My role in brand extension required new ideas, products and markets. In one company, several of the other executives were dead-set against anything I came up with.

Should you have the good fortune to achieve a measure of success in your professional life, it’s tempting to sit back and get comfortable. But rest assured, the market and your competitors are not relaxing!

We do judge others based on superficial details such as grammar errors, habits, behaviors and appearance. Some of us work hard to get past or de-prioritize those judgments and assumptions.

A basic tenet of our coaching practice at Momentum Consulting is accountability, an essential component of executive leadership training, both with individuals and teams. Those of you familiar with us have surely heard one of us say “…there’s no blame in accountability, and no accountability in blame”.

What story would people tell about you if asked? Do you honor your commitments to yourself and others? How do you handle it when you are unable to?

Feedback is vital to our development and growth, both as professionals and in our personal life. But harshly negative feedback, especially from a superior in the workplace, is only rarely effective, and can cause employees to fear speaking up, stop taking chances, spread resentment among others, or find a new job. 

The lack of trust between and among management, staff and customers/clients can lead to:

• High employee turnover

• Low engagement and productivity

• Reduced innovation

• Reduced profitability

WE, not they, are accountable for what others take away from our communication.

What is Mini Me saying when someone else is speaking? A few common examples:

• “I wish she would get to the point.”

• “He has no idea what he’s talking about.”

• “I already know this.”

• “I completely disagree.”

• “I’ve been there, done that.”

• “My way would be so much better.”

• “I have so many things I need to be doing right now.”

• “What am I going to have for lunch?”

You have the power to choose your leadership style, but the one aspect of your style you can’t choose is leading by example. You truly have no choice but to intentionally practice it, as it will happen whether or not you choose to do so.

“IF YOU FOCUS ON RESULTS, YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE. IF YOU FOCUS ON CHANGE, YOU WILL GET RESULTS.”

“The customer is always right” is a phrase pioneered by Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker and Marshall Field, highly successful retailers who understood that the success of their stores depended on the happiness of their customers.

I believe that so many of our other key fundamentals are rooted in integrity, for example:

• Honor commitments

• Be accountable

• Respect confidentiality

• Practice blameless problem solving

• Fix problems at the source

• Appreciate and acknowledge

• Speak straight, respectfully

• Always do your best

Your lack of response, timeliness or enthusiasm signals to team members that urgency is not expected or required. Further, during this current time of uncertainty, they look to you to provide necessary structure to rely on.

As a leader, it is imperative that you practice continual learning. Good leaders are good learners. You have demonstrated learned knowledge and skills in getting to a leadership position, but now is when you need to develop a laser focus on learning more.

Failing to hold yourself and your team accountable, essentially creates a culture in which fulfilling responsibilities, assignments and promises is not expected. Clearly, not a culture which breeds engagement or high performance.

The core of a successful coaching relationship is a bond of mutual trust. Both coach and client need to trust one another in order to openly and honestly explore both existing and potential new emotions, thought patterns and behaviors.

THERE ARE BENEFITS TO BOTH PARTIES FROM LISTENING WELL:

• Higher productivity – problems solved faster with fewer duplicated efforts or heated arguments

• Increased trust – listening to individuals generates respect and trust

• Fewer mistakes – information received is more accurate

• Increased confidence – self-esteem goes up when we feel we are heard

Before reacting emotionally, consider the probability that the individual does not intend to be combative. Most people are, in fact, honest and well-meaning. Look for positive intent from them and make sure you are communicating your own.

If you wish to truly motivate your team to a higher level of performance, try going a little deeper than a blanket “thank you.”