Listening - When was the last time you were really listened to? When weren't you? A common concern we hear about today is that many people do not feel listened to. Consider you recent interactions this week with team members. Were you paying 100% attention or were you thinking about your reply or even some other issue. I have written quite a bit on listening in the context of coaching as a leader, including #Teams365 #192: Listening and Coaching as a Leader which you can read here.
If you are looking for more resources on this topic here's a great article from Skills You Need - "Listening Skills - The 10 Principles" which you can access here.
Questions to consider: On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being low, and 10 being high) what do notice about your listening skills. What are you listening for?
Loyalty - While the perception of the "Employment Contract" may have shifted for many workers in the last decade, there are still many workplaces today where employees are fiercely loyal to their employers and organizations they work for. Consider small start-ups, companies like Zappos, Google, and some of the Top 100 Companies in Canada.
Question to consider: Where does your loyalty reside? Your team's?
Layers - Perspectives - In the executive and team coaching work I do, we spend a lot of time looking at, unpacking, and reframing perspectives around issues individuals and teams are facing. Strategic thought and action is grounded in exploring different layers, and perspectives, whether we are using the SWOT or a Strategic Issues Map.
Question to consider: Consider the biggest, and most important, issue you are struggling with right now. What are the different layers to the issue? The Different perspectives?
Learning and Loops - A foundational premise of the work I do with organizations and individuals is that they are open to learning, all the time. When we close ourselves off , and do the same thing all the time, we may find ourselves in the rut of "one path" whether it works or not. Many learning approaches are grounded in single and double loop learning. There is a great article by Management Help which describes the Single-loop, Double-loop and Triple-loop learning pathways. You can access it here.
Questions to consider: How open are you to learning? What are the new areas you are engaging with? Consider the team. How would you characterize their openness to learning and new ideas? Where do you see double and triple loop learning experiences?
Lean - As someone who has been involved in performance improvement for the last decade and a half, it's encouraging to see so many organizations from industries such as health care and IT, embrace approaches such as LEAN and Agile. Approaches which put tools in the hands of leaders and others to promote speed, quality and flexibility are key in today's tumultuous environment.
Questions to consider: Where could you benefit from more tools in your toolbox to support enhanced performance?
Have a great weekend,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
(416)996-8326
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