Evolve: Leadership Impactcast

In the modern workplace, leaders are expected to do more and more with less resources.  This is a stressful proposition because in some organizations this means the team complement gets reduced.  In other organizations there are insufficient tools available, and in others, employees are not properly trained.  As the ever changing external environment drives deeper and deeper cost cutting, resource availability can become an ongoing challenge.  Listen in to learn how you can improve your resourcefulness as a leader.  

Are you tired of feeling stuck at the same level in your career and you have no clear path for growth?  Are you working hard and you can’t understand why you are not being recognized for your contribution?  This podcast provides you with practical steps you can use to transform your performance and take your career to the next level.  

 The Wells Fargo case study is an interesting one that presents the question, “Did the employees cause it or was it the Culture?”  On one hand, the CEO indicated the scandal happened because of unethical employees.  On the other hand, whistleblowers claimed employees responsible for sales were under extreme duress.  

It is not clear which comes first.  Is it that your relationship quality drives outcomes and experiences in your environment? Or does your experience of culture influence the quality of your relationships? I think both perspectives are true… 

Jack Welch once asserted, "If the rate of change on the outside is greater than the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” This seemingly foreboding message is really saying that we should keep up with the pace of our changing environments.  Agility refers to your ability to think and move swiftly and gracefully.  There can be agile strategies that are responsive and thoughtful, and ones that are reactive.  Your ability to adapt is essential to your sustained performance.  

Reading between the lines is a skill you can use to perceive beyond the surface of what is being said.  It refers to your ability to understand what is not being said, to listen to tone, to understand the subtleties of word choice, and the ability to detect the lack of alignment between words and action.  

If you value substance more than form, and you work within a political office environment, the good news is that you can engage office politics without sacrificing your values.  By being guided by your values you can build strong, integrity based relationships that can help your team achieve its goals so it is important to take the time to build the skills you need to detect and correct imbalances caused by unfairness and other political behaviour.

As a leader, it is important for you to understand creating an engaged team should start with taking a long, honest look at yourself to determine how your action and inaction may be contributing to your existing team dynamics.  

Yvette Bethel interviews bestselling author, Devay Campbell, who is also a Coach and HR Consultant.  If you are interested in learning more about what disengagement looks like and how to help your team to evolve into engagement, tune in to this episode!  

 Relying heavily on a strategy to accommodate others so you can be accepted is an “Achilles Heel” that others will perceive about you.  It is important to become aware of your patterns so you can avoid unwittingly sabotaging your career in the long-run.    

Whatever the size, complexity or intended scope of your intended change, it is important for you to consider change readiness because change has multiple inherent costs.  Costs or risks include wasting resources, damaging organizational trust, reducing existing capacity and encountering surprise elements.

So what is safe space? It refers to the quality of communication and the ability of all parties to be open and respectful of others so trust can exist. The safer the space, the more likely it is that your coworkers will share authentic views.  

There are a number of reasons why leaders decide to reinvent their careers.  For some, their careers have plateaued, keeping them stuck in the same position for far longer than they anticipated.  Other change careers completely, starting over in a new discipline.  Then there are those approaching retirement.  

We always hear about the importance of empowering out team,  Is empowerment something leaders can do for someone else?  Or do employees need to decide to empower themselves?

Holding a higher vision of members of your team helps them to perceive themselves as they haven’t before.  It helps them to trust you and each other, strengthening their willingness to go the extra mile.  This is not about projecting your ideas about their potential, it is about being curious and allowing their potential to emerge.

In this episode Yvette shares several effective customer service strategies for your organization.

In this episode, Yvette share the importance of balancing people and processes within your organization.

In this episode Yvette shares the importance of change in your organization. 

As a leader, it is important for you to keep your fingers on the pulse of the organization. It helps to know what is happening, what is about to happen and why, because your ability to answer these questions equips you with the information you need to take proactive steps.

An extraordinary team is a high performing team.  They find ways of being and doing that are unique to them.  This is no easy feat.  Members of extraordinary teams are capable of facilitating constructive conflict, they genuinely like or respect each other, and they can balance the need to achieve results with evolving people needs.