Leadership for Employee Retention and Satisfaction

I’m a Leadership Coach and my heart is to see Leaders lead in such a way that they feel energized and empowered so that those sentiments trickle down to all those who are influenced by them. Leadership is a skill that is valuable in every workplace, school and home. It’s a skill that everyone can and should develop.

Are you already an amazing leader and think that this kind of post won’t apply to you?  I dare say, if you think that you’ve got it all figured out… you need to read more on the subject of effective leadership.  One of the key characteristics that differentiates good leaders from great leaders is that great leaders are life-long learners. If you are one of these great leaders, please share some of your secrets to success in the comments below so that we can learn and grow together. Knowledge is power.

Here are my 5 steps to produce a high-functioning team of people who have strong skillsets, are motivated and want to work with you.

1. Include: Invite your staff to be a part of important discussions and encourage them to share their insight, especially in areas that affect their work.
   

   They want to know that they’ve had their say, even if they don’t have their way.

2. Empower: What are their strengths? Matching tasks with strengths will do wonders for productivity and confidence. Once you see that they have mastered an area, empower them to make decisions in that area.
3. Develop: Stretch yourself and your staff. As a leader, you set the tone. If you take time to develop yourself and push yourself to new heights, your employees will do the same. If the budget permits, provide learning and coaching opportunities for them.
4. Value: People need to know that they are more than just the work that they produce. Connect with them regularly and schedule occasional off-site team meetings to review upcoming priorities and encourage team building. This doesn’t have to be expensive; be creative.
5. Emotional Intelligence: Self-awareness is so important.  You can’t expect anyone to work on a weakness that they aren’t aware exists… and let’s face it, annual or bi-annual Performance Reviews aren’t quite doing the job we had hoped.  Instead, make EQ a part of your regular meetings and equip people to handle the various situations that might arise. Have some team members role-play a scenario and then talk about what other options might work for that scenario after it’s played out. This allows a learning point to be made without anyone feeling that it is directed at them and it’s amazing how people can really get into the role and feel the emotions as though they were actual situations.

What is one step that you can implement this week? this month? this quarter?

 

Put Your Phone Down – or You’ll Regret It!

Last week I wrote about the importance of not being a helicopter parent… you know, the one who always swoops in to rescue their kids and make sure they complete the tasks they’re responsible for. This week, I’m switching gears and talking about the parent who isn’t as involved as they could be. We typically tend to lean one way or the other… and sometimes a little of both. Where do you fall?

Are you having meaningful conversations with your kids on purpose? 

We live in a fast paced world and phones are a great communication tool. They help us set schedules, reminders, communicate with friends and colleagues. They provide entertainment through the internet, videos, music apps, brain games, audiobooks and podcasts. It seems these little devices are truly a gift that help us centralize everything so that we can be more effective. We can do our online banking, deposit cheques, accept paypal payments, respond to email and text messages. We can even use it to record notes on projects and activities; and let’s not forget about the all important social media updates on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. It’s so convenient to have all of this information at our fingertips… or is it?

Have you counted the cost? The benefits that our phones provide are becoming impediments to our connection with the people we care about most. If we aren’t careful, we can waste hours on our devices without even realizing it. Hours turn into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. All of a sudden our teens will be moving out of our home and we’ll wish we hadn’t spent so much time on these “helpful tools” because they robbed us of precious time that we can never recover. Time is the one thing that you can NEVER regain. It is precious. It is a true gift. We need to use it wisely and make the most of it.

What will you do with your time this week?

What would you like to do with it? Are you just passively going through the motions or do you have a plan to connect with your family and friends? How about scheduling some time in that handy dandy calendar of yours for some good old Rest and Relaxation. Schedule time on your calendar for yourself and time for your family. If you don’t schedule something in, someone else might fill your time for you.

Last week I told you that your teens are responsible for their own lives… You need to model that by being Responsible for Your Life!

Don’t say that you’re too busy. There’s no such thing. We’re all busy. Life is busy. You can spend your time being busy on things that you won’t remember next year let alone next month, or you can spend time laughing and growing with your family. Be a student of your spouse and your children. What do they enjoy? How can you bring a little more of that in to your lives?

Here are a few tips to capitalize on your family time:

• Sunday Family Day – we’re showing our kids that they are valuable to us and we enjoy spending time with them. We set aside this day every week just to hang out with our favourite people in the world, make homemade pizza and watch a movie. We all look forward to Sundays!
• Read books aloud – it’s so interesting to be able to have real life conversations through a story. We can get into deep subjects and find teachable moments without having any emotional involvement. It allows us to see things from another perspective and carry it in to areas of our lives.
• Praying together – we pray together as a family every evening. Everyone has an opportunity to share what’s on their heart so that we can pray for those things and for the things that are coming up. It models to our children that we need help too and what an amazing faith builder when we see our prayers answered!
• Device-free times and zones – we eat as a family and devices are not in the kitchen at meal times or in bedrooms at night time. Charge your phone in a central location to avoid interrupted sleep and late night surfing. Experts recommend turning off devices an hour before bedtime to allow the melatonin to build up and help you fall asleep faster. We also avoid electronics on Sundays. Parents included. 
• Work on projects/chores together – we often dump all the clean laundry on the bed and play music while we fold laundry together in the master bedroom.
• The Great Outdoors – Take walks, go on bike rides, plan a camping trip. Camping was one of my favourite memories growing up and now I’m building memories with my kids. Outdoor fun in the wilderness is good for everyone!
• Play – Take time to play! My kids love making up recipes in their own Master Chef Junior competitions (would love for this one to really take off… they did an amazing job at re-enacting the show and we all had so much fun!)

A Family that Plays and Prays Together, Stays Together!

 

Are you a Helicopter Parent?

A helicopter parent is someone who hovers over their children, making sure they Don’t Do Things They Shouldn’t and that they Do the Things They Should.

Nah… that’s not me; or is it? 

Do your children frequently forget things at home and then ask you to drop the item(s) off to them? Do they do their homework assignments without being asked? Do they mark test dates on their calendar and make sure to study in advance? Do they work on a project shortly after receiving the assignment? Do they choose to practice their music between lessons? Do they plan for the things they have coming up on their schedule, like tryouts and birthday parties?  

If the answer is no… you just might be a helicopter parent. Someone who swoops in to remind them of the things they need to do and then get frustrated when they’re running behind schedule. There’s a saying that goes like this:

“Behind every child who forgets something, is a parent who remembers”

Here’s the thing, it’s not easy to let go, but it is necessary. We think we’re helping our teens when we give them reminders, but the opposite is true. It seems cruel to let your children fail, but it’s not. 

If our kids don’t learn the consequences of not being responsible at home, they’ll learn them later… and it could cost them dearly.

Let your children know that their lives are their responsibility. You are happy to help them anytime they ask for your help (as long as they aren’t asking you to “do it for them”). But the onus is on them to seek help and hand things in on time. You will not be making special trips to drop things off and you expect them to find a way to stay on top of the things they need to do. You may offer to help them by demonstrating how you manage your schedule and commitments. 

During the teen years, it’s essential that they learn to take responsibility. Short term pain equals long term gain. It’s their grades, their lives, their responsibility. The only way that they can truly take pride in a job well done, is when they’ve really done the job… on their own. Be sure to celebrate with them when this happens!

Be blessed as you parent your kids to be successful and caring contributors of society!

Boundaries, Rest & Better Decisions

There’s a wonderful story about sisters named Mary and Martha who were close friends with Jesus. He went to their home often and many people came to hear his teachings. Martha was a very hard worker. She saw the work that should be done and she did it. She prepared meals so that everyone would have something to eat. Mary on the other hand just sat at Jesus feet and marvelled at his teachings.

Martha was obviously upset and she made it known. Luke 10:40-42 says:

Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha, the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Ouch. Not only does Jesus not support what Martha is asking, he calls her out on some of her issues and tells her that Mary’s choice was better.

Jesus knew his time on earth was coming to an end. If anyone had to “get everything done” it was him. But he knew how to prioritize what mattered most in any given moment. His focus and purpose were clear and that freed him up from any external pressures.

We all have several things we need to do; our “To do list” is never-ending. Perhaps boundaries, rest and personal development should be on that list? Perhaps this was why Mary sat at Jesus feet that day. She knew it was a time to learn from the great teacher. She knew that there were many other things that needed to get done, as Martha did, but she chose wisely.

The story doesn’t tell us what transpired after the interchange between Jesus and Martha but we know that she had two choices. She could either become more frustrated or she could decide to join Mary and sit down to listen and learn from one who has wisdom, clarity, and words of life.

Mary chose to prioritize what mattered most to her. She chose to have healthy boundaries by not letting other people pressure her into what they thought she should be doing. What an inspiration!

Where do you need to set boundaries?
Will you prioritize personal development?
When will you take time to rest (and not feel guilty about it)?

Living on Purpose: Bishop T.D. Jakes — Live on Purpose.. Not by Accident

Living on Purpose: Bishop T.D. Jakes A true visionary and entrepreneur, Bishop T.D. Jakes exudes purpose. Not just when he is in the pulpit but wherever he is, he commands the attention of his audience and inspires them towards purpose. Bishop Jakes is a producer, minister, author, and talk show host. In everything he does […]

via Living on Purpose: Bishop T.D. Jakes — Live on Purpose.. Not by Accident

Soulful Sunday – What is a relationship with God?

In some ways, faith was something I’ve had since I was a child. We went to church weekly when I was young. After that, my mom continued to pray with me at bedtime and eventually when she stopped, I started to do it on my own. I remember especially as a teen when I was going through difficult times, I would lay my heartfelt prayers before the Lord. Amazingly, I would find great comfort and answers as I prayed and it helped me tremendously. Why God would answer my prayers at that time of my life, I didn’t fully understand.

I was not a “godly” person at that time. I was like many teens and made several bad decisions. I enjoyed a good argument and was good at winning them. Things were often my way or the highway. I still believed that there was a God and would never use his name in vain, but the more I made poor decisions, the more I drifted away from my faith. So why on earth would God help me out? I certainly didn’t deserve it. But here is what I’ve come to understand about who God is. I was right. I didn’t deserve it then and I don’t deserve it now. I never will, because we can’t “work” to earn God’s love.

God is Our Father. Think about what that means for a moment. Does a father withhold his love from his children until they “earn it” or until they’re “good enough”? It would be ridiculous for anyone to think that an infant would have to earn our love before we gave it to them. We love them simply because they are part of us. We created them and we recognize that they are a miracle and their mere existence brings us great joy. That is how our heavenly father looks at us; with extreme love and joy. When he looks at us, he sees our potential and our destiny. He sees who he created us to be and longs for us to walk in that purpose.

My husband and I have four children and we can tell you all about the years of sleepless nights, tantrums, terrible twos, trying threes, sibling rivalries, misbehaviours, and many tears. Our children don’t always do something the way we taught them to, and sometimes they’ve blatantly disobeyed us. It is certainly difficult yet… our love remains unconditional. We will continue to guide them and hope they choose better next time. Still, there is nothing that they could ever do that would take our love away from them. Nothing!

This is the beautiful picture of our relationship with God. God is a loving, forgiving, merciful counsellor who guides us. His love endures forever and it is for everyone. Come to him and let him reveal the life you were created for.

• James 4:8 – Come near to God and he will come near to you
• Psalm 118 – His love endures forever
• Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

This song was meaningful when I began to explore my faith again in my twenties – Faithful Father

Lord please be with the person who is reading this right now.
May they experience your amazing love for them personally.
Thank you that you planned their life with a glorious purpose
And that you’ve never left their side.
May they know that they are precious and important to you!
May today be a new day towards fulfilling their destiny.
In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

V.A.L.U.E.

In my Employee Retention and Satisfaction post, I wrote about five key criteria for high-functioning and motivated teams. Today I want to further explore how we can incorporate value in the workplace.

V – Validate: Working with various personalities will inevitably bring about occasional issues. It is important that a leader address them without compromising themselves or the organization.  Feelings aren’t right or wrong, so validate them: “That must be hard”, “I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way”, “What would help you in this situation?”, “What will you do?”.

A – Affirm: People want to know what they’re doing well. A person will not feel valued if every time a leader asks to meet with them it’s to discuss something negative. On the other hand, they won’t feel valued if everyone is always being praised for everything they do either.  For a person to truly feel valued, affirmation needs to be authentic. Tell them what they do well and when possible, share it with the team.

L – Learn: Find out what the people on your team care about, what they’re good at, what motivates them, what projects they want to work on, where they would like to be in five years. Being a student of your team members will provide crucial information about how to effectively communicate with them and how to set them up for success. This is especially important when providing feedback on performance. Knowing their unique personalities will allow you to take the best approach for them.

U – Understand: A good leader understands a person’s limits. In any given week, there are at least 500,000 employed Canadians that are unable to work due to mental illness. The cost of disability leave for mental illness is about double the cost of leave due to physical illness and the economic cost is estimated at $51 billion per year. This includes health care costs and lost productivity. 39% of Ontario workers indicated that they wouldn’t tell their managers if they were suffering with a mental illness. This means it’s important for leaders to look for signs of stress, know what support is available through work/community and talk with them openly about their struggles. Assure them that they are valued as a person, not just an employee

E – Encourage: Inspire with courage! Isn’t that the role of every leader? People who are unwell can be encouraged to hope and care for themselves. Others can be encouraged to reach for their next milestone, stretch themselves, grow. A great leader has a lasting impact on a person’s life and their mindset about themselves. Believe in them and help them become all they were created to be.

There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life, no matter what its location, age, gender or disability. – Sharron Angle

What will you do this week to show people that they are valued?

Mind, Body and Soul Connection & Tools for the Soul

Studies show that mind, body and soul are connected. When we’re stressed, we’re more susceptible to come down with a cold, feel exhausted, suffer from insomnia or become depressed. These are just a few of the symptoms we struggle with when our mind, body or soul is out of alignment for an extended period.

Being Sunday, I thought today would be a great day to talk about working on the soul. The soul is the least familiar, but perhaps the most significant. First things first, what is the soul?

The soul is the spiritual and immaterial part of a person. It’s your personality, intellect, will, and emotions.

To nourish my soul, I schedule time for rest and family connections. I listen to playlists like this one on YouTube  or audio stories on BibleGateway. Podcasts have been instrumental in building my faith and understanding as well. One of my favourites is Rick Warren’s Daily Hope. There’s an app called YouVersion that sends me daily reminders of selected devotional plans as well. The variety is incredible and there is an abundance of plans on topics like leadership, marriage, family and spiritual growth. These are fantastic options for people on the go because you can listen as you travel.

A relationship with God is like a relationship with anyone. It requires an investment of time to connect. We can do that through prayer, God’s Word, worship music, devotions, or even through the awe at the beauty of his creation. As we seek direction, we’ll start to become more aware of the spiritual reality that is all around us and our burdens become lighter because we don’t carry them alone anymore.

What will you do this week to nourish your soul?

If you are interested in spiritual direction, please contact me. I would love to chat with you.

Matthew 11:28-29 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – May God himself, the God of peace, make you holy in every way. May your whole self – spirit, soul and body be kept safe and without fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 16:33 – In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

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