issue two

The Insperity ® Guide to Leadership and Management

PITFALLS CONNECTIONS DEVELOPMENT

How to recover from a bad call How to build relationships and have Create a leadership pipeline and get
and other leadership mistakes. tough conversations. the most from your high performers.
 LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Insperity // Guide to Leadership and Management // page 3

Avoiding pitfalls

3 Struggles That 5 Mistakes How to Deal With

Leaders Face That Can Kill Difficult Employees
Managers and leaders are responsible for inspiring and serving the people Employee
entrusted to you to help your company grow and prosper. You are called to coach, Negativity and lack of productivity can be corrosive to
train and support your team. Your ability to understand individual styles will help
Engagement the work environment. By dealing with it quickly, you’ll
you be a resource for their personal and professional development. gain the respect of all.
01
Erratic Expectations •D
 on’t ignore the problem.
Create a vision for the company Be clear in your own mind Confrontation isn’t easy, but
• Be the torchbearer – others will follow about what you want your speak with the employee in a
• Have a mission, vision and values How to Do Your employees to do before private setting about the problem
• Convey your company culture
Best Work as starting a new project. before it gets out of hand.
• De-personalize the conversation.
Have tough conversations a Leader 02 Stay away from “you” statements.
• Don’t stick your head in the sand
Favoritism Avoid generalities and give
• Develop relationship skills Keep up with your bustling examples and instances that
• Be fair and consistent business without burning out by Don’t let personality
were offensive.
• Focus on follow-through and follow-up following these quick tips: preferences interfere with
how you respond to or •D
 on’t make assumptions. Find out
Develop yourself and your employees measure employees. if they’re aware of their behavior
• Build a culture that fosters
• Find and mold the next leaders of your company or if there are external, personal
collaboration.
• Know that most leaders are held back by •D  elegate routine responsibil-
03 factors involved.
behavior, not skills ities so you can spend more Micromanagement • F ollow through. Be respectful
• Coaching is one of the top skills of a good leader time on strategic projects. and professional. Show and explain
Too much control tells
•S  urround yourself with posi- employees you don’t trust what is expected, then let the
tive employees who will keep their work and judgment. employee know you’re staying on
you positive while helping It also saps your time. top of the situation.
your business succeed.
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing •S  tay at your physical best by 04
yourself. When you become a leader, success is all incorporating simple exercises
Distractedness
about growing others. - Jack Welch into your workday.
Don’t be aloof. Manager
6 STEPS TO RECOVERING FROM A BAD CALL
interaction is a huge driver 1. Take responsibility: Be frank about what happened. Explain why
of employee engagement. decisions were made and what caused the failure.
2. Rebuild trust: Explain what you learned from the experience; your
Are You an INFLUENCER or a CONTROLLER? 05 employees will appreciate humility. Show you’re a team member, not
Burnout an unapproachable boss.
As a leader, you have the ability to affect people’s lives. From your employees to your clients, how you go
3. Maintain motivation: Keep everyone focused on goals. Show how
about doing your job makes a difference. Basically, there are two options: Be an influencer or a controller. If you’re working too much, their efforts contribute to company success. Focus on the positives;
your employees probably reward and recognize the good things.
Controllers get their way by overlooking others and Influencers build up their teams and elicit
are too – or at least feel 4. Make adjustments: Find ways to capitalize on what went wrong and
promoting themselves. They focus on self-interest enthusiasm. They seek mutual benefit to gain
pressured to do the same. build on lessons learned. Quickly adjust and make changes.
and manipulation. As Pete Hinojosa writes in his book success and have a desire to help others.
Influencer Incorporated, “Controllers brighten up a 5. Keep taking risks: When making decisions, consider the impact if the
room when they leave.” risk doesn’t work out. Sometimes you just go for it.
6. Ignore the noise: Tune out opinions that have no influence on your
Going forward, know that you can do much more as an influencer than as a controller.
goals. The opinions of your employees and clients are what matter.
*Source: Influencer Incorporated by A.G. “Pete” Hinojosa
 COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTING
Insperity // Guide to Leadership and Management // page 5

5 Proven Ways to Connect With Your Team

The better you know your employees – understanding their interests, recognizing
Three Tips for Dealing
their strengths – the better position you’ll be in to help them, and your company, With Conflict
continue to succeed. Good communication helps maintain engagement, develop It’s not unusual for disagreements to occur in the workplace. Miscommunication is a frequent source of
loyalty and increase productivity. How can you help develop lasting relationships? conflict, which can range from not setting clear expectations to making false assumptions about other
employees. On the other hand, conflict can be a good thing when opposing views are discussed openly
in determining best practices. When discord occurs under your watch, keep these in mind:
One Two Three Four Five
Learn to put
yourself in your
Be vulnerable. The
fastest way to earn
Make sure you’re
invested in your
Strike a balance
between listening
Avoid over-
communicating
1 Avoid using the term “conflict.” Many see it as a strong negative.
Use “disagreement” instead.
employees’ respect is to be real. employees. Be and talking. Being or micromanag-
shoes and look at
things from their
For your employees
to trust you, they
their advocate, give
them exposure to
attentive to
employee input
ing. Be sure to
give employees a
2 Have conversations individually. Be objective and listen carefully
to all sides.
perspective. This have to see you as other parts of the counts as much as degree of latitude
helps you gain a regular person company, and help communicating to use their best 3 Consider a pre-emptive approach by organizing conflict-resolution
sessions led by a trained professional. Left to their own devices,
insights into who is willing to develop them. individual and judgment toward people will avoid, confront, or seek neutrality when conflict
their challenges. admit mistakes. company goals. solving problems. happens. Conflict resolution helps your employees develop
skills to solve disagreements on their own.

The Importance of

Setting
Remembering that you have a business rather than a personal
relationship with others can help keep things professional and polite.

Expectations Invest the Time in Building Chemistry

Having your employees understand what is expected of them should not be set on auto-
pilot. Things change throughout the year, and those changes need to be communicated. Develop a good relationship with each employee to build your team.
Without clear expectations, the most productive efforts by employees may be misaligned There are some characteristics that cohesive teams share:
with the company’s needs.
I ntegrity The employees you want to have on
The more often you meet with your employees – individually, as a group, or both – the better understanding your team are committed to doing what’s right.
there will be among everyone involved. The meetings do not have to take long, but the objective is to Having integrity sets the foundation for you and
achieve clarity about roles and accountability between you and your team. your employees to respect and trust one another.

Connect individual expectations to the company’s goals Accountability If your expectations are clear for
so that your employees understand how their roles fit in your employees, they will perform to the best of
with those goals. their ability, knowing that everyone on the team
Work on developing solid relationships with employees is accountable.
so they feel comfortable enough to trust you and your
decision-making. I mproved processes This gets better with time.
Your employees get to know each other and how
Follow up on each conversation about expectations with they work, which can lead to better results for
your employees – in writing. your company.

Our emerging workforce is
not interested in command-
and-control leadership.
They don’t want to do things
because I said so; they want
to do things because they
want to do them.
Irene Rosenfeld
Our chief want is someone
who will inspire us to be
what we know we could be.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
By leadership we mean
the art of getting someone
else to do something that
you want done because he
wants to do it.
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower
Our ambitions must be
broad enough to include
the aspirations and needs of
others, for their sakes and
for our own.
César Chávez
No man will make a great leader who
wants to do it all himself or get all the
credit for doing it.
Andrew Carnegie
Surround yourself with the best
people you can find, delegate
authority, and don’t interfere….
Ronald Reagan
LEADERSHIP QUOTES
Insperity // Guide to Leadership and Management // page 7
A leader ... is like a A leader is one who knows the way,
goes the way, and shows the way Management is
shepherd. He stays doing things right;
John C. Maxwell
behind the flock, letting It is not fair to ask of others what
you are not willing to do yourself. leadership is doing
the most nimble go the right things.
Eleanor Roosevelt
out ahead, whereupon
Peter F. Drucker
It’s all about
the others follow, not the people
realizing that all along
A leader takes people where they want
at the end to go. A great leader takes people
they are being directed where they don’t necessarily want to
of the day. go, but ought to be.
from behind. Paul J. Sarvadi
Rosalynn Carter
Nelson Mandela
A genuine leader is not a searcher for The most important thing to do if you find
consensus but a molder of consensus. yourself in a hole is to stop digging.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Warren Buffett
My grandfather once told
me that there were two
Leadership is about making others
kinds of people; those
who do the work and
better as a result of your presence
those who take the credit.
He told me to try to be in
the first group; there was
much less competition. and making sure that impact lasts
in your absence.
Indira Gandhi
Sheryl Sandberg
 COMPANY CULTURE
Insperity // Guide to Leadership and Management // page 9

So What is a 7 Steps to Building

Company In the simplest of terms, your company
culture is the personality of your
Culture?
organization. It’s what you stand for,
and its cornerstones are your mission,
your vision and your values.
an Effective Culture
An effective company culture makes employees feel good, but your focus should be on helping your
employees do their jobs better, so your business runs as efficiently and effectively as possible.
These seven components help you foster a positive company culture.

You and your executive team need to devote time and effort to lay this foundation. If you don’t, someone will Set clear and specific expectations. Maintain open, honest communication.
fill in the gap. And you’ll look around one day and say, “This isn’t what I planned. What happened?” Make sure your employees know the purpose Talk. Listen. Share ideas. Be honest. Sweeping
behind their jobs, so they can focus on goals issues under the rug won’t solve problems
Begin with the basics:
and help your company forge ahead. and may make things worse over time.
Your mission A good vision Values
statement tells the world statement describes what your are what you and your employees Explain the big picture connection. Take time to recognize success and learn
why you’re in business. company aspires to be down the road. believe, and how you’ll behave. Knowing how their work contributes to your from failures.
Keep it brief. It should have emotion and motivate. Build your culture from your values. business gives your employees a sense of Tell your employees when they do well. You’ll
belonging and value that is motivating. be surprised how far a “thank you” or “good
job” can go. Recognize their successes in front
Get your leadership team on the same page. of the entire team.
Your leaders must focus on the same goals
and destination to avoid wrong turns. Give them room to grow.
Many business owners are redefining their Expanding their skill sets and applying them
company culture in order to create a more Hold employees accountable. can be more attractive to many employees
Let your employees own their work. Don’t than a larger paycheck.
appealing workplace that will win over micromanage, but hold each person
candidates who can afford to be choosy. responsible for pulling his or her own weight.

Does Your Culture How well do your Is there a level of

4 Ways to Sabotage Your Company Culture
Need Resuscitating? employees enjoy accountability and
their work? responsibility? Don’t worry about candidates before you hire them. Don’t keep up with technology.
It’s not too late to revive a culture that’s flat-lined. Coming to work Taking ownership Job candidates want an experience with your Tablets, laptops and smartphones may be a
You can design a workplace your employees won’t shouldn’t bring makes employees company, and that’s your job. Follow up in a timely cost-effective way to keep employees happy
want to leave. Start by asking these questions: feelings of dread. feel connected. manner. Exhibit an interest, ask questions. Streamline and avoid the financial drain of top talent
your interview process to respect your candidates’ leaving for more tech-savvy employers.
Are your Is there a sense How do you invest in time, and they’ll be more enthusiastic, whether
employees engaged? of camaraderie your employees? they’re hired or not.
Believing what they do and respect? Recognition and rewards Don’t expect leadership to adopt the culture.
matters to the company People like to be (monetary or otherwise) Don’t think about work arrangements during the Culture trickles down from the top. Employees
and its mission leads to involved and know for a job well done show interview process. want to know key decision-makers and how
committed employees. their word and that you value the work Evaluate your business needs before committing their jobs contribute to your business goals.
work are trusted. of your employees. to a remote work agreement, and make sure your Host a monthly company meeting. Or, have
candidates know if they’ll be expected in the office managers sit with their teams in an open
Answer these questions honestly. Now you’re ready to begin the task of recreat- every day before they are hired. workspace that supports team communication.
ing a company culture that will make your competition envious.
 TRAINNING
DEVELOPMENT
AND DEVELOPMENT
Insperity // Guide to Leadership and Management // page 11

6 Ways to Foster Independence and Innovation 4 Secrets to Getting the

No one likes a micromanager. Set up your staff for self-guided success – without
losing control – by creating a culture of independent thinking and creativity.
Most Out of High Performers
1. Provide context to your employees’ work and why it matters. 1 Don’t bark up the wrong tree. Use measurable performance
outputs to help identify high performers.
2. Spell out expectations and guidelines up front, but trust employees to execute their work creatively.
3. Expect some failures. Look at blunders as a part of your training budget.
4. Deal with any issues on a case-by-case basis rather than implementing companywide policies to address 2 Remove roadblocks by identifying obstacles that might
prevent high performers from doing an even-better job.
a single situation.
5. Look at how you can adjust work-lifestyle requirements, like flexible scheduling, to make employees feel
more trusted and happy.
3 Understand their motivation. Many high performers are
self-motivated and enjoy repeatedly reaching and exceeding
expectations. Show them you recognize their success on a
6. Allow employees to develop their careers by providing opportunities to have professional achievements.
day-to-day basis.
Are your high
4 Learn from your high performers by looking at how they
produce the results you want, and sharing that information performers
5 Factors to Consider Before Granting a Promotion with the rest of your team.
ready to be
managers?
When Employees
Before you promote your
PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES NECESSARY TRAINING staff members, ask yourself
the following:
Aren’t Seeking
Professional Development: It’s Not Just Workshops Leadership
Do they have the motivation?
Are they driven to achieve
Once was a time when we thought attending a workshop addressed training and or have a need to advance?
development needs. But learning comes in many forms. Got an open position for a managerial role, but no When you understand
current employees are biting? You’re not alone. the motivation of your
employees, it will help predict
On-the-job learning Workshops and conferences In fact, according to CareerBuilder, only 34 percent their successes or struggles in
What employees do day-to-day, taking on projects Although attending conferences can be costly, of employees want to be a boss. new positions.
and working through new situations is probably the opportunity to challenge new thinking and
the number one way they learn. It’s often a gradual learn from industry professionals can provide an If this scenario sounds familiar, here’s what you need to do next: Do they have the skills?
process that adds to experience and knowledge. experience that will not only increase knowledge Those who are already
but employee satisfaction. • Ask employees about their aspirations. mentoring their peers, or
Mentoring Find out what keeps them motivated and engaged. It could be an have a good understanding
Having someone advise and guide your employees as One-to-one coaching informal leadership role is more up their alley. of the big picture, are
they take on new tasks and roles is indispensable. This Nothing replaces the value of regular coaching probably best equipped to
helps generate morale, relays institutional knowledge and feedback conversations to help employees • Examine your company’s work-life balance. be great leaders.
and builds the next leaders of your business. understand in “real time” how to accelerate or Is work interfering with your employees’ personal lives? If so, this
improve results. might be why they’re unwilling to take on more responsibility. Are they prepared
Online courses for leadership?
Many continuing education classes, as well as basic • Don’t push employees into leadership. Good feedback and proper
office skills, can be found online. This often takes the Respect your employees’ choices if they aren’t interested in development is essential
place of sending someone to a workshop – usually at leadership opportunities. Simply recognize that you need highly before employees move into
a cost saving. talented workers in all roles – not just managerial positions. new roles.
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