Staying Flexible during Change

Think of yourself as stretchable, expandable, and able to adapt to anything new. Who wants to view themselves as static, inflexible, and unable to adapt? Periods of change are unpredictable, and we may be asked to adapt to changes that we never anticipated. In order to stay flexible, follow these guidelines:

1. Set short-term goals
It is best during changing times to think ahead, but not too far ahead. Focus on goals and tasks that can be achieved in the immediate future. That way we can achieve measurable and motivating results, even if the change plan is altered in some way. Instead of abandoning our efforts because of changing priorities, we complete our short-terms goals and move on.

2. Work in intense bursts of activity
Some people call this the "blitz mentality." Complete tasks with intense periods of creative output that produce concrete results. That way we have measureable outcomes that motivate and inspire us to continue our work and, in the process, better engage change.

3. Focus on team efforts
Teams are in a constant state of changing responsibilities and deadline. By aligning ourselves with others who are aiming at similar goals, we create the opportunity for flexibility in achieving results. We become more focused on others and less likely to retreat into our own comfort zone. We gain motivation and inspiration from the other members of the team, making us more likely to successfully play a leadership role.

4. Plan for possible change scenarios
The most important strategy for staying flexible during change is to prepare for various change scenarios. If we create a plan for each possible set of change circumstances, we are prepared to engage change in any way that affects us in the workplace. This gives us more flexibility, greater confidence, and makes us more likely to be successful in leading change without authority.

Leadership Styles & Tendencies

When we interact with someone whose leadership style is similar to our own, communication is relatively easy. However, when we work with people whose leadership style is different from our own, communication and cooperation can be challenging. Dale Carnegie said the most important element of working with different leadership styles is flexibility -- our willingness and ability to see things from another person's point of view. So how do we determine our own leadership style, and more important, how do we work effectively with others who have a different style?

No single leadership style is superior to the others. Effective leaders must find ways to work with all styles and accentuate the positive traits in others, while minimizing the challenges associated with the different styles.

The four main leadership styles are:

Visionary. Individuals with Visionary leadership style are comfortable with creative thinking, brainstorming, and asking open-ended questions. They are intuitive in their decision-making, preferring to base action plans on people, creative ideas, and opinions rather than on facts and analysis. They enjoy fast-paced environments, emotional discussions, and energetic people. They do not respond well to being bogged down with details, statistics, and minutiae.

Achiever. Individuals with the Achiever leadership style are results-driven and most comfortable taking a direct, no-nonsense approach to decision-making and interpersonal relationships. They view situations as challenges to be resolved and want to get things done as quickly and directly as possible. They are demanding of themselves and have high expectations of others. They do not respond well to speculation, wasting time, or getting "too personal."

Facilitator. Individuals with the Facilitator leadership style value relationships, dedication, and loyalty. They are motivated by a cooperative and supportive work environment that values teamwork. They thrive on encouragement and assistance, preferring a person-centered style over a strictly fact-based, "get down to business" approach. They do not respond well to being rushed or threatened.

Analyzer. Individuals with the Analyzer leadership style value systematic, formal approaches to problem solving and decision-making. They are more at ease with facts and figures than with opinions and emotions, and they are likely to be reserved and businesslike rather than warm and expressive. They do not respond well to aggressiveness or carelessness.

Rather than imposing our leadership style on others, we must think through our actions beforehand so that we can approach others in a manner that helps them feel comfortable.

Some key guidelines include:

Focus on outcomes- Focusing on outcomes rather than on personalities frees us up to appreciate the differences in others and the strengths they possess as team members.

Adjust our expectations- Others may do things differently than we do, and our way is not automatically better. We must let go of any selfish motives and adjust our expectations of the other person accordingly.

Go the extra mile- We cannot simply wait and hope other people will change their style. Chances are that they won't. To help bridge the gap between leadership styles, we must be willing to go further than the other person.

How to Encourage Your Team Members to Stand Up and Lead

To win in today's market, team members have to step up and be ready to take a leadership role. It is not easy to develop leadership skills in others. It's very important to also understand that some people do not share your goals and aspirations. Keep an open mind and learn to use different techniques to inspire different team members to stand up and lead.

1. Issue a challenge.
In today's market environment, you probably have many challenges to issue! Some people need a specific challenge to motivate them. By laying down a challenge, you also create a very clear and measurable goal for a staff member to achieve.

2. Appeal to noble motives
Many employees think that their work does not make a difference. By appealing to a team's noble motives, you can increase morale while also setting higher standards for your staff members.

3. Be sympathetic
Never tell someone that they are wrong. Even when you disagree, listen and be empathetic to another person's ideas and desires.

4. Evidence
Back up your ideas with proof. By providing evidence, you can give instant credibility to your ideas. If you have evidence, even staff members who have a different perspective will take notice.

5. Listen
Listen to what your staff members have to say. Some employees may not want to reach top corporate positions; instead, they may simply be content if their opinions and ideas are valued.

6. Ask questions
Instead of giving direct orders, ask questions to guide your staff members to think through the issues and come up with their own solutions.

7. Value your staff
Make your staff members feel genuinely important. Faced with the market challenges today, your employees must be reassured that their contribution and leadership DOES have a huge impact on the company's survival, stability, and growth.

Twelve Tips to All-Win Negotiations

Negotiating is the process of attempting to agree on a solution. Compromising, or settling on a mutually agreeable solution, is the result of successful negotiations. Compromise is all about being flexible. It means being able to generate alternate solutions when you've "hit the wall." Whether it involves a person you can't get along with, an idea you know will work but that others are reluctant to embrace, a change in office systems, or a turf war that needs ending, learning to negotiate and compromise is essential to your success.

1. Have a positive attitude.
Your attitude is essential to the outcome. You improve your chance of achieving a mutually rewarding solution if you approach the negotiation as an opportunity to learn and achieve an all-win outcome.

2. Meet on mutual ground.
Find a mutually agreeable and convenient physical space to meet that is comfortable for all involved. Agree on when you will meet and how much time is available to devote to the process. Whenever possible, deal with negotiations face-to-face. Be careful about negotiating over the phone or in e-mail. A lack of facial expressions, vocal intonation, and other cues can result in a negotiation breakdown.

3. Clearly define and agree on the issue.
Agree on a statement of the issue using simple and factual terms. If the situation is multifaceted, search for ways to slice the large issue into smaller pieces and deal with one issue at a time.

4. Do your homework.
Take time to plan. You must not only know what is at stake for yourself, but you need to know the other side's concerns and motivation. Take into consideration any history or past situations that might affect the negotiations. Know the must-haves (non-negotiable items) and nice-to-haves (negotiable items). Determine the best resolution, a fair and reasonable compromise, and a minimally acceptable deal.

5. Take an honest inventory of yourself.
Determine your level of trust in the other person and the process. Be conscious of aspects of your personality that can help or hinder the process.

6. Look for shared interests.
Get on the same side by finding and establishing similarities. Since conflict tends to magnify perceived differences and minimize similarities, look for common goals, objectives, or even gripes that can illustrate that you are in this together. Focus on the future, talk about what needs to be done, and tackle the problem jointly.

7. Deal with facts, not emotions.
Address problems, not personalities. Avoid any tendency to attack the other person or to pass judgment on his or her ideas and opinions. Avoid focusing on the past or blaming the other person. Maintain a rational, goal-oriented frame of mind. This will depersonalize the conflict, separate the issues from the people involved, and avoid defensiveness.

8. Be honest.
Don't play games. Be honest and clear about what is important to you and communicate why your goals, issues, and objectives are important to you.

9. Present alternatives and provide evidence.
Create options and alternatives that demonstrate willingness to compromise. Consider conceding in areas that might have high value to the other person but are not that important to you. Frame options in terms of the other person's interests and provide evidence for your point of view.

10. Be an expert communicator.
Nothing shows determination to find a mutually satisfactory resolution to conflict more than applying excellent communication skills. Ask questions, listen, rephrase what you heard to check for understanding, and take a genuine interest in the other side's concerns. Reduce tension through humor, let others vent their concerns, and acknowledge their views. Focus less on your position and more on ways in which you can move toward a resolution or compromise.

11. End on a good note.
Make an all-win proposal and check to make sure that everyone involved leaves the situation feeling they have won. Shake on it and agree on the action steps: who is responsible for each step, how success will be measured, and how and when the decision will be evaluated. Be open to accepting an impasse for noncritical issues; agree to disagree.

12. Enjoy the process.
Look at the benefits of learning other people's point of view. People report that after overcoming conflict and reaching an agreement, the relationship grew even stronger. Reflect and learn from each negotiation. Determine the criteria to evaluate the process and the solution.

Seven Types of Listeners and Tips for Better Listening Skills

Exceptional listening skills and the ability to persuade others to your way of thinking make the difference between good and great teams. Pure listening builds trust, credibility, and respect. One reason is that when you fully listen instead of trying to compose your response, the result is a relevant and on-target response. What you say when you do respond is proof of how well you listen.

1. The "Preoccupieds"
These people come across as rushed and are constantly looking around or doing something else. Also known as multitaskers, these people cannot sit still and listen.

Tips
• If you are a "Preoccupied" listener, make a point to set aside what you are doing when someone is speaking to you.
• If you are speaking to a "Preoccupied" listener, you might ask, "Is this a good time?" or say, "I need your undivided attention for just a moment." Begin with a statement that will get their attention, be brief, and get to the bottom line quickly because their attention span is short.


2. The "Out-to-Lunchers"
These people are physically there for you, but mentally, they are not. You can tell this by the blank look on their faces. They are either daydreaming or thinking about something else entirely.

Tips
• If you are an "Out-to-Luncher," act like a good listener. Be alert, maintain eye contact, lean forward, and show interest by asking questions.
• If you are speaking to an "Out-to-Luncher," check in with them every now and again and ask if they understood what you were saying. As with the "Preoccupieds," begin with a statement that will catch their attention and be concise and to the point, because their attention span is also short.


3. The "Interrupters"
These people are ready to chime in at any given time. They are perched and ready for a break to complete your sentence for you. They are not listening to you. They are focused on trying to guess what you will say and what they want to say.

Tips
• If you are an "Interrupter," make a point to apologize every time you catch yourself interrupting. This will make you more conscious of it.
• If you are speaking to an "Interrupter," when they chime in, stop immediately and let them talk, or they will never listen to you. When they are done, you might say, "As I was saying before..." to bring their interruption to their attention.


4. The "Whatevers"
These people remain aloof and show little emotion when listening. They do not seem to care about anything you have to say.

Tips
• If you are a "Whatever," concentrate on the full message, not just the verbal message. Make a point to listen with your eyes, ears, and heart. Pay attention to body language and try to understand why this person wants to talk to you about this issue.
• If you are speaking to a "Whatever," dramatize your ideas and ask your listener questions to maintain their involvement.


5. The "Combatives"
These people are armed and ready for war. They enjoy disagreeing and blaming others.

Tips
• If you are a "Combative," make an effort to put yourself in the speaker's shoes and understand, accept, and find merit in another's point of view.
• If you are speaking to a "Combative," when he or she disagrees or points the blame, look forward instead of back. Talk about how you might agree to disagree or about what can be done differently next time.


6. The "Analysts"
These people are constantly in the role of counselor or therapist, and they are ready to provide you with unsolicited answers. They think they are great listeners and love to help. They are constantly in an analyze-what-you-are-saying-and-fix-it mode.

Tips
• If you are an "Analyst," relax and understand that not everyone is looking for an answer, solution, or advice. Some people just like bouncing ideas off other people because it helps them see the answers more clearly themselves.
• If you are speaking to an "Analyst," you might begin by saying, "I just need to run something by you. I'm not looking for any advice."


7. The "Engagers"
These are the consciously aware listeners. They listen with their eyes, ears, and hearts and try to put themselves in the speaker's shoes. This is listening at the highest level. Their listening skills encourage you to continue talking and give you the opportunity to discover your own solutions and let your ideas unfold.

Tips
• If you are an "Engager," keep it up. People truly appreciate this about you.
• If you are speaking to an "Engager," take the time to acknowledge their attentiveness. Thank them for their interest in you and your topic.

Keys to a Successful Networking Event

Know who will be attending the event.
By knowing who will attend, you can do a little research on the company or individuals attending the event.

Arrive early.
This is a must. Individuals will pay attention to you since the room is not crowded and they are not exhausted from the event.

Dress appropriately.
Dress professionally, as if you are going to an interview.

Bring business cards.
There are many business people that attend these events. I would suggest having at least 100 of them on you. This might sound like a lot, but often times people take several cards to distribute to their co-workers.

Develop a personal 30-second “commercial.”
This will be your way to communicate your knowledge and expertise to others. Keep it short and to the point. In this case less is more.

Remember people’s names and use them.
The one thing that every person loves to hear the most is his/her own name. It is such a simple act and can score you many points.

Learn about other people before you start talking about yourself.
Remember you are there to learn about them. By listening, you get a general idea about how their business works and what their interests are. Come up with a few questions and listen carefully to their responses.

Be friendly and smile.
This will help you even if you are nervous. Just relax and try to be as comfortable as possible. It will make you look more confident.

Write personal thank-you notes to the people you met.
This is a very easy and important step that you cannot miss. It will help the person remember you and leave a lasting impression.

Facilitate for Group Results

Facilitation by definition means to make easy for others. Facilitation is about helping a group experience "discovery" and "application" while moving forward toward improved performance. An effective facilitator will help participants learn from each other through guided discussion and other methods. Often during openings, activities, coaching, questioning, and closing, the presenter is really facilitating a process rather than presenting information. An effective facilitator draws from the group and leads people to a higher level. Here is how you can be a great facilitator.

Pacing

• Keep a sense of urgency for yourself and for the participants.
  
• Use a countdown timer for some exercises and activities to ensure the group stays on topic and on time.
  
• Start and end on time.
  
• Look for signals from participants that they are bored. Change the action.
  
• Put people into small group discussions to drive up pace and energy.
  
• Get people on their feet.
• Mix people into different groups.
• Change the room setting. Shift the front of the room by ninety degrees or use a different layout for the tables or chairs.
• Do something unexpected, like a pop quiz or team competition.
• Take a break every 90 minutes.
• Never mention breaks unless you are about to take one.
• If participants know it is time for lunch or time to end the day, just stop. Nothing you say or do will keep everyone's attention.

Encouraging Discussion

• Before we begin our session on..., let's go around the room and get some words that describe this topic as you understand it.
• Describe a time when you were encouraged to....
• Describe a time when you were discouraged from....
• Describe a time when effective...paid off.
• Describe your worst experience with...
• Describe your best experience with....
• What is your definition of...?
• What lessons have you learned about...?
• If you had to offer advice about..., what would it be?
• The word...means many things to people, what does...mean to you?

Summarizing

• Don't tell people what you can ask them.
• Briefly review key learning points.
• Confirm the benefits and value of being in the room.
• Discuss application opportunities and coach people to identify specific upcoming situations where they will use what they learned.
• Have participants discuss learning and applications in small groups and report back.
• Create a sense of urgency. Coach participants to act immediately, like at a break on the phone, rather than a week or month from now.
• Have participants get into teams and do "teach-backs" of key points to the full group.