Patti Cotton

Executive Coach & Career Strategist

Patti Cotton

New Year, Same You, Celebrate!

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New Year, Same You, Celebrate!
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It’s that time of year, again, and the pressure is on to turn over a new leaf or achieve more. If you are like many of us, the process of identifying what we need to do more of, and visioning about what could be can be frustrating.

Indeed, the statistics on succeeding with New Year’s resolutions is grim. It is said that 80% fail by February. The reasons could fill a book (and they have!). But I’d like to propose a new approach for your new year that is more powerful.

Consider focusing on what is working for you and take that to a deeper level.

You see, we’ve fallen prey to thinking we must target imperfection and head for perfection. And perfection is something that is not humanly attainable. Even so, the world keeps telling us to get more, do more, and be more than we are – a dastardly setup. As we buy into this, it can create and feed the mindset of a hamster on a wheel – keep going, spin faster and faster. And we all know where that ends (if you don’t, the wheel only spins until the exhausted hamster stops).

What would it be like, instead, to capitalize on what is working for you and simply do more of that? To create a mindset of gratitude for the abilities you possess, and to use these to impact the world around you to a greater level?

Here’s a five-step process that can help you to be more of your best self, make bigger impact, and simplify your life at the same time:

1. Take an inventory to identify the top three gifts or abilities you bring to life’s table.

  • Are you someone who is able to influence others easily?
  • Do you have a special gift for making sure that things run smoothly? Note these.

2. Measure the impact you have been able to make by using these top three gifts.

  • In other words, because you have used these gifts, what outcomes have you been able to see for yourself?
  • For others?
  • How have these made a difference?

3. Do a mental scan.

  • Discover the opportunity you have to be even more effective through flexing these gifts.
  • Mentally scan the areas in life and work where you could use more of your top gifts to make greater impact. Let’s call these areas your “growth areas.”

4. Triage to streamline.

  • You may see a growth area where you can flex more influence, but in doing so, you won’t have as much time to spend doing other things.
  • Don’t make the mistake of stopping the exercise – this is part of the process. Instead, simply make a list of these other things.

5. Prioritize

  • Now, take the list of things you have identified that might interfere with flexing your gifts to a greater extent.
  • Are they things someone else can take over for you?
  • Or are they initiatives that are “nice” but not necessary – or which can be pushed back to a later time?
  • Be intentional in your prioritizing so that you create a picture for yourself that is congruent and effective.

You hold the key to the new year. You alone can choose how you want to spend your time, your focus, and whether you want to make significant impact.

I encourage you to step off the hamster wheel the world has created, and to claim a platform where you can truly make more of a difference.

Kintsugi and Strengthening Your Leadership

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Kintsugi and Strengthening Your Leadership
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How have you become the leader you are today? Your leadership has been shaped by the lessons you have learned in the past.

And when a particularly tough challenge throws you to the mat, this can be when you become the strongest.

But why is it when we fall flat on our backs that we are embarrassed and try to conceal this?

We are doing ourselves and others a disservice when we do so.

How?

Kintsugi.

The philosophy of Kintsugi is to treat breakage and repair as part of the history of the object, rather than a failure or flaw that should be disguised.

The story of how Kintsugi was born is that a 15th century ruler once broke a rare and favorite bowl. Because of the history it represented to him, he sent it far away for repairs. When the bowl was returned, it was in poor shape, cobbled together with large and unsightly staples. The accompanying message said that the bowl was irreparable.

Because he valued the bowl so highly, the ruler was willing to accept this verdict. He then sought someone who could take new, creative measures to restore it.

The result was Kintsugi.

Kintsugi is the ancient art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted with gold, silver, or platinum.

Instead of hiding the breaks, it highlights them with one of these beautiful metals to embrace cracks and repairs as simply part of the object’s journey, rather than to consider that breakage ends its service.

What does this mean for your leadership?

You certainly haven’t thrown in the towel because you have met some difficult challenges. However, many of us in leadership may treat these moments as non-events in an effort to appear strong and unflawed.

This is a disservice.

To feign perfection in an effort to appear strong can discount growing from your experience.

Moreover, those around you need to understand that developing their own leadership means recognizing failures as valuable points of learning that make them even stronger.

If you aren’t confident enough to talk about the history behind some of your cracks and breakages, and to reframe these as part of the leader journey, then you are robbing others of their own valuable growth opportunities.

How can you begin to turn past bumps in the road into marks of beauty in your leadership?

Think back on a particular instance and ask yourself the following questions:

  1. What did you learn from having encountered this difficulty?
  2. What was the hidden “gold” in the failure?
  3. How have you used this since – and how has it made you a stronger leader?

By reframing past failures as points of learning, you can now recognize these as part of the beauty of your leadership. And you provide inspiration and hope for those who are following behind.

HOW MUCH

DO OTHERS REALLY TRUST YOU?

​Learn the two vital parts to trust and how they can help you become a more highly effective leader.

GET THE INFOGRAPHIC

Peter Drucker – Goals and Self-Control

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Peter Drucker - Goals and Self-Control
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Peter Drucker once stated that his mission was to help other people achieve their goals.

Helping people reach their big leadership goals is what I do. If I can help them develop their leadership, they can then achieve the personal and professional things they set out to do.

And at face value, it’s easy to reach your goals.

To do this, all you need are these three things.

  • Define your goal
  • Identify the steps and ways to get there
  • Practice the self-control to work the plan

But a lot of leaders don’t reach the goals they set for themselves. Why? If the formula is so simple, where is the hitch?

To give some insight on this, I’d like to share some background about meeting objectives and reaching goals by reflecting on Peter Drucker. Drucker, a widely influential thought leader, has been described as the founder of modern management. I believe his work holds the key.

Drucker invented the concept of management by objectives and self-control, somewhat of a “household idea” in strategic planning today. He popularized this idea in his 1954 book, The Practice of Management.

Drucker maintained that in order to effectively reach objectives, these must first be defined by management and conveyed to other members of the organization. Then, it must be decided as to how to reach these objectives (strategies), and these strategies must then be broken down into sequential steps (tactics). The resulting outline or strategic action plan could then be used as a roadmap for those who had assigned responsibilities therein.

Drucker’s theory proposed to create an organized and positive work environment. As people worked the steps in the plan, they would be motivated by their achievements and spurred to continue on to the “finish line.”

Let’s translate all this into you as leader as you work on developing your own leadership.

Most of you reading this can easily identify the goals that are important to you. You can probably also outline the steps you need to take in order to reach your goals.

But you may not be reaching these.

What’s missing?

Self-control.

A lack of self-control is usually the culprit in thwarted goals. This is when leaders often call an executive coach. They’ve read the books, attended the boot camps, and yet, little has changed. And they aren’t quite sure what to do about it.

If this is you, it’s easy to feel discouraged and fall back into old patterns. After all, good enough is good enough – right?

But quietly, you know that if you develop greater leadership, you’ll benefit not only yourself and those around you, but the entire organization.

If you are at this point, I challenge you to adopt the following four tools.

These will help you to develop more self-control to move past obstacles and on to success.

1. Begin in a corner to set yourself up for success.

Is your goal to be a better communicator? Identify two to three things that will help you to become one. And then, start with just one of those. Let’s say your three strategies to becoming a better communicator include being a better listener, asking more questions, and being clearer and more concise in your written communications. Attempting to shift to all three of these behaviors at once is too much and will discourage the best of us. Begin with the one that feels easiest or like the biggest win, and work on that for a few weeks before taking on the next shift.

2. Assume a can-do attitude in your language.

What are the things you say to yourself when you think about taking that next step toward goal? Does your language feel heavy, full of examples like, “I need to…” “I have to…” “I must…”? Try shifting this type of language to one that is more encouraging, such as, “I am looking forward to trying…” “It’s fun to think about experimenting with this…” Look for the negatives and turn these around. Your language reinforces attitude with feelings around the work you need to do to reach goal.

3. Keep the transformation in mind.

If being a better listener is your goal, the transformation might be that by being a better listener, others will respect you more, share more, feel recognized, etc. and this will help to motivate and engage them, resulting in greater outcomes. Identify this transformation and keeping it in front of you as a carrot is powerful to helping you stay the course.

4. Congratulate yourself for wins and points of learning.

One step at a time. Each time you move a little closer to your goal, congratulate yourself. Each time you recognize when you have taken a step back, look at this as a point of learning. Ask yourself what you will do differently next time to move forward. The brain needs this in order to flex where it needs to go next. Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither has your leadership been developed overnight. Decide that it’s “brick by brick” and keep going.

As you contemplate 2019 and what you would like to see in your personal leadership, remember that this is a journey. By traveling in this way, you model this for others, providing encouragement and a sound way forward.

HOW MUCH

DO OTHERS REALLY TRUST YOU?

​Learn the two vital parts to trust and how they can help you become a more highly effective leader.

GET THE INFOGRAPHIC

What is so Important about Purpose at Work?

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What is so Important about Purpose at Work?
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Why talk about your purpose? Aren’t you too busy for such introspection?

When you are driving for results, it may seem odd to reflect on your purpose.

But purpose drives results. If you aren’t in touch with your purpose and the meaning of your contributions, you may be creating results right now, but you may lose the longer game.

And if you can’t help your employees see the value of their purpose as it relates to company results, you are losing out.

Here’s the long-game secret to staying engaged, performing well, hitting target goals – and helping others to do all this, as well:

Purpose + Motivation + Engagement = Results

These three things work together to help us move forward in life with joy and resolution. Together, they are what compel us to climb mountains, to learn foreign languages, and to work with commitment on those challenging new endeavors that require tenacity and perseverance.

You see, all humans seek meaning and purpose. We ask ourselves questions such as, “Why do I exist?” “Why am I here?” “How do I bring value to life, to the larger picture?”

Understanding the answers to these questions is a powerful driver. If we do not find our purpose in life, we lose interest in life. Purpose is what tells us the value of our unique self. It gives us a reason to be, a goal to work toward. If we can’t understand our reason for existing, we lose sight of our value as human beings.

If, on the other hand, we understand how we best contribute to a larger picture, how we bring value to life’s table, this allows us to recognize our worthiness as human beings.

When we have purpose, we live differently. Looking outside ourselves to a larger picture removes the tendency to center on ourselves. We a sense of well-being and contribution. Our dopamine rises to give us pleasurable feelings of energy and positivity. We have a reason to live.

In his epic work, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl illustrates this. As he recounted his experiences in a World War II concentration camp, Frankl observed that those inmates who gave themselves a goal or recognized they had a purpose were much more likely to survive. Some held onto the vision of seeing their families in the future, and Frankl himself found purpose in reconstructing a manuscript he had written and lost on the way to the concentration camp. This purpose, these goals often meant the difference between the will to live – or not.

As you can see, purpose drives motivation.

What is your purpose?

Purpose compels us seek to achieve something with our contributions so that we can fulfill this purpose. We are stimulated to move forward, to target goals that will help us reach what we feel is our purpose – and as we see in Frankl’s illustration, is what gives us a reason to live, even in the most difficult of circumstances. We are motivated.

And motivation is what gives us the energy, drive and excitement to move forward in a certain direction or go after something we want to achieve. It’s the fire that fuels us and is necessary for us to steadily remind ourselves of who we are, our meaning and purpose.

But if purpose and motivation are what gives us meaning and energy, engagement is what keeps us going. Engagement compels us to persevere when times get challenging. We need engagement to truly reach the top of the mountain or to master that foreign language. One can be motivated to begin a new endeavor, but quickly abandon this when the going gets tough.

Think about a time when you set out to achieve something great and succeeded. What kept you going when you faced obstacles to your goal so that you remained engaged?

How can you use your experience with this to motivate and engage others so that they move forward with purpose? Here are four ways you can begin that are simple to implement with great returns:

  1. Be intentional about recognizing your team members as human beings.

We talk a lot about how to recognize and reward people for their good work, because this is key to motivating them. However, there are lots of resources out there on this, so I want to focus on a more basic, daily recognition of others as human beings. Begin the day and each interaction by eliminating feelings of anonymity. Check in by touching base personally before jumping into the task at hand. Remind them that you care about them as people by asking about their family, their weekend, or if they’ve been able to work on that hobby lately. We all get extremely busy, and sometimes, this can become a troublesome trend whereby people feel undervalued or not seen. Don’t let this become your culture.

  1. Find out what drives your team members.

Set a time when you can talk to your reports individually about their career aspirations and how you can best support them. Include an exploration about their strengths, what they feel they bring to the larger picture, and what drives them. They will feel recognized, supported, and energized. This also helps you to move them toward those projects, assignments and roles that most excite them – and will benefit the company most. It will aid you in knowing how to coach and mentor them, seeking those opportunities that align with their passion and interests.

  1. Connect work to a higher meaning.

When motivating and engaging others, it’s necessary to help them remember how their work connects with higher meaning. In order to do this, we need to understand how tasks and activities assigned to a role affect the larger picture. Let’s say, for instance, that some of your employees are in charge of customer service. The role requires problem-solving for customers all day long.

If your employees understand their contribution to the larger picture, this can keep them motivated and engaged when the going gets tough. Here’s how you help them make this connection: list the outcomes that come to mind when you have a satisfied customer.

I can think of the following: A happy customer = boosted company reputation, new business leads and referrals, more company profits, more jobs… This is one example of taking one’s tasks and responsibilities and connecting them to a higher meaning. When we understand our contribution to this larger picture, it reinforces our purpose, allowing us to recognize our value and worth.

  1. Give people more authority – not just responsibility.

People thrive on decision-making authority. It’s empowering and allows them to learn and grow, releases you to focus on other things, and brings fresh perspectives to the company. This means that you need to take more of a coaching and mentoring approach to your leadership. This helps you to leverage your people power and ability to achieve at the same time that you grow and develop others so that they can assume more responsibility.

Motivating and engaging yourself and others requires intentionality. It requires different conversations, but ones that are much more meaningful and rewarding. I challenge you to begin by incorporating one of the four steps above to see how it works for you.

HOW MUCH

DO OTHERS REALLY TRUST YOU?

​Learn the two vital parts to trust and how they can help you become a more highly effective leader.

GET THE INFOGRAPHIC

Five Ways to Motivate Employees and Drive Results

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Five Ways to Motivate Employees and Drive Results
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How do you motivate employees and drive results at the same time?

When we think about a results-driven leader, we picture someone who is driving with intense focus toward a goal. Eyes front. No nonsense. A person who embodies the message, “Get out of my way, I will win!”

On the other hand, motivation requires that a leader possess a high degree of people skills, directing his or her energy toward inspiring and building positive relationships with their team. This requires taking the time to help employees develop new skills and talents along the way to success.

This is a lot to ask!

How do you, as leader, manage all this without losing your own focus or momentum?

Here are a few simple shifts that will help you both drive and motivate your team.

1. Leverage is your best friend – embrace it.

As a leader, you may feel as though you bear the burden of full responsibility to achieve the goals that have been placed before you. Not so!

Your job is to set the vision, map out the course, assign responsibilities, teach people the right steps to excel, and coach them to the finish line. If you feel as though you are pulling and dragging people to reach this finish line, you are carrying weight that doesn’t belong to you. You have disempowered your team. Your team wants to feel valued and that they contribute toward the larger picture. Put on your coaching “hat” and get out of the way.

2. Your foundation is everything.

Your foundation consists of your plan, your people, and the resources to do the job.

a. Is your plan solid?

Does it contain the “teeth” to leave no room for question? If your people are stalling at certain points, this means you need to clarify how to move forward. And are you regularly checking to see if the plan is moving your team in the right direction? This tells your team you care about them and their success.

b. Do you have the right people in place?

If you have a chronic underperformer, the finger should point back at you. What does this person need in order to perform more effectively? Have that conversation and if you discover that you are part of the problem, adjust and rewind. If, on the other hand, you find that the person simply isn’t the right fit, do yourself, the employee, and the rest of the team a favor and have the critical conversation that has been looming for some time.

c. Are you providing your team with the resources they need to do the job?

This is a big item. If you are asking them to reach the seemingly impossible, you also need to identify what they will need in order to achieve this. A runner can’t run without a well-mapped out course and the right amount of energy bars and water. Likewise, your team member can’t perform to capacity unless he receives the right kind of support and resources. What do your team members need in order to work more effectively? Ask! This helps them to see you have their best interests in mind and want to see them win.

3. “Rinse and repeat” should be your mantra.

It’s not how many steps; it’s how many right steps.

Be careful that you don’t throw your team off course if you aren’t seeing big results quickly. Check your direction, and check the steps you have outlined to get there. I recall leading a multi-million dollar campaign that had never before been achieved. As I learned to put together the strategic plan that ultimately helped us reach and exceed $21.3M in four years (unprecedented!), it was a real eye-opener to realize that just five steps, when repeated over and over, reaped the lion’s share of our results.

Have you identified your own multi-step formula? When you do, and you allow your team to flex and grow while working these steps, it allows them to master these, as well, because they must repeat them many times.

People love learning, and they love achieving. This is motivating. And that is what this does.

4. Evaluate often and collaboratively.

You need to have regular meetings set up to evaluate progress – no surprise (but I’m astounded at the number of leaders who don’t do this).

However, if you want to motivate your people, if you want to help them learn and grow, you will want to conduct your evaluations in a different way.

First, be sure you begin these meetings with celebrating what has gone well. Identify what is working and recognize people for their efforts.

Secondly, identify the “points of learning.” What didn’t work as well as you had hoped? Have your team dissect this with you and keep the focus on the moves and tactics that needing adjusting. No finger-pointing.

Third, address any big concerns, and allow the team to give input as to how these concerns might be addressed. You are allowing them to participate in creative problem-solving and to give them a “voice” in the solution. Again, feeling as though you are part of the solution and that your thoughts count is very motivating and reminds people that they are important to the larger picture.

5. Celebrate.

It is always a sad sore spot with me when leaders are recognized for achievements and efforts, and the team goes unrecognized.

Begin with your team – recognize them for efforts even if you can’t recognize for results.

Identify what about their contribution was helpful – get specific. In other words, saying “Good job on last week’s efforts, Dan,” rings hollow. But “Good job on your efforts to negotiate with our competitor, Dan. I believe your connecting with them will bear fruit,” is much different. Tell them why you are recognizing them and be sincere.

And when it comes time for you as leader to be recognized in bigger meetings, don’t forget to call out how your team helped to win. You truly could not have done this yourself – and you need to recognize this with others.

If you truly want to motivate and inspire your people, let them know they are an integral part of the success.

How do their contributions make a difference? And then, allow them to use these gifts to do so.

Your job is not to run the course alone – it is to coach an entire team to break that ribbon at the finish line. It is when you finally embrace this that you will reach those great results.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.