The Dangers of Celebrating "Hero" Activity in Your Organizational Culture

Organizational leaders often fall into the trap of putting "heroes," "ninjas," and "rockstars" on a pedestal. These are the people we look up to when a crisis hits—they put in the long hours, they make sacrifices, and it feels like they're always there when you need them. But let's take a step back and consider what consistently rewarding this behavior might signify about your work culture. It's time to ask some hard questions.

The Siren Song of the Hero

The Quick Fix

When an employee works through the weekend to meet an impossible deadline or fixes a major issue just in time for a key client meeting, it's tempting to give them a high-profile reward. It boosts morale and helps that individual feel valued in the moment.

The Facade We Celebrate

However, it becomes problematic when the exceptional becomes the expectation. When emergency firefighting becomes routine, you're essentially saying that it's okay for crises to occur as long as someone is there to put out the fire. This not only breeds inefficiency and systemic issues but also raises questions about the sustainability of your work culture.

The Silent Toll on Teams and Individuals

Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Costs

While it feels good to solve an immediate problem, celebrating heroics often overshadows underlying organizational dysfunctions. This repetitive cycle fosters inefficiency and employee burnout, and research on organizational behavior supports these observations.

The Individual Cost of Being a Hero

The individual lauded as the "hero" also pays a price. Busy putting out fires, they miss out on opportunities for personal growth, learning, and contributing to systemic improvements. This isn't just a missed opportunity for them—it's a missed opportunity for your organization. It can even become contentious, as this individual may focus more on maintaining their hero status rather than fostering long-term solutions or improving communication.

Team Dynamics Are Compromised

If individual heroics are consistently valued over collective contributions, the team's cohesion and collaborative spirit are at risk. Teamwork, as numerous studies have shown, is crucial for the longevity and success of an organization.

Reframing Recognition: Build a Culture of Sustainable Success

Prioritize Process, Not Just People

Instead of focusing solely on the firefighter, focus on the fire. Why did it start? What broke down? Answering these questions provides an opportunity to implement systemic changes that prevent future crises.

Shift Toward Systemic Solutions

Organizations need to aim for proactive improvements that make the need for heroes obsolete. This might mean clearer project scopes, better internal communication, or more comprehensive training programs.

Leading by Wisdom, Not By Crisis

In the final analysis, it's not about eliminating recognition but about recognizing the right behaviors. Assess your organization's rewards and incentives. Do they promote a culture of individual heroics, or do they encourage collaboration and sustainable problem-solving? If you find it's the former, initiate a process audit. Identify weak links and collaborate on long-term solutions.

Your Next Step Forward

Here's an actionable tip: review how recognition is doled out in your organization. If it favors "heroic" over collaborative behaviors, initiate a comprehensive audit of your processes. Find out why crises are happening and address those issues as a team.

Ready to Elevate Your Leadership Game?

If you're grappling with creating a balanced, efficient work environment, you don't have to go it alone. As a seasoned professional coach, I can equip you with the insights and tools to lead effectively. Whether you're an aspiring executive or a current leader looking to level up, reach out to discover how you can foster a culture that prioritizes sustainable success over short-lived heroics.

Inspiring Excellence Through Positive Expectations

“Culture is the worst behavior you tolerate” is a common saying about organizational culture. This stems from the idea that allowing unproductive or toxic conduct sends a passive message those actions are acceptable, slowly eroding standards over time. But what if culture was defined not by our tolerance for poor conduct, but by the positive expectations we set and enable?

The Limitations of Tolerating Toxicity

The “worst behavior tolerated” maxim contains truth - tolerating destructive actions, mediocrity or poor performance can breed resentment, apathy and a race to the bottom. But it also has limitations:

• It’s inherently reactive, requiring something egregiously bad to happen first before responding, which rewards silence until serious damage is done.

• It begs the question of who decides precisely what behavior is considered the nebulous “worst” and how it is addressed. Zero tolerance policies often lack nuance, even when well-intentioned.

• It assumes people will only aim for the minimum acceptable standard or lowest bar, rather than needing clearly articulated expectations coupled with support to reach them.

• It offers no positive vision or principles, simply avoidance of a theoretical bottom.

Organizations stagnate when the emphasis is on cracking down on the negative rather than inspiring movement toward a positive ideal.

The Power of Proactive Positive Expectations

What if culture is fundamentally the best we choose to expect from people and enable them to become? Some implications of this approach:

• You demonstrate initial trust in people’s capabilities and good intentions unless shown otherwise over time.

• You provide active support and resources to reach ambitious expectations through hands-on coaching, training, and removing roadblocks.

• You offer frequent positive reinforcement for progress made, combined with kind redirection when needed.

• You intentionally focus on nurturing latent talents, not just punishing shortcomings.

• You consciously shape culture proactively by modeling desired mindsets and behaviors daily.

With clarity, compassion, and commitment, positive expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies. People inherently seek to rise to meet what’s boldly asked of them.

Tactics to Raise Expectations and Unlock Potential

Here are some practical tactics to expect, inspire and enable excellence:

• Articulate a compelling vision, mission and purpose. Ensure people see how their role contributes to achieving something meaningful.

• Invest in professional development and coaching. Actively grow your team’s skills and abilities rather than expecting capabilities to spring forth on their own.

• Recognize contributions and celebrate forward progress, both large and small. Genuine appreciation fuels motivation and engagement.

• Be exceptionally clear, consistent and transparent around performance standards, priorities and expectations.

• Promptly address issues in real-time through thoughtful crucial conversations. Don’t avoid or delay delivering caring feedback.

• Remain intensely curious about the root causes and mindsets potentially driving behaviors before judging. Seek to deeply understand, not just react.

You tend to get precisely what you expect, inspect and enable. So find ways to help your team reach incredible new heights together. Leadership is believing we all have wings before seeing evidence we can fly. With care and courage, you'll be amazed at how high your people soar.

Need support optimizing your culture and unlocking potential? As an executive coach I specialize in organizational development, communication excellence and empowering leaders to inspire greatness. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to explore how we could collaborate. You already have everything you need to change your world.

To List or Not to List: Agendas in One-on-Ones

Today I'll be exploring guidance on using lists and agendas during one-on-ones, inspired by the excellent Manager Tools podcast. Their wisdom has often informed my perspective on leadership and management excellence.

One-on-ones are most effective with just enough structure to spur productivity, while retaining an informal flow. Rigid agendas can sabotage the interpersonal openness that builds trust and psychological safety over time.

The Informal Agenda is Already Defined

The fundamental purpose and loose agenda of one-on-ones is already set - 10-15 minutes for employees to share what's top of mind, 10-15 minutes for you to provide guidance and feedback, and remaining time for coaching and growth discussions.

There's no need to create formal agendas within this agenda. The spirit of the meeting is unstructured, authentic dialogue, not minutely planned content. Dotting every "i" defeats the purpose.

Simple Lists Help Make the Time Productive

Employees should feel completely comfortable bringing a list of key topics or updates to cover to help them prepare and ensure important items aren't missed in the rush of your busy schedules. Keeping a list boosts efficiency and organization.

As the manager, keeping your own list on a consistent template is wise to optimize your time as well. A list helps you flag key priorities for each direct report so you can calibrate your guidance and questions accordingly.

But don't let the list constrain you. Allow room for spontaneity based on what emerges in the moment. The goal is enhancing mutual understanding, not just ticking off boxes.

Sharing Lists Can Build Transparency

Employees can certainly send you their list or priorities in advance if they’d like so you’re generally aware of what's top of mind or potential issues headed into the meeting. This transparency can help you listen even more fully.

However, as manager don't send employees your list or priorities in advance. This can negatively shift the tone from open dialogue to pre-assigned tasking. The meeting starts with their concerns, not yours.

Avoid Rigidity, Embrace Intentionality

Keep it simple - the right amount of structure maximizes value from these recurring touchpoints without getting bogged down in rigid formalities. Preparation, not paperwork, makes one-on-ones sing.

With the right balance of agenda flexibility, one-on-ones become sacrosanct rituals where candor and care flow freely. That spirit of intentionality, not any template, makes the investment of time worthwhile and meaningful.

If you have any other questions on running amazing one-on-ones, I offer management coaching focused on relationships, communication, feedback and other vital leadership skills. Please reach out! Thoughtful rituals build trust, transparency and teamwork.

Why One-on-Ones with Contractors Make Sense

As a coach, I'm always looking to synthesize wisdom on leadership and management from diverse sources into insights to share. In this spirit, today I’ll be exploring guidance on one-on-ones with contractors inspired by the invaluable Manager Tools podcast. Their perspective has profoundly shaped my own approach to effective management.

As a manager, one-on-one meetings represent your most powerful tool for building trust, fostering transparency, and empowering your team. But what about contingent, contract, or freelance workers who are not permanent employees? Should you invest the time and effort to meet with them regularly too? In most cases, the answer is a resounding yes.

They Directly Influence Results and Outcomes

At the end of the day, anyone who does work that significantly impacts your department’s outcomes warrants your attention and relationship-building. Contractors produce key deliverables and services your team relies on to hit targets and achieve success. So taking time to understand their challenges, surface concerns early, and improve collaboration will naturally yield better collective results.

One-on-one meetings exist fundamentally to foster effective, two-way communication and greater understanding between managers and their people. This in turn leads to increased engagement, more nimble problem-solving, higher quality output, and ultimately better performance.

Therefore, don’t view one-on-ones as a “perk” to dole out selectively or exclusively to privileged full-time employees. They simply represent an essential management practice to align the resources you depend on - all the resources - in service of shared goals.

Tailor the Approach Thoughtfully, Not the Overall Principle

When implementing one-on-one meetings with contract teammates, tailor the execution and formatting appropriately without compromising on the underlying commitment to inclusive leadership:

• Roll them out simultaneously with permanent employees to signal equal importance and investment in their success, regardless of status. Avoid any visible favoritism.

• Use a balanced 15 minute - 15 minute agenda split rather than 10-10-10, since you likely won't have long-term career development and goal-setting discussions. Keep the focus on near-term work.

• Establish clear boundaries around inappropriate topics like pay, benefits, promotions, and future career trajectory that should strictly involve their employer, not you.

• Focus the bulk of your one-on-one interactions on near-term work deliverables, processes, timelines, and constructive feedback to improve output and results. Content will differ but candor and care need not.

• Get to know them as people too - there is no need for impersonal, all-business interactions. Find common ground as fellow professionals even if not under the same legal employment.

At the end of the day, you manage their work output, so take time to proactively manage the relationships enabling that work, rather than just reactively addressing problems as they arise. Delivering this respect and inclusion thoughtfully demonstrates your commitment to leading all team members well, without overstepping legal bounds.

Investing in Consistent Communication Pays Real Dividends

Above all, consider how consistent one-on-one meetings with contract employees establish open flows of communication and opportunities to surface concerns early, before frustrations boil over or issues spiral. This allows both of you to course correct quickly when needed, or capitalize on emerging opportunities in an agile fashion.

You also build relationships where people feel valued as individuals, not just interchangeable contractors. This motivates discretionary effort, knowledge sharing, and willingness to go the extra mile when crunch times inevitably hit.

If you need any guidance instituting more inclusive, empowering one-on-ones, I offer management coaching focused explicitly on relationship-building, feedback excellence, and other core leadership skills vital for unleashing any team’s potential. Please reach out anytime to discuss how we can collaborate. Thoughtful communication and leading by serving will reinvent what your team can accomplish together.

Learn from Others’ Mistakes as Much as Your Own

We’ve all heard that you learn the most from mistakes and failures. Picking yourself up after setbacks builds grit and character. Overcoming challenges expands your limits.

But while failures undoubtedly provide invaluable learning opportunities, preventing major mistakes in the first place is obviously ideal. An overlooked truth exists – you can learn just as much, if not more, from others’ mistakes and failures before making the same errors yourself.

The Inherent Paradox of Learning from Mistakes

Mistakes and failures provide essential chances to analyze what went wrong, why it occurred, and how to improve systems and behaviors to prevent recurrence. This commitment to continuous improvement is key to growth at both individual and organizational levels.

But significant mistakes and failures also often incur real damage – to budgets, schedules, capabilities, relationships, reputation, morale, and more. As leaders, we want to minimize mistakes and failures where reasonably possible.

Herein lies an inherent paradox – to maximize growth, we need sufficient learning experiences that test our limits. Yet we want to avoid the pain, disruption, and consequences of major mistakes and failures, especially when repeated frequently.

Learn Without Pain Through Empathetic Listening

An elegant solution to this paradox exists – learn from others’ mistakes first through empathetic listening, before making the same errors yourself.

By taking time to truly understand someone else’s missteps, errors, and oversights from their perspective, you gain many benefits:

• Insight into the nuanced root causes of complex failures from an inside view, not just superficial speculation

• Increased psychological safety for people to share mistakes, be vulnerable, and ask for help without fear of punishment

• Increased awareness of subtle unintended consequences that can emerge in hindsight after the fact

• More nuanced appreciation of how good intentions can sometimes lead down an incorrect path despite best efforts

• The opportunity to ask thoughtful questions free of defensiveness to unpack lessons learned

• Increased humility regarding our shared human fallibility and tendency for oversights

• Greater compassion and emotional intelligence about the feelings evoked by failures

In short, by opening our hearts and minds to learn from each other’s missteps, we turn painful individual mistakes into collectively owned wisdom.

Practical Tips for Learning from Others’ Failures

Here are some practical tips to maximize learning from others’ failures and mistakes:

• Ask open-ended, thoughtful questions without judgment to understand their experience

• Listen first to understand, not simply react or provide your own solutions

• Share your own relevant mistakes and lessons learned to reassure them and create openness

• Discuss what, in hindsight, could have been done differently or improved

• Unpack the influence emotions and mindsets played on perceptions and decisions

• Analyze the organizational context and external factors at play that enabled the failure

• Maintain compassion – “but for the grace of God go I” - we all make mistakes

• Follow up on how insights will alter your own approach going forward

The more we can share our falls, the more we all rise together. Nobody wants to see colleagues and teammates suffer. But mistakes, while often painful in the moment, provide fertile soil for collective learning and growth.

An empathetic culture focused on learning transforms painful missteps into powerful shared wisdom for the future. We all move forward.

Coaching to Develop Empathetic Leadership Skills

Effectively applying empathy to unpack others’ failures and extract lessons requires strategic listening abilities, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and systems thinking.

If you want support developing yourself or your team’s capacities in these areas to create a culture of psychological safety where people help each other learn from setbacks, executive coaching services can help unlock these critical skills.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you see opportunity for our shared humanity to enable collective growth. The road ahead comes into focus when we look back together.

Lessons Learned from the Worst Performance Review I've Ever Received

Performance reviews can make or break trust between managers and employees. Early in my career, I received a shockingly negative review that taught me invaluable lessons on ineffective management and review practices.

The Buildup of Frustration

This review occurred in early 2020, assessing my 2019 performance. I had already accepted a new job offer, after losing trust for months due to unfulfilled promotion promises and shrinking autonomy.

For years I had been an engaged agile coach, earning consistent praise from partners. I eagerly anticipated finally being officially promoted to Scrum Master, as my responsibilities had grown extensively. However, the promotion was continually delayed with vague, shifting expectations about my “readiness.”

Meanwhile, I was no longer allowed to facilitate valuable workshops and design that had clear impact. This raised concerns about the organization's commitment to agile principles.

Also, an arrogant, inexperienced new Business Analyst rejected my mentoring and complained about me behind my back all year. I later learned he had been undermining me to my new, also inexperienced, manager the entire time.

Stellar Historical Ratings

My past annual ratings had been:

• 2018: Exceeded Expectations

• 2017: Met Expectations

• 2016: Far Exceeded Expectations

• 2015: Far Exceeded Expectations

I had no major duty changes in 2019 to warrant a dramatic downward shift. I had a track record of effectively onboarding new hires.

The Devastating Negative Review

Yet my 2019 rating was a disappointing “Inconsistently Met Expectations” and performance improvement plan. This contradicted extensive positive feedback all year from my manager during 1-on-1s.

The vague review appeared disconnected from my actual contributions, blaming me for unclear issues I was never told about. It came across as a political move to justify denying me a deserved promotion.

Team members were shocked, saying I should find a new job based on this alone. I felt betrayed after sacrificing for the team.

Better Approaches to Performance Management

This experience demonstrated common review pitfalls managers should avoid:

• Don’t surprise employees - raise concerns early so people can improve.

• Ensure ratings clearly align with evidence of contributions.

• Consider context like shifting goals that affect performance.

• Discuss feedback directly rather than venting to other managers.

• Ratings should reflect ongoing conversations, not just annual judgments.

As a coach, I now champion transparent development discussions throughout the year, not delayed disappointment. Reviews should motivate, not alienate.

Key Lessons Learned

While this situation caused frustration, it shaped my leadership philosophy of proactive communication, compassion, and transparency. By learning from other’s missteps, we avoid repeating them ourselves.

Does your review process feel supportive of growth? I advise leaders on building trust and maximizing potential through positive management practices. Please reach out if you need any guidance - we rise together when processes focus on people, not bureaucracy.

Hard Lessons from the Worst Manager I’ve Ever Had

We’ve all had our share of ineffective managers. But early in my career, I experienced a truly toxic supervisor who taught me invaluable lessons through negative example. Deeply reflecting on why he failed helps underscore the key behaviors that distinguish great leaders.

I joined my first company right after college, brimming with enthusiasm and eager to add value through hard work. But my new manager, promoted from within after years as a thoroughly average individual contributor, cared little for actually developing people.

He demanded respect simply for obtaining a management title. But respect is earned through actions, not automatic with a promotion. Here are some of the critical flaws he demonstrated that progressive leaders must avoid:

Lacked Self-Awareness Despite Unimpressive Track Record

He acted self-important, entitled and arrogant, yet openly admitted flunking out of college previously due to excessive drinking issues. He felt his manager title alone meant we should defer to him as a leader.

In contrast, the best managers stay humble and self-aware even after promotion. They remember leadership is an ongoing journey, not a permanent achievement. Outstanding leaders don’t rely on prestige but instead prove themselves daily through service, competence and vision. You must continually re-earn your team’s respect.

This manager’s hubris revealed deep insecurity rather than warranted confidence. Great leaders know no matter how much they accomplish, they can always grow in self-awareness.

Micromanaged Despite Lacking Expertise and Skills

Because he had previously held our roles before being promoted, he claimed to know best how to do our jobs. But I personally heard him handle escalated calls from customers, where he came across as awkward, stumbling, overly apologetic and weak.

Outstanding leaders recognize they cannot possibly have all the answers. Instead of micromanaging, they strive to develop team capabilities and autonomy based on individuals’ unique strengths. People excel when playing to their strengths in areas you may not master yourself.

By refusing to acknowledge his own shortcomings, he limited the team’s potential. The best leaders acknowledge gaps in their knowledge and empower others to fill them.

Dismissed Employee Perspectives

When I tried to share candidly that aggressive sales tactics didn’t suit my natural abilities and talents, he completely disregarded my insights about myself. I consistently had some of the highest quality metrics on the team when it came to customer satisfaction and handling time. But I struggled with upselling and “leads.”

The best managers listen deeply, exhibit curiosity and appropriately leverage unique talents. They don’t force square pegs into round holes or make people work against their nature.

His refusal to tailor roles to strengths showed lack of interest in my success. Adaptive leaders realize they must see each person’s full potential in order to unlock it.

Prioritized Self-Interest Above the Team

He explicitly made my career development and growth within the company contingent on boosting certain metrics he wanted to win a personal all-expenses-paid leisure trip and reward. In his mind, as the manager he was owed that.

True servant leadership always puts the team first. You should strive to advance others, not leverage or coerce them purely for personal gain. Sacrificing employees' growth for your own reveals your values.

His self-centeredness damaged trust and morale. The most effective leaders nurture employees’ goals and potential as vigorously as they do their own.

Promoted Toxic "Customer is Always Right" Mentality

He refused to support team members when interacting with customers who were clearly abusive, condescending or unreasonable. However, during my interview process the job was explicitly described as a non-sales role, which I respected.

Great leaders have the courage and confidence to set boundaries and act ethically, not appease one side at the expense of employees. They understand the need to balance empathy and empowerment for multiple stakeholders.

The hypocrisy in expectations and unwillingness to address abusive treatment revealed lack of integrity. Trust stems from modeling consistency between words and actions.

The Worst Experiences Can Lead To The Biggest Realizations

While often painful, these searing trials by fire taught me invaluable lessons about how not to operate. I vowed to pursue self-awareness, nurture potential in others, and always lead with integrity.

In retrospect, the worst bosses provide our most transformational lessons. Their shortcomings shape us by starkly revealing what we must avoid becoming. Reflecting on those hard lessons guides our personal growth into the leaders we wish we had.

Have you taken time to distill key lessons, both positive and negative, from your most impactful managers? Past experience only elevates future performance when mindfully translated into insight. We must each commit to becoming the leader we needed when starting out.

Executive coaching provides objective guidance on developing emotional intelligence and leadership skills — especially valuable when lacking models in your current environment. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to discuss further. We all rise together through shared wisdom and support.

The Power of Team Rituals

Rituals represent powerful yet often underutilized tools for bringing teams together, enabling focus, and elevating performance. A ritual is any set of symbolic actions performed consistently to reinforce shared purpose and meaning. With intention and creativity, leaders can develop impactful rituals that unite teams, smooth transitions, and build trust.

Why Thoughtful Rituals Matter for Teams

Well-designed rituals offer many benefits:

• Shift group mindsets and improve meeting engagement by signaling the start of important discussions. A ritual demarcates a transition into a mindful headspace.

• Build psychological safety through positive consistency and predictability. Familiar sequences of actions create comfort and trust.

• Reinforce and transmit cultural values by associating them with meaningful symbols and shared experiences. Rituals codify what the team cares about.

• Improve execution by reducing mundane decision fatigue. Following known rituals eliminates the need to continually redecide next steps.

• Add satisfaction through visible progress and small acts of accomplishment. Rituals provide rhythm and cadence.

• Smooth transitions between different meeting types or discussion phases. Rituals bookmark the end of one segment and beginning of another.

• Create useful boundaries between periods focused on execution versus strategic thinking. Rituals differentiate mindsets.

How to Design a Meaningful Ritual

When developing a new ritual, consider:

• The underlying purpose - what mindset, behavior or outcome do you want to achieve? Get clear on the need.

• The optimal sequence of actions to support that purpose. What combination of words, gestures, or activities will get you there?

• How to make it repeatable and consistent. The power is in the persistent pattern, not a one-off event.

• What symbolic meaning or link to your team's values to establish. This connects rationally and emotionally.

• How to explain the rationale to get buy-in. Increase engagement by sharing why the ritual matters.

• Ways to refine over time based on feedback and observable impact. Rituals evolve iteratively.

Impactful Ritual Examples to Try

Some potential rituals to experiment with:

• Start meetings with a moment of silent reflection or expression of gratitude. This shifts focus inward.

• Do an icebreaker or energizer activity to get creative juices flowing. Get people engaged with each other.

• Review meeting objectives and the overall process. Align on goals and how to achieve them.

• Perform a plus/delta review of what went well and what to improve. End with learning and appreciation.

• Share expressions of appreciation or kudos about each other. Conclude on a positive communal note.

• Take three deep "mindfulness breaths" together to calm minds before an important discussion.

• State a shared aspiration or mantra to unite around a common purpose.

Rituals can also recognize transitions and demarcate boundaries:

• A sound, chime or act to signify the end of one discussion segment and beginning of another.

• A physical movement like standing up to show a shift between execution and strategic thinking modes.

Get creative. Even small consistent actions can have an outsized impact when elevated as intentional rituals. Explore what rituals could boost your team’s alignment, effectiveness and sense of community.

Elevating Your Leadership Through Ritual Design

Developing impactful rituals requires emotional intelligence, facilitation skills and systems thinking. If you want to level up your ritual design abilities, coaching can help develop these key leadership muscles. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you would like guidance tailoring resonant rituals to your team's specific needs and culture. Thoughtful rituals build trust, focus, belonging and high performance.

Rituals Are All Around Us, Even When Unnoticed

Rituals permeate our lives, even when we don’t realize it. A ritual represents a set of actions performed in a specific predetermined sequence and style, often at regular intervals. While the word “ritual” may conjure mystical images of incense and liturgy, in truth we engage in ordinary, everyday rituals constantly. Recognizing just how pervasive rituals are can help us better appreciate and harness their power.

Personal Rituals Abound, Anchoring Our Days

Our daily lives are filled with personal rituals that provide comfort, stability, and order through ingrained routines:

Morning Rituals

Waking up at the same time, showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast in a specific sequence

Evening Wind-Down Routines

Family dinner, reading bedtime stories, powering down devices by a set time

Weekend Habits

Grocery shopping every Sunday, meal prepping on Mondays, Friday date nights

Milestone Traditions

Celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, family holiday gatherings

These personal rituals instill useful habits and demarcate the transition into different mindsets. They separate work time from relaxation time and provide familiarity amidst chaos.

Workplace Rituals Set Rhythms, Cadences, and Culture

Organizational life is also rich with recognized rituals that set rhythms and unspoken cultural norms:

Start of Day Rituals

Morning standup huddles, team breakfasts, unpacking backpacks at desks

Weekly Rhythms

Monday planning meetings, Friday happy hours, recurring delivery days

Monthly Milestones

Month-end reporting, all hands meetings, birthday lunches

Project Cadences

Daily standups, backlog grooming, sprints, demos

Performance Routines

Quarterly reviews, annual reviews, promotion cycles, offsites

These rituals provide focus, reinforce values, build shared experiences, and enable execution. At their best, organizational rituals build community and align people around a common purpose.

Agile Methods Rely on Rituals

Many modern ways of working like Agile/Scrum are explicitly ritualistic, relying on ceremonies and cadences:

• Daily standups to align on priorities and surface impediments

• Backlog grooming to prepare user stories

• Sprint planning to define goals and plans

• Sprint reviews to demonstrate progress

• Retrospectives for continuous improvement

These rituals create useful cadences of execution, reflection, inspection, and progress. They provide rhythm and alignment for complex efforts.

Elevating Your Team’s Rituals

With more consciousness, you can shape and elevate rituals to maximize strategic benefit. In future posts we’ll explore how to optimize rituals to boost team alignment, effectiveness, and culture. Rituals represent one of the most powerful tools leaders have to positively shape group experiences.

If you need support strengthening your team’s rituals for greater impact, coaching can provide immense value. Please feel free to reach out to explore how we can collaborate. Thoughtful rituals promote productivity, innovation, and belonging.

Leveraging the Power of Rituals

The Ubiquity and Importance of Rituals

Our lives are steeped in rituals, though we often take them for granted. Rituals are sets of repetitive processes or sequences that create shared meaning and purpose over time. Though the term ritual may conjure mystical images of ceremonial robes, rituals pervade our lives in both obvious and subtle ways. Understanding and optimizing rituals can profoundly transform teams, organizations, and even our personal lives.

This post explores the omnipresent nature of rituals, where we encounter them in business and life, and how leaders can institute them deliberately to drive growth, execution, and alignment. While the concept sounds mystical, the impact of thoughtfully designed rituals is highly practical.

What Are Rituals?

At their essence, rituals represent sets of actions performed in a specific predetermined order and style, often at regular intervals or dates. Rituals take many forms:

Common Personal Rituals

• Morning routines - wake up, meditation, exercise, breakfast, journaling

• Evening wind-down routines - family dinner, reading stories, powering down devices

• Weekly habits - grocery shopping, meal prep, lawn care

• Milestone traditions - anniversaries, birthdays, holidays

These personal rituals provide comfort, stability, and work-life balance through habitual behaviors. They demarcate the shift into different mindsets.

Common Organizational Rituals

• Start of day - morning huddle, daily planning, setting intentions

• Start of week - prioritization, goal setting, problem solving meetings

• Start of month/quarter - business reviews, retrospectives, pre-mortems

• Project cadences - standups, grooming sessions, retrospectives, demos

• Culture building - offsites, town halls, team events, celebrations

• Performance rituals - quarterly/annual planning processes, development planning, performance calibration and reviews

Organizational rituals aim to unite teams, provide strategic focus, foster culture, and facilitate alignment. At their best, they become ingrained habits.

The Power and Purpose of Rituals

When designed and facilitated skillfully, rituals confer many benefits:

• Foster a sense of community, belonging, and shared culture by regularly revisiting meaningful symbols, stories, and practices

• Build familiarity and psychological safety through positive consistency and predictability

• Reduce uncertainty and anxiety by clearly establishing expected routines and cadences

• Increase collective focus by eliminating mundane decision fatigue; no need to continually redecide rituals

• Establish coherence and meaning amidst chaos by demarcating sacred time for what matters most

• Codify and transmit important cultural values and principles across generations

• Facilitate incremental improvements through repetition and iteration over time

• Provide satisfaction through visible progress and predictable accomplishment

• Create useful boundaries between periods focused on execution versus strategic thinking

• Support work-life balance by separating personal time from professional time

Rituals serve many purposes, but ultimately coalesce teams around shared pursuits larger than themselves.

Optimizing Team Rituals

Leaders can evolve rituals to maximize their strategic impact by:

• Reviewing existing rituals and paring down or modifying low value activities

• Institutionalizing already beneficial patterns and processes into formal standardized rituals

• Introducing new rituals intentionally designed to address gaps or needs

• Ensuring rituals and their elements embody and convey core cultural values and principles

• Providing clear meaning and context around rituals to increase engagement and purpose

• Codifying important rituals into documented protocols, training programs, and onboarding

• Inspecting and thoughtfully adapting rituals based on feedback and measured outcomes

With care and intention, teams can harness the power of rituals to drive productivity, innovation, connection, and sustainable performance.

Applying Rituals to Strengthen Your Team

Consider where your team stands to benefit most from introducing or optimizing rituals:

• Are start of day or week rituals energizing and aligning people?

• Are milestone rituals reinforcing values and culture?

• Do project rituals maintain cadence and keep efforts on track?

• Do people feel connected to company purpose and community?

Rituals both stabilize chaotic environments and fuel improvement. Take time to consciously design and elevate your team’s rituals.

Coaching to Optimize Rituals

If you need guidance strengthening your team’s rituals for alignment, connection, and performance, coaching can provide immense value. Please feel free to reach out to explore how we can collaborate. Thoughtful rituals promote productivity, innovation, and belonging.

The Power of a Repeated One-on-One Ritual

As leaders, we often obsess over trying to make each one-on-one meeting special, unique, and unpredictable. But real power stems from small, simple consistencies over time, not cleverness in every instance. Start each one-on-one the exact same ritualistic way to lay the groundwork for deeper understanding.

In this series, I’m exploring one-on-one best practices, many inspired by the Manager Tools podcast. Their wisdom has profoundly shaped my perspective, though I synthesize insights from many sources into my own coaching philosophy.

Single one-off meetings can be impactful. But over months and years, the cumulative effects of repetitive actions are what builds trust, insight, and retainment of top talent. Don’t get distracted trying to reinvent the wheel or show off your wit every time. Thoughtful, predictable rituals create fertile ground for sustained growth.

Why Ritual Outperforms Cleverness

It’s tempting to want each one-on-one to feel fresh, organic and completely unique. But this mindset misses the power of pattern recognition over time. A repeated simple ritual may seem boring, but it pays dividends.

Benefits include:

- You learn how different personalities express themselves based on their response style. Quiet employees may offer short vague answers. Big picture thinkers may not recite details. Over time, the pattern recognition ability you develop is invaluable.

- You start noticing subtle trends and changes in mood, energy, body language or tone that can signal emerging issues or opportunities worth digging into. Abrupt terseness from someone usually verbose quickly raises flags something is amiss.

- It reduces the mental effort of trying to conjure a novel, organic opening line every time, allowing you to funnel that brain power into focused listening instead. Energy goes into the conversation rather than the gimmick.

- The predictable rhythm comforts employees and eliminates uncertainties. One less thing to worry about puts them at ease and primes them for candor.

Rituals Build the Foundation, Insights Follow

Resist the urge as a leader to approach each encounter as a chance to impress. Put the emphasis instead on long-term pattern recognition and meaning derived through consistency over time. Establish a simple ritual, then work to discern insights within the comfortable structure it provides.

Optimal Opening Questions

Choose a standard opening question and use it start every one-on-one, every time, with every employee. For example:

- How are you?

- What's been going on this week?

- How are things?

- What's top of mind right now?

Don’t feel pressure to conjure something new or contemporary. The power is in the pattern itself, not the poetry of the words.

Capture Responses for Reflection

Write down or otherwise record your team members’ answers each week. Taking this small step allows you to:

- Easily refer back to check on progress of issues week-to-week. One-off problems become trends.

- See insightful patterns over months that you certainly would have missed in the moment.

- Not rely solely on memory, which fades quickly when managing a team.

- Quiz people about inconsistencies between their own responses that they may not recall offhand.

Don’t view it as imposing tedious structure. You’re laying the groundwork for enhanced recall and insight over the long run.

The Big Picture Role of Management

It’s easy as a leader to slip into thinking your job is to “win” each individual one-on-one. But your real duty is noticing subtle trends over time, coaching others’ development, and ultimately retaining your best talent over months and years. A repeated simple ritual feeds that bigger picture focus on continuity.

Of course, eventually rituals can become rote. So periodically change the question, while still keeping it consistent for a sustained period to allow insights to emerge. Just don’t fall into the trap of trying to impress people with your wit and ingenuity each time. The power is in the pattern.

Invest in Your Growth as a Leader

Like all management skills, consistently practicing one-on-ones will boost your ability to cultivate trust, have meaningful exchanges, and strengthen connections over time. If you want additional support on your journey to management excellence, I offer executive coaching focused explicitly on upleveling leadership abilities like emotional intelligence and communication.

Please feel free to reach out if you would like to explore coaching for yourself or your team. We all get better together. Consistency compounds, in leadership and in life.

Why Skip-Level One-on-Ones Undermine Rather Than Strengthen Connection

As managers rise through the ranks, it’s tempting to want direct, firsthand relationships with all employees, even well down the org chart. But conducting one-on-one meetings with direct reports of your direct reports—known as skip level employees—often proves to be an ineffective use of time that actually weakens critical connections.

I’m synthesizing the wisdom of the Manager Tools podcast, which has profoundly shaped my own coaching philosophy. I’ve experienced the dysfunction of skip-level one-on-ones personally during my career. When one-on-ones flow properly up and down the management chain, critical information bubbles up through trusted relationships. Attempting to short-circuit this chain through skip-level meetings then becomes redundant rather than value-adding.

Why Managers Are Tempted By Skip Level One-On-Ones

It’s understandable why managers are intrigued by the idea of skip-level one-on-ones. Some common motivations include:

- A desire for firsthand exposure to what’s happening on the frontlines to gain unfiltered perspectives.

- Suspicion that direct reports might not provide complete transparency, so wanting to verify stories.

- Belief that more access and visibility will improve skip-level employees’ engagement and connection to leadership.

- Feeling like informal, personality-driven connections are crucial for talent retention and development.

- Wanting to signal an open door policy and outlet for raising concerns.

- Curiosity about how policies and strategies are being implemented.

- Identifying high-potential employees who might not be visible through current processes.

These motivations are well-intentioned. But skip-level one-on-ones often fail to achieve the desired goals while creating unintended consequences.

The Pitfalls of Skip Level One-on-Ones

In practice, skip-level one-on-ones between managers and indirect reports frequently fall flat:

- They undermine the primary relationship between managers and their own direct reports, sowing confusion on where employees should devote time and attention.

- They tend to rehash much of the same ground already covered in other one-on-ones, wasting time without surfacing new insights.

- Employees can feel uncomfortable being fully candid with a more senior leader they don’t know well, impairing psychological safety.

- Even if issues are surfaced, subsequent follow-up is diffused across multiple parties rather than clear accountability.

- They signal a lack of full trust and confidence in the transparency and integrity of data flowing properly up through management channels. This reflects poorly on your team’s managers.

- As an employee, I’ve personally found them unproductive. The skip-level leader gains little meaningful new context about my work. And I leave unsure if my input sparked any substantive change or action plans.

- Conducting meaningful one-on-ones with indirect reports takes significant time. The opportunity cost of investing hours this way detracts from developing your direct reports.

In essence, skip-level one-on-ones disempower managers from building strong connections with their own employees. They also rarely provide meaningful new understanding for senior leaders. The juice is rarely worth the squeeze.

Strengthening Bonds Indirectly But Effectively

None of this means you must resign to distant, impersonal relationships with skip-level employees. But the most effective connections come indirectly by working through proper channels.

- Coach your managers to have excellent one-on-ones with their own direct reports. This cascades transparency and accountability up the chain.

- Conduct skip-level team meetings to hear collective, high-level perspectives without undermining individual managers.

- Maintain an open door policy so employees know they can surface unresolved issues.

- Make time during site visits for informal conversations and rapport-building across the organization.

- Celebrate successes publicly to indirectly fuel engagement at every level.

- Debrief regularly with managers on employee feedback themes so you know the pulse and culture.

The truth is, the relationship health of your skip-level team depends almost entirely on the relationship health between each manager and their direct reports. This means investing in your direct reports’ leadership abilities rather than circumventing them.

Why The Links In Your Chain of Trust Matter Most

Organizational relationships function like a chain. They are only as strong as the trust between each link. When you try to short-circuit the chain through skip-level one-on-ones, you implicitly signal a lack of confidence in its strength.

Instead, focus on fortifying each link:

- Coach your managers on having rich one-on-one dialogues with their people.

- Help them grow skills in building trust, providing feedback, delegating, and developing team members.

- Require and monitor the consistency of their one-on-ones.

- Role model transparent leadership yourself in your meetings with them.

- Work collaboratively on aligning priorities across levels.

- Celebrate, appreciate, and reward collaborative, empowering leadership.

The more you invest in nurturing the links closest to each employee, the greater the returns in engagement, innovation, and execution throughout the organization. Skip-level one-on-ones often nip these buds before they can bloom.

Invest in the Chain, Invest in the Organization

If you want additional support strengthening your chain of trust, I offer executive coaching focused explicitly on this management system connectivity. Feel free to reach out to explore how I can help you and your team develop the leadership abilities that translate to broad organizational health.

Empowered people empower people. With consistency and care, you can build an organization that actualizes this virtuous cycle at every level.

How to Make Your One-on-Ones More Conversational

One-on-ones are most effective when the conversation flows naturally in both directions. But transforming them from reporting sessions into genuine dialogue takes some finesse. Follow these tips to foster engaging, productive exchanges.

As always, I’m sharing guidance that has shaped my own coaching approach, and this topic again comes inspired by the Manager Tools podcast. Their wisdom on one-on-ones has proven invaluable time and again.

While structure provides consistency, the real magic of one-on-ones happens through candid, unscripted connection. When you and your employees can share openly without judgement, trust deepens on both sides.

Don’t Worry if Early One-on-Ones Feel Stiff

If you’re just launching one-on-ones, expect some initial awkwardness as you and your team adjust to the new format. Allow time for guards to fall as relationships strengthen through repetition.

Resist the temptation to force casual interaction. As long as critical information is flowing, view early discomfort as a necessary stage of establishing new habits.

Ask Questions to Spark Conversation

Don’t just listen silently during your employee’s portion. Jump in with clarifying questions and additional perspectives. Make it a dynamic exchange.

Interruptions and back-and-forth happen in most meetings. Apply that same principle to one-on-ones. Just take care not to dominate the conversation.

Address Shared Topics Together

If you and your employee plan to discuss the same issue, don’t wait your turn. Dive in when it arises and have a fluid discussion.

Still prioritize their concerns first, but take the opportunity to share, probe and gain alignment.

Add Time as Needed When Agendas Overlap

If you end up covering some of your topics while your employee is speaking, grant them extra time so you don’t cut them off early.

The goal is allowing enough space for both of you to get needs met, not rigid time splits.

Encourage Questions During Your Portion Too

Tell your employees up front that you welcome their questions and interruptions while you’re speaking. A conversation goes two ways.

Reinforce that it’s not a presentation - it’s a dialogue to gain mutual understanding.

Schedule Time to Build Rapport

Consider scheduling rapport-building time before diving into agendas. Those first unstructured minutes allow you both to shift gears into a conversational mindset.

With practice, you can transform one-on-ones into relaxed yet productive sessions where you both contribute fully. The openness will yield dividends.

Invest in Yourself as a Leader

As with all management skills, consistently practicing one-on-ones will boost your ability to connect. If you want additional support, executive coaching provides immense value in augmenting emotional intelligence.

Please feel free to reach out if you would like to explore coaching for yourself or your leadership team. Fostering growth and trust ultimately serves your whole organization.

How to Schedule One-on-Ones for Maximum Impact

One-on-one meetings are a cornerstone of great management. But with packed calendars, it can be challenging to find time for meaningful connections. Proper scheduling is key to making one-on-ones work. Follow these strategies to set up a cadence that demonstrates your team is a top priority.

I learned the importance of dedicated one-on-ones from an influential mentor of mine who followed the wisdom of Manager Tools, an invaluable resource for leaders. Now I pass on their guidance to help managers develop critical relationship-building skills.

While demands press in, one-on-ones create essential space to guide employees, exchange feedback, and foster growth. Done right, they boost trust, morale, and performance.

A 4-Step Process for One-on-One Scheduling

Scan your calendar first. Block off times for standing meetings and other commitments. One-on-ones take precedence as your most important meetings.

Offer at least 1.5 times slots as you have direct reports. Don’t just provide the exact number of slots - you need wiggle room.

Allow employees to choose the best time for them from your provided options. This demonstrates you value their needs.

It’s okay to request 1-2 time changes if certain slots end up overbooked. But overall, defer to employee preferences.

This balanced approach enables you to steer the ship while empowering your team to find optimal timing.

Key Considerations For One-on-One Scheduling

While there’s no single perfect way to schedule one-on-ones, keep these factors in mind:

Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons due to common conflicts.

Earlier in the week allows more flexibility to reschedule if needed.

Standard meeting times tend to work better than off-times.

Morning, mid-day or afternoon slots have pros and cons - choose based on your and your team’s preferences.

Scheduling them all in one day provides focus, while spreading them out increases flexibility.

Some like back-to-back scheduling for efficiency while others prefer breaks between.

The priority is establishing consistent touchpoints, not finding an elusive ideal time. Test different approaches to see what works best.

The #1 Rule: One-on-Ones Are Sacred

Above all, once you commit to scheduling one-on-ones, make them a firm calendar commitment. Never cancel without immediately rescheduling. Defy attempts by others to schedule over this sacred time with your team.

Making one-on-ones a consistent presence demonstrates their immense value to your employees. It also reflects clear priorities on your part as a manager and enables the trust-building relationships that motivate great work.

Invest in Your People and Your Leadership

By dedicating time for one-on-one meetings and actively listening during them, you develop your team and strengthen your own emotional intelligence and coaching abilities.

If you want additional support for your management journey, executive coaching provides immense value. We can work together to refine your one-on-one approach and other leadership practices. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to explore coaching for yourself or your team. Developing leaders develop their people.

The Power of One-on-One Meetings: A Key Tool for People Leaders

As a manager, few things are more important than building strong relationships and trust with your team. But it’s easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of tasks and meetings, with little time left to connect. That’s why the most effective leaders consistently make one-on-one meetings a priority.

I first learned the power of dedicated one-on-ones from a director I worked for years ago. He structured our meetings based on guidance from the invaluable Manager Tools podcast, which has shaped my approach as a coach. Now I pass this wisdom on to help other leaders develop critical management skills.

While meetings proliferate and time disappears, one-on-ones provide consistent space to listen, exchange feedback, provide guidance, and demonstrate each employee’s value. Done right, they transform relationships and results.

Why One-on-Ones Are Essential

It’s tempting to view one-on-one meetings as just another item on your endless to-do list. But they offer immense benefits that impact your team’s performance and morale:

- Develops trust and stronger connections from quality focused time together

- AllowsSurfacing concerns early before they become major problems

- Provides a regular forum for delivery of praise and constructive feedback

- Keeps you closely in touch with the status of projects and any roadblocks

- Creates a space for brainstorming solutions and providing coaching

- Demonstrates the employee’s importance by giving them your undivided attention

Without regular one-on-ones, you miss critical opportunities to provide clarity, resolve issues early, and guide your employees’ growth and development. Don’t let the urgent undermine time dedicated to understanding your team.

How to Structure Effective One-on-One Meetings

To maximize the impact of one-on-ones, Manager Tools recommends this simple but powerful structure:

- Schedule them for 30 minutes once a week with each direct report

- Block them on your calendar to preserve the sacred time

- Give employees the first 10 minutes to talk about anything on their mind

- Use the next 10 minutes to address your agenda and questions

- Spend the final 10 minutes on coaching and discussing future goals

- Hold them in your office or a neutral space with no distractions

- Never cancel without rescheduling that same week – they are a top priority

This format enables your team to share ideas and concerns freely, knowing they have your full attention and support. This transparencybreeds loyalty and innovation.

Making One-on-Ones More Natural

At first, one-on-one meetings may feel awkward as you develop rapport. Here are some tips to help the conversations flow:

- Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions and listen deeply

- Focus on understanding, not immediately solving problems

- Share your own relevant experiences to find common ground

- Follow up on action items week-to-week to provide continuity

- Note key points and summarize conversations to show you were listening

- Find informal spaces like coffee shops to vary the scenery

As you learn about your employees’ needs and build understanding, the meetings will become more relaxed and valuable.

Why Investing in One-on-Ones Pays Off

Consistent one-on-ones clearly demonstrate that developing team members is a top priority for any great leader. The benefits include:

- Employees feel valued, heard, and invested in

- You gain critical insights into morale, challenges, and goals

- It keeps you connected to the team’s real experience day-to-day

- You strengthen coaching skills through practice and repetition

- Trust increases as people know they have direct access to you

- You quickly address frustrations before they become problems

- It allows recognition of achievements that might otherwise go unnoticed

- Your whole team gains confidence in your leadership and concern for them

By spending time in one-on-ones listening, learning, and connecting, you empower your staff to grow and do their best work. You also build vital management and communication abilities that make you a stronger leader.

Taking Your Leadership Development to the Next Level

While I firmly believe one-on-ones are a foundational management practice, executive coaching can provide immense value in augmenting your skills. Coaches work with leaders to:

- Set up scheduling systems and one-on-one best practices

- Develop strong listening and empowering feedback skills

- Learn to provide guidance while maintaining autonomy

- Improve executive presence and leadership communication

- Implement ongoing methods for relationship-building and mentorship

Everything rises and falls on leadership. Developing yourself is the highest-yield investment you can make, both for your own growth and to inspire your team to bring their best.

I encourage you to check out the Manager Tools podcast and community for more wisdom that has shaped my approach to management excellence. And please feel free to reach out if you would like to explore executive coaching for yourself or your leadership team. Helping leaders grow and serve their people well is my passion.

The Power of One-on-Ones: Building Trust and Encouraging Professional Relationships

In our quest to become more effective leaders, we often overlook the basic building blocks that form the foundation of great management. One of these basic but extremely powerful tools is the practice of one-on-one meetings. This practice is part of the Manager Tools Trinity, a set of core principles recommended to every manager looking to enhance their leadership skills.

The Aim of One-on-Ones

The primary purpose of one-on-one meetings is to cultivate professional relationships with your team members. Many managers might argue they already communicate with their team members regularly, but drop-in chats or brief updates don’t necessarily encourage professional relationships.

What is required is deliberate, regular communication that gives the team member a sense of predictability and trust. This trust is the cornerstone of a great team. A high degree of trust within a team can lead to improved performance and better results.

How One-on-Ones Foster Trust

Conducting one-on-ones might seem simple, but it’s surprising how many managers overlook this crucial practice. If you strive for a high-performing team, you must cultivate trust. Trust comes from relationships, and relationships are built and sustained through regular communication.

Human beings measure communication based on two criteria: quantity and quality. To foster trust, a manager needs to communicate frequently and meaningfully with their team members. That’s where one-on-ones come into play.

One-on-ones provide the quantity by ensuring weekly communication between the manager and each team member. But what about the quality? The key to high-quality communication is talking about things that are important to the other person. Hence, effective one-on-ones should always start with the direct — it’s their meeting.

The Impact of One-on-Ones

You might hesitate at the idea of spending half an hour every week with each of your team members, but consider this: it equates to only three days a year spent in deliberate, direct time with each person on your team.

One-on-ones are not just regular check-ins; they are an investment in building trust and fostering professional relationships. They are a way to understand your team members better, gauge their motivations and concerns, and ultimately lead them more effectively.

Remember, effective management isn’t necessarily about being the smartest person in the room or having in-depth industry knowledge. It’s about having great professional relationships with your direct reports. And one-on-ones are the simplest, most measurable way to foster these relationships.

If there’s one thing you can do today to enhance your management skills and effectiveness, start conducting regular one-on-ones. It’s a small step that can have a significant impact on your team’s performance and trust levels.

The Power of Praise: How to Motivate and Appreciate Your Team

As a leader, motivating your team is one of your most vital responsibilities. While compensation and rewards have a role, truly engaged teams are driven by intrinsic motivation – the inner desire to learn, grow, and make an impact. Through understanding individuals’ motivations, providing autonomy, and giving generous praise and appreciation, you can cultivate this intrinsic drive and inspire exceptional performance.

Intrinsic Motivation Fuels Passion and Purpose

Intrinsic motivation stems from within each person, based on their values, interests, and need for growth. It manifests as:

- A drive to keep developing skills and taking on challenges
- Curiosity to learn new things and gain knowledge
- A sense of purpose in making a meaningful contribution  
- Passion for the work itself and interest in tasks
- Desire for more responsibility and autonomy
- Creativity and innovation to solve problems

This intrinsic motivation is far more powerful than extrinsic motivators like compensation, perks and accolades. While extrinsic rewards can temporarily boost results, they often undermine passion over time.

The Pitfalls of Overemphasizing Extrinsic Rewards

Extrinsic motivators are the external things you do to incentivize the desired behavior and outcomes. This includes:

- Monetary compensation – salary, commissions, bonuses
- Benefits – health insurance, retirement plans, perks
- Recognition – awards, promotions, media coverage 
- Social reinforcement – praise, applause, admiration

Initially, these rewards encourage effort and performance. But the boost is usually short-lived. Here’s why extrinsic motivators often backfire:

- People get used to the rewards over time, so you have to constantly up the ante to get the same response. This can get expensive.

- Rewards start to become expected as entitlements, rather than something earned through great work.  

- People become dependent on the reward and lose interest when it’s removed. The work itself is no longer inspiring.

- Rewards for routine expectations feel patronizing. “Pizza for showing up on time?”

- Social reinforcement can seem inauthentic, forced and condescending if not done thoughtfully.

While extrinsic motivators should not be avoided, they work best as intermittent fuel on top of a sustaining base of intrinsic drive.

Using Rewards and Reinforcement Wisely

Extrinsic motivators are not universally bad. Used judiciously, they can celebrate achievements, show appreciation, and symbolize job well done. The key is maintaining perspective and balance.

Here are some best practices for rewards and recognition:

- Tie rewards to specific accomplishments, not just general expectations. Surprise people.

- Consider non-financial rewards like days off, flexible schedules, and training opportunities. 

- Make rewards meaningful to each person. Discover their individual interests.

- Celebrate intrinsic rewards like having an impact, learning something new, or completing a challenge. 

- Avoid excessive gamification with points, badges and leaderboards. Don’t make work feel trivial.

- Focus social recognition on progress and effort, not just achievement. Appreciate the journey.

- Ensure recognition comes across as sincere, not automatic. Personalize it.

- Remember rewards should supplement positive culture, not replace it.

Ultimately, overemphasizing rewards reflects poorly on leadership. It implies you don’t expect great work without bribes and need to manipulate behaviors through simplistic carrots and sticks. People want to do good work for its own sake, not just for trinkets. Facilitate that intrinsic motivation.

Cultivating Intrinsic Motivation for Sustainable Passion

Here are some best practices for tapping into intrinsic motivation: 

- Help people find purpose in their roles. Ensure they understand how their work fits into big-picture goals and makes a difference.

- Facilitate mastery by allowing time for learning, providing training opportunities, and offering projects that build new skills. Mastery fuels confidence.

- Let people work autonomously when possible. Don’t micromanage. Empower teams to determine how to achieve outcomes.

- Incorporate opportunities for creativity and problem solving. Don’t stick to rigid processes. 

- Develop competency models that encourage growth. Outline progression pathways.

- Be flexible on hours and location when feasible. Offer discretion based on achieving outcomes.

- Ask for suggestions to improve processes and try them. Don’t dismiss ideas out of hand.

- Praise efforts, not just results. Recognize initiative, experimentation and learning.  

- Thank people for collaborating and supporting each other, not just individual achievements.

By meeting needs for autonomy, mastery and purpose, you tap into the intrinsic motivations that create workplace passion.

Understanding The Team’s Working Styles and Motivations

Of course, different people have different working styles and motivational triggers. Start by understanding the general archetypes:

Working Genius Types Defined by Patrick Lencioni:

- Wonder – Sees possibilities and the big picture
- Invention – Creates new ideas and solutions
- Discernment – Evaluates ideas for flaws  
- Galvanizing – Builds excitement and united action
- Enablement – Supports and assists implementation
- Tenacity – Provides needed follow-through 

Then use simple exercises like the Moving Motivators from Management 3.0 to uncover individual motivations:

- Curiosity - Loves learning, exploring possibilities
- Honor - Driven by reflecting values in their work
- Acceptance - Motivated by team approval and praise  
- Mastery - Passionate about developing competence   
- Power - Fueled by being able to influence outcomes
- Freedom – Loves autonomy and independence
- Relatedness – Energized by positive workplace relationships
- Order – Motivated by structure and clarity
- Goal – Inspired by aligning work with life purpose
- Status – Driven by prestige and demonstrating success

When you understand what drives each person, you can set goals, design roles, provide feedback, and recognize achievements in a way that motivates them intrinsically. Help them see how they can satisfy their deeper needs through their work.

Author Gary Chapman identified 5 main ways people feel valued and appreciated at work. He calls these the 5 Languages of Appreciation:

• Words of Affirmation - Compliment achievements, abilities, character

• Quality Time - Listen attentively in one-on-ones

• Acts of Service - Help out by removing barriers

• Tangible Gifts - Small treats like gift cards

• Appropriate Touch - A high five or pat on the back

The key is using multiple languages tailored to individual team members. Discover what resonates with each person.

By expanding your appreciation vocabulary, you meet people’s motivational needs in the right way.

The Critical Importance of Positivity and Praise

While compensation, perks and advancement have a limited motivational effect, interpersonal positivity and praise can have a profound impact.

Creating a supportive, approving environment meets core emotional needs:

- Feeling valued as a person, beyond what you produce
- Gaining confidence by having abilities recognized  
- Experiencing belonging and acceptance through shared successes
- Believing your contributions matter and are appreciated

Skimping on praise and appreciation is one of the biggest mistakes leaders make. According to experts, it takes 3 to 5 positive interactions to overcome the motivational damage of a single negative interaction.

Some best practices on positive reinforcement:

- Be extremely generous with genuine, specific praise. Outnumber negative feedback by 10:1 or 20:1. Look for opportunities to recognize progress.

- Tailor praise to what matters to each person, based on their working style and motivators. Leverage the languages of appreciation.

- Thank people for collaborating, listening, and supporting each other. Make it about team, not just individual achievement.  

- Express pride in the team’s problem solving, creativity, resilience and determination. Recognize the journey, not just the result.

- Let people know you appreciate their passion, work ethic, flexibility, integrity and commitment. Value them as people.

- Praise efforts to learn and improve, not just achievement. Recognize personal growth and mastery.

Celebrate intrinsic rewards like accomplishing something challenging, delivering value to customers, and gaining new skills. Recognize purpose, autonomy and progress.

When you provide enough recognition and appreciation, you demonstrate the ultimate intrinsic reward - your respect and admiration. This cultivates lifelong passion.

Coaching for Motivational Leadership

If you want to build on your motivational leadership skills, executive coaching can help immensely. Coaches work with leaders to:

- Better understand employees’ working styles, intrinsic motivations and engagement barriers

- Set the right balance between extrinsic motivators and intrinsic reward

- Facilitate needs for autonomy, mastery and purpose

- Improve positivity and dramatically expand praise and recognition

- Measure and monitor team engagement and morale

- Implement ongoing strategies and systems for motivation and appreciation

Developing yourself develops your team. Invest in becoming an inspiring motivational leader. Feel free to reach out anytime to explore how coaching can help you and your organization thrive.

Q: What is the importance of praising employees in the workplace?

A: Praising employees in the workplace is essential for boosting their morale, motivation, and productivity. It helps acknowledge their hard work and achievements, leading to higher job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Q: How does praise contribute to employee motivation?

A: Praise is a powerful tool for motivating employees. When employees receive recognition or praise for doing good work, they feel valued and appreciated. This recognition boosts their confidence and encourages them to continue performing at their best.

Q: How can praising employees make a difference in the work environment?

A: Praising employees can significantly improve the work environment. When employees are regularly praised and acknowledged, they feel more motivated and engaged. This positive atmosphere can enhance teamwork, collaboration, and overall job satisfaction.

Q: What are some effective ways to praise employees?

A: There are several effective ways to praise employees. One way is to publicly praise them during team meetings or company-wide announcements. Another way is to personally compliment them for their specific achievements or efforts. Additionally, acknowledging their hard work through written notes or emails can also make a positive impact.

Q: Does praise really have the power to make a difference?

A: Absolutely! Praise has been proven to have a significant impact on employee motivation and productivity. According to Gallup, employees who receive regular praise are more likely to be engaged in their work, which leads to higher performance and better outcomes.

Q: How can I make praise more effective?

A: To make praise more effective, be specific and genuine. Instead of just saying "Good job," highlight the employee's specific achievements or efforts. Also, make sure your praise is sincere and heartfelt, as insincere praise can be easily recognized by employees.

Q: What if employees don't feel motivated by praise alone?

A: While praise is a powerful motivator, it may not work for everyone. In such cases, it's important to understand the individual needs and preferences of your employees. Some employees may benefit from additional forms of recognition, such as rewards or opportunities for growth and development.

Q: Can praising employees go a long way in improving productivity?

A: Yes, praising employees can have a significant impact on productivity. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to put in extra effort and take pride in their work. This increased motivation can lead to improved productivity and better overall results.

Q: How often should I praise my employees?

A: Praise should be given regularly and consistently. While it's important to recognize major achievements, it's equally important to acknowledge the everyday efforts and small victories. By incorporating praise into your regular interactions with employees, you can create a culture of appreciation and motivation.

Q: How can I make praise a part of my team's culture?

A: To make praise a part of your team's culture, lead by example. Start by actively giving praise to your employees for their hard work and achievements. Encourage your team members to give praise to one another and create opportunities for public recognition. By making praise a regular practice, you can foster a positive and motivating work environment.

The Power of Listening: How to Make Your Team Feel Truly Heard

The Power of Listening: How to Make Your Team Feel Truly Heard

As a leader, one of the most important skills you can develop is the ability to listen deeply and make your team members feel genuinely heard and understood. When employees feel their perspectives are valued, engagement and morale improve. But when people feel ignored or dismissed, resentment builds and performance suffers.

Why Feeling Heard Matters

Human beings have a fundamental need to feel heard and validated. When people sense you are truly listening to them, without judgement, they relax and open up. This builds trust and psychological safety on your team.

However, if you frequently interrupt, ignore opinions, or impose your own solutions, people get the message that their thoughts don't matter. This leads to frustration, lack of motivation, and higher turnover.

The Dangers of Not Listening

Failing to listen can have serious consequences, including:

• Loss of talent, as ignored employees seek opportunities where their views will be respected

• Lack of innovation, as people stop sharing ideas and insights

• Poor decisions, when leaders miss out on valuable perspectives and input

• Low morale and resentment, as team members feel marginalized and disrespected

Clearly, not making people feel heard takes a real toll on engagement, collaboration, and performance.

Cultivating Deep Listening

So how can you demonstrate to your staff that you are genuinely listening? Here are some tips:

• Maintain eye contact and give your full attention when others are speaking. Avoid distractions and multitasking.

• Ask thoughtful follow-up questions to show your interest, not just to push your own agenda.

• Paraphrase key points back to the speaker to ensure you understand correctly.

• Express empathy and acknowledge the emotions behind what is being said.

• Thank people for sharing their views, even if you don't agree with them.

• Consider ideas and solutions raised by your team, rather than dismissing them out of hand.

• Give feedback on how employee input influenced your thinking and decisions.

Essentially, listening is about curiosity, not criticism. When you approach conversations with an open and non-judgmental mindset, people will feel respected and valued.

Bringing People Along, Even in Disagreement

Making your staff feel heard doesn't necessarily mean endorsing every idea or avoiding hard decisions. But when you do have to move forward without consensus, you can still acknowledge employee concerns and perspectives.

• Explain your reasoning while affirming that you heard their input.

• Commit to reviewing the decision down the line.

• Solicit ideas to improve implementation of the plan.

• Schedule one-on-ones to provide support.

• Thank the team for sharing candid feedback.

With empathy and transparency, you can build trust and inclusiveness, even amidst disagreement.

Listening to Lead

At the end of the day, leadership is about inspiring people to bring their best selves to work. When employees know their voices matter, they are more engaged, collaborative and innovative. By truly hearing your team, you not only make them feel valued, but gain access to insights that can drive your organization forward. Listening is a muscle - the more you practice it, the better you will become.

If you are interested in developing your leadership abilities, executive coaching can be invaluable. Feel free to reach out to discuss how I can help you hone your listening skills and lead through influence, not just authority. Investing in your growth is an investment in your team.