| Leila Featured in Reuters
& HR Magazine
The May 2009 issue of HR
Magazine features Leila in the article, "Workplace Stress? Deal with
it!" Contact
us for a copy of the article. |
June
TV Appearance
The Gregory Mantell
Show, June 8 taping in Los Angeles, on leadership and business ethics.
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| Coming
Soon
Webinars on Management
Basics, Coaching for HR Professionals, and How to Manage More with Less.
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| Contact
Us
1.800.789.8449 |
| Managing
Negativity video up to 11,000 streams within the first week. Check it out. |
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A BBC Show & Managing Today
These days, there is scrutiny on all of us and our actions:
at work and at home. You may question yourself or someone may ask you,
"What are you doing? Why? Is it important? What will it get you, us,
me?"
This constant examination makes me think of the BBC show Dragons' Den.
In each episode, entrepreneurs display and/or describe their
products and why they deserve investments from one of the "dragons:" 5
business people who are spending their own money.
The Dragons grill you. It's humbling. It can be humiliating--mostly
because their feedback is blunt and on camera.
The Dragons ask specific, targeted questions. They ask for information
and assume you are ready to give it. They want accurate data, and they
get angry if you don't have it. Haven't researched your target market,
don't have your numbers down cold, not sure if you own worldwide rights
vs. just the UK? Yikes. It's going to be a hard conversation.
As managers and leaders today, we should expect similar analysis of our
actions and behaviors. And we should examine those of our team members
as well. If there is one takeaway from the past few years for all of
us, it is the realization that asking questions and gathering
information are valid processes. It's crucial to make decisions based
on facts, not hunches.
Of course, the Dragons' Den mode of questioning doesn't work off
camera, in the workplace. Their methods are entertaining; yours need to
be appropriate and effective.
Here
are 6 best practices when presenting your ideas to your manager, peers,
executives, and prospective customers, under the magnifying glass of
2009.
- Spend more time preparing than you think you need to.
- Rapport builds trust, so don't skip it. 2 minutes of rapport
makes the next 58 minutes more valuable and relevant.
- Have accurate, succinct answers ready. Double-check your
numbers.
- Be honest. If you don't know, say, "I don't know, but I
can/will find it."
- Listen--and listen without anticipating or formulating your
answer as another speaks.
- Don't over think why people are questioning you and your
idea. They are like the Dragons: they want to make sure the resources
they give you will be used well for the right idea in the best way.
Then, when you evaluate the work of your team members and
become a Dragon yourself, it's absolutely valid to ask questions. "What
are you working on?" "How does it apply to our team
goals?" "How will this contribute to revenue?" and "When will this be
done?" are direct, necessary questions. They help you gather
information you need to manage more with less.
Regards from the San Francisco Bay Area,
Leila
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Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment law firm,
is our new leadership development and facilitation partner. Two of the
firm's shareholders, David N. Goldman and Garrison Phillips, are
matching their expertise on managing within the law with our
proficiency on leading teams and individuals.
With Littler, we have created 3 practical programs that address today's
workplace challenges from the HR and legal points of view: Managing
Performance: The Performance Evaluation System, The Lawful Process of
Managing Restructuring Decisions, and How to Manage
More with Less.
As companies downsize and restructure, their leaders and HR teams need
guidance on what steps to take and which ones to avoid. They also need
expertise on how to make such changes and how to have employee
conversations after restructuring, when re-engaging the workforce is
crucial.
When you engage outside employment counsel and renew contracts for
annual compliance training, you now have an option to incorporate
leadership essentials into those workshops.
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Put One Foot in Front of the Other
Many people I speak to these
days--whether it's a client, friend, or new acquaintance--feel
rudderless. They are overwhelmed by the lack of options before them OR
by the uncertainty ahead.
I had lunch with a friend recently, and he described these days as if
he were driving slowly through the fog. You can't see far in front of
you, there's no map, the GPS isn't working, and so, you drive slowly,
cautiously. You take incremental steps.
A client recently spoke about how she wanted to emphasize the results
her organization was accomplishing--very successfully--with 5-yard
passes. They are planned, organized steps.
A Hail Mary (in American football, the pass thrown in desperation)
won't work. It rarely does.
One step at a time, eyes wide open. Don't wait for the fog to lift.
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