WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:04.559 Welcome to Backing Your Leadership. I'm Chris, Lorenzo and Lorenzo. In this 2 00:00:04.599 --> 00:00:09.000 episode, I want to talk about an infograph that I saw online. It 3 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:14.839 was kind of put out by Into it and the infograph is ten ways you're 4 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:19.199 making your employees less productive and I'm going to read them all, but there's 5 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:23.320 a couple of them that I want to focus on because I think they kind 6 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:28.800 of deserve more time because they're the ones that I see happening more often in 7 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:32.200 when it comes to leaders. Other ones of these, I'm sure they happen, 8 00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:38.399 but it's it's less a problem of an individual leader and more about company 9 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.840 culture as a whole, and so we don't necessarily to focus on those. 10 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:47.439 Number one is being a bottleneck, which is it's pretty obvious, you know, 11 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.600 give your employees more authority. Uh you know, if you're if you're 12 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:53.280 kind of trying to micromanage everything that they do, that's a that can be 13 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:59.679 an issue. Number two not truly delegating responsibilities. We've had episodes about this 14 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:03.280 on you know, delegating versus you know, assigning things or you know, 15 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:07.200 making people feel like you've delegated them something, but in actuality you're just kind 16 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:11.040 of expecting them to do your dirty work for you or things you don't want 17 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:15.400 to do. Number three is not conveying clear expectations. I mean, the 18 00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:19.000 clarity is the third is the middle tier of your of your three pillars, 19 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.480 you vision, clarity, and support. We could go on for episodes on 20 00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:29.159 not giving clear expectations. Number four is not giving useful feedback. Again, 21 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:34.000 we've talked about this ad infantum. You know, feedback needs to be very 22 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:37.879 specific on what a person did right or wrong, and it needs to be 23 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:42.079 something that they can use to make themselves better, not just something that they 24 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:46.400 can use to make your life easier as a leader. Number five is no 25 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:49.000 concentration time. You know, depending on the kind of environment that you're in, 26 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:53.439 that might be something that employees need. In the retail space a little 27 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:59.480 bit more difficult because the nature of the job. Number six is one of 28 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:00.560 the ones I want to really focus on. We'll come back to it in 29 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:06.239 a minute here, and that's neglecting employees needs for better job performance. Number 30 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.800 seven not letting people telecommute when the work allows it. And I think that's 31 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:14.439 that's amazing these you know, companies that have these blanket policies of we're all 32 00:02:14.840 --> 00:02:17.840 work from home or we're all in the office, that that one size fits 33 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:23.360 all thing is really one size fits none. UM Number eight insisting on a 34 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:25.439 doctor's note to take sick days. I mean, I don't know that I 35 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:30.800 could work for a company that wanted that. Most most times I've been sick, 36 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:31.680 I don't need to go to a doctor, right Like, this is 37 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.800 just I don't want to don't want to spread it to my coworkers. UM 38 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.319 Number nine is the second one that I really want to focus on, and 39 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:42.759 that's scrimping on training time. So we'll go back to that one. And 40 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.879 then lastly, creating a climate of fear and anxiety, which is kind of 41 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:50.280 just an overall. You know, if there's no psychological safety, if people 42 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:53.039 can't challenge each other, then that that can be a problem when it comes 43 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:57.960 to leadership. But let's go back to number six because I think this is 44 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:02.159 something that I see often is neglecting employees needs for better job performance. That 45 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:06.599 the infograph says most employees won't speak up on their own if they need a 46 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:10.439 faster computer, newer software, or are their tools. Being proactive and asking 47 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:16.879 what your team needs? Are I this isn't just when it comes to like 48 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:23.159 the tools I know, on and on every engagement survey that I've ever administered, 49 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:25.039 there's always people who say that they don't have the tools that they need 50 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:30.159 to get their work done. But when I where I see neglecting employees needs 51 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:32.919 for better job performance, it's when I see leaders make decisions that are in 52 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:38.520 the moment that might be beneficial for that moment, but that are eroding their 53 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:43.479 the employees trust in them long term in order to get that, you know, 54 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:46.479 that whatever that eke of performances for that moment. When what do you 55 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.120 think about this one? Yeah, I think there's there's two things that's they 56 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:51.120 got to be most here. I think you talked a little bit about it. 57 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.520 But like there's some systems and processes where, um, you know, 58 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:58.759 you've ever gone anywhere, shopped anywhere to anything where somebody's just like, I'm 59 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:01.199 so sorry. These computers are so slow. They're always so slow, you 60 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:04.400 know, like you know, yeah, yeah, I wish I could do 61 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:09.280 that, but unfortunately we can't. Like you find these systems and processes that 62 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:13.840 are either antiquated, they haven't been adjusted. They could be fixed, you 63 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:15.480 know, And of course think some of these costs money and things like that. 64 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:18.160 But if at the end of the day, where you're trying to create 65 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:23.120 is the opportunity for your employees to be more effect more efficient, more effective, 66 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:26.279 and mean more productive, these are things that you must address. So 67 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:29.160 I think that there is a systems and tools and processes part of this, 68 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:30.439 and I think the other piece of it is what you also spoke a little 69 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:34.480 bit about, which is the kind of the in the moment element of understanding 70 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:41.000 from the team what do they need? Are you asking the question around like 71 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:44.120 if there's something here that we could do that would help you to be more 72 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.279 productive, or is there something here that would help you to accomplish the things 73 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:51.040 that you work on in a faster manner, more efficient manner like If you're 74 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:56.680 not asking those questions proactively to kind of discover what these things might be, 75 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:59.240 you'll never know. If you can address them quickly, you can make a 76 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:02.000 small tweak, you can you know, maybe bubble some of the information up, 77 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:04.720 and then what it ends up happening to your point is that you wait 78 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:09.040 once or twice a year and say do you feel like you have the tools 79 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:11.199 to do your job? And then somebody's like no, right, like, 80 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:16.079 instead of constantly having dialogue around that. And I think that that's something that 81 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.279 when you start to ask these types of questions, you start to find out 82 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:25.560 there are some really easy, small fixes that can be done that not only 83 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.920 can help the team and individuals become more productive, but it gives them a 84 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:34.040 chance to know that they're they're having an impact on whether it be the strategy 85 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:39.240 or the approach, and they start to feel more empowered to continue to share 86 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:43.720 the things that would be helpful in making people more productive and more efficient in 87 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:46.360 their roles. Yeah, that's so true that I think where I see this 88 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:53.360 happen in leaders, they think that it's it's not that they believe that all 89 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:58.879 it's needed is the decision in the moment. It's that they rationalize that this 90 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:01.680 particular moment in time, whatever it is, is an emergency. You know, 91 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:04.519 it's it's I need. I can't focus on the long term needs of 92 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:09.279 my employees. I need to focus on the performance of the moment because this 93 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:12.560 is the pressing customer. This is the pressing client. This is the moment 94 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.600 where we don't have enough resources and we need to ask people to kind of 95 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:18.160 pull out all the stops. You know, there will never be a shortage 96 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.519 of those things. There will never that will never go away. There will 97 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:29.360 always be something that you can find as a distraction for long term job performance 98 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:34.480 and productivity and commitment out of your employees. And the reason why leaders do 99 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:41.639 that is because it's tough. It's hard to do the things necessary, harder 100 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:46.519 to do the things necessary for long term job performance than it is for the 101 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.600 moment, because it requires genuine investment in the relationship between you and the employee. 102 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:56.279 It requires knowing what makes each employee tick, you know, neglecting employees 103 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:59.839 needs for better job performance. It could be as simple as whatever type of 104 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.639 recognition they want for the job performance they've already done. And in your mind 105 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:05.160 you might be thinking, well, that's their job, like they should be 106 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:10.240 doing their job. Yeah, So if the difference between them doing well or 107 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:14.959 not doing well is feeling like they're being recognized for doing well, then guess 108 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:17.680 what. That's your job as a leader is to make them feel recognized for 109 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:21.519 the job that they're doing, even if they're doing things that you would consider 110 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:26.519 to be cost of admission, like, yeah, here's your recognition, it's 111 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:30.680 the paycheck, right, and you think, let's recognize them for going above 112 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.319 and beyond or doing something out of the ordinary. I mean, you better 113 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:38.560 be doing that too. But just feeling recognized in the moment, in the 114 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:42.040 way that they want to be recognized is a really important thing for a lot 115 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.839 a lot of employees. And sometimes what employees need in order to perform better 116 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:53.360 is they've lost that connection to the overall mission or vision of the organization or 117 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:56.879 your team. They feel like they're just going through the motions and you being 118 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:01.199 able to kind of bring them back into that and really define why it is 119 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:05.439 that your organization exists and why it is that they're being asked to do certain 120 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:07.920 things. Being able to tie that back in is really difficult for leaders to 121 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.639 do if they don't, if they aren't in the habit of doing it all 122 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:13.680 the time, because they can lose sight of it themselves, and then they 123 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.920 can start going through the motions because they just in their mind, it's the 124 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.040 job, it's what they're supposed to do. And if they lose that tie 125 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.000 into the broader mission, it may not impact a leader's ability to perform at 126 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:31.600 the at the highest level from a job delivery standpoint, but you know where 127 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:35.320 it will impact a leader's performance is in their ability to bring their team along, 128 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:41.360 because if they aren't seeing that vision and that mission in their daily work, 129 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.039 there's no way they can convince their team that that mission and that vision 130 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:48.279 is alive and well in the daily work. Yeah. No, I agree 131 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:52.519 with that completely. I think that you know, again, in the context 132 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:58.360 of having employees be less productive, what you spoke about from recognition to just 133 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:03.159 overall engagement, understanding, interacting with the team unders you know, like like 134 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:11.320 not just understanding what's happening, but being a part of bringing the team in 135 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:13.799 and building strategy collectively. I think as the leader, like I think there's 136 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:20.679 many times when you know, we spend time in leadership kind of implementing strategies 137 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:22.879 that are being asked of us to go out there and kind of execute and 138 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:30.399 validate, and finding the times to bring the team in and make them a 139 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.840 part of that dialogue. I think in this context is so important because what 140 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.240 you're really asking for is like, how do we how do we become more 141 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:41.720 productive, not for the sake of just like the outcome or the output in 142 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:46.679 that being the major priority, but for the idea of building a team where 143 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:52.039 people have a pride in the collective results that they have, and they want 144 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:56.120 to be able to be more you know, more productive because they know that 145 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:00.799 they're capable of being more productive and that this is something that we are all 146 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.080 working on together and we're solving together. And I think that that's such an 147 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:09.720 important part of, you know, building a culture of a high performing team 148 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:13.879 is that people not only want to just do what's expected, but they are 149 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:18.159 saying, like, what other ways can we do things to make this where 150 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:22.480 we are all affective more effective together and that we can be very proud of 151 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:26.000 the outcomes that we produce. The other one I want to go over here 152 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:28.840 is number nine on the list, which is scrimping on training. You know, 153 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:33.159 this is this is a tale as old as time and a lot of 154 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:39.120 organizations. I you and I worked for the same organization for many years where 155 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.080 we saw the amount of time devoted to training for let's just call it, 156 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:48.679 a brand new employee just plummeted and it just you know, little little bits 157 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:54.000 taking away here and there. I remember, I remember running new employee orientation 158 00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:00.840 for many employees over the years when the time that I was even as a 159 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.960 leader to kind of organize this and actually deliver it to a group of new 160 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.600 employees. Went from thirty or thirty five hours over the course of the first 161 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:13.000 week or first two weeks to all of a sudden four or eight hours where 162 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:16.320 half of it was the videos that we were expected to show them, and 163 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:20.559 then the rest of it was what they said, basically is well, you 164 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:24.320 know, it's better for them if they learn while doing, which sounds really 165 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:26.519 good, right, like I learned better while doing. That doesn't mean, 166 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.720 you know, throw them into the deep end of the pool and hope they 167 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:35.840 hope they survive. Learning by doing needs to be a very intentional part of 168 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:41.720 training that coincides with a lot of the other materials or interactions that you're having. 169 00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:45.440 Getting to know people, meeting, the meeting your coworkers, and then 170 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:48.679 learning by doing is something that is done when you believe they already have the 171 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:52.120 tools and the knowledge they need and now it's time for them to demonstrate what 172 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:56.720 they've learned. It's not let's change the color of the shirt this person's wearing 173 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:01.399 so that so that clients and customers don't they understand that, oh, this 174 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:05.120 person and is not a good representation of the brand yet, so don't judge 175 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:09.559 us too harshly by their interactions and then let's let's see what they can do. 176 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:13.360 That is that's a terrible way one to make an employee feel like they're 177 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.519 part of a new organization. That's a terrible way to uphold your brand standards 178 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:20.399 as an organization. And it's why a lot of employees end up burning out 179 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:22.600 and leaving during the first six months because they feel like they've been hung out 180 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.440 to dry. You know, the training that is required for not just new 181 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:31.559 employees, but ongoing for employees in order to just you know, learn whatever 182 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:35.240 is new, but also to revisit things that they may not have revisited is 183 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:39.600 so important. And a lot of leaders believe that it's like a one in 184 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:43.360 done. Well, you learned this one seven years ago, we can we 185 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:48.480 don't have to revisit this anymore. Your time is better spent earning money for 186 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.120 the organization, not sitting in front of a computer. And and that is 187 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:54.919 a it's a really dangerous mindset, I think for leaders to go through if 188 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:58.440 they think that that no training is needed, or at least very little is 189 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:01.919 needed and it's all about what they're doing in the moment. Yeah, I 190 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:05.240 think it's it's always one of the first things that typically is looked at when 191 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:09.559 it comes to things like cost cutting and adjustments and whatnot. And and I, 192 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:11.480 you know, firmly believe that when you recruit and hire people, you 193 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:16.279 want to find people that have talent already in skill already in the job that 194 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:18.759 you have. I think that just makes sense when you can When you can 195 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.879 do that, that doesn't mean, however, that they are clear on what 196 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:26.480 exactly it is that you know, uh, and how we do things in 197 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:31.720 this certain scenario or there's certain organization. And I think that that training piece 198 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.399 is important because it's not just about the time spent, like how do I 199 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:37.919 work a system? How do I do this? What's the approach here? 200 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:43.320 But there's an element of building trust and bonding a team that happens with both 201 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:48.039 the trainer who is working with them, and that becomes kind of this um 202 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:52.320 kind of in many cases, this this unassigned mentor um that's bringing this person 203 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:56.200 into an organization, but also the other people that are being hired along with 204 00:13:56.279 --> 00:13:58.480 them. That team building an element of the time they get together to learn 205 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:03.799 together, to figure things out, to understand what the new job expectations are, 206 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:07.759 to establish those relationships. When you cut that training short, you're also 207 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:11.919 cutting short those opportunities to build those relationships that are going to need to be 208 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.799 leveraged when people run up against things that maybe they've never seen before, or 209 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:22.480 our difficulties, or you know, they don't have necessarily the relationships or the 210 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.279 trust yet to go and be vulnerable to say, hey, I'm struggling with 211 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:28.960 this or I don't know how to do this? Can you show me if 212 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:31.240 that time hasn't happened. And a lot of times that happens over the course 213 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:35.519 of training, because that's the space where you can say you're here to be 214 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:39.960 trained on something that you've never done before or not done here, so it's 215 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:41.399 okay for us not to know the answers, and so like, the more 216 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:45.399 time that you have that space, the more opportunities you have for people to 217 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.399 really connect on an individual level, on a personal level, which is really 218 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:54.000 helpful as they kind of onboard into the organization and with the rest of the 219 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:58.240 team, right, And it's also important for kind of just for making sure 220 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:05.480 that the exp dictations are continually met as you move forward. Some of the 221 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:09.679 most untrained employees I've ever met aren't people who've been in the job for six 222 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:13.559 months. The people who've been in the job six years. They the way 223 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:18.320 that they execute what they think they're supposed to be doing, you can tell 224 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:22.279 that it had there's been this kind of game of telephone that has happened over 225 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:26.000 the course of the six years they've been with the organization where maybe the way 226 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:31.120 they executed something was done really well, and then very slowly over time, 227 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:37.960 it eroded, and it eroded because there was not the continued commitment to making 228 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:41.919 sure that the brand standards were followed and that the interaction standards were followed and 229 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:46.399 that you know, you cut little corners here and there, and eventually that 230 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.799 becomes the way. And then, you know where that really impacts you is 231 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:52.440 when you think, oh, this is a senior person who's here, they 232 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:56.080 really know what they're doing. Let's put the new employees with them, because 233 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:58.840 they know what they're doing. And then you get new employees who are trained 234 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.279 the wrong way of doing things because they're being trained by somebody who really doesn't 235 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:06.279 know how to do it the right way themselves, and they haven't done it 236 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:08.879 the right way for years. And so when you're talking about, you know, 237 00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:15.120 being very intentional on training new employees. It starts with being very intentional 238 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:18.840 on making sure that all of your seasoned employees really not just know what they're 239 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.039 supposed to do, but they execute it well. They can't just regurgitate it 240 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:26.159 to you and then they dismiss you when you walk away and then do things 241 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:29.240 the way they want to do, but they are held accountable to a standard 242 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.679 of what that execution looks like, so they can be trusted to, you 243 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:36.159 know, convey that information to new employees. That's how you have the slow 244 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:40.600 degradation of a brand over time. And you hear that from from customers. 245 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:44.320 Customers and clients that will that will reach out and say, this isn't what 246 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.559 I thought it was going to be. Right, I had a different experience 247 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:49.639 in in one location versus another location. If there's if there's a multi location 248 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:56.840 organization, if you can make sure that you're your seasoned employees who you send 249 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:00.679 these new employees to know what they're doing, you will be You'll be doing 250 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.640 a lot for the brand standards as a whole, because the new employee will 251 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.559 understand, oh, no, this is a job expectation is to do these 252 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:12.640 things. You know, we adhere to these standards because we see the value 253 00:17:12.680 --> 00:17:17.559 in adhering to them over the long term and with every person absolutely. And 254 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:19.440 with that it brings us to this episode's one minute hack. That first, 255 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:22.880 a few words from our sponsors. All right, for this episode ae minute 256 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:26.440 hackers we want you to do. We're going to post a link to this 257 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:29.400 infograph in the podcast description, so open it up and look at it. 258 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:33.880 Remember that productivity is how do you make sure that you're getting the most out 259 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:37.759 of the resources that you have time? People? You know, whatever is 260 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:42.079 that you have is always going to be finite from a resource standpoint. What 261 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:45.920 are you doing to get the most out of those resources? And a lot 262 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:51.400 of times what that means to leaders is talking about a person's productivity. Hey, 263 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:53.720 how well did you do this last month or this last quarter? How 264 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:59.440 long do you actually spend talking about productivity as a goal. What do you 265 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:02.359 think of the things that we can do to be more productive? How are 266 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.359 you asking your people to be involved in that conversation on ways that they think 267 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:10.559 the organization can do things differently in order to be more productive. Read through 268 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:14.720 these lists of ten things and think about the ways where you might be you 269 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:18.440 know, making your employees less productive. Where the things that kind of jump 270 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:19.839 out to you as saying, oh, you know what, maybe I do 271 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:22.559 this a little too much. Maybe I can focus on this element of it. 272 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:26.279 Because productivity isn't something to look back on and say, oh, this 273 00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:29.880 is what you did, now try to get better. It's something you have 274 00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:33.079 to look forward on and talk about the things that can be done in the 275 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:36.839 moment in order to improve it. Not just tell your employees, hey, 276 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:40.359 this was your level of productivity, now change it or get better. If 277 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:42.000 they don't know how to change your get better, then it will be no 278 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:45.039 more than just the same as it was, you know, the previous month 279 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:48.079 of the previous quarter. Help them get better on it by making sure that 280 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:51.680 you're not the one hurting their productivity to begin with. Yeah, I think 281 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:53.079 it's a great hack. And when I look at some of these, I 282 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:57.000 like that you think that you considered and talked about like self reflection and where 283 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.279 things that we can work on, Because there are definitely a few of these 284 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:06.480 that over time I would have held on too heavily as a leader and been 285 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:08.799 like nope, like I have to be the one that rubber stamps everything that 286 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:11.119 we're going to do. And that's like being the bottleneck, right. And 287 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:15.920 there's been times when it's like, you know, like like where I'm not 288 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:21.240 really truly delegating responsibilities. Maybe I'm assigning something, but I'm also very much 289 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:25.240 micromanager in all way too much involved in that. There are times when it's 290 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:29.920 like, hey, you know, I'm not I'm not being clear enough about 291 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.920 my expectations. Like. These are all things that I think from a leadership 292 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:37.839 standpoint, that many of us have either worked through or continuing to work on. 293 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:40.920 And so I think a part of that is is this taking the time 294 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:44.079 to look through these and think about it and being like, well, am 295 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:48.519 I this as a result of like something that's out of my control. Like 296 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:51.920 it's like like the insisting on a doctor's note to take sick days like that 297 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:56.920 might be a company policy somewhere like So you might not have any flexibility per 298 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.480 se in some of these type situations, but most of the time you do. 299 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:03.920 Most of the time as a leader of people, you have some leeway 300 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:07.200 in a lot of these that you know really should be considered and thought about 301 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:11.880 when you are looking to help to make your team more productive. Right, 302 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:15.519 The two that I look at for me are ones that I initially thought, 303 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.039 oh, this don't apply, This doesn't apply to me. But if you 304 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:21.799 look at it, if you if you really look deeply into it, it's 305 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:22.839 where I kind of have to look at myself in the mirror a little bit. 306 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.440 Number four not giving useful feedback. The first thing I thought was I 307 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:30.720 give plenty of feedback. Ok, okay, The keyword here is useful feedback. 308 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:36.519 Is the feedback you're giving actually things that your employees can take with them 309 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:41.200 to get better at their job. Are they You're giving plenty of feedback, 310 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.400 But if it's ata boys, that doesn't really do much for the employee in 311 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:47.680 order to you know, continue doing the good things and to stop doing the 312 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:49.599 things that are that are kind of hurting their career. And then number ten 313 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:52.839 creating a climate of fear and anxiety. You know, I read that as 314 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:57.640 as like one whole thing and think I don't create a climate of fear anywhere. 315 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:00.319 It's like no, no, no. The the operitive word here possibly 316 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:04.000 might be anxiety. Maybe you don't rule with an iron fist and create fear 317 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:07.440 in your in your teams. But if you always seem like you're running around 318 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:10.839 like a chicken with its head cut off. You could be creating climate of 319 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:14.359 anxiety in your people where they feel like, what is what is Chris going 320 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:18.680 to be worried about in the moment. Let's let's figure out how best to 321 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:22.880 mitigate the anxiety that Chris brings to the team. And that's a great way 322 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:27.200 to get your employees not focusing on what the long term goals are, but 323 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:30.119 really just focusing on whatever fire they think you're going to be throwing out at 324 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:33.920 them in the moment. So look at these word for word and don't think 325 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:37.160 that's a you know, it's an overarching thing. You might not create any 326 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:40.720 fear of your employees at all, but you may be creating anxiety. You 327 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.039 may give a ton of feedback, but it's not useful. Absolutely, And 328 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.920 with that it makes us to the end of this episode, this is ACU 329 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:49.160 leadership. I'm Lorenzo and I'm Chris, and we'll talk to you all next time.