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How Creating Margin can Foster Effective Leadership photo

How Creating Margin Can Foster Effective Leadership

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Effective leadership takes time, intentionality, purpose and strategy. It also means making the choice to create margin in your life. Just like a well-written, typed paper needs margin around the edges to be a source of communication and efficiency, leaders need margin in their lives to perform at peak levels. But leaders are often driven, which can result in schedules crammed with meetings, tasks and busyness.

10 tips to create margin in your life:
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Have you created margin in your life so that you have the reserve you need to accomplish the goals you have for yourself and your team? How do you create that margin? Here are 10 suggestions:

  1. Get enough sleep.  When leaders don’t get enough sleep, they are more likely to react badly and make poor decisions. Sleep equates to better decisions and a clearer vision for what is important. Without enough sleep, we waste the extra time we might have making up for poor decisions. Sleep is vital.
  2. Pay attention to your energy levels. Each of us have different energy levels throughout our days depending on our personalities, schedules and body composition. Knowing when you are more and less energetic can be a strategic factor in creating margin. If you find that you are more productive in the morning, it is smart to schedule your important tasks and meetings then. If you find your energy wanes every day around 2 pm, make a decision to plan an activity that will boost your energy or give you rest.
  3. Know your productive seasons.  In the same way that each of us have different energy levels during the day, we each have more productive seasons than others. Winter can be more difficult for some. The month of May is often a busy time with kids in school. Knowing your productivity highs and lows throughout the year will allow you to plan margin in your life effectively.
  4. Give yourself 15 extra minutes.  If you are not an early morning person, it is difficult to follow through with the decision to get up earlier each day in order to get more accomplished. But many people who don’t get up early find themselves rushed and stressed. So instead of getting up early, start giving yourself 15 minutes for tasks throughout your day. Arrive fifteen minutes early for meetings so you can give yourself extra mental energy. Plan for an extra fifteen minutes at the end of meetings so you can wrap up your notes and next action steps.
  5. Do some meal planning on the weekends. Meal planning can take time out of your schedule that could be used in other more productive ways. So take time on the weekend and plan out some meals, do some early preparation and freeze some meals. This will create extra time during your week that could be quite valuable to the margin in your life.
  6. Keep a time limit on your social media activities. Being active on social media is important for a leader, especially a business leader. But social media can also prove to be a black hole that eats up valuable time for work and for margin in your life. Set a time limit on your social media activities and begin each session with work priorities. Connect with friends and colleagues next, but when your time limit is over, shut it down. Margin is often consumed with mindless activities that profit us little.
  7. Solitude. We live in a world of noise and people and chatter. Choosing to make solitude a priority in your life centers your mind, body and spirit in a way that will bring a healthy perspective to everything. Margin is often birthed in the freedom that solitude brings.
  8. Nap. There is extensive research that says that a 30-minute power nap in the middle of your day can rejuvenate you. Choosing to rest creates much needed margin.
  9. Learn the difference between a concern and a responsibility. When we find ourselves concerned about a particular thing, we are worried or anxious about it. When we have a responsibility, we have an actual duty and obligation to do something for someone or something. Margin is naturally created when you don’t waste time on concerns. As a leader, you need to fulfill your responsibilities. Concerns can be energy wasters because you often do not have the authority or ability to change it simply by being concerned about it.
  10. Learn to say NO. The best way to create margin is not to overextend yourself.

Start creating margin in your life today so that you can be the most effective and most balanced leader you can be.

 

Sources:

http://rubiconn.com/choosing-to-create-margin-in-your-life/

http://www.toodarnhappy.com/2012/03/19/5-ways-to-create-margin-in-your-life/

http://www.sean-johnson.com/why-you-need-more-margin-in-your-life/

http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/leading-with-margin/

micro-managers the good the bad and how not to be the ugly shannon cassidy bridge between photo

Micro-Managers – The Good, The Bad and How Not To Be The Ugly

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

In 1966, Clint Eastwood starred in a movie titled “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” This spaghetti western told the story of three men searching for gold. The last scene is a famous three-way shootout, leaving the Good (Clint Eastwood) alive, the Bad dead and the Ugly barely surviving. In the world of business, we often encounter good, bad and ugly leaders. Many times these leaders are micro-managers. Is being a micro-manager a horrible attribute in a manager or not? Let’s take a look at micro-managers and how this complex characteristic can be good, bad or ugly.

Is being a micro-manager always a horrible attribute of a leader?
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The Good:

Few corporate executives aspire to be micro-managers. The ideal leader is supposed to be a great delegator and motivator, not someone who tries to control every aspect of their employee’s work.

However, a CEO who is a micro-manager has the ability to plow down obstacles and force uncooperative team members to take on challenges that drive the value of the product or service. Steve Jobs was famous for pushing his engineers past the bounds of what most considered reasonable—and getting great results from it. Walt Disney was a well-known micro-manager who obsessed over every detail of every ride design at his theme parks. This did not make him popular with his employees, but the end result was and is stellar.

To be an effective micro-manager, a leader must have a clear vision for success and how to achieve it. That leader must also be courageous and confident. If a plan fails, the buck stops at the micro-manager’s desk. Sam Walton of Wal-Mart and William Rosenberg of Dunkin Donuts were well-known micro-managers who spent a large part of their time visiting stores to make sure their products were of the best quality. The “Good” micro-managers above were all visionaries for their companies. Their passion for their businesses drove their desire for accomplishment. With that same kind of intense commitment, a micro-manager can propel a company to success. “Good” micro-managers can be an asset.

The Bad:

Unfortunately, micro-managers are usually seen as “Bad.” While they can be assets, micro-managers obsessively control and bring tension and frustration to their companies. If you are a leader with this style, you might sometimes feel driven to push everyone around you to succeed, but often it’s at the cost of your colleagues’ confidence.

You might be a “Bad” micro-manager if you:

  • Resist delegating
  • Correct tiny details instead of looking at the big picture
  • Discourage others from making decisions without consulting you
  • Ask for frequent updates on where things stand
  • Prefer to be cc’d on emails
  • Are never satisfied with anyone’s work

If you find that micro-managing is part of your style of leadership but is negatively affecting your company and the people you lead, change is possible.

 How Not To Be the Ugly:

Commit to hiring the right people. Look for employees that are accountable for their work. Screen possible additions to your team to see if they proactively seek information and feedback. Hire team players that are clear on the company’s goals and are able to articulate it back to you. If you create an extensive hiring process, you will be able to more easily trust your employees, and thus cutting the need to micro-manage.

Clearly and frequently communicate expectations. If your team doesn’t know what you expect, they will not give it to you. Communication is important so that you do not have to control what others might or might not be doing. Set consistent times for this type of communication. For instance, on a certain project set a meeting once every month to make sure everyone is on the same page. Be careful not to treat your team like children who need to be told the rules again and again.

Listen. Great leaders are masters at listening to their team members. Micro-managers often fail to listen to their employees, arrogantly believing they know best in all circumstances. The people you work with have important insights and ideas. If you don’t listen, they will feel disengaged and their work will suffer. If you choose to listen, you will create an atmosphere where your employees feel that they are valued contributors.

 

As a leader, you have the responsibility to root out the bad micro-managing, fix the ugly and encourage the good. Prevent a three-way shoot-out: address the micro-managing in yourself and others directly. By doing so, you will find the gold in your company.

Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-10-11/in-praise-of-micromanagers

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_90.htm

https://hbr.org/2014/11/signs-that-youre-a-micromanager

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218028

10 “Be”-haviors to Gain Respect

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Respect

As a manager, respect is essential to building a successful, productive team.

While many managers struggle to gain respect from employees, respect can

actually be earned and maintained with simple behaviors that let people know

you can be trusted to lead effectively. Adopt the following behaviors and watch

employee respect for you grow:

 

1. Be encouraging. Offer sincere praise for a job well done. Tell your

employees that you appreciate their efforts while they are working, and

offer immediate recognition upon successful completion of a task, while

the work is still fresh in the mind of the employee.

2. Be trusting. People feel devalued by managers who can’t let go. It is

important, when delegating responsibilities, to trust employees to

accomplish tasks without telling them how to complete their work. Trust

and empower employees to explore ways to achieve success in a manner

that will lead to the development of their own skills.

3. Be honest. Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know the answer! No

one respects an arrogant fool, but respect is gained through honesty and

understanding. Similarly, give truthful feedback to employees rather than a

simple, “good job,” especially if the job done did not meet company goals.

4. Be available. In addition to leaving your door open, schedule time to chat

with employees. Letting coworkers know that your time is not too

important for them will cause them to value and respect you.

5. Be positive. No one is drawn to negativity. Work to see the positive in

your employees and express optimism regarding the progress of your

team.

6. Be helpful. Never be too busy to make yourself useful to others. Being

willing to stop and offer advice to those who ask for it, or to assist in areas

that may even be “below” your status are sure ways to encourage

appreciation and respect among employees – they will see that you

actually care.

7. Be relatable. Don’t be afraid to laugh and smile. Managers who are too

serious can seem sterile or even hostile, causing mistrust. Don’t be afraid

to occasionally have some appropriate fun with your employees.

8. Be open. Ask for the opinions of your employees, then actively listen and

respond to their views. People respect those who actually consider their

ideas and show interest.

9. Be humble. As Jim Collins observed in his book, Great by Choice,

companies that have incredible track records of success consistently

boast leaders who take personal blame for failures and setbacks, but give

others credit for progress and success.

10. Be reliable. Make sure that what you say and what you do match up.

Whereas consistency quickly earns trust, inconsistency leads to doubt and

a lack of respect. Following up and following through will quickly establish

credibility among employees.

 

What are some effective ways that you gain the respect of your employees?

We’re eager to share ideas with you. Contact us!

Putting Your Best Interests to Work

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”  This was advice that the late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs gave to the Stanford University Class of 2005 during their commencement speech.

Steve Jobs Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

In his speech, Jobs in effect said that you will do your best if you do work that you love to do, not what other people think you should do (that may not be for you).  This can be what “stay foolish” means, not necessarily acting reckless, but rather if what you love to do means that you will not be running with the herd. Do you risk being called foolish? Perhaps. Do what you love to do.  This was advice that Jobs gave himself on a daily basis during his tenure at Apple.

Staying hungry means doing the work you love to do with such dedication, that it was as though each day of your life was your last. This puts in to stark perspective the preciousness of the choice you have in regard to the type of work or career you want to pursue.

I don't get no respect Rodney Dangerfield

Age does not matter. The choice can be there for you.  Consider the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield.  He did not start his successful stand-up comedy routine (highlighted by the self-effacing phrase “I don’t get no respect”) until he was in his early 40s, after working for some time as a salesman.

While this may not apply if you are in your 40s, never played professional basketball, and you want to be the next NBA all-star, there are still opportunities with other interests where age may not matter.

The inspiration here is to tap into your interests and you have an opportunity to do your best work, and without necessarily regard to age.

 

What do you really love? Sometimes finding the answer to that question is harder than we think. Try finishing these sentences to help get you started.

1. I can hardly wait to _____.

2. I really lost track of time when _____.

3. I always find the time / money for _____.

4. The best gift someone could give me would be _____.

Once you’ve established your interests, it’s time to reflect on them.

What about this activity is so interesting to you? What emotions do you experience when you do this activity? What could make the activity even better?Interests what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail

A great resource to help you pin point your unique interests and enable you to discover your best self is our founder Shannon Cassidy’s workbook V.I.B.E.. Your V.I.B.E. consists of four specific pieces:

Your VALUES.

Your INTERESTS.

Your BELIEFS.

Your ENERGY SOURCES.

Finding your V.I.B.E. helps our clients discover who they are and what makes them tick.

Please share with us in the comments – if you could add ONE more hour to each day, what would you do with it?

For more information on our programs, please visit our website: bridgebetween.com.

Excitement About My Job: Are You Happy?

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Invest in Happy

Our identities are often tied up with our occupation because so much of our time is devoted to working. Did you know that the 72-work week is the new norm? According to a recent study of executives, managers and professionals 60% of them who carry smartphones are connected to their jobs 13.5 hours on weekdays and 5.5 hours on weekends. With so much time being devoted to work, wouldn’t it suit you to enjoy what you do?

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