Some years ago an executive coaching client ‘George’ (not his real name) related to me a particularly difficult challenge he was facing. George was struggling because Sam (also not his real name – but you knew that didn’t you?) was failing in his role as a senior leader. When I asked George what the results were like in Sam’s group, he replied that they were exceeding plan. When I asked how that was possible, he replied that the role was so critical that he had been doing Sam’s job for him for some time.

George was faced with a problem: How do you deal with an underperforming leader when their objective results are strong – even if you know that they are not the reason those results are strong. In other words, your feedback is Subjective rather than Objective, and could be viewed as your opinion.

Even Objective Feedback has a Subjective Component:

In some cases you can show an employee that objective performance metrics are not where they need to be. That is not to say that they will always agree on their performance being the cause of the metric being less than desirable – but at least you have a solid starting point for the conversation. Note: For more information on handling these type of conversations see How to Avoid Defensiveness When Providing Feedback and Can You Really Get Someone to Change.

Even in the case of incontrovertible objective evidence, leaders are often unable, or unwilling, to see the connection between their operational results and their own leadership skills and/or behavior.

The Solution: You Have to Make Your Subjective Feedback Objective

Since so many of our coaching conversations revolve around subjective feedback, we created a process called Making the Subjective Objective™. Let’s use an example to show how it works:

One of your supervisors is having difficulty driving operational results. You can see that he is not engaging in effective coaching behaviors. Instead, he seems to take great pride in solving operational issues himself. This is lowering overall morale and engagement level in the team. Since he can only be in one place at a time, response times have extended and problems seem to pile up. This has caused him to complain about not being able to find skilled and hard working employees. You have tried to broach the subject of improving his coaching skills but he feels that he is already a pretty good coach.

Sound familiar?

In this case there is a mismatch between his perception of his skill level and what you believe his skill level to be. In other words – your feedback is subjective in nature.

Try Making the Subjective Objective™

Ask the supervisor to rate their coaching skill from zero to ten. Note: We use zero because no one can confuse that with a good score.

If the supervisor gives himself rates anywhere from zero to eight, they are indicating that there is a possibility that they could improve. The challenge we fall into here is that we get hung up on the rating being correct – at least in our opinion. This desire for a correct score misses the point. What we want is for them to acknowledge there is a GAP between where they are and where they could be. So if they think they are a 7, and you think they are a 2; who cares? They have admitted that there is an opportunity for growth. So don’t get hung up

Once they have admitted there is a GAP and therefore there is an opportunity for growth – ask “What would a 10 look like?”

In some cases they may have some ideas of where they could improve. In other cases you may have to provide some ideas for them. In either case you have an opportunity to ask them to commit to those changes.

But what if they rate themselves a 9 or a 10?

This is the tougher scenario. Even a 9 is a 10 in disguise – they just did not want to seem arrogant. In this case, you have to have a candid conversation with them that you do not believe that their evaluation is correct. In some scenarios the person may never have worked for someone that has been willing to give them candid feedback, and while painful, your feedback could be a critical step in their career development. In other cases it may may a case of a lack of humility. And humility is one of the hardest traits to coach – and that will have to wait for another day!

Are you frustrated with some aspect of your team’s performance? Should you be?

Even if you are leading correctly, there will be times (through no one’s fault) where the team’s performance is less than desired. At this point we have a choice – accept the current performance level from the team or work on improving the individual performance of the team members. After some period of time – since we are all creatures of habit – a pattern will emerge within your team. Some individuals will take to your coaching and make significant improvements. Some individuals will improve for a time but slip back into old behavior patterns. And some individuals will make no significant effort to change at all. Sound familiar?

This is where your leadership skill will be tested. Leaders must always be more committed to the achievement of the change than their team is committed to not making the change. Unfortunately, there are always more of them – and the process of making even a small change can be daunting! And so, the leader is faced with the challenge of working tirelessly to shift the mindset, skill set and behavior of team members that either do not want to change or are struggling with the transition.

The Power of Expectation

This is where the power of expectation comes in. People will alway respond to what we truly EXPECT from them – not what we WANT from them. Unfortunately, leaders often EXPECT what they DO NOT WANT, and WANT what they DO NOT EXPECT. Let me explain.

Take a moment and consider what you really want from your team. Are they meeting that standard of performance – whether it be subjective or objective? Now, do you really expect that they will achieve those standards? Most leaders emphatically say “YES – Of course I do!”. And yet after coaching leaders for over 20 years I can tell you than most leaders DO NOT really expect these individuals to change. Now, before you tune out – I am going to offer you incontrovertible proof of what you REALLY EXPECT from your people.

A Litmus Test For What You Really Expect

Imagine that you have two team members Anna (a super high performer) and John (a historically low performer).

Now imagine that Anna, who ALWAYS hits her numbers every month, misses one month.

Are you upset about her performance – or concerned about Anna?

Of course  you are CONCERNED. Why would you be upset? That is not what you EXPECT from Anna. And so, you inquire what is happening, and work with Anna to correct the situation.

How about John? Suppose John, who always misses his numbers every month, misses his numbers that same month.

Are you upset about his performance – or concerned about John?

If you are totally honest – you are UPSET about John’s performance. But why? Both Anna and John missed their numbers. However, John’s history predicted his performance this past month. The reason you are upset is that you WANTED something you did NOT EXPECT.

How about you? Do you have any employees that frustrate you with their level of performance? Are you truly EXPECTING a change or do you just WANT a change?

While being honest about your level of expectation does not change the performance level of anyone, it is the first step in making sure that you align your expectation with your goals, rather than lowering your expectation to meet their current performance level.

If you would like to learn more about how to radically shift your team’s results, join us for the LeaderShift One Day Intensive Workshop click here.

Leadership is Not Management

Any discussion on leadership needs to start with a simple definition. Let’s start first with what Leadership is not. Leadership is not management. I’m not saying that management is not important. It is incredibly important. Management however deals with static systems. As long as things are not changing then management will suffice. However, as soon as things start to change then leadership is required.

We often use leadership and management interchangeably, and that is a shame because they mean very different things. In most jobs you need both management and leadership skill. These two skillsets can reside in the same individual, but that does not mean that they always do.

So how do you know if a person has the ability to lead as well as manage?

To answer this question consider the old saw; ‘You must walk the walk not just talk the talk’. In other words, in order to lead others you must first be able to lead yourself.

But what does it mean to able to ‘lead yourself’?

Leadership is about going on a journey.

I have found that leadership is all about going on a journey. If there is not a GAP between where you are and where you want to be, then there is no journey, and management skills are all that is necessary. However, if there is a GAP – then we will need a very specific set of skills to navigate that path.

Normally when we discuss this concept in the context of leadership we are talking about the setting and accomplishment of goals.

Your goal will involve a journey if at least one of the following is true:

• You have never attempted to accomplish a specific goal before
• You have attempted to accomplish the goal but have not been successful
• The goal has been successfully accomplished before however the external environment has changed
• The goal has been successfully accomplished before however the people on the team are different

There are three elements necessary to successfully complete any journey.

In order to complete a journey you need:

1. To know where you are starting from.
2. To know where you are going.
3. A Plan.

While reams of articles have been written on setting Vision (#2) and on Planning (#3), there seems to be an assumption that it is obvious where the starting point of any journey is (#1). I have found that this is very rarely true. Even when there is universal agreement on the metrics that measure where we are, there is almost never agreement on WHY those metrics are what they are.

A 3 Step Process To Decide if a Manager is also a Leader

Which brings us to a very simple test to see if a manager is also a leader. In essence, what we need to see if if they can ‘walk the walk’ or if they just ‘talk the talk’. This simple process will work whether you are interviewing a new leader from inside or outside your organization. It will also work if the person is already employed as a manager with your firm and you are trying to determine their leadership potential.

1. Ask the candidate to recall a time recently when they were having difficulty accomplishing a goal – whether they were successful in achieving the goal or not is not important.
2. Ask them to describe what was happening and what they desired to have happen. What was their plan to achieve the goal?
3. Where was the locus of control? Were they in control of the outcome or were they focused on how other people had to change in order for the goal to be achieved?

Resist the urge to give too much direction. What are you are attempting to discern is:

• Can they identify a time when they were having difficulty accomplishing a goal? If they cannot, then they are either not in the practice of setting and achieving goals, they set them too low to ensure success, or they are unwilling to share. If they answer in ‘generalities’ you should redirect them and ask for a specific example.
• Were they able to accurately ascertain what the true starting point of the ‘journey’ was? Are they focused on the results they desired, or do they delve into the behaviors and skills required to achieve the desired results.
• When they describe what was happening do they assign blame outside themselves? While there are almost always external factors that hinder our success, leaders focus on what they can control and influence.
• Did the plan involve what other people needed to do differently, or did it focus primarily on what they needed to do differently? While leaders may not be creative in the ‘artistic’ sense of the word, they are creative in trying new paths and solutions and asking for advice from others.

While no process is perfect, this 3 step process will help you determine if a manager has the ability to also lead.

We have found that what frustrates leaders the most is not that they have problems. What frustrates leaders the most is having the same problem over and over.

We have a process that helps leaders move past their existing problems and accelerates their ability to achieve the results they always knew their team was capable of.

For more information, click here…

It’s the start of a new year. If you are like most people your optimism for positive change is at the highest it will be for the next 365 days. There is something almost magical about a new year. It is a clean slate. A chance to start over. We have visions of changing; of finally getting in shape, of starting to travel, building stronger relationships, and improving our finances and career.

And yet, deep down we know the ugly truth: Most new year’s resolutions fail faster than milk goes bad in the fridge. We know this. That’s why many us don’t even bother to set goals for the new year. We know it is fruitless exercise. We wish it was different, but our experience tells us that new year’s resolutions just don’t work.

Download our complimentary planning template here.

Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail

There is nothing inherently wrong with a desire to improve your life as you enter a new year. Growth is a natural part of the human experience. We are actually happiest when we are growing, even though it may not feel that way when that growth is pushing us to do new and uncomfortable things.

So why do new year’s resolutions fail at such a high rate?

New year’s resolutions are actually based on a false premise: That the reason we have not been doing the things we wish or achieving the goals we desire is that we have lacked commitment. Commitment is indeed a large part of achievement, however it is not enough. If it was then the number of people you find in the gym would not soar over 500% between Jan 2nd and Jan 15th, and then drop down to normal levels by the end of January every year.

So if commitment is not enough, perhaps it is that we lack persistence. Perhaps people who are more successful in achieving their goals are more persistent. However, while goal achievers are indeed more persistent, that is not the cause of their achievement. Saying that we need to persist if we desire to achieve a goal does nothing to address the reasons WHY we struggle with persistence. Saying that persistence is linked to goal achievement is like saying umbrellas are linked to rain. They are often found together, however the umbrellas did not cause the rain.

Give up New Years Resolutions and replace them with this simple strategy:

Download our free planning template here.

So, if new years resolutions do not work then what are we to do? I have found that a very simple strategy works far better.

Instead of focusing on the new year, consider focusing on the next 90 days. This will not be nearly as exciting as dreaming about how your life could be different in a year’s time, however it will be more actionable and more realistic. Ninety days is just not that long of a period of time to achieve big things. It is, however, enough time to achieve important things. You may not be able to get to your ideal weight in the next 90 days, but you could begin a reasonable exercise routine. You may not be able to change your finances in 90 days, but you could set up and monitor your spending.

The beautiful thing about setting goals for the next 90 days is that you CANNOT dream too big. And in 90 days – guess what: You get to evaluate how you did. You have the opportunity to ask what worked and what didn’t and make adjustments for the next 90 days.

As a leader, you MUST get this right. You cannot ask other people to change and grow if they cannot see you changing and growing.

So, let make a new year’s resolution to NEVER again to set a new year’s resolution. Let’s start thinking about what we can do over the next 90 days.

In order to help you get started we have complimentary worksheet for you. Click here to download this resource and get the next 90 days off to an amazing start!

Here’s to an amazing 3 months!

If you want to know more about how to help your entire team become goal achievers, then join us for the next LeaderShift One Day Intensive. Click here to learn more about how we can help you bridge the gap between where you are today and where you know your team can be!