by Deborah Leverett | Jun 21, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
10 things that are a must for building a positive culture. Culture: how people are treated, how decisions are made, how information flows, and what standards are accepted. Culture is set by leadership and is seen on the front line. Culture grows one of two ways: either by neglect or by design. A culture by neglect is ineffective, dysfunctional, stresses position over performance and the goal is to maintain the status quo. A culture by design is meaningful, productive, focused on people and the goal is to constantly improve. The leader sets the standard for what is acceptable and what is not: the leaders’ moods, attitudes, facial expressions and actions are watched and emulated. To be an extraordinary organization, set standards of excellence. Not to be confused with perfection, excellence is when the talent can consistently use their skills to the best of their ability with the resources that are available. Excellence produces wins! The positive culture promotes and rewards individual strength of character. Do the right thing at the right time for the right reason. The positive culture promotes organizational integrity: where the vision, beliefs and principles of the organization can be seen acted out in what happens every single day. The positive culture exists where there is a culture of service to employees as well as customers and vendors. The positive culture attracts and keeps top talent keen on problem-solving and generating...
by Deborah Leverett | Jun 14, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
It’s always a good sign when an organization is able to attract top talent. It means there is vision, purpose and a palpable sense that the organization is aiming to challenge the status quo. High performers thrive in the environment where they can exercise and grow their skills by handling important tasks and projects. They see themselves as partnering with their employer and not as an employee who needs to be told what to do and how to do the job. But, when the top performer is treated as just an employee working to collect a paycheck, or has to deal with micromanagement, or is not heard (this simply means the boss does not listen); then you can bet this talent will be looking for greener pastures soon! I want to talk about the toxic management style of micromanaging. The micromanager is the one who is always looking over your shoulder, checking in, and sending e-mails to check on your progress. Here are some other signs: Pretends to delegate, but watches over like a hawk. Spends their valuable time in overseeing the projects of others. Begins by correcting tiny details instead of looking at the big picture. Takes back a project before it is finished if they find a mistake. Frowns upon others making decisions without consulting them first. Micromanaging happens either because they’re control freaks , or because they fear the job won’t get done well, if at all. What’s the result of micromanaging? I’ve seen top talent just shut down and begin behaving like an employee collecting a paycheck. They stop offering ideas and some even begin...
by Deborah Leverett | May 24, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
Resisters to a change initiative are often looked on as stubborn and old guard. They are even identified as problem employees who don’t want to participate in the process. But don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. For most organizational cultural change initiatives that take several years to materialize, it is time well-spent for leadership engage resistors in the dialogue. They might find out the resistance reveals the passion the employee has for the organization. When some people display resistant behavior, it can be they sense losing cultural values that are most important to them. This passion stems from seeing a crucial part of the old culture on the verge of disappearing. With a performing arts center moving into a larger and more modern venue, there was intense emotion around losing the intimacy of the small, original theater. For a hospital that had been in one location for 50 years, people were visceral about losing the personal staff-to-patient relationships. For a small, private university deciding to become a major player, it was the fear of losing one’s whole professional identity of a faculty who deeply cared about students. These are all worthwhile values and, in each of these cases, leadership made the wise decision to keep the resistors in the conversation. There are many reasons why individuals oppose and resist change in an organization. Sometimes it is fear, complacency or just plain inflexibility. But many times, resisters resist because they don’t want to lose core cultural values. It pays off to pay attention to these...
by Deborah Leverett | May 12, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
12. The Price You Pay: Full Commitment Commitment is a promise, a vow, dedication to an undertaking. It is the price you have to pay to achieve something worthwhile. Commitment to excellence (commitment to winning) means you are always learning, growing, improving, problem-solving, finding a way. Commitment closes the door to the option of giving up. Commitment is 100% in and when that decision is made, Providence responds with open doors and astounding opportunities. Learn how to excel in dimensions you have never known before. Your life will expand as you become a difference-maker in the world around you....
by Deborah Leverett | May 11, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
11. Learn to Adapt This is still one of the top 5 reasons highly talented individuals sabotage their careers: not being able to shift gears when needed and not being able to handle disagreement in a productive manner. With new bosses, strategies, cultures and technologies, comes a learning curve. Make sure you are open to change and growth. Be interested in others, in new ideas, invite differing opinions and show that you are open and...
by Deborah Leverett | May 10, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
11. Learn to Speak Learn to persuade, to think and speak on your feet. Prepare now, for your opportunity will come. It’s not that some people are gifted and others are not: It’s that some people have committed and prepared and others have not. This is a skill that may be more uncomfortable for introverts than extroverts; but, anyone who invests in learning how to communicate better wins. The effort you make in this can pay off in big returns for you personally and professionally....
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