Patti Cotton

Executive Coach & Career Strategist

decision making

Are You Holding Your Employees Hostage?

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Are You Holding Your Employees Hostage?
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Five Ways to Find Out…

Do your employees feel happy and secure at work?

Or do they feel as though they are being held hostage?

You may not realize it, but when an enterprise is trust deficient, its employees suffer, which means the company does, too.

In fact, if your culture isn’t emotionally connected, your employees can experience the same stressful range of emotions as a hostage does, feeling anxious, fearful, and with the ambition to get out quickly.

It’s difficult to detect the emotions – but you can readily see the effects. What should you look for? And what’s causing it?

Here are five ways to identify whether your culture is lacking in trust, and what is causing it.

  1. Your executive team hasn’t had a new idea in ages.

Your executives are aware of changing trends, but they aren’t exhibiting the creativity and innovation needed for the company to retain its competitive edge. This usually indicates an atmosphere where new and creative is not welcome, or where the opinions of others are not valued.

Are you surrounded by “yes” people who always think your ideas are wonderful?

If so, you will want to take a look at your listening skills and determine if you are encouraging the perspectives of others – not being first with all the answers.

  1. You have a manager who is a chronic complainer.

Your managers tend to shy away from solutions and wait for you to solve problems. One of them consistently brings complaints to your door.

Are you holding them accountable for results?

I’m guessing you are. But are you empowering them with the ability to come up with possible solutions to problems?

If you have complainers or those who wait for orders, this means you need to exercise providing feedback to help them take that responsibility.

  1. One of your teams doesn’t play well with others.

Teams have trouble getting the work done when they must involve other teams to complete an initiative.

Does one of your teams have a chronic “bad kid” reputation? If they can’t connect well with others to get the job done, this means a conversation about their performance with the rest of the enterprise.

Of course, this can’t be done in isolation – chances are, if you have a “bad kid” team in your company, the culture supports it. Time to revisit.

  1. You put up with a key employee who is rough around the edges.

This person is great at technical skills, but very poor when it comes to getting along with others.

This is close to #3 above – the “bad kid” team. However, if you have put up with a key employee who is rough around the edges, this probably means you don’t want to touch the situation for a reason.

Perhaps the person is a star performer or some kind of genius who can do something for your enterprise that no one else can.

Think again – when an employee is allowed to mistreat or disrespect others, this is a de-motivator to the rest of your employee base. Demotivation leads to productivity loss, turnover, etc. – so, no matter how good they are, their behavior is not worth putting up with. Find a solution.

  1. One or more of your teams or areas is less productive than others.

This can manifest in ways such as sub-par productivity, continually missed deadlines, and finger-pointing and blaming in meetings.

Who is steering your ship? If you find that you are continually taking that team’s manager to task on poor performance, this means you haven’t defined what productivity looks like – or you aren’t holding him or her accountable to that shared agreement.

Being transparent about how this is affecting the larger body is pivotal. You are otherwise disrespecting your entire employee base.

These five scenarios cultivate a culture that is devoid of trust. And when trust is lacking, the enterprise will suffer. Where do you need more trust in your organization? Download the infographic to find out.

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

Are Your Business Partnerships Hurting You?

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Are Your Business Partnerships Hurting You?
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Whether you represent your own business, or you hold a corporate responsibility, your company thrives on good business partnerships.

When these are healthy, they can be powerful in helping you leverage your business growth.

But if you have a business partnership that isn’t smart, it can actually damage your business and professional reputation.

How can you tell whether yours are hurting you?

Here are Five ways to assess your business partnerships.

1. Is the business partnership purpose-driven?

Does the partnership move you closer to your vision and goals? Many partnerships are founded on fleeting fancy.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” bemoaned one executive. “But the energy it requires has really steered us off into left field.”

If a partnership isn’t supporting your ultimate purpose, you are choosing to compromise your endeavors for the sake of shiny objects. Time to get tough.

2. Is the business partnership a positive experience?

Is it enjoyable and easy to work in this partnership? Or does it feel like a struggle each time you interface with one another?

If you dread that next meeting or interaction, ask yourself what lies underneath. Is it simply a matter of learning to communicate differently, or are you just not a fit for one another?

3. Is the business partnership productive?

Are you seeing results from your partnering? Or is the relationship one long conversation leading to another without any real action or outcomes? If you are holding space for a business partnership that does not yield results, ask yourself why. There may be a conversation that needs to take place to see how to produce.

4. Is the business partnership mutually beneficial ?

Can the partnership equitably benefit both of you? Are you and the other party well-positioned to be able to contribute to one another?

Many a partnership has been formed out of mutual appreciation – and not because they can truly benefit one another in some kind of equitable manner. If this is your case with a particular relationship, you may want to adjust how much time and effort you devote to it.

5. Is the business partnership an edifying one?

Does this partnership reflect highest integrity? How can you trust this? If you haven’t done your research, do so before committing to the association.

Does the partnership add value to both parties? If you and the other party are “better together,” or the better for having associated, then the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Make sure your business partnerships are smart, productive, and trustworthy – and that those who partner with you can say the same of 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

Focus Bandits – Have You Been Robbed?

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Focus Bandits – Have You Been Robbed?
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Are you easily distracted, or are you finding it hard to concentrate?

Worried this will affect contributing your best work?

Before you get swept away in a sea of overwhelm, see if these three focus bandits are lurking in your vicinity.

If so, I’ve given some tips for you to eliminate the thieves and recapture clarity and focus so you can get going!

1. Unfinished business.

You may be carrying a stress load from unresolved conflict.

Is there a current challenge outside of the immediate work at hand that you need to resolve? A critical conversation that needs to occur?

Even more insidious is a long-standing situation that has silently eroded your focus for some time. If you aren’t sure as to whether you have any of the latter in your life, do a short self-assessment.

Rate yourself from 1-10 in the following areas:

  • Personal finances
  • Friends and family
  • Intimate relationship
  • Career
  • Fun and recreation
  • Physical environment
  • Spiritual life

With 10 being ultimate success, give yourself a score in each area. If any are less than 10, ask yourself what holds you back from a 10. The problem will emerge, and then it’s up to you to decide how you will resolve it.

2. Too many good things.

The adage, “Because I can, I do,” is bunk.

When a client tells me he or she is overworked and highly stressed, it usually comes from one of three areas:

  • Mismanagement (lack of delegating appropriately, avoiding conflict to allow it to pile up and affect the team, or other poor management practices)
  • A need to please others by accepting new assignments or an increase in responsibility without the proper support
  • Delusions of grandeur (believing you can handle it all, when the calendar shows it is physically impossible)

Do any of these feel as though they might be the case for you?

The mind needs “white space” or downtime to reflect, process, and actually follow through with the work prescribed from all those meetings we attend.

If you aren’t finding that white space in your life, it is time to re-organize. Identify the non-essentials and delegate or eliminate. You can have it all – just not all at the same time!

 3. Lack of organization, prioritization.

I find this less in my corporate clientele than my entrepreneurs, only because it is tough to wear several hats at once when you are building a business. However, this can also creep up when you are a corporate executive, and it usually occurs when you have just been handed an additional area of responsibility.

If this is you, whether things have just piled up, or whether you have accepted new opportunities, you’ll do best with formulating a 90-day plan of action to help you…

  • Prioritize
  • Identify short- and long-term wins
  • Determine the internal and external connections you need to cultivate in order to best get the work done
  • Establish a process whereby you can stay focused on the top priorities

I’ve helped many clients turn things around with this approach, and besides getting organized, the plan has kept their focus to a level that builds great credibility with others quickly.

And finally (bonus tip), here is the unvarnished truth for you who are eternal optimists:

You are fooling yourself if you use phrases that sound like, “As soon as _______ happens, I will have more time to breathe easier, capture more white space….”

If you find yourself in any of the above descriptions, you can recapture a great deal of focus and lessen your stress by simply being tough enough to create better boundaries for yourself.

It’s not always easy – but the reward is oh, so great.

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

The 3 R’s of Stress Reduction

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The 3 R’s of Stress Reduction
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According to a Monster.com survey, workplace stress is a real issue. The results indicate 61% of respondents consider workplace stress a cause of illness, and 84% claim it impacts their personal lives in some form or fashion. Perhaps the most alarming statistic was that 66% said those in authority do nothing to help alleviate it.

In fact, those in authority – across several studies – were a major source of the stress.

Stress stems from several factors, and for each, there are internal contributors and external contributors. Here are just a few.

  • Perfection – Perfectionism can be rooted in your own thoughts, insecurities, and unrealistic expectations – or those of your company leaders.
  • Financial Pressures – Internal factors include your mindset around the issue of money (fear of loss or, ironically for some, fear of success), your expectations for how much you need to live the life you desire, and your habits of management. External factors are determined by the mindset, priorities, and practices of company leaders.
  • Conflict – Internal conflict stems from unresolved issues, whether real or perceived. External conflict stems from these same sources – unresolved issues, real or perceived.
  • Loss of Control – It is human nature to desire at least some form of control over ourselves, our circumstances, and our environment. This creates an inherent problem in today’s 24/7 world, where if not kept in check, the demands of work can control all other areas of life.

How can you lessen the stress?

Dr. Henry Cloud said it in one word, “Boundaries.”

Boundaries are important in the workplace – on both sides of the equation. As a leader, you want a workforce of people who are effectively engaged and get results. If your team is on the verge of burnout, your results will be impacted.

As an employee, you want to do your job and do it well, but you also need boundaries to ensure that your life stays well-rounded and that your relationships are healthy.

These guidelines work for both leaders and employees, and for internal and external stress factors.

Apply these 3R’s of Stress Reduction

1. Release

Releasing a situation is letting go of a perceived hurt by another person, a dysfunctional relationship with money, or the mistreatment of our own bodies. Symptoms that indicate the need to release something are things like cardiovascular disease, being in debt, or avoiding places where we might encounter “that other person.” If your situation is something you need to release, it’s time to do so. You are hurting no one but yourself if you continue to carry it.

Release perfection, both in your expectations of yourself and your expectations of employees. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Aim for progress, not perfection.

2. Reconcile

This term can be confusing. Most think it means making up with someone else – shaking hands, forgiving, and forgetting. But oftentimes, it simply means coming to terms with reality and accepting it, which is an agreement with either yourself or with someone else. Dropping the wishing and hoping, and recognizing that things are as they are – and that we have choices to be with those people or things – or not. Reconciliation can occur within us, or relationally.

3. Reframe

In a house, reframing is placing a picture or a door in a new frame so that it hangs right and works well. In the relational world – how you relate to yourself and others – it is changing the way you view and experience events, ideas, concepts, and emotions to find more positive alternatives.

Now that you have these options, where do you start?

Begin by identifying what stories you are carrying with you that need changing.

What’s the source of tension? Is it money? A relationship with someone else? An old hurt of some kind that won’t go away?

Then, ask yourself what needs changing.

Whether or not your point of tension involves another person, you can change the way you interface with your particular situation. You are in charge of whether or not you opt to be in the situation in the first place, and if so, how you want to be involved.

By deciding to take charge and delineate better boundaries for your life, you are on the road to creating a happier and healthier outcome.

The Clockwork of Excellent Leadership:   3 Essential Gears

What makes up excellent leadership? The essential components that go into leadership must all work together, or they begin to wear on one another and bring things to a stop. Learn how to keep them running like clockwork. Sign up to receive the  complimentary infographic.