Each week I collect the resources related to leadership I shared on social media the prior week, with the accompanying quotations.
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Two additional thoughts:
1. If employees are stressed rather than calm and happily engaged, this is a problem that leaders need to help resolve. A good first step is to ask them for ideas on creating a better culture, better processes, and better use of resources.
2. As Stoic philosophy counsels, we can choose how to respond to circumstances; we need not necessarily be stressed.
Kellogg Insight:
“Don’t Panic! Tools for Dialing Down Workplace Stress:
Beyond taking a personal toll, stress can reduce productivity. Here’s what managers can do.” (2-17-23). Melody Bomgardner.
“‘Cut the non-essential work that is keeping them from focusing on the essential work and giving them a lack of peace of mind,’ [Carter Cast] says.
In addition to removing non-essential tasks from the agenda, managers should also give teams more agency around how they structure their time. Doing so will get them out of what Cast calls ‘response mode,’ where they bend their agenda to fit others’ needs.”
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Candace Smith:
“Important Social Decorum Rules to Know” (2-19-23).
“An attitude of helpfulness is the best assistant for navigating social decorum. Imagining how another person feels and doing what you can to make them feel comfortable and uplifted in a given moment is always the goal.”
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John Spence:
“People Are Everything” (2-20-23).
“Remember that your frontline people are your business to the customer. You might have the best leadership team in the world. Still, it is who the customer directly interacts with that determines their opinion of your organization.”
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“Our Bid for Leadership:
Leaders can learn a great deal from watching professional auctioneers, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.” (02-19-23).
“Our firm’s research … has identified six overall leadership styles. Frankly, most leaders use only one or two. But the best leaders … know how to toggle among all six ….
These … are the leadership levers to be pulled at the right time. Because here’s the thing: up to 70% of an organization’s climate can be determined simply by leadership style.”
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Jim Harter, Gallup:
“U.S. Employee Engagement Needs a Rebound in 2023” (1-25-23)
Recommended steps to improve engagement include:
“Managers must now hold one meaningful conversation per week with each employee — 15 to 30 minutes, about goals, customers, wellbeing and recognition. This is the activity that prevents employees from feeling disconnected from the organization. We find this single habit develops high-performance relationships more than any other single leadership activity.”
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Alain Hunkins:
“Three Proven Leadership Strategies To Increase Attraction, Retention & Engagement” (2-23-23).
“The basics [of leadership] include: Confront the brutal facts. Listen in a way that makes people feel safe to speak up. Act on feedback shared to make progress.”
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Marshall Aronow, CEO of MetTel:
“How Crisis And Uncertainty Can Be A Catalyst For Growth” (2-24-23).
“While there are several keys to managing through uncertain times, perhaps the most important is to be a reliable partner for your clients. The next time disaster strikes, take a moment in the chaos to think about what your customers are going through and how you can be there for them in their time of need. Anticipating their concerns and challenges and going the extra mile to solve them will earn the trust and loyalty of your clients and the preeminence of your brand.”
