A leader's value is measured in degrees of effectiveness.  It's not only how efficiently you perform your function in a leadership role, but it's also how effectively you guide your employees toward the attainment of the organization's goals.  Using time effectively is one way to increase your personal effectiveness; helping others to use their time wisely is one way to increase your value to the organization.

Timewise leadership depends on the leader, the followers, and the situation. Timewise leaders are capable of using many leadership styles. For example, in an emergency situation, an autocratic style is needed to quickly get done what needs to be done.  In an emergency situation, the timewise leader will not hesitate to give orders and expect a fast, unquestioning response.  However, in a non-urgent situation, an executive might use more democratic leadership style that takes longer to accomplish  but saves time in the long run by developing empowered, capable employees. 

When employees are involved in the attainment of organizational goals, they tend to be involved and enthusiastic. Even though it takes time to communicate, to explain, and to confer with staff, the participative approach is by far the most efficient leadership style.   Motivation is the prime ingredient of any accomplishment.  A motivated  employee will work harder to attain a goal than an  unmotivated mployee . Timewise, it makes sense to use a leadership style that involves employees in setting goals, making decisions, sharing responsibility, and experiencing free flow of organizational information.

We choose to use our time consciously or unconsciously. When we supervise others, we often do things or neglect to do things that result in an inefficient use of our time.

Think about how you spend  your time as a supervisor and the things you do that either waste time or help you gain time.   How can you better plan and schedule your time and also help your employees to better manage their time?

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR
http://tools2succeed.com/

Nonverbal Communication

What do you think is the most important part of your message:  your verbal message or the words you say, your vocal tone, or the visual part of your message that we refer to as "body language".

The believability or credibility of the sender of a message is critical to the success of the communication.  No matter what is said, it will not make much difference in the mind of the receiver unless the sender is believable and credible.  Effective communicators continuously build credibility and believability into everything they communicate.

The verbal is the message itself – the words you say. The vocal element is your voice – the intonation, projection, and resonance of the voice that carries those words. Finally, the visual element is what people see – your facial expression and body language.

There was a famous communication study done by Professor Albert Mehrabian of UCLA on the relationship of the three elements that are communicated every time we speak.

Mehrabian measured the difference between the believability of the verbal, vocal, and visual elements of our messages.  His research determined that the degree of consistency between these three elements was the factor that determines believability.

So, to go back to my original question:  the answer is VISUAL – body language!

Visual – 55%
Vocal – 38%
Verbal – 7%

The visual part of the message, our body language, including gestures and facial expression, determines how much credibility we have with our listener/receiver.  If the message is consistent, all three elements work together. The excitement and enthusiasm of the voice work with the energy and animation of the face and body to reflect the confidence and conviction of what is said.

To communicate effectively, you need to be aware of your facial expressions and gestures. Be sure your body language communicates the message you want to send. There are 80 muscles in the face that can make more than 7000 different facial expressions. Use facial expressions to convey your message, but be aware of the message your facial expression is sending. Many of us "talk with our hands" naturally, and gestures can add energy and emphasis to our communication. Just be aware that your gestures could be distracting or inappropriate.  One way to discover this is to videotape yourself and observe your body language.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR
http://tools2succeed.com/

Leading at the Speed of Trust - Stephen M. R. Covey

Building an organizational culture of trust and collaboration is essential to achieve consistent high performance.   Leaders have an obligation to turn trust into a strength and promote it throughout their organizations.

In this video, Covey talks about the high price we as both individuals and society pay for low trust. Many people have the wrong notion that trust is some soft, fuzzy, non-quantifiable value that has no place in the hard-nosed business world, but Covey points out that this couldn't be farther from the truth. In powerful example after powerful example, he illustrates how high trust cut down on the TIME and COST needed to accomplish a project.  Trust is economic and has a high impact on organizations.

To watch the video, click on the title of this post above.

Stephen M. R. Covey is co-founder and CEO of CoveyLink Worldwide. Covey personally led the strategy that propelled his father's book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine.

What is the trust level in your organization?  What can you do to increase it?

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR
http://tools2succeed.com/

Change and The Unknown

Change is one of the most urgent issues facing organizations as well as individuals today.  Today's employees rarely answer "no" when asked if they are experiencing change in their organizations.  As the workforce and customer base continue to change and evolve, there is an ever-growing need for effective leadership of change.  Skill development takes time and effort but increases your personal effectiveness and value to your organization.

It is important to remember that people facing change are being asked to deal with the unknown.  The leader is the one who provides the vision of the future; who inspires people's confidentce that the future, after the change, will be better than today; and who shows that he or she knows how to get to the destination.  People are more receptive to change if they are clear about the organization's vision, have the necessary skills, and are motivated to accept and implement the change.  Howver, people will always be concerned about the impact of a change on them personally.  Anticipating and responding to these concerns can lesson, and in many cases, resolve them.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR
http://tools2succeed.com/

Time-Wise Leadership

A leader's value is measured in degrees of effectiveness.  It's not only how efficiently you perform your function in a leadership role, but it's also how effectively you guide your employees toward the attainment of the organization's goals.  Using time effectively is one way to increase your personal effectiveness; helping others use their time wisely is one way to increase your value to your organization.

We choose to use our time consciously or unconsciously.  We often do things or neglect to do things that result in an inefficient use of our time.

How much is your employees' time worth?  Does wasted time really impact the bottom line?  Let's take a look at an example.  Let's say your average employee earns $20/hour.  If only half an hour is wasted every day over a period of one year, considering vacation and time off, that adds up to an approximate total of 122.5 hours or $2450.  Multiply that amount by the number of employees, and you can see that inefficient use of time really impacts the bottom line.

One of the best ways to manage interruptions and minimize wasted time is to have a plan for the day that includes clear goals broken up into individual tasks.  Make sure your plan is always handy to help keep you on track.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://Tools2Succeed.com/

Coaching Customer Service

All members of an organization deliver customer service.  As managers and supervisors, we must monitor the quality of our service delivery and the quality of service provided by our staff.  Customer service leadership includes how and when we "coach" our employees or coworkers to be better service providers.

A customer service coach is one who proactively guides individuals and teams in successful delivery of customer-focused service.  The purpose of coaching is to:

• Increase or improve the skills of poor performers
• Leverage the strengths of stable performers
• Challenge and stretch skills of your high performers

In each coaching situation, the "coach" has an opportunity to assist employees with various facets of their work performance.  Each coaching opportunity can involve more than one issue such as employee development, improved customer service skills, or role modeling by the coach.

Coaching is a professional development tool that encourages action based on an individual's increased self-awareness.  Through on-going conversations between a coach/supervisor and the employee, synergy is created, resulting in the person being coached reaching exponentially greater solutions than working on his or her own.

Do you have opportunities to coach your team members?  As you do so and continue to perfect your skills, you will see additional improvement and proficiency in your staff.  You will also be able to see improved customer service and increased customer satisfaction.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://Tools2Succeed.com/

Culture in a High Performance Organization

What is the culture in your organization?  What are the shared values, attitudes, and practices?

Culture is not easy to change. The challenge is to find ways of adapting to changing business demands without destroying the core of the culture. To do this, you must understand your current culture and build on it.

Think about what people like about the organization.  What are their greatest concerns?  What do they like and dislike most about their jobs?  What are some management practices and attitudes?  How about worker attitudes and practices?  What are the core beliefs in your organization?

The answers to these questions are a summary of the culture.  What is good, and what needs to change?  How can you build upon what is good?  What will happen if there are no changes made and things keep going the way they are now?

Remember our definition of High Performance:  "A culture in which all employees feel and act like partners in the business and are excited to contribute to its success".  What can you and your team do to move toward a culture of High Performance?

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://Tools2Succeed.com/