Do You Stay True to Your Own Protocols?

As a leader, do you stay true to your own protocols?

As leaders, one of the things we are often asked to do is to establish protocols - routines for day-to-day work. We sometimes do this on our own and sometimes with contributions from individuals or teams from our workplaces.  But there is a caution..... It's sometimes tempting not to follow our own protocols.  It's easy to slip into situations where we feel pressed for time and feel that we need to respond quickly to an issue and we neglect the very protocols we established.  We need to be very cautious of such behaviour.  It undermines the contributions others have made to the protocols established.  Worse than that, it undermines trust in you as a leader.

Next time you are tempted to skip a protocol or routine because you feel pressed for time, think of the impact on your staff.  The cost to your credibility is simply too high.

Think....Before You Reorganize

As a leader, what thinking and processes do you use before reorganizing?

Many leaders love to reorganize, but few employees like being reorganized. Structural changes provoke anxiety and confusion. Before you decide to redraw the org chart of your school or organisation, consider these three things:

• What problem are you trying to solve? Are you trying to focus more on those you serve? Do you want to reduce costs or make better use of resources? Has structure become overly complex? There might be good reasons, but before you leap into a reorganization, be clear on the goal.
• Is reorganization the only solution? Reorganization might solve many problems but it's rarely the only solution. Consider alternatives first, especially ones that entail less risk on impact on those involved.
• Seek input from those affected.  Actively - and systematically - seek input from everyone who might be affected or impacted by the reorganization.  Seeking input demonstrates your desire to lead an effective school/organization.  But more importantly, it solicits the best thinking available to you.

Adapted from "Reorganizing? Think Again" by Ron Ashkenas.

Providing Effective Feedback

As a leader, how effective are you are providing feedback?

Feedback is problematic. Leaders often dislike giving it and the members of your staff rarely get enough to help them learn and to change their behaviors. But feedback, both positive and negative, is an important tool for learning, effective work, and career growth. Next time you talk with someone about their performance, follow these four steps:

• Be specific. Feedback needs to be actionable. Use concrete examples to back up your observations. Avoid generalizations. Instead, describe the behavior clearly and specifically.
• State the impact. Tell the person how his behavior is affecting you, the team, or the school/organization.
• Prescribe. Be specific about what needs to change. Often employees won't know what to change unless you tell them.  Be sure to check for understanding.  Does your staff member truly understand what you expect of them?
• Do it often. Get in the habit of praising good performance and identifying troublesome behavior.

Adapted from Guide to Giving Effective Feedback (HBR OnPoint Collection).

Lead with Emotions in Mind

As a leader, do you consider the emotional impact of your words and actions?

People resist direction or change that they don't understand, don't value, or whose demands they don't feel they can measure up to.  The impact on individuals can be significant....and not necessarily in a good way.  Positive emotional impact - recognition of a person's work or their personal life - can be inspiring.  On the other hand, negative emotional impact - not noticing work well done, negative comments, neglecting the personal lives of staff members - can cause people to resist, shut down, or, at worst, sabotage organizational efforts. 

Staff members feel more confident about taking direction and tackling new ideas when leaders set a positive tone by recognizing work that is well done, thanking people for their work, and by exuding awareness and appreciation of the complexities of the work they are being asked to do. 

Remember the great quotation:

In the end, people will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

Don't miss a chance to recognize a staff member for work well done or to thank someone for their efforts.  They'll remember how you made them feel!

Sometimes They Need to Know

As a leader, how much do you share with your staff?  How do you share it?

As leaders, we have many conversations in our offices with many different people or groups.  In some cases, significant discussions take place.  Some of these discussions end up in important decisions.  However, just because the conversation happened in your office and it was held with a group of key stakeholders, it doesn't mean that your staff knows what's going on.  How do you share important discussions, decisions, or information with all staff? 

Here are a few questions to ask yourself about how you share - or not! - the conversations you have:

• Who needs to know?
• Does everyone need to know?  If so, why?
• Who would like to know?  And just because they'd like to know, does it mean you share with them?
• Who might be affected by the discussions or decisions?  How will they find out what was discussed?
• Might you be missing additional thinking if some people are left out of discussions?
• How do you share discussions / decisions / information? 
• Do people have a variety of ways to access information from you?
• What might be the impact if some people don't know about the discussions or decisions?

Communication is a critical aspect of any school/organization.  People can feel included - or excluded - based on their access to information.  Exclusion from information can have a negative affect on both performance and morale.  In 2012, communication has never been easier.  Multiple methods of sharing information (bulletin boards, memoes, Twitter, email, etc.) have made it possible for everyone to have virtually immediate access to information. 

Don't risk damaging staff morale or their performance because you - as the leader - neglected to share information. 

Want to Change? Choose Just One Thing

As a leader, are you thinking of starting the new year with some new commitments?

New Year's resolutions can be overwhelming and often overly-ambitious. Instead of tackling all of them at once, list all the things you would change if you had the time. Take a good look at the list and think about the one thing that would impact several things on your list. Make it short and simple. Perhaps you need to be more assertive, or maybe you need to slow down, or speak up more often for yourself or your work. If you're not sure, try something for a few weeks and see if it's working. Then, each morning, remind yourself of your one thing. Soon it will become second nature as the results reinforce your commitment to change.

Adapted from "What's Your One Big Theme?" by Peter Bregman.