Almost daily these days, there is another story of a world leader who intimidates, threatens, bad mouths or pushes people around to get their way!

Several clients of mine have dealt with bullies on their teams, but bullying at work is much tougher with when that bully your boss or a leader you have to associate with in the company.

A bully leader in the workplace (even if you don't report to them) causes stress, pressure and great discomfort to everyone. The Workplace Bullying Institute US national research claims that 30% of workers in the US are bullied at work, over 22 million employees witness it and 1 of 10 claim they work in a toxic workplace as a result.

The environment becomes toxic when everyone tries to avoid humiliation, or kiss-up to be in his/her good graces.  For others, the only way to cope is to quit their job, particularly if they have been targeted by that bully.

When a bully boss makes you a target, work becomes pretty unbearable. This was the case for one of my clients. Below I'll share with you some of the strategies that she found helpful to continue to work with this very difficult leader.

Interestingly, as we worked through identifying her personality style, we decoded his DiSC style as well. The more we discussed style differences, the more we saw similarities to a fairly well-known bully world leader! 

My coaching client (I'll call her Justine) has been suffering with a bully leader at work (lets call him John), his behaviour is creating a hostile work environment. John is a partner at their seven-person firm (details of company withheld), Justine reports to another partner.

As we went through her personal discovery, she identified that communicating more effectively with John is a key outcome she wants. Through the Everything DiSC Workplace Assessment we identified her style to be an 'S' or Steadiness profile and we determined John likely is an extreme Dominance style - which makes them exact opposites!

John is the epitome of the bully profile: very demanding, loud and bombastic in his approach. This behaviour has served him well in the past but creates angst in their heavily regulated firm (he joined from a privately owned company a few years ago). John tends to make arbitrary promises with grandiose assurances, leaving Justine to sort out details. These cause her great concern.

Based on her experience, she finds his business practices create unnecessary risk for clients. As a result of his egotistical nature, she struggles to constructively challenge his methods and finds herself growing weary of fixing the problems he creates.
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Justine has worked in this firm for over 30 years in a support capacity; she is familiar with regulatory requirements and has tremendous rapport with their clients. 

Working with someone who is not naturally empathetic, can be especially tough for people who prioritize steadiness - S style people like Justine, are harmony seekers who look to collaborate, be supportive and are naturally concerned for others.

Extremely dominant styles, while possibly more business-focused and cunning, may lack emotional intelligence unless they deliberately develop this skill. Depending on the reporting relationship they can become fixated on who has HARMED THEM, often seeking revenge vs focusing on building rapport and developing their team (sound like anyone you know?).

Because this extreme dominance type operate from a win-lose mindset, unless they experience a negative consequence from their behaviour it is unlikely to change. Bully leaders seek the upper hand and prefer to be seen as powerful.

​Interrupting this behaviour requires different tactics, oriented to taking a stand, gaining support from others, minimizing your reaction and use a stealthy approach to disarm them.

We identified some immediate tactics which have been helping Justine work with John:

1. View him as hurt and damaged - we've all heard that hurt people, hurt people. So imagine that something happened to him which makes him put others down to make himself feel powerful and successful (particularly those who are supportive and kind to others). This helps her reframe how to respond.
2. Question his intentions -  ‘did you mean to help or embarrass me’ or ‘are you being helpful or just critical?’. This holds a mirror up to encourage him to reflect on his behaviour.
3. Avoid reacting - or to reply with 'uh huh' and walk away where possible. This is a bit harder but strong reactions encourage his dominating. This dismissiveness usually defuses escalation.
4. Demonstrate listening by paraphrasing - the hidden message behind his words, ideally in front of others like ‘you think my suggestions are not worth considering’. This does two things, it shows that you heard what he wanted you to hear but also encourages him to adjust his attitude so he doesn’t look bad in front of others (which is important to him)
5. Talk data and facts - don't share your feelings, they are not important to him, just get to the point and calmly outline specifics (in this case rules/regulations to get the job done and what you require from him)
6. Be an observer vs a participant - disengage, only deal with him when you absolutely must
7. Play the long game - if you can hang in there, chances are he won’t last. Bully leaders have a tendency to destroy relationships which make their days limited

Since Justine has begun using these tactics she reports that her confidence has increased significantly.  She said she feels prepared when he approaches and ready to take him to task by questioning his intentions, and if he becomes agitated, she will walk away. This has been empowering.

Upon reflection, she realizes that being more direct with him has been the single most impactful thing that has helped.

Just as we are seeing in the news, bullies like John attempt to dominate others to feed their delicate ego. Threatening, manipulating and forcing others to do what they want, when they want despite negative consequences!

Make no mistake, this arrogant behaviour doesn't get ahead in the long run. It leads to in-fighting, broken valued relationships, internal politics and damaged reputation (both business and personal).

Nobody wants to work with a bully or in a toxic work environment every day. Its exhausting! Our best bet is showing that we just won't be pushed around.
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Bully leadership is a losing strategy and being a loser is the kryptonite to their power!

If you want to improve your team effectiveness as a leader consider reaching out to schedule a communication workshop with your team today.

Last month we focused on the letter “S” – Steadiness of the DiSC behavioural style.
 
This month concludes the Style Talk Series as we focus on the profile “C” – Conscientious characteristics. You may also like to review the first two parts of the series focusing on the profile "D"- Dominance, or focusing on the profile "I"- Influence.
 
As previously mentioned, in each article I am highlighting real-life clients who tend to illustrate a strong profile of just one of the DiSC behavioural traits. 
 
You will have different degrees of each behavioural style in your own profile but you tend to have a dominant style that many at your work will witness. How you behave compared to people with differing styles to you may be quite different, even when presented with the very same scenario. 

Last month we focused on the letter “I” – Influence of the DiSC behavioural style and previously we focused on the “D”.
 
This month we will continue the Style Talk Series focusing on the profile “S” – Steadiness behaviours and communication characteristics.
 
As I mentioned before, the clients I highlight tend to be symbolic of a strong profile of just one of the DiSC behavioural dimensions, this month using the “S”. 
 
In your own DiSC profile you will have differing degrees of each behavioural style. That said, people at work likely have observed your most predominant one because when you are under pressure your most dominant style usually shows up.
 
There is no perfect style, no right or wrong either; just like people are from different backgrounds, we each view a situation and react uniquely because we are approaching it from a different vantage point. This series is to help introduce the benefits of understanding your style.
 

Last month we focused on the letter “D” – Dominance of the DiSC behavioural styles.
 
This month we will continue the Style Talk Series focusing on the profile “I” for Influence behaviours and communication style.  I personally relate most with this dimension myself, though not quite to the same extreme as my client. 
 
As you will see, the client I am highlighting tends to be emblematic of a strong “I” profile which is just one of the DiSC behavioural traits. 
 
You will have varying degrees of each behavioural style in your own profile but we all have our ‘go to’ dominant style that others tend to see, particularly under stress. Two people may react quite differently when presented with the same situation, depending on their dominant behavioural style.

Ever work with someone whose style drove you crazy? Perhaps they talked too slow or fast for you, were overly demanding or passive, very logical or maybe they talked so much about feelings and relationships to the point it made it difficult to get down to business? The list of bugaboos vary because what bugs one person, may not bother another to the same degree.

We each have a unique combination of behaviours and priorities; they show up as our style to others. When you work with someone whose blend is quite different to yours, they will likely strike a nerve - when you're not well-armed to understand where they are coming from.

Assess for Your Own ‘Ah Ha!’ Moment
One way to ease this kind of discord is to conduct an assessment that decodes both you and your team’s behavioural styles. A tool to understand clear preferences and what they prioritize compared to you. 

My tool of choice is a DiSC® model behavioural assessment tool – Everything DiSC®Workplace by Wiley Brand.  It's simple, yet uncovers ‘pinch points’ quickly with leaders and/or their teams so they can adjust immediately. This tool works for building better cohesion in a team, improving communication, reducing tensions, but also offers self-awareness for leaders I coach, most of whom have a few ‘ah ha’ moments as a result!

Over the next series I highlight each one of the four dimensions of DiSC® characterized by people I’ve worked with (names changed, of course) quick links below:

• Disc Style 'I'
• DiSC Style 'S'
• DiSC Style 'C'

DiSC®Background
Harvard psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston created the theory of DISC® in the 1920’s, illustrating that people exhibited emotions through four ‘Normal’ behaviours of Dominance, Inducement, Steadiness, or Compliance – aka DISC® In the 1950’s an industrial psychologist named Walter Clarke went on to create the first assessment using the DISC behaviours Marston founded. Over the years the assessment has been improved and updated but the principles remain the same. Today we use the terms: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientious in the assessment.

First lets start with the profile of “D” – Dominance.

Meet Belinda (not her real name)
Belinda is a Vice President in a Customer Service group (Canada) of a large multi national company. She moved up through the ranks fairly fast. Here are some of her traits and behaviours that demonstrate a strong “D” profile:

• Belinda is known as a leader who takes charge and for some she is seen as aggressive and rather pushy.  To others she is the ‘go-to’ for getting some of the most difficult issues resolved, counted on to deliver time and again.
• She makes decisions quickly and decisively. She has been acknowledged for a long list of accomplishments. Her expectations of people are to act rather than study or ponder options, often asking why things aren’t done yet. She can push others quite hard, seemingly unaware of their needs, yet quick to delegate to those who are keen.  
• People who share her interest in accomplishment do well working with her. Anyone working with her can expect her to be very direct; they always know where they stand, it is no secret with Belinda. 
• She is outcome focused and sees the bigger picture rather than all the details it will take to get something done. In any customer-related crisis, Belinda knows exactly what to do.  She is able to provide her people context for how what they do will affect the customer and the overall business.
• Depending on the person she reports to she may nudge (shove, go around or annoy) them to pull rank and push others in other groups to get things done if she isn’t seeing results fast enough. She worked best with leaders who gave her high autonomy yet would become highly frustrated with bosses who questioned or blocked her ideas.
• Belinda always has goals and is determined to become the Country General Manager.
• From a development perspective she’s been told that people perceive her as a poor listener and a bully.  She knows she pushes people but that is what she thinks it takes to make work happen. She knows the steps to listen more actively, though finds it is a challenge, as she just wants to get things done. She is working on consensus building with others affected by her decisions. 
• She also received feedback that her tone and body language show displeasure when she is frustrated.  She has difficulty holding back her views on most subjects.

Do you know someone like Belinda?  Or can you see a little of yourself in her profile?  She is a good representative of a strong “D” behavioural style.  Most of us have behavioural styles with varying degrees of each of the 4 DiSC® dimensions so certain circumstances may bring your “D” more to the forefront.  

For Belinda to be considered for future, more senior level roles she must make an effort to develop work relationships by recognizing the opinions, feelings and ideas from others. Taking time to get to know people versus putting them to work.

Without some coaching, guidance and support from others, Belinda’s trajectory in a large multinational company will surely be hampered. If not careful she could be seen as a bully boss. Much of her advancement will depend on whom she reports to and whether she reigns in her power punches!

Can you see the benefit to you to better understand your own DiSC® style and how you may impact others?  Or to decode your team members so you can find the right way to communicate with them?

Get Your DiSC® Assessment!
Email or call me to take advantage of the eye-opening perspective of Everything DiSC® Workplace assessment or to arrange a session with your whole team. This assessment will surely provide a clearer understanding of how you affect others and decode how best to communicate for your own success.

Not only will you receive a detailed report but you will also have a confidential debrief with me where we will delve into your personal profile and/or team dynamic.

Call or email me when you’re ready to learn more about yourself and discuss potential career/leadership de-railers so you know how to head them off!

If you are having zero fun at work, please use this post as the sign you need to make a change!

Don't wait until your health smacks you in the head to go find work that lights you up every day. I should have paid attention to the signs that I was in the wrong place. Instead, the stress built up and hit the blood pressure button!!

Here are some of the clues that told me I was in the wrong job:​

• I dreaded getting up to go to work
• I felt so under-appreciated
• My skills were not aligned to the work
• I felt like the misfit in the team
• The work I was doing felt really daunting
• No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to get the work done

But what do you do if you are checking all the above off? I say get out, whether it is your own doing or a mutual parting of ways, check out some of my recommended strategies in my other blog: when work sucks the life out of you, it is time to go!

How to know what work lights you up... answer the questions below:

• What do you love to talk about, and never tire of it?
• What are your best skills?
• What does everyone else come to you for?
• What were you doing last time you completely lost track of time?
• Have you ever had a job where it didn't feel like work

I always tell my clients to do self discovery; really dig into who you are, how people remember you and what comes the most easily for you - these are all clues for what you should be doing.

I offer a free blueprint of success you can also use to try to figure out what makes you great! Once you have a good idea of what that is, then you can take steps to find your next move.

There are always moves you can take. It could be within the same company or department you're already in, or it could be completely different. Start dreaming again of who you want to be and the path will open up.

If you need a little help, reach out to me, I have a great batting average for helping people find a healthier path! 

You’ve been there–it could be a pain-in-the-butt colleague, a trouble-making employee, or worse, a devil-boss who makes your workday absolute torture! Regardless of who they are, they likely all have this one thing in common…nasty bullying behaviour.  

Sadly, if you don’t find ways to manage it, the stress may cause your health to decline, you disengage from work resulting in your performance taking a hit or you have the sudden urge to quit because you simply have no other way out.

Dealing with a workplace bully wears us all down. Repeated over time, you may actually believe what they say, sparking self-doubt and eroding your self-esteem. They yearn for this power and as such, once they’ve set their sights on you, they do what they can to take you down.

I’ve helped several clients rise above these difficult people. It takes a little bit of work but in the end, they feel a sense of accomplishment once they triumph!

It’s important to note that if what you are dealing with is an extreme case of bullying or a possible harassment case, there are Human Rights laws to protect you. Handling those situations requires a formal process. The Ministry of Labour (Ontario) provides guidance to both employers and employees regarding these laws in my province.

What I’m talking about today are the scenarios where someone is staying within the bounds of the law, but making it unpleasant for you to work with them. These people know how to get at you but management may not see it, may choose to ignore it, or it just may not be bad enough for you to want to raise a big fuss.
​ 

​These nasty people often share similar characteristics, they:

• Lack empathy
• Are emotionally immature
• Think very highly of themselves
• Cleverly put others down or they show off in front of spectators
• Relish picking on people 
• Are often known for getting stuff done, in spite of their behaviour 
• Are unaware they make onlookers uncomfortable
• Know how to work the ‘system’ in the organization

So what CAN you do to battle this kind of unpleasantness? Lets look at some simple tactics to disarm these bullies and take back your own power:

1. Let them shine
It may seem counterintuitive but people who are problematic are typically seeking some kind of attention. 

Take time to assess this person’s underlying insecurity; ask yourself the following questions to become aware of what is really going on: 

• What do you think they are lacking? 
• Do they perceive you as a threat? 
• Are they jealous of you? 
• Do they want to be liked, noticed or needed by others?
• Do they think they are better or smarter than others? 

With this information in mind, look for a moment to praise them when they do something you can comfortably acknowledge: “Jane had a good point”, “Jane was absolutely right, ‘Thank you Jane for xxx” “Jane I quite liked xxx”.

These comments begin to neutralize their need to be nasty because their own esteem rises.

However, it’s important that you approach this genuinely. Don’t do it if you don’t really feel it or it will come off as disingenuous and inflame them further.  

Giving them the limelight is a powerful tool and it works in most situations. 

2. Use the power of Aikido
If you haven’t heard of it before, Aikido is actually a form of martial arts.  Yet, it is non-threatening and doesn’t use force. 

In fact, what makes Aikido so effective is that it removes aggression from an adversary by yielding to his/her force in a way that they end up only hurting themselves. For instance, imagine stepping out of the way as someone tries to strike you–the attacker would likely fall down, hurting only themselves.  

Mean people are easily unsettled when you DON'T react the way they are expecting. Because most of these people have very low self-esteem, their actions come from a place of insecurity; they lash out or belittle to make themselves feel better.  

To use an ‘Aikido-like’ reaction:

• Become aware of your thoughts when they take a jab at you and avoid thinking about or acting with your usual reaction
• Start thinking of what it is they are trying to accomplish and how you might work WITH that aggression
• Consider how you can respond in a way they would least likely expect 
• Respond calmly, or consider ignoring them altogether

Click here to learn more about Verbal Aikido.

3. Find your inner comic
Instead of letting these people get under your skin, find a way to make light of their behaviour. I have seen really great leaders deal with some very annoying people simply by making a quick thinking remark. For instance, in the case of an employee continuously interrupting a meeting, the leader might say, “Slow down there speedy, I’m driving this meeting”. 

If it’s your boss who’s pushing your buttons, this can be a bit trickier but you can still make light of their nasty comments. Laugh out loud and say something like, “Oh, for a moment I thought you were calling me an idiot–that’s a good one”.

It may not immediately come to you in the moment, so after an interaction has happened, consider things you could say next time. The AMA has a great article on how to have the last laugh, worth a read!  Try to avoid insults as you don’t want to stoop to their level–I’m talking about making light of their comment so you take back control.

4. Call them on the behaviour
We naturally try to defend ourselves or strike back when mean people put us down or make a condescending comment. These people have become experts at making others look second-rate so that they can feel superior. That is where they draw strength.

If you can’t ignore their comments, respond firmly with a response that exposes the behaviour, “That sounded like a put-down”.  It usually holds a mirror up to the individual and catches them off guard.

Most of these people won’t want to ‘look bad’ in front of others and a public call-out will make them uncomfortable enough to switch gears.  

Over time, this tactic can actually help them with their own self-awareness.

5. Nip it in the bud: stage an intervention
This approach takes a great deal of courage and I recommend doing this with support. Book a face-to-face meeting with the difficult person and address their behaviour head-on when you are cool-headed. 

Be sure to have several specific examples at the ready. Make sure your discussion is done in a way to help them understand the affect they have on others. Conduct this meeting in private; clarify what the issue is as factually as possible and set out a plan to fix the problem offering support and guidance.

Let them know how these behaviours are making you or your team feel. Use ‘I’ or ‘I feel’ messages. For instance, “I feel embarrassed when I’m called out in a meeting in front of others”, or, “I feel disrespected when I am constantly interrupted in meetings”.

‘I feel’ messages usually resonate better because the other person is not put on the defensive–no one can deny your own feelings. If you have internal HR support, they can assist you in this discussion. If not, then consider bringing in external support to help you plan this discussion and to be present during the meeting.

Don’t let nasty people ruin your work experience. Approach them as though they have a problem and don’t let it be your problem anymore.

Typically they have developed this behaviour over many years but no one has called them on it. It is possible for them to change, but it takes work on their behalf as well as yours.

Most great companies have formal policies to reinforce values for treating people with respect. This is great for employees, but what about you as a leader? 

Check out our additional posts that deal with bad behaviour like bullying at work:
- 6 Strategies for Dealing with Difficult People
​- Difficult People or Competitive Edge - The Constant Critic
- Difficult People orCompetitive Edge - Take No Prisoners
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If you’re dealing with colleagues or team members who are disrespectful to you, I’m here to help.  I can arm you with proven practices to help you manage through the tough stuff. Send me an email or give me a call today, I offer a 30 minute free consultation!

​Think back to any change you were involved with that went well:

✅ What, if any success criteria was shared ‘how will you know when the change is complete’
✅ Did they include behavioural elements and performance indicators to check along the way?
✅ Did you discuss what working through the change curve might be like beforehand?
✅ Was it ok for people to feel their feelings during the process?
✅ Was there lots of check-ins with the team for how they were doing?
✅ Did they give you some time to get used to the changes?
✅ Did you feel your voice was heard?
​
Case in point: During the early days of pandemic, few businesses were ready to help their people through shifting from work to home.

It was exhausting for everyone!

How great was it when:
🧡 Your manager connected with you to evaluate how you and your family were doing?
🧡 You had choice to go on camera for meetings?
🧡 When people really listened because you were angry at not being able to work the way you preferred?
🧡 You could share your own experience with colleagues about the challenges you faced?
🧡 It was OK when the dog showed up at your desk and your client wanted to see him?
🧡 You had some flexibility in your time to get things done?

None of those things made the adoption to change happen faster. But you did begin to adapt and start to see some good things come from it.  That's because it wasn’t a checklist exercise, it was allowed to be a human experience. That’s what made the difference.

If there is one great thing that came from the pandemic, is that feelings and being human made it into the workplace.

We were allowed to feel through the change, we listened and supported one another, enablers were developed to help people connect like never before, the corporate masks were replaced with genuine caring and understanding.

And that, right there, is what helps change adoption!

Leading change is definitely hard, whether you're leading a merger, acquisition or worse, a downsizing, the change is not easy.

As a leader, expect to feel frustrated that people don't make the leap as quick as you might hope, there might be a lot of complaining and perceived resistance. It's all normal!! As humans, the way change happens is filled with emotion. Prepare for it, expect it, allow for it - it will all work out but it might take more time than you expect.

Change is a feeling process. Seldom does anyone tell us that!

If you're looking for support for leading a company change, please reach out to me. People change management is my speciality.

​Are you hiding the real you from work?

Can you sing? Play the trumpet? Do you bake pies? Do you laugh with your full belly? Do you snort!? Do you paint watercolour or absolutely love to garden? Do you love hip hop or can you rap?

How many on your team know who you really are? Does anyone? Sadly many of us hide our full self from work, or worse….from our teams.

We so often buy into this notion that we have to fit a particular stereotype to be a successful leader - it is all business, all the time.

When I worked in corporate, there was an executive that wasn’t particularly liked. In fact we had many complaints about her behaviour in HR. She was an ice queen. She was ‘perfect’. She hit every deliverable out of the park, and then some. But man, she pushed her people hard!

Over what seemed a very short period, high performers started bailing from her team; none wanted to work with her anymore. She was cold, unfriendly and uncompromising.

Sadly she managed to make every executive admin cry (all 5 of them who worked with her over a two year span). She wasn’t open to feedback because you know, she was right all the time. A seriously tough cookie, and one who clearly wore a hard suit of iron and one very securely fit MASK!

As a business partner I could never crack through that very tough exterior. I was always on guard because she was usually spoiling for a fight. Anyone working for her was treated as an inferior. The only people who saw her slightly differently was her superiors, to them she was getting things done. It took awhile before they realized the damage that was being done. 

Some years after she was gone from the company, I saw her again in the strangest place …..at a country fair!! Who knew…..she absolutely loved to bake pies! She was an award winner pie maker even!!

I was stunned, it couldn’t be the same person?? As I watched her sell pies I saw her absolutely glowing face, she laughed heartily and chatted kindly to a cadre of older ladies who admired her beautiful pies. She was in her element.

I was absolutely gobsmacked, this couldn’t be the same lady who was so unbending and cold? Yes! It was definitely her!

I couldn’t bring myself to say hi because I was so intrigued watching her.

How could this endearing, happy go lucky spirit be the same ice queen?? It completely altered my perspective!

Just imagine if she had let people in to this amazing side of her? How would her team have felt if she baked them one of her award winning pies for their birthday? Could she have made a real human connection? Could she have been less prickly? More relatable maybe?! I guess we will never really know.

What a terrible shame!

This is obviously an extreme case but the truth is many leaders hide because they think people won't see their level of authority if they were like everyone else. When in fact, the opposite is true.

As a leader, I want you to take time to consider what super powers you possess. These will likely be leadership skills that you are best known for. As example, I am known for insight - I perceive things others don’t see in themselves. Through questioning, feedback and thought provoking conversation I help leaders grow, becoming aware of their own gifts. 
 
Caution – Be Careful of Overuse
These unique skills make us great at what we do, but only when used in the right way.  As leaders, it is important to look at your best skill and be aware of the trap to overuse it in a negative way. Some of the greatest learning comes from recognizing this nuance and avoiding the potential harm that can come from it.​

Here are a few examples from some successful leaders I’ve coached, with the evil trap they had to steer clear of:
 
Decisiveness – The ability to quickly assess and evaluate pros and cons, then make a call. People with this power often are ‘go to’ people, called upon to provide advice and come up with solutions, particularly during tough times.
The Evil Side – the flip side of decisiveness is someone who can rush to judgement based on the wrong assumptions. If not careful they can damage trust with members of their team, as they may not take the time to seek input and detail from those who are closer to the information.
 
Tenacity – This power is the epitome of ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going’. You’re a leader who doesn’t give up; you hold yourself and others to high standards.  Determined in the face of whatever challenges you encounter.
The Evil Side – the flip side of tenacity is someone who can be hard on their team, pushing them to succeed, not taking time to reflect and learn, missing out on reward and recognizing the team because you just want to keep going!
 
Dealing with Ambiguity – This is the power to be open and versatile, the ability to manage during times where you don’t have all the answers.
The Evil Side – the flip side of being good at ambiguity, can be a leader who is a bit wishy-washy or unclear. Your team will look to you to help them understand what is going on and why it is happening. You may be comfortable with the unknown but many people get frustrated without more concrete information.
 
Loves a Challenge –This is the power to take on difficult and meaty work, likely the one who is frequently asked to take on difficult assignments, complex tasks or projects.
The Evil Side – the flip side of loving a challenge can be taking on more work than is reasonable for your team to deliver. Often leaders who love a challenge will take on too much. The team can be quite worried and stressed as increased workload comes their way.
 
Thorough – This is the power of great detail orientation. You pride yourself on knowing the answers; can dive deep on a subject or know all the details on a project.
The Evil Side – The flip side to being thorough is micro management; I find high detail oriented leaders have difficulty delegating. They need to know every detail. Your team can lack a feeling of autonomy and trust.
 
Authenticity – This is the power to be real, you don’t hide behind a façade. You speak your truth, you are candid and open with everyone you meet.
The Evil Side – The flip side of being authentic is that you can share way too much about your life and personal business, making it very hard for you to make unpopular or difficult decisions, should you have to. Blurring the boundaries of leader/employee relationship can also lead to a lack of respect toward you.
 
Awareness is the Greatest Agent of Change
You can see from these examples that when a great leadership skill is overused it can result in damage to your relationship with your team and in some cases possibly hurt your career advancement. It’s important to reflect and consider when and under what circumstances you may be over doing it. 
 
Becoming aware of how your behaviour impacts the people who report to you can be a real eye-opener. Consider having a proven 360 Assessment or confidential workplace survey done with your team to uncover feedback and help you grow.
 
Beam the Bat Signal
I may not be a Wonder Woman with a red cape and gold armbands to anyone other than my husband but my super powers are indisputable with anyone who I’ve worked with.  
 
If you’re ready, I mean really ready to develop to your full leadership potential, I’d be honoured to be your coach!  Drop me a line, or call me from your red phone I’ll be there.  I’m already picking up telepathic messages!

Ever wonder how your company’s President or senior decision makers decide on who to promote? Well, I’m going to reveal it to you today.
 
...It doesn’t have anything to do with how many additional hours you put in.
 
...It has no relation to how many lunch breaks you skip.
 
...And your late night email response rate has absolutely no bearing on the decision.
 
It’s all about HOW you show up!

Senior executive leaders are listening carefully to those reporting to them and are observing who gets acknowledged most frequently – and yes, HR partners are also providing them with insights regarding HOW people situations have been dealt with. 

​Senior Execs are always on the lookout for future leaders who can make a positive impact.
 
Of course the unique keys to being promotable may differ slightly from one organization to the next, but there are many elements that senior teams everywhere look at to determine who stands out above the rest.
 
So, how do you get noticed in a sea of people? Let me share a few HR secrets for how to demonstrate YOU are the one to watch:

Are you under constraints at work and it’s taking a toll on you as the leader?  Do you have more work to do but no additional headcount? Perhaps there is a hiring freeze or you’ve been told you can’t bring in replacements when someone leaves your unit.  
 
Unfortunately, this is how a lot of big companies deal with shrinking market share or downturns in their industry.  But what if I told you there might be some resources available that you can’t see yet?  In fact, you may be able to recoup a full role or parts of a role, you just need to know where and how to look...

​To find hidden resources, we use a little acronym. BRAG. There are a variety of strategies you can use to uncover hidden capacity. To help you get started, we’re going to have to BRAG a little bit:

• Blow it Up
• Retool
• Align the Boxes
• Get Nosey

 
Blow it Up – aka. Process Redesign
You can find precious time and effort by reviewing and redesigning the processes of your team. There are many different approaches you can use to redesign processes. Here are two methodologies I've found successful for uncovering wasted work efforts that can give you back some of your resource and time:

• Lean Six Sigma – An approach that focuses on eliminating inefficiency by using a defined systematic approach. It provides a framework that identifies how to simplify process and reduce rework. 
• The GE Work-Out – One of my personal favourites! This is a tremendous approach for very quickly uncovering work that is wasting precious resources. Check out the The GE Workout by Dave Ulrich and Ron Ashkenas.  

Retool
Helping your organization's effectiveness we focused at the job or role level, this step involves reviewing the scope and depth of each job in the team. This is how we determine what work is critical and what work may be less necessary or could be done differently. 

We look for odd hand-offs or ‘busy’ work and establish new ways to eliminate this low value work. This give you time back to replace with work that provides a greater contribution for the team.  Expanded accountabilities and providing employees the opportunity to learn new skills; job expansion can also help with raising employee engagement, provided the person is not overworked.
 
Align the Boxes
Frequently we find team members are unclear as to each other’s roles, causing confusion, which results in rework or duplication of effort, in other words a lot of wasted time.

By evaluating all the work your team members currently do, we determine if work is being done at the right level and clarify individual team member accountabilities. This provides clarity of purpose and assists the team in fully understanding who does what.  

The focus here is updating your org structure to ensure the right work is being done at the appropriate level, and best utilizing the skills and capabilities of all of your talent.

This pushes repetitive and administrative work down, making for more efficient use of everyone’s skills at higher level. 
 
Get Nosey
I’ve personally found this to be a rare gem when uncovering hidden talent. The best part is it’s so simple! How well do you know the talents and passions of who you have working for you?  And what team member skills or experience might you be unaware of?
 
Frequently we find that employees are under-utilized.  Assumptions are often made based on job titles or what’s been seen to date, but most people have a kit bag of skills beyond what their job description specifies.  For example, some of the greatest Project Managers I know were once Executive Assistants. Think about it, juggling priorities, keeping everyone in the loop, scheduling, organizing…very similar skills!
 
Did you know, one of the most common reasons for employees to quit a job is the feeling of being under-valued and under-utilized?
 
Most people want meaningful work that provides an opportunity to grow; get to know what each of your team love to do, what they do in their spare time and what their previous experience is and then look at how you may retool and enrich their work to capitalize on their skill-set.  
 
A great place to start is to use self-assessment tools that will help you and your team understand their unique styles.  You never know, you may just find someone who is just itching to take on something more.
 
Call in Dots to Help!
If you need help crafting a solution to find hidden resources, or to discuss how to clarify team accountabilities, assess your team and design an efficient workflow, please feel free to Contact Us.  You can also learn more about Dots by checking out our About page.
 
What Worked For You?
We'd love to hear from you!  What strategies have worked for you to find hidden resources?
​
Photo used under Creative Commons from Animalparty

These days everyone is putting in longer hours, but not feeling as fulfilled as they would like to.  It’s almost as if you’re on a treadmill that is increasing in speed with no destination!
 
“Work” definition – according to the Oxford Dictionary is the activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result; as a means of earning income.  

So, we know that effort of any type can tire you out, but when you lack balance in that effort it can lead to chronic stress and tension. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, chronic stress lowers your immune; it also lowers your digestive and reproductive systems.  It affects your ability to sleep and is said to be a silent killer. 
 
So how do you regain personal balance to prevent burnout and chronic stress? 

5.  Manage Yourself – Not Time
According to TED Talk by Rory Vaden who wrote the book Procrastinate on Purpose (pdf version avail), you can’t solve today’s time-management challenges with yesterday’s time management strategies.

In this TED talk he explains why procrastinating on purpose is the key to being able to multiply your time.  Spend time on things today that will give you more time tomorrow. 

He provides techniques in triaging your to do list, finding ways to save yourself time, and he helps you deal with the guilt of your decisions.  Give thought to what influences you into using your precious time and set out a plan to be more strategic in how you review all of your “to do’s”.
 
You owe it to yourself, as well as to those who care about you, to find strategies for work life balance, reducing the work stress and taking back control of your time!  

As an executive in these busy work environments, you may need help in planning how to take back some control over your life and regain your personal work life balance. 

At Dots Leadership Solutions we provide you with one on one coaching to help you get organized and make a plan! 

Call us today for all of your leadership dilemmas.  Check back time to time to check out features in our blog to help be an effective leader.

Updated: February 2021
Most corporate team off sites (done onsite in the boardroom with food catered), are done with the intent of having a team building experience.
 
You know what I’m talking about? One of those meeting when the team gets together away from their usual desks. A caterer brings in two Diet Cokes and three cans of Sprite for a team of 7. The food is the same each time, usually some kind of sandwiches, and the last person to select gets stuck with the egg salad.
 
For team building you might add an exercise or two like “If you were an animal, what kind would you be and why”. With a few laughs and full tummies do you really expect your team to be more successful?

Unfortunately these team building activities seldom generate success behaviours. Management may think team building happens when they invest in a few meals together, but the reality is your team just hopes for an early exit home.

Seldom does the 'building' of a team really occur.

Some of the factors that help 'just a team' become high performing, productive and what I call KickAss Teams are:

• All members know why their team exists for the company; they know the vision
• Each person understands deliverables that need to get done
• Individually, each member supports growth and development of colleagues
• They feel a sense of ownership and pride to be part of the team
• The work has been designed so that everyone owns their own accountability
• Clear delineation of duty exists and each roll is a stretch to accomplish
• There is meaningful work at the right level they feel great about
• The team openly collaborates and helps one another achieve (I know.  Wow!!)
• There is a high degree of trust
• Everyone communicates candidly, they share short cuts, tips and support (‘we got your back mentality’ lives here)

 Be sure to check out our 4 part series on how to Build a KickAss Team from the Ground Up

 Just imagine how good a purposefully BUILT team would be?!

They do exist, some are in very good shape, but if you’re a leader whose team may not be there right now I have great news, YOU can make it so!! 

Here are some of the building blocks of success you can use to build your team with purpose.
 
7 Building Blocks to Strong, High Performing, Productive 'KickAss' Teams

​1. Develop a team credo – Why does this team exist in this company under this department? What do we believe in? What are our shared values?  Think about what would be missing if the team did not exist, this will help you and your team members understand why you’re so important.  Reviewing this together annually will keep everyone in tune with your stakeholders.

​2. Define your deliverables this year – What must this particular team deliver this year?  By when?  Write down team goals using the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. Create these together, openly debate and discuss.

3. Know your people – What skills exist in your team? Where did your people come from? What are their goals? What are their strengths and weaknesses?  What comes easy and what work makes them most uncomfortable, why? How do they see their work, the company, the department and the team?

4.  Design workflow and review structure – Does the work flow easily in and through your team, or is it convoluted, confusing multiple touch points with time wasting as a result? Does each role holder have a reason for being? This should be reviewed whenever work changes.

5.  Create clear role clarity – This is a biggie. If I asked each of your team what the other people did, can they answer?  Does everyone know what is expected of him or her? Do they know what is within their own control? Do they know when they would come to you or to someone else for decisions? Are they accountable for an output or are they a cog in the wheel? Does everyone understand what part they play to accomplish the overall team deliverables?
 
6.  Play to their strengths – Do they know themselves? Are your people set up to do their best work? Have you matched them to the right level of work? Does the team know about each other’s strengths and know how to leverage them?

7.  Provide opportunity to communicate – Do you have regular team meetings to review progress? Do you give time to openly debate and discuss and resolve issues as a team? Do you make time to connect with each person and check in to see what challenges they are experiencing?  Do you ask questions to understand? Do you allow them to make mistakes and coach them to learn? 

You’ll notice that embedded in each of these building blocks is the key leadership traits of today’s leaders. (Try our free leadership assessment to assess how you measure up). 

Creating a positive employee experience is one of the main roles you have as a leader, true team building serves as a foundation to positive employee engagement .
 
There are any number of fun and interesting team activities you can do as a leader to purposefully build your team using these building blocks – and there is help if you want it!!
 
When you need help in crafting a solution to set you and your team up for success, or to discuss how we can help you reach leadership and team effectiveness, please feel free to contact us.

You can also learn more about us or what our clients really think!