One bad apple can spoil the rest so please remove them from the basket. As a leader you must establish, promote and support an inviting, comfortable and respectful working environment and as such you can’t allow any single individual to jeopardize your workplace. No matter how good and valuable they may be from a functional perspective if they can’t cooperate …
Why avoiding conflict can hurt you and others
Avoiding conflicts is generally a solid advice to follow. However, at times, disagreements (perhaps a better term) are unavoidable. By this I refer to those moments when someone needs to speak up in support of others and with collaboration and progress in mind. However, even during these disagreements one needs to remain professional, respectful and polite, but the points of …
Best ideas must win
Best ideas must win. They must win irrespective of who brought them up and how long that person has been with your organization. Whether they are a CEO, a President, or another executive or a temporary employee who started last week, quality ideas must always be enabled to rise to the top. Diversity of opinions, experiences, backgrounds and education is …
Honor your word and build credibility
As you are building your professional credibility, it is important to honor your word. No matter how small it may seem, make sure to follow through on things you have said you would do. With time, these somewhat small actions will lead to larger acts which will all assist in establishing your credibility within your community. As people (both clients …
Give people your undivided attention
Wherever you may be, especially when in smaller groups, please provide your colleagues and coworkers the respect that you would expect in return. Give them your undivided attention, focus on what they are saying and the message or need that they are conveying at that time. Focusing your attention on them demonstrates your commitment to their need and clearly displays …
Engage, listen, learn then lead
Embrace the ideas of others, invite and enable all to share their opinions, ideas and suggestions as only then you will begin to align and improve. Additionally, if your ideas get challenged (in a professional and respectful manner) publicly, appreciate and respect people’s ideas and suggestions and take them under advisement. Finally, don’t be vindictive towards those who respectfully present …
Customer service counts
Customer service counts in all industries more than ever. Bad experiences get shared across networks fairly quickly and poor customer service can significantly decrease your market share and profitability even if your product is superior to those of your competitors. Focus your attention on your clients, hire and train all staff with a customer-centric approach in mind as it will …
Introduce yourself and meet people
As you join a new team it is crucial to introduce yourself and meet people in this new organization (both within and outside your immediate team and responsibilities). While it is important to familiarize yourself with policies, guidelines and operational structure it is equally important to put names and faces together and by doing so build familiarity and trust.
Enable people to contribute
As you work with people from different departments, divisions, even different companies you may come to realize that their work may be based on varying levels of quality and expectations. Before getting upset or immediately escalating to their supervisors please try to understand the full picture as to what they may be dealing with. They could be severely understaffed, overworked …
Respect employees’ personal time
Respect your employees personal time. Please do your best not to “bother” your staff (except in rare, emergency situations of course) outside their work hours with work related questions and responsibility. If you find yourself consistently contacting people outside work hours chances are that there’s a big problem at play. You may have “bottlenecks” within your operations and you should …