Leadership Excellence –

Learn a New Best Practice!

Mary Pat DonelanDirector, Human Resources Division202-317-5976

Objectives

• Review important elements of leadership.

• Discuss each other’s best ways of leading, engaging, and motivating employees.

• Commit to using one new technique.

Important Elements of Leadership

1.WALK THE TALK model the way

2.COMMUNICATE to encourage the heart

3.EMPOWER others to act

4.CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE build the better bread box

#1 Walk the Talk -- Retention Doesn’t Just Happen

You are the MASTER influencer of retention.

You need to create an environment where employees see the difference they make.

Your employees need to be enabled to make that difference to the fullness of their potential.

Demonstrate Respect and Appreciation

Suggestion on how to do this:Write down one professional quality that you respect and appreciate about each of your employees.Keep the list handy and read it before you see a staff member or enter a meeting.Use these examples to express gratitude for their contributions.Tell them the difference they make.You have to tell them – they are not mind-readers.

Happiness and Success for You and Your Staff

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Success or happiness?

When you are happy, your body dumps chemicals that dial up the learning center of the brain which

results in thinking more clearly, quickly, and creatively. Same with your employees!  

Corporations Know About the Happiness Advantage

Google keeps scooters in the hallway and video games in the break room, They also encourages their engineers to bring their dogs to work

Patagonia – “Let my people go surfing” policy

Yahoo – in-house massage Software company – foosball tables in

employee lounge

Not just PR gimmicks – small bursts of happiness produce creativity and innovation.

Personal Happiness Exercises

Do happiness exercises for yourself every day. (some suggestions will follow) 

You’ll start to feel better And you’ll start to notice how your changed

attitude makes you more efficient, motivated, productive, and opens up opportunities for greater achievement.

Your employees will pick this up. Positivity is contagious!

Meditation/Mindfulness

Just take five minutes a day to watch your breath and clear your mind.

More, of course, is better. So simple but one of the

most powerful stress management interventions.

Find Something to Look Forward to

Just anticipating future rewards can actually light up the pleasure centers of the brain much as the actual reward would.

Commit Conscious Acts of Kindness

Acts of kindness

Giving to friends and strangers alike

Decreases stress and strongly contributes to enhanced mental health

Enhance Your Surroundings with Positivity

Pictures of loved ones aren’t just decorating.

They’re ensuring a hit of positive emotion each time you glance in that direction

From Thich Nhat Hanh

“Breathing in, I calm my body.”“Breathing out, I smile.”

(Thich Nhat Hanh and Oprah)

#2 Communication -- Power of Positive Feedback

I am on top of the world. My boss just told me I did a great job on the Hopkins case.

Power of Negative Feedback

I’m just destroyed. My boss completely picked apart the Hopkins brief. I feel like such a failure.

Power of Positive Feedback

Hurray! My boss just recognized my work in our staff meeting.

Power of No Feedback

I’m really tired of this job. I never get recognition.

Be Generous With Positive Feedback

It takes so little time and can mean so much!

In Addition to Feedback, Over-Communicate

Communicate everything you can, as often as you can, with everyone you can.

Make this the top priority.Eliminate the guessing,

erroneous and often debilitating street talk and the angst.

If asked about something you can’t share, say that you can’t.

Promise to keep everyone in the loop to the extent you are allowed.

#3 – Empowering -- How Do You Do This? Use Powerful Open-ended Questions

Generates curiosity and possibilitiesStimulates reflectionProvokes thoughtBrings underlying assumptions

forwardCreates excitement and moves to actionCreates deeper meaning and retentionGenerates more questionsWhat and How questions

Secret Rule for Powerful Conversations

No advice or declarative statementsQuestions only – what and how questions

or“Tell me more.”

Top Seven Powerful Questions

1. What do you want?

2. What does that look like?

3. What about that is important to you?

4. What else?

5. What’s next?

6. What will you do and when will you do it?

7. What did you learn?

Don’t ask a question that has a “yes” or “no” answer – a conversation stopper!

Negative Feedback – Still Use Powerful Questions!

Instead of listing the egregious offences in a negative accusatory manner, use powerful questions to elicit both the problem and the solution

“So what happened here? Tell me about it.” “What can be done?” “How did this happen?” “How can the problem be fixed?” Remember, to use WHAT and HOW questions.

Knee to Knee Exercise – Everyone Pairs Up

Person #1: for 3 minutes – Present an issue that is of concern to you … work or non-work

Person #2: Use powerful questions only.Reverse roles -- Person #2 speaks, Person #1 asks

powerful questions.

#4 Continuously Improve -- Performance Plan – Excellent Tool

• Cycle beginning -- discuss elements and expectations with every employee.

• Middle cycle -- discuss progress on elements and expectations

• End of the year -- evaluate performance in writing and discuss performance accomplishments.

LD-2 in handPerformance plan in hand

Mary Pat’s Best Practices

Nordstrom’s metaphorPerformance management system – high expectationsSemi-annual one-on-ones Power walksListen and learnDon’t sweat the small stuffQuestionsAppraisal write-upMistakes -- opportunitiesLunch-time Catch PhraseAll invited lunches out/CelebrationsDevelopment field trips

Employees leave supervisors

Supervisor’s actions → either ↑ or ↓ productivity

Communication and lots of feedback essential

Exercise - Pair Up With Someone Different

Person #1: for 3 minutes -- Give examples of your best leadership practices

Person #2: Listen only, give no verbal responseReverse roles -- Person #2 speaks, Person #1 listens

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Pairs report in to the table. Reporter takes notes on best practices to share with larger group and hand in.

Summary

1.WALK THE TALK respect, appreciation, positivity

2.COMMUNICATE frequently and lots of feedback

3.EMPOWER powerful questions

4.CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE use performance management

Final Commitment

I commit to use the following (at least one) new performance enhancing technique(s) this year with my employees.

• ________________________________________• ________________________________________• ________________________________________