by Deborah Leverett | Jul 1, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
1. Leadership always believes the culture is better than it really is: to find the truth, go to your front line employees. 2. Culture grows one of two ways: either by neglect or by design. 3. When culture is ignored by leadership, the default mode grows complacency, dysfunction, and disengaged employees. 4. A culture by design is meaningful, mission-minded, productive, focused on people, service and continual improvement. 5. The leader sets the standard for what is acceptable and what is not: the leader’s moods, attitudes, facial expressions and actions are watched and emulated. 6. To be an extraordinary organization, there must be a culture of excellence. Excellence is not to be confused with perfection. Excellence is consistently using one’s talents and skills to the best of his/her ability with the resources that are available. 7. The positive culture promotes and rewards individual strength of character. In other words: doing the right thing. 8. The positive culture must promote organizational integrity: where the vision, beliefs and principles of the organization can be seen acted out in what happens every single day. 9. A positive culture can only exist where there is a culture of service to employees as well as to customers and vendors. 10. A positive culture will produce loyal and committed employees as well as an environment where innovation and creativity can...
by Deborah Leverett | Jun 30, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
When leadership allows a culture to dwindle down to the lowest common denominator the results affect people, performance, productivity, brand and ultimately profit. Toxic culture is to people, products and profits what a dirty aquarium is to fish and flora that try to flourish in that environment: it damages everything! Behaviors that indicate a culture is destructive: unethical and unprofessional conduct, broken communication , back-biting and rumor-mills, favoritism, and intimidation and self-preservation instead of teamwork. Communication disintegrates into messages without any regard for the receiver. People communicate to their teams with sarcastic undertones and misinformation resulting in misunderstandings and distrust – no one feels like they are in the loop, and no one cares to motivate others to engage to do the work at hand. The absence of trust permeates everyone and everything. Toxicity grows in the space between what is said and what is actually done. There is typically a high level of confusion around goals, priorities and overall vision. Instead of feeling like a valued stakeholders, employees often feel guilty that results in high stress. Leadership is obligated to clear the air, rebuild trust, and restore integrity to foster a healthy environment where people can work with a level of satisfaction and contribution to the organization’s mission. Tomorrow: 10 Things Every Leader Needs to Know To Build A Healthy...
by Deborah Leverett | Jun 20, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
There are things in our life that are within our circle of control. Those things outside of the circle are often the very things that get us into trouble and cause us the most pain. The right attitude will help you overcome those things in life that are out of your control. I couldn’t have said this any better: “Attitude” “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitude.” ~ Chuck...
by Deborah Leverett | Jun 13, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
Don’t interrupt, don’t finish the other person’s sentences, don’t suggest words when there is a pause. Be aware of these selfish habits and get rid of them: don’t pretend to listen, don’t fidget, don’t stare blankly, don’t look impatient.
Ask questions: Is this what you are saying? What do you mean by that? Look beyond what words people are using and listen for the emotion behind the words. Look for underlying meaning. A great way to become a selfless listener: practice listening especially when you don’t want to! You find value in everyone by listening to people you don’t usually listen to. You show respect to a person when you listen without giving advice or delivering judgment. You are a selfless listener if you clearly restate the other person’s point of view – especially when you don’t agree. You are a selfless listener when you patiently and attentively listen to everyone: your superiors, your peers, your spouse, your children. You are a selfless listener when you care more about the person to whom you are listening than in your own thoughts and opinions....
by Deborah Leverett | Jun 2, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
This audit is for your benefit to determine how much value you bring to the table and your potential to get promoted. “A follower shares a common purpose with the leader, believes in what the organization is trying to accomplish, and wants both the leader and the organization to succeed.” Ira Chaleff Leaders are nothing without followers. How big of a role do you play in the role of a follower? Rate yourself on the following characteristics of a successful follower: Are you service-minded: to the mission, to your leader, to your colleagues? Do you have the courage to challenge leadership and the status quo when it needs challenging? Are you responsible? accountable? do you do what you say? Do you act with courage when it is the right thing to do and it goes against the popular opinion? What will you do today as a change agent? Do you know when it is time to...
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