxic behaviors and attitudes from our lives, otherwise life will continue to be unnecessarily difficult.

Over the years I have often heard brought up in discussion the words defensive and combative. Sometimes they are used interchangeable.

  Someone may be on the defensive when issues are brought up to them and the one who brings it up feels they are being combative in their defense.

  It is rarely ideal when these situations occur at work, but not everything at work is going to be pleasant unfortunately.

  Defensiveness is a natural reaction to a situation that is less than ideal. You may not take the criticism as positive or necessary at the moment.

  It is equally important for the one providing the critique to not enflame the situation with certain words that may provoke unnecessarily such as assuming the defensive nature is an immediate negative. Words and body language matter for both parties.

  A leader jumping right to warning the person of their defensive or combative posture often won’t help the situation. The one on the receiving side needs to, although possibly difficult in the circumstance, remain calm.

  Throughout our lives we will all learn and grow in our jobs, and that may entail some difficult discussions from time to time. It should be a learning experience for the positive. That is something both parties need to remember sometimes.

Reports

Within any company, reports are used to gauge how a business is running.

Each company, each leader, will want information differently.

Whether on an excel, word based memo or a power point, the data and information presented in charts, graphs or bullet points need to convey what leadership needs to see and know.

  Data is meant to be used to empower the leadership team and all employees to focus on what is working and what is still needed to grow.

  Reports will always change as circumstances change.

Death by PowerPoint.

  I am sure you have heard it and dread it.

  It is important that if you have to present using PowerPoint that you don’t go overboard with content.

  Generally after a half hour you begin to lose people, certainly after an hour.

  My general rule of thumb for years has been 1 to 2 minutes per slide max and that gives me an idea how long it may take.

  Don’t read word for word on the slides. Talking can prolong the presentation as much, if not more, than the number of slides.

  Know the slides and touch on highlights. It is often not the slides that are the problem, but those presenting or controlling the meeting.

I find every day there are folks out there that even with an automated tool such as Power Bi, for example, that they still prefer to spend hours playing with excel.

Now excel has been around for over 25 years, so there are a lot out there that is used to it.

  For one-time reports, such as an ad- hoc request, it may be okay as it can take many hours or days to develop an automated report. The intent though is to automate and save time reviewing data. A Power Bi report can evolve over time, but it should be useful to the audience.

  Creating a report is challenging but reading it shouldn’t be. That is where feedback comes into play.

While data manipulation is considered a positive term in data science by arranging information in a way it can be easily read, there can be negatives to manipulating data.

  It is important that data is transparent, and the right data is being collected and viewed.

Hiding certain data or not even collecting the data through reports can in the long term become detrimental to a business.

Micromanaging is never healthy in any environment. It takes a healthy balance between employers and employees to be successful and not abuse the situation for either party. It’s often times forgotten that working in the office will have moments where it appears you may not be working. Talking/shooting the breeze with colleagues, sitting in long meetings not able to multitask, walking around the floor, etc. This is why real KPIs are important to track.

Technology

Digital Literacy.

  It has become a digital world.

  As such it is important that in order to both survive and strive to become better, that we learn how to use the digital tools available.

  The younger generation has grown up with technology available to them since birth and it is often easier for them. Those of the older generations tend to be slower to adapt. Embracing newer technologies and tools is rare and often it is the 20 to 30 year old tools that are used.

  People use what they are comfortable with, but that also stunts growth. Change is not easy when you are used to doing things the same way for years or decades.

  With technology the hard part often is creating x, y, z. Using it, depending on the system or tool, is not as complicated.

  Having an open mind is the starting point. At work that goes for leadership and employees alike.

  While we should look for ways to improve what we do, especially in the business world, we should do it in a balanced manner.

  Too often people are treated like numbers but employees are not robots and need to be treated with dignity.

  Looking for efficiencies often are at the cost of people. People cannot be at 100% at all times, especially if working long hours. That is when burnout occurs.

  Utilizing machines, AI and technology in general is the way of the future. Like all changes that have occurred since the industrial revolution began well over a century ago, it may change occupations and how we do what we do.

  Regardless of that, companies need to remember that it is the people that make connections with customers, and work to make a successful business.

  Not handling how improvements are implemented properly and effectively and not ensuring staffing is where the company needs to be, just makes for an uncertain and difficult workplace to be in.

  From a Quality standpoint you want people to love Quality and want improvements in the workplace that helps themselves and their customers. If they become tied to negative connotations, then companies and employees within will shun both and the environment will be worse off for it.

  Recent events have made for certain sectors of employees to wonder where the future is heading and leaving 10’s of thousands or more currently wondering about their futures.

  This has occurred in the past but the world has changed since COVID arrived on the scene and the work environment has changed.

  It is important now that accountability at all levels in organizations be held to and transparency of business practices be open.

  Make people feel recognized, useful and worthwhile. Quality will stay strong; customers will be happy, and businesses will grow.

As seen in the news, especially of late, the idea of technology such as AI or robots taking jobs is on people’s minds.

  Industry and Quality 4.0 has been out there for a while but has been slow to start.

  Quality 4.0 is the next revolution in Quality, utilizing technology to make what we do more efficient.

  There is still a lot of manual work done, especially with reports, that can currently be automated. Change isn’t always easy or accepted and folks like doing whatever they have been comfortable with.

  With that said, Lean is about removing wastes in the workplace which this is one.

  It takes leadership to start implementing new ways to capture data and to make the workplace more efficient, and then it will trickle down.

  Let’s start.

Some of us may get hundreds of work emails a day on top of our personal emails. It can get overwhelming.

  Not everything can be face to face which is why it’s important to review your inbox daily. Whether it is email or a Google Meet/MS Teams or other digital forums a lot of the flow of information is digital. Often that is a record of a phone call made earlier or an in-person discussion to refer back to when needed.

It is vital that employees at work, and especially leadership, monitors their digital communications daily to not miss out on vital information. This has also become important in a remote world that a lot work in now.

Don’t get left behind in this technological world we live in.

Meetings

If a meeting is truly needed, there are some methods to use to manage it and even make it fun.

  Just some are:
#1. Plan it well in advance if possible. Give everyone time.
#2. Have the right people involved.
#3. Have an agenda.
#4. Set ground rules for the meeting if needed.
#5. Stay on track and time.
#6. Get feedback.

  There are plenty of other tips out there to help improve meetings when they need to occur.

  Always utilize emails and chat systems available when possible to avoid a meeting that will take up valuable time for the team.

  Keep meetings Lean when possible when they are required.

Meetings.

  In the business world they are usually necessary to have to stay on top of situations and tasks. It is important though that if a meeting is truly needed, where an email or memo/SITREP couldn’t convey the message, that it stay on time and task.

  Unproductive meetings simply waste time and take employees away from tasks. They can also affect morale and drain energy from the team.

Excessive meetings and excessively long meetings can lead to meeting overload. Brain drain, exhaustion and productivity decline will be the result.

  Limit to must have meetings, as in only critical. Keep them short & stay on agenda. There are many ways to stay on top of activities without pulling a number of folks away from work.

You’d be surprised what you can do in a day when you break down the time and tasks.

  There are times though where what we have on our plate becomes overwhelming. It is important to use tools and methods to help control your time at work and your home life.

  You can find plenty of ideas online.

  Those responsible for meetings and resources at work hold the key to success in time management for their employees as those elements can be a major hindrance in handling daily tasks.

A leader should not bombard their team with nonsense, such as unnecessary requests and meetings. They should shield them from such things when they are not needed.

Time Management

It may be tempted to keep an eye on the clock, hoping to get the day over with at work.

  While it may not reduce your stress and instead increase it, it also often wastes time.

  It is important that the focus is on the productivity and output, not necessarily the time it takes.

  You should want to be productive and gainfully employed while you are working your allotted hours each day. For leaders it is important that employees are tasked with a balanced workload so there are not bottlenecks in the operation.

  There may always be outliers, those who abuse the time and those who are overachievers. The latter may not sound bad, but long term it could cause burnout if not managed properly.

  Balance in everything is often the goal in life.

We all need some time off. Some may take longer than others to realize this. The more we work without a break, especially with long hours, the less productive and efficient the work will become… even dangerous.

  Leadership who doesn’t allow a day off will find long term decline in output and high turnover.

  It is important to take care of employees as they take care of the client/customer.

  We only have 1 life and our health, physical, mental and emotional is important at any age.

There are different ways to work on being productive at work or even in your personal life.

  Whichever way you use, as long as you are able to organize your day to become efficient is the goal.

  Most of us have a lot going on each day and not having a plan to attack all those tasks and meeting and other events happening, will just cause chaos and stress.

  Use the work smarter, not harder mindset every day.

Brain Drain. The term essentially means that you lose your best and brightest to someone else which is rarely good if there isn’t someone that can replace them.

  There can be several reasons why people leave, but every company, if they are interested in keeping good people as well as their customers/clients, should look into why people are dissatisfied and/or leaving.

  In addition, throughout each day there could be a drain on the brain. I’ve had physical, mental jobs and a combination of the two. Often people will say that mental jobs working behind a desk is easy. Too many meetings, long meetings, unorganized meeting, ad hoc calls, a mountain of tasks can all drain a person each day.

  Time and task management needs to be across the board and not just on an employee alone.

Whether in our personal lives or at work there are times we put things off for various reasons.

  Whether it’s called procrastination or time management, it’s important to put focus on what is important in our lives.

  Talking about doing something but continuously putting it off means it’s either not important, there is an obstacle, or there is a other reason in the back of your mind.

  In work we often have those who talk and those who act and sometimes do both. Talking alone won’t get the job done. If there is no action, then either drop the idea or plan it with a date for action. If all those involved are not on board it won’t be successful.

It can always be brought up later.

How often are you expected to be available 24/7 for a job? Some jobs in emergency services, medical and public works may be in that boat, but even office jobs?

  Work-life balance has never been easy or in the past taken seriously, but in recent years it has. Even leaders need to take time off and time away from work to include CEOs. After a long day at work you may want to relax on the couch, take a stroll, go out to eat and not worry about getting a work call. It shouldn’t matter if you have family, friends or are single. Your time is precious and should be yours to use as you see fit.

Progress. It won’t look the same for everyone. The path taken may be rough at times and may take a while.

  Although tempted, you can’t really compare your path/journey of progress to someone else’s.

  No different than giving 100% of your energy and focus on something may actually be 40% one day, 70% and 20% another, it all depends on what’s in the tank any given day.

  Leaders will often push for something outside the realm of reality and it is important to ensure your team succeeds and not fails with goals.