Engaging Your People for Success with Lisa Askwith

Value Creation through Career Paths and accessible Training Opportunities- Your people need to feel valued and this is a key step to achieving that.

Ensure you have fair, achievable and accessible career paths and training opportunities that are supported by an exceptional leadership team.

In order to make you the best leader you can be you need to embrace this key area and ensure you are supporting it.

This is important for a few reasons; Employee’s will stay if they can follow a pathway that is clear and supported Career paths provide brilliant ways for employees to gain further training and be of greater value to your business, as well as themselves. Staff progressing through the business and staying helps promote a culture that is positive and rewarding, and encourages shared success Staff feel more valued and therefore more engaged if they can follow a career path This Engages your People and leads to innovation and improved culture which directly positively impacts the bottom line

Developing your Personal Leadership- Always focus on this

You may not have given much thought to how adults learn and retain knowledge, but in fact research shows they can be broken into 3 different learning styles….now these are not exclusive, there is overlap, but generally people are more dominant in one area. Knowing this will help you understand how your audience reacts to uptake of knowledge and will help you streamline and prepare key communications with your people. These are; Visual learner Auditory learner Kinesthetic learner

Empathy and Value creation is a key pillar to Future Proofing you leadership skills- This is what your people demand. Hence focus on Servant leadership and Coaching to help get you there.

Servant Leadership- Originally coined by Greenleaf in the 1970’s- A key to your success

Servant leadership is a method of development for leaders. Servant leadership stresses the importance of the role a leader plays as the steward of the resources of the group, and teaches leaders to serve others while still achieving the goals set forth by the business.

“The servant-leader is the servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions”

Greenleaf- The ten principles of servant leadership

1. Listening. 2. Empathy. 3. Healing. 4. Awareness. 6. Conceptualization. 7. Foresight. 8. Stewardship. 9. Commitment to the Growth of People. 10. Building Community.

Coaching Coaching is one of the key traits of an outstanding leader, and the skills you gain through practicing this will lead you to uncovering new ideas, needs, and strategies by working with your people. This naturally starts to future proof your leadership skills and keeps you ahead of the competition.. It is something that can be learned and will set you apart as a great leader if you can master the habits and make them part of your leadership style. Coaching is defined in many ways. The essence of coaching is: To help a person change in the way they wish and help them go in the direction they want to go. Coaching supports a person at every level in becoming who they want to be. Coaching builds awareness and empowers choice that leads to change. It unlocks a person’s potential to maximise their performance. Coaching helps them to learn rather than teaching them.

Coaching is a learned skill, and like a muscle it is one of those things that can be developed with training and use. The more you practice it the stronger it gets, until it becomes second nature and forms a key part of your core business skill set.

Learn to communicate and collaborate

Communication and collaboration are vital to achieving a streamlined team. Every opportunity to foster teamwork should be embraced, this is a mindset shift for many leaders who are used to ‘telling’ instead of involving themselves. Group training that features Agile based games and exercises can also build bonds and be enjoyable, if you are struggling to achieve this. This aids in the development of effective communication.

Be transparent (as much as possible)

Sharing responsibility and being accountable are key factors in transparency. That means not just holding your team accountable, but you too! At the end of the day, it is a team effort. Withholding data or important information will do more harm than good, as will being directive without discussion or acceptance of ideas. Transparency in giving performance feedback and tracking growth and development boosts team morale. Don’t miss out on using these core skills.

Stay humble and reflect- This is the hardest mindset shift for many leaders!

Human error can sometimes produce negative outcomes. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, you should be able to take it as a learning experience and move on. Fail fast- fail forward- this helps keep everyone on track. People make mistakes for various reasons, understand them first and then you have the opportunity for growth and learning to occur.

Develop you agile mindset skills to the point they are second nature

The agile mindset places value on constant improvement, in today's constantly changing workplace this is a great benefit to you!. This is applied to software, techniques, and the people involved. Things and people always have room to improve and reach their highest potential, therefore growth and progress is an ongoing process. It also doesn’t just benefit employees. It boosts the performance of the firm as a whole, adn allows you to engage as a leader across all spectrums of the business and the people's needs. This is what will help future proof your leadership.

Don’t let your business suffer, let me help you make your business the best that it can be by utilizing your greatest assets, Your People!!!!

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

The value needs around training are the biggest driver in the current and future workforce, so that means you need to be agile in your thinking as this is a big change from the previous 20 years. This is why building your leadership mindset, and being agile your self is so key to future proofing your leadership.

Embrace Continuous Learning

You no longer have all the answers, and if you want to be a future proof leader, you need to acet this and look at the solution. The solution is continuous learning, allowing yourself to keep challenging assumptions and grow in your role. This is key to keeping you ahead of change and dealing with crises. If you run a department this should also be an area you focus on for your people. They want continuous learning as they know it future proofs their careers. So use this to your benefit, allow yourself and others to access learning and focus on developing a learning culture in your team or business. This is a win-win as it supports your people, improves revenue, and creates a positive and supportive culture. Don't miss out on this key opportunity.

To help you get there, or your leaders get there, you might need to make a key mindset shift, and that is to embrace Agile thinking into your leadership tool kit, and have it become a part of your everyday thought process.

Agile Leadership is key to your business success and to Future Proofing your Leadership skills

The Agile Manifesto which was software focussed also sums up what we need to do to future proof our leadership skills- probably not surprising as this is looking at new Technology and your leadership skills need to be doing the same, especially if you want to future proof your skills. This manifesto values the following:

“Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan.”

The core principles of Agile are:

Customer satisfaction is the top priority. Embrace logical change at every step of the project. Create working deliverables then gradually improve them. Business and tech people need to work together. Build projects around motivated teams to produce quality results. Face to face communication is preferred over other forms of interaction. A working product is the best measure of success. Aim for a sustainable pace of development. Invest sufficient time to produce quality products. There is power in simplicity. Self-organizing teams are ideal. You can learn valuable lessons from both failure and success.

Keeping these principles in mind can help you and your team to become more open-minded to the agile mindset approach. They are the core values that help to nurture more efficiency in teamwork. Hence they are goals you need to incorporate into your everyday work styl in order to start to develop your agile mindset.

Don’t let your business suffer, let me help you make your business the best that it can be by utilizing your greatest assets, Your People!!!!

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

Introduction- Part 1- Ep49- Future Leadership- Why is it Different? Each Series this season builds on core knowledge that will help you develop a world class People Engagement and leadership tool kit. Many episodes interlink and support each other in order to allow you to gain in depth knowledge of the strategies and key people needs that you can focus on in your business. Make sure you download the show notes for each episode as I will always include the key strategies so you can take them away to use for yourself or your business. These all come together in today's Season finale as we really focus on the future of leadership. Key Tips to get you started today It is very worthwhile that you keep in mind the rapidly changing workforce and its needs, as you are developing your people engagement tool kit. We are now regularly impacted by things such as; The Gig economy. Gen Y and beyond being more focused on finding something that fits culturally with their beliefs and having a high willingness to change roles if they don’t. The death of the long term job. Out of the box things like a global pandemic Constant change WFH Remote workforces AI Staff expect to feel valued An agile workplace is needed for success

Always keep these key changes in mind as they will affect the entire culture of your business, and hence the people. Your leadership team should always be planning for the future so staying aware of key trends and preparing to integrate them is another key aspect of engaging your people. Change is our working reality, don't be scared of it, instead look for ways to incorporate it into your business, and it will take you to greater levels of success. This is a key component of future proofing your leadership skills. The future of work will bring a number of challenges, such as a digital talent shortage and the need for a strong employer brand. Off the back of this, how we recruit, and form teams will change, so how we lead those teams will inevitably evolve. Plus over 70% of our workers will be millennials by 2025, this means value creation is key to your success.

You need to move your mindset to achieve an understanding of this, and for most leaders that means understanding the move from transactional leadership to transformational leadership. This is key to your success.

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

Introduction

People are the powerhouse behind everything, they are an intrinsic part of your business, and your everyday life. If you can't engage and work with them in a mutually beneficial style then everything suffers.

I passionately believe in not only ensuring your people are engaged, but in putting people at the centre of the work equation. Whilst the business, or product, or service, is still vitally important, it is the people that will ultimately make or break your company's success. If you have people or processes in your business that are a mismatch, it means your business cannot meet its full potential. If left unchecked the business and the culture can be badly impacted, as people tend to embed themselves and develop a poor culture around them to keep them safe in their roles. This is often a hidden area in any business, yet it can cause so much damage and needs to be prevented from happening, or fixed quickly if already well established.

I will take you through the steps for giving you many different ways in which you can structure your business to make sure that you can avoid hiring mismatches, and if you do, or already have them, allow you to remove them as quickly as possible.

If your hiring decisions have been 100% correct, then you are in rare territory. Most organizations experience some type of “people” issue at some point in their hiring processes. The new hire, for whatever reason, is not the person for the job or the organization. Sometimes this is easily resolved with training but what happens when it festers and nothing is done? What you do when you realize that there is a mismatch between the employee and the business, is critical for everyone's success. There are steps you can put in place to prevent this from happening in the future, and to manage it if it is already happening in your business. Regardless of the situation that you find yourself in, you want to have a system, and processes in place that allow for quick decisions, and successful resolutions.

A business mismatch is not just people and beliefs, it can also be processes and implementation. Both are key parts of what can make or break your business. Never forget to look deeper and examine the processes in your business, are they really as effective as they used to be, or has time and technology also made them a mismatch in your business? HINT- If you have been using the same process for over 5 years, you are missing an opportunity in your business to re-examine and change it to suit your current needs.

​Don't forget this key area, as it can be a major part of your cost improvement plan. Often old processes are more costly than you realise. It's easy to investigate them and the results can be amazing!!!

Key Issues to review- People and Recruitment Focus

Do the standard operating procedures and positions contain clear performance standards? Are performance 1:1 meetings occurring between leaders and their direct reports? Is there documentation on performance? Is there a policy or informal rule for 'probation'? Is there an arbitration clause in employment contracts? Make the decision sooner rather than later, focus on performance

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

One of the biggest process mismatches I see regularly occur across business of all levels is recruitment and onboarding. The gaps here are often huge You can easily avoid this!!!! I have talked about good recruitment techniques in Part 2 to keep you out of trouble. However when recruitment finishes and onboarding starts, it is another key risk area, one where mismatches often occur leading to either disengagement or staff members leaving soon after hire.

Good Onboarding

Done by the hiring manager Clear weekly agenda Time spent with the person to ensure any required training is clear and being utilized. Hiring manager to review all training with the new employee as it is finished/passed. Clear program set out for the entire length of probation, and run by the hiring manager- milestones, expectations and meetings. For the first week, the hiring manager should meet with the new employee daily at a minimum. For the entire length of probation the program should ensure the new employee has weekly/bi-weekly meetings with the new manager to review their feelings of settling in, success, training, needs, general work ability. Including 2 way feedback Fixed probation review meeting with workplace expectations that are clear and able to be reviewed. Clear objectives Most importantly- document everything!!!!

Probation

This can be your saving grace, and should be used if the employee is not meeting the standards required

In Job Contract Clear and legal terms Enforceable Monitored during entre length of Induction Hiring manager responsible for deciding on sign off and reviews Clear objectives to be met Include behavioral objectives to ensure the culture is upheld Clear steps in terms of feedback and opportunity to improve

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

Shows Previous: Episode 33-36 Continuous Improvement- Make money while you sleep! Next: Episode 41-44 Coach your way to Exceptional Leadership

Written by Lisa Askwith Director of ApexBRS | ApexBRS, Regional Director of See Global Media, Chair of EGN Singapore, and Associate Professor Cambridge Corporate University | At the Age of Change, providing the HR component of the Global Executive MBA and BBA. Lisa has worked for some of the largest companies in the world and successfully led restructures and change management programs in order to improve the bottom line through engaging the people for success, while developing exceptional leaders who can make a positive impact on Culture and long term business sustainability.

You can connect with Lisa on any of her platforms

LinkedIn Lisa Askwith - Director - Apex BRS https://www.apexbrs.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ApexBRS https://tockify.com/ibgrnetwork/pinboaird?search=lisa&startms=1602216000000

Think about the types of processes that run your business- the more you think about it the more you see just how many there are- recruitment, training, on boarding, payroll, tenders, Performance reviews, sales processes, manufacturing…….the list can literally go on and on….

Who is responsible for these processes? Who monitors there outcomes Does your business have an audit schedule for all processes? How do you know if a process is still serving your business or if it is causing a mismatch?

Don’t let fixed processes fool you. If you are in a business where there are lots of processes that require clear steps, and they have been that way for years, then you are creating a huge risk of mismatches. People will stay with the status quo, as it is known, and often even good employees who are normally innovative will not speak up, as they have become so used to the process, they simply do not see it any more.

The best way you can stay ahead of process mismatches in your business is develop a regular audit schedule of processes. Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

People mismatches and how to avoid them

Who owns the people process?....or do you even have a people process Does your Organisation chart really match how the people in the business are managed? Is there accountability for this? Who monitors new starters? How are performance reviews structured? Is there a clear induction process with steps that need to be achieved? Do your employment contracts clearly outline legal implications, such as probation, arbitration, appeals, etc. Who reviews long serving members? KPI’s? Do they include agreed behavioural ones? JD’s? Are they clear and followed by appraisals? Is there a culture that governs what is acceptable or is there a charter? Are staff held accountable? Is mentoring available? Who is accountable for addressing ‘people’ issues? Is the hiring manager fully involved in the entire process?

There is a huge range of areas around people that need a robust and clear plan, documentation, and support, to ensure you can identify and remove any mismatches as soon as possible. After years in business I can confidently say that it is much better to act sooner on this key issue, rather than later.

What You Need to Do

Determine the cause of the mismatch. Is this a mismatch or simply a miscommunication? Develop a plan for corrective action. This plan should be developed in consultation with the employee. Address the performance problem not the problem of the “person.” Document and communicate the plan with the employee in writing Execute the plan Evaluate progress Problem Solved, or Is it time for termination or reassignment. Review your existing Recruitment and Retention process to update or fill in any gaps that were discovered while evaluating the cause of the mismatch. Make sure that you have clauses in your contract that allow for a probationary period which will make it easier to terminate if a mismatch is found during the start of the employment period.

It's not just a great recruitment plan that helps you be able to prevent, or quickly recognise a mismatch in your business. There are 2 other critical steps you must be in control of, and have a robust structure around- On Boarding and Probation.

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

Introduction

People are the powerhouse behind everything, they are an intrinsic part of your business, and your everyday life. If you can't engage and work with them in a mutually beneficial style then everything suffers.

I passionately believe in not only ensuring your people are engaged, but in putting people at the centre of the work equation. Whilst the business, or product, or service, is still vitally important, it is the people that will ultimately make or break your company's success. If you have people or processes in your business that are a mismatch, it means your business cannot meet its full potential. If left unchecked the business and the culture can be badly impacted, as people tend to embed themselves and develop a poor culture around them to keep them safe in their roles. This is often a hidden area in any business, yet it can cause so much damage and needs to be prevented from happening, or fixed quickly if already well established.

I will take you through the steps for giving you many different ways in which you can structure your business to make sure that you can avoid hiring mismatches, and if you do, or already have them, allow you to remove them as quickly as possible.

If your hiring decisions have been 100% correct, then you are in rare territory. Most organizations experience some type of “people” issue at some point in their hiring processes. The new hire, for whatever reason, is not the person for the job or the organization. Sometimes this is easily resolved with training but what happens when it festers and nothing is done? What you do when you realize that there is a mismatch between the employee and the business, is critical for everyone's success. There are steps you can put in place to prevent this from happening in the future, and to manage it if it is already happening in your business. Regardless of the situation that you find yourself in, you want to have a system, and processes in place that allow for quick decisions, and successful resolutions.

A business mismatch is not just people and beliefs, it can also be processes and implementation. Both are key parts of what can make or break your business. Never forget to look deeper and examine the processes in your business, are they really as effective as they used to be, or has time and technology also made them a mismatch in your business? HINT- If you have been using the same process for over 5 years, you are missing an opportunity in your business to re-examine and change it to suit your current needs.

​Don't forget this key area, as it can be a major part of your cost improvement plan. Often old processes are more costly than you realise. It's easy to investigate them and the results can be amazing!!!

Key Issues to review- People and Recruitment Focus

Do the standard operating procedures and positions contain clear performance standards? Are performance 1:1 meetings occurring between leaders and their direct reports? Is there documentation on performance? Is there a policy or informal rule for 'probation'? Is there an arbitration clause in employment contracts? Make the decision sooner rather than later, focus on performance

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

To help you solidify your coaching skills as an exceptional leader, you need to focus on how you can retain your leadership mindset into the future, through challenge, and stay relevant and up to date. To do this, the next step is developing your growth mindset. Growth Mindset: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” (Dweck, 2015)

Having a growth mindset means you believe in yourself and especially in your ability to change, learn and develop. ... In the Growth Mindset, errors are seen as the natural part of learning and the students with a Growth Mindset, process their mistakes and correct them and that way they also learn from them. This allows you to use your coaching skills, your authenticity and mentoring in order to become an exceptional leader, as you are willing to change and do better and learn from your mistakes not ignore or hide them. Consistently as we restructure companies and help them achieve success by engaging their people, we are seeing a common theme established as to what an authentic leader looks like. My top 10 traits that you should be looking for both in yourself and your leadership team are; 1. Self-awareness and constant self improvement 2. Lead with heart 3. Focus on long-term results 4. Integrity 5. Lead with vision 6. Listening skills 7. Transparency 8. Consistency 9. Share success with the team 10. Drawing on experience

Subscribe for free to the entire season of Engaging Your People for Success Subscribe

Most businesses and leaders need help to really see this key area with ‘fresh eyes’. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help.

Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training, continuous improvement

Shows Previous: Episode 33-36 Continuous Improvement- Make money while you sleep! Next: Episode 41-44 Coach your way to Exceptional Leadership

Written by Lisa Askwith Director of ApexBRS | ApexBRS, Regional Director of See Global Media, Chair of EGN Singapore, and Associate Professor Cambridge Corporate University | At the Age of Change, providing the HR component of the Global Executive MBA and BBA. Lisa has worked for some of the largest companies in the world and successfully led restructures and change management programs in order to improve the bottom line through engaging the people for success, while developing exceptional leaders who can make a positive impact on Culture and long term business sustainability.

You can connect with Lisa on any of her platforms

LinkedIn Lisa Askwith - Director - Apex BRS https://www.apexbrs.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ApexBRS https://tockify.com/ibgrnetwork/pinboaird?search=lisa&startms=1602216000000

To Book a free 45 Minute Discovery call- https://calendly.com/lisa-apexbrs/45min

To Book a 1 hour Consultation call- https://calendly.com/lisa-apexbrs/consultation-call