Greetings Everyone,
As promised in my most recent post, I thought I would not only try my hand at blogging, but I also wanted to take a different direction with this…Previous posts have mainly focused on first-time leaders/managers (note the distinction). However, I wasn’t getting the results I wanted, and I don’t think it was fair to you, readers. So, I’m trying something new.
I’m going to start a book blog and discuss the ins and outs of not only what I’m reading, but also share my personal perspective on each topic or the author’s perspective. I’m not in the business of promoting anything, as I’m sure there is a legal clause somewhere… who knows. I only select the books based on my doctoral study, the applicable applications that could benefit all of us… lifelong learners, and because I think it’s fun to learn this stuff. Since sharing is caring…I will begin.
What I did up to this point was simply pull out some notable information that intrigued me, which led me down a different rabbit hole, if you will, on who, what, when, where, and why…When I look at things. I want to apply what I know and see in my daily life, while also trying to understand the author’s perspective to gain a broader understanding, since I wasn’t there conducting this research. I’m always looking to learn from others so I can grow within myself and share what I’ve learned with others.
For starters….The author discussed their perspective on identifying individuals within an organizational setting who have the potential to disrupt the organization’s ebb and flow. And the way the author framed it, I never really looked at it from that perspective, let alone the way he described each individual. It’s cool to actually put a name to face, so to speak, on the dynamics of things. So, kudos to that. What surprised me more was the fact that it supported the notion of a certain caliber of folks disrupting the organization, to the point of somewhere in the ballpark of 30 to 40 % – paraphrasing here. Which is crazy to think, but yet we have already been around those people in our professional or personal lives, that we know, are like Debbie Downers or those that just emotionally drain us in one form or fashion. Looking at those numbers, it’s not a far cry from reality in today’s organizational setting. Sure, we can unpack those that fit the mold in those numbers, but that is left for another discussion.
What is on my mind this evening is defining an overarching goal within an organizational setting, as the key to success is creating wins. Big wins, little wins…just wins. How that is defined is up to the organizational leaders in the company. They decide what the culture should be and how those should function in the organization. Breaking it down further is the subculture — the small teams within those organizations, the sections of each company. Who defines those cultures, and how do those wins happen? Well… It’s a team effort, but that effort starts from the top.
The leader of that group is the one who decides the core values, if you will, for that particular team or group. Those in charge, if done right, choose the good and bad for the success of that group, and it’s those group leaders who take the reins and help define those successes, ensuring the group follows suit. The first thing that should be determined, with total group buy-in, is what is acceptable and what isn’t. I would gather the group in a room and use a whiteboard to discuss, from everyone’s perspective, what is good and healthy for team success and what isn’t. For example, communication is a plus, but when the group or individuals talk, we need to ensure that “active communication is at the forefront in everyone’s mind.” We know in today’s day and age, everyone is on their phones…texting, talking, searching. This can be considered a distraction and is perceived as rude and disrespectful. This is being done during meetings, one-on-one chats, and so on. To combat this, every party member within the team agrees that during meetings, one-on-one conversations, and during the business workday, if someone approaches you, you put down the phone and fully engage in the conversation. Now, of course, there are those circumstances, and everyone should define what they are, but collectively as a group, define what those are and ensure everyone is in agreement. It provides the common courtesy and respect that everyone deserves, meeting the basic needs in a social setting (I can refer to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to elaborate on that), but I believe you get my meaning.
In my opinion, this helps build closeness and togetherness, simply because you have buy-in from the entire group, and no one is excluded from the discussion. On the flip side, the group should also discuss what is unacceptable in group or team/individual behavior. An example is being respectful and polite if there are opposing views. We all might think this is or should be standard practice, but putting it out there in the face of everyone should start getting people to recognize…Oh, I do that. Or “this person does it way too much and probably doesn’t realize it” – Whatever the circumstances are, the team or group defines what that is and ensures everyone is on the same page – even for the unacceptable behaviors. As a group, it should also be noted that, when conducting the group part, if you can respectfully inform the person(s) about what is happening in the moment, then it should be agreed to reconvene on another date and time to discuss, because the discussion isn’t going no where and sometimes we need to just walk away to gather our thoughts- there everyone wins!
It’s everyone’s responsibility to act and behave in a manner that is conducive to the entire group. When those actions are defined, agreed upon, and enforced, I believe that everyone benefits, and it’s those benefits that continue to drive success, not only on a professional level but also on a personal level.
Now – to engage with everyone…A question for you:
1- “How have you defined wins for your group/company?”
2- “Does anyone have an experience they would like to share about the non-negotiables?”
I appreciate and welcome any and all feedback as I continue to figure this out. Right now, I’m pretty plain Jane on the overall look of the page, so I will navigate those a bit, but until then. Everyone have a good night!
- Dr. Greg
Leave a Reply