Tag: Soft Skills

Traits of Leadership That CEOs Should Avoid

Meta Description: CEOs who acknowledge they’re portraying poor leadership traits can devise a better way forward. Learn strategies to identify the negative characteristics.

Self-Examination of Bad Characteristics

CEOs tend to concentrate on the positive aspects of their business. But, in the end, it’s the best place to begin when it comes to learning from the past and taking away lessons from mistakes and successes.

However, CEOs can also benefit from being able to spot the signs of bad characteristics of leadership. When they approach this self-examination with a vulnerable and open mind, they can create a more effective way to lead in the future.

5 bad leadership qualities CEOs should avoid:

1. You don’t accept responsibility and blame others

An executive’s dedication to accountability for mistakes can boost your credibility and confidence. However, your position and power have nothing to do with your appearance. They are everything dependent on how you work and what you do to your employees.

The leadership is responsible for everything. Therefore, leaders should learn from their mistakes in their decision-making instead of pointing at the wrong person.

2. You act like a tyrant

This is a type of lousy leader that stands by itself. They aren’t leaders; nobody likes them.

Tyrants rarely succeed; harming or insulting others undermines confidence. Influential leaders are dedicated to their contributors as well as the entire team.

Introspection and comparing/contrasting right vs. wrong leaders are one way to consider if you have these leadership qualities and competencies.

3. You don’t actively listen

A good leader always listens, and a lousy leader is not listening. So — Begin by enhancing your active listening abilities with the three A’s of:

• Attitude: Maintaining a positive attitude involves tackling criticism with respect and appreciation that there is something to learn from other people.
• Attention: To be a satisfactory listener, you must have a good concentration span.
• Adjustment: The final point is that the adjustment process is just being open mind to what the other is saying. Stay focused and don’t prejudge.

No CEO would deliberately ignore or dismiss other people’s opinions; however, they might be in the habit of doing precisely that.

4. You’re unaware to weaknesses

Some leaders claim to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, but it’s difficult to spot. Most often, they are due to a lack of action.

Everyone else sees this as well, except for the person struggling to recognize their weaknesses. Self-awareness is a way for leaders to acknowledge their shortcomings. Ask others how you can serve them better in their tasks and abilities. Is there something they would like for you to do better? Their answers may help you see blind spots in your leadership style and allow you an opportunity to improve as a leader.

5. You aren’t keen to keep learning

CEOs, CFOs, COOs, need to be aware of the importance of continual development and improvement, particularly in the ever-changing and complex Company Culture.

One effective way to accelerate your learning as a CEO is to form an inclusive group of peers that allows you to learn from one another’s experiences, gain perspective, and hold yourself accountable for your decisions and the results. Create a plan of action within your group to help you keep on track.

Conclusion

Leadership is the key to the success or failure of any company. This is why these traits must be applied to anyone trying to enhance their skills. Whatever the circumstance, be aware that successful leaders need to exhibit integrity, aptitude, acumen, vision, trustworthiness, and communication abilities to guide their teams to success successfully.

We would love to hear your comments.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

How to find the right balance and flexibility in your leadership style.

Traditional “Command and Control” leadership styles are now considered outdated; such styles are no longer effective with our quick changing and unpredictable world.  The modern leadership style needs a unique, collaborative, and agile approach to deal with challenges.

Today things are more complex than in the old days; every leader faces new challenges in the shape of crisis, risks, technological changes, and many others. The outdated fixed leadership style has failed, and it could not deal with the myriad of challenges that today’s leaders face.

We need a versatile leadership style that not just suits the company culture but is also helpful to deal with the issues during this unpredictable time.

A wider range of leadership styles makes a leader more effective and successful.

Ways to find the right balance and flexibility in your leadership style. 

A versatile leadership style requires progressing through three major stages.

Stage 1- Self-understanding

Starting with self-understanding, you could never find your comfort level until you understand your weaknesses and strengths. It is also called cognitive self-awareness.  It is only possible to notice all the formal and informal feedback when you welcome external feedback.

Stage 2- Understand the situation

Your leadership style must be suitable for each situation. Understand the situation &  environment you are working in and what task is in your hand. First, try to understand the situation but not be judgmental. When understanding the situation, a leader should also consider the people’s emotions and what traits and skills people exhibit. You may need focused effort and practice to understand others’ emotions.

Stage 3- Widen your leadership style range

Great leaders understand the situation and adapt their leadership style. As situations arise, you can bridge the gap by applying different approaches.

• Target micro- behaviors

It is very tough to shift your behavior quickly; it is not a one or two-day task. You should target the micro-behaviors to get the desired change in your behavior. Pay close attention to the behaviors during different aspects of every situation. You may see a pattern which in turn, could be an area for improvement.

• Find role models.

It may also be easier for you to seek motivation from peers who possess different leadership skills and capabilities. Once you find the role models, try to develop and apply.

• Look at your team for help.

If you feel bridging the gap in your default style and appropriate response are ineffective in terms of efforts and time, then looking at your team for help to fill the gap could be an excellent strategy.

Please share with your colleagues & staff.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

3 Reasons To Get Rid Of Racial Inequity In The Workplace

There are so many things going on in the world right now. We as a whole are experiencing so many things that we never fathomed would come about. Racial equality is something that many say we have yet to accomplish. The outlook is that minorities are not treated as fairly as white people when it comes to police, in court, voting, at work, getting loans, a mortgage, and at restaurants and stores and a variety of other scenarios.                                                      

To Get Rid of Injustices

When people have different beliefs than others and think that there should be a separation because of the way a person looks it is referred to as racism. Racial inequity in the workplace happens when there is injustice and /or unfairness between people due to the color of their skin. This injustice can be seen in their income or some other factors at work.

A world without inequity would base income, promotions, and other work related issues on talent and not on the color of a person’s skin. When inequity and injustice are prevalent in the workplace you will also find lower productivity. It can also reduce the quality of workmanship.

To Be Fair To All Employees

The hiring, firing, promoting, and paying process of any job should not have anything to do with the ethnicity of the employee. Every employee should have a fair chance at the position no matter what the color of his or her skin is. As an executive or person in a place of power in the workplace, it is important to show that you are not swayed by any of these things. Everyone should have the same opportunities available to him or her. Fairness between employees regardless of their skin color will boost morale overall.

To Stop Bullying in The Workplace

This sounds like an odd thing to say about the workplace, but adults can be just as harmful with their words as kids. We think bullying is just something kids do on the playground, but we often see it in the conference room or the cubicles as well. It does not matter your age; your feelings can still get hurt. When coworkers think it is funny to make racial slurs or use inappropriate name-calling, it can affect people. When people try to tell jokes that involve rude context about African Americans, Latinos, Asians, or any other race it can lead to some pretty big problems as well as legal repercussions.

Many companies are creating a zero tolerance towards these kinds of acts. It is time to keep everyone safe with equal opportunities in your company.

Please share with your colleagues & staff.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

How To Have Challenging Conversations With Employees

Are you a business owner? Many responsibilities come along with that job position. Some that you may not be too fond of having to take care of. One of those responsibilities is having difficult conversations with employees. It can be a real challenge for some people to have these conversations, but we talk about some points to make it easier in this article.

Choose The Right Environments

When you need to confront an employee, it is not ideal to do it in front of other employees. Shame and embarrassment are not the answer to any situation. If you need to speak with someone about a difficult situation, choose an environment that suits the topic of conversation.

If you have an employee not performing as they should, choose a professionally suitable location for that type of conversation. Conversations that are less serious and intense, maybe meeting over lunch or coffee is appropriate. Base the location on the kind of topics you will be discussing with your employee.

Come In With A Even Temper

A conversation that starts in anger is not going to go very well. Some situations happen and occur that may have you pretty heated. Take the time to calm down and collect your thoughts before meeting with the involved employee.

The same goes for the employee you are conversing with. Some people do not handle being told that they are not performing as well as you wish they would. This may result in them getting heated and upset. It is your job as the leader to control the temperament of the situation to the best of your ability.

Preparation Is Key

A meeting that is not well thought out and prepared is not going to result in much success. You want to approach a professional business meeting with the proper amount of preparation. Make notes and write down key points you want to cover in the discussion.

It can be easy to get sidetracked or forget some things you wanted to cover in the meeting. If you prepare ahead of time, you can have notes to help you remember all that needs to be discussed. This also allows you to have real-life scenarios to show as examples in the meeting.

Follow Up

Don’t leave situations hanging. Follow up with the employee and make sure everything is going okay. Let them know that you are there to help and guide them in any problem that arises.

We would love to hear your comments.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Roadmap for leaders on building a Successful Upskilling Program

Upskilling is a longer-term approach to employee development of skills, knowledge, and competencies to further advance career goals. Upskilling will give your company an edge by developing your in-house team’s skills as per the business needs. This will enable you to fill open roles quicker and at a lower cost than hiring new employees.

Assess the problem and formulate a plan of action

Start by holding open discussions with important stakeholders including senior executives, HR leaders, and employee reps. How optimistic are business executives about their company’s future and their employees’ prospective mobility? What sorts of talents are required – simple technical abilities, general digital-savvy skills, or soft skills such as team leadership and good communication?

Create a skill development strategy

Many previous reskilling programs provided insufficient training and short term results. Analytic workforce planning tools may help you forecast the influence of new technologies on your organization, as well as the cost savings that automation will bring, the types of new skills that will be required, and the number of months or years it will take for these changes to occur.

Individual employees are counselled

Employees’ concerns can be alleviated by a thoughtful evaluation program that includes personal coaching and counselling, which will ultimately help them advance their professional growth. Assess potential workers’ abilities, track their progress, and inquire about their personal and professional goals. Individual workers need to feel in control of their own career trajectory.

Thus, every component of the strategic upskilling project, from expenses (which climbs substantially if employees are unable to satisfy their new job requirements) to employee perspective and motivation, is influenced by the quality, value, and efficiency of the training experience. When training incorporates modern technologies such as robotic processes, artificial intelligence, smart warehouses, or digital manufacturing, the quality of the curriculum is very crucial. Ensure clarity about the upskilling initiative’s goal and objectives, as well as the specific skills that will need to be cultivated and your upskilling program will be successful.

We would love to hear your comments.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

The Post COVID Changes For Businesses

Businesses have had to make some major changes over the course of the couple of years. The way that they run, do business, and what they look for in new employees. Some are still working remotely, with little plans to return to the main office full time. Many are back in the office but still working with limited amounts of people. But, what does this mean for businesses post COVID?

Changes That Were Made

When the pandemic first began, everyone was trying to make fast decisions. There wasn’t a lot of warning and preparation businesses were able to make. The notice to shut down came on quickly, and businesses had to decide in a moment’s notice what to do.

For some, that was to gather your computers and belongings to continue work from home. Many companies had already had this in place, while it was a completely new concept to others. Businesses that couldn’t work from home had to either shut down completely or become creative to continue to stay afloat financially.

How To Adapt To Changes

There are many techniques and skills that people had to pull out in order to come up with the right plan to keep their business running. Some of the suggestions that can help you are:

• Center Strategy On Sustainability – To center strategy on sustainability is simply looking at the whole picture and being more considerate of your atmosphere.
• Transform In The Cloud – The cloud is a valuable area for you to take advantage of for your business.
• Cultivate Your Talent – Your search for new employees may need to switch, and hiring based on true talent is more important than ever.
• Press The Need For Speed – Keeping up with everything that is going on is vital to success; that is why speed is a big factor in your business.
• Operate With Purpose – The amount of purpose that your businesses possess will factor into the amount of success that you receive.

Business Is Changing

In order for your business to remain successful, you have to be open and accepting of changes. No one knows what the future holds, but the best option is to be as prepared as possible. Plan for the future and have a set direction that you want to go in.

There will be some struggles that are faced due to the pandemic and lack of training. Factor that into your long-term business plan. That way, you are prepared and know what you need to do.

Please share with your colleagues & staff.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.