Although the term can be misleading, it actually has nothing to do with employees slacking off, being lazy, or failing to fulfill their job description responsibilities. Its primary emphasis is on the importance of employees setting reasonable boundaries for themselves at work, valuing their personal time, and working to strike a healthy work-life balance.

Here are three things that leaders can do to navigate the era of “quiet quitting” and turn it into an incredible opportunity.

1. A Shift in Perspective

Complaining or wasting valuable time and energy debating the term “quiet quitting” solves nothing, and for every passing moment engaged in a similar action, there are other organizations and leaders taking advantage of this.

The workforce is, and has been for some time, undergoing significant and ongoing shifts. No matter how strongly we may disagree, the reality is that the workplace and the priorities of workers are evolving. The question we should be asking ourselves is not whether we agree or disagree with the term in and of itself or with the term’s underlying meaning.

A more appropriate and productive conversation for organizations and leaders to have is how can we use this pivotal moment in time to show up and respond for our people and workforce?

2. Continuous and Intensive Manager Training

According to Gallup, up to 70% of the variance in an organization’s employee engagement scores can be attributed to its managers.

I have seen time and again in many different organizations that when there is a strong focus on frequently training managers, a higher level of engagement is inspired throughout the organization. In particular, training should stress the importance of regular one-on-one meetings between managers and their direct reports and encourage every manager to ask good questions.

Knowing the importance of a manager’s relationship with direct reports and how it influences the organization’s overall engagement and performance, it makes sense to prioritize and train for these touchpoints.

What one direct report may require will likely be entirely different from what another direct report needs. One employee may not have a growing family at home and therefore have no problem taking on additional work, while the next employee has a completely different situation. It is inevitable that friction and dissatisfied employees will arise if managers are unaware of the context of those they lead.

3. Let Your Actions Do the Talking

 There is nothing more detrimental to an organizations culture and employee engagement than leaders and people managers not taking action on what they have already gathered from their workforce.

Many leaders and people managers will initiate focus groups, hold town hall meetings on a regular basis, and encourage employees to speak up. That is a good first step, but in reality, it is just that: a first step. What happens next is what is most important.

One of the most common complaints I hear from employees is that leaders will take the time to listen but then take little action. If an organization truly wants to make a difference in the lives of their employees and build a healthier organization, letting its actions speak for themselves is the differentiator.

In today’s competitive business environment, organizations that can put as much emphasis on their own well-being as they do on their performance will ultimately prevail. Taking care of and improving the health of an organization has a direct impact on how well it operates.

The organizations that win will change their way of thinking so that they view the current environment as a great opportunity instead of a huge barrier that makes it hard to keep and attract top talent, and their actions will reflect this.

The post Navigating the Era of Quiet Quitting appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

Could this current environment provide meaningful, long-term change to workplace culture and the way companies invest in their employees?

Alison Omens, Chief Strategy Officer of JUST Capital, believes the answer is yes. “The change was happening before the pandemic, with a real increase in what people are looking for in terms of their expectations of CEOs and companies.” Clearly, the pandemic has brought to the forefront this mindset and reality of the Great Resignation.

The Great Resignation is an Opportunity

As someone who works regularly with leaders and companies all over the world dealing with the Great Resignation, I have witnessed many challenges both personally and professionally. I am a firm believer that for every challenge we are faced with, an even greater opportunity presents itself to capitalize on this moment that will help companies succeed in the future and win. The determining factor is always how leaders decide to show up and respond.

As we approach the end of another calendar year, leaders and organizations face the unique challenge of the Great Resignation, but they also have a unique and pivotal opportunity to drive impact from now until the end of the year. In 2020 and 2021, there was an undeniable havoc on the workplace. For both employers and employees. Globally, the working hours and income lost in 2020 added up to the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs. Workplace closures, layoffs and a steep rise in unemployment are enough to make anyone who’s managed to hold onto their job feel some measure of gratitude—or, at least, pressure to be grateful.

A Microsoft survey in 2021, of more than 30,000 global workers showed that 41% of workers were considering quitting or changing professions this year, and a study from Personio, the HR Software Company, workers in the UK and Ireland showed 38% of those surveyed planned to quit in the next six months to a year. In the US alone, April saw more than four million people quit their jobs, according to a summary from the Department of Labor—the biggest spike on record.

With as many as 95% of workers considering a job change, 9.3 million openings, and 4 million workers resigning in just one month, it’s a valid concern. The Great Resignation phenomenon has culture-shocked many organizations across all industries.

So why is this happening?

Poor Company Culture and Unsupportive Environments

Workers who, pre-pandemic, were already teetering on the edge of quitting companies with existing poor company culture saw themselves pushed to a breaking point. That’s because, as evidenced by a recent Stanford Study, many of these companies with bad environments doubled-down on decisions that didn’t support workers, such as layoffs or salary cuts (while, conversely, companies that had good culture tended to treat employees well). This drove out already disgruntled workers who survived the layoffs but could plainly see they were working in unsupportive environments.

Although workers have always cared about the environments in which they work, the pandemic added an entirely new dimension: an increased willingness to act, says Alison Omens, Chief Strategy Officer of JUST Capital, the research firm that collected much of the data for the study. “Our data over the years has always shown that the thing people care about most is how companies treat their employees,” according to Omens. “That’s measured by multiple metrics, including wages, benefits and security, opportunities for advancement, safety and commitment to equity. And the early days of the pandemic reminded us that people are not machines. If you’re worried about your kids, about your health, financial insecurity and covering your bills, and all the things that come with being human, you’re less likely to be productive. And we were all worried about those things.”

And now, according to the Prudential Pulse of the American Worker Survey, nearly 45% of workers say their decision to stay in their jobs hinges on how their employers handle workplace reentry. As an employer, it may be worrying to hear the statistics and new concerns of your employees, but it doesn’t have to be.

The following are a few actionable ideas that leaders can put into action from now until the end of the year to launch a strong impact for 2022 while mitigating the effects of the Great Resignation.

Consider Offering Flexibility

Consider creating and/or maintaining a Hybrid Workplace for your employees if you have an office environment, and if it is possible. The Hybrid Workplace became prevalent with Zoom in 2020. And it is still popular for many businesses. According to the latest quarterly Randstad US Work Monitor survey, 82% of U.S. workers polled say the ability to work from anywhere at any time allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance, but more than half (62%) still prefer to work in the office—and this number is even higher among young workers.

Sixty-five percent of those aged 18–24 said they prefer working in a traditional office environment, challenging the widespread perception that millennial and Gen Z workers tend to prefer digital interactions over personal ones.

A smart hybrid model is about so much more than simply offering employees a level of flexibility in work location. After all, a hybrid environment impacts everything from company culture to employees’ perceived opportunities for advancement.

Create a Workplace Wellness Solution

Mental health is at an all-time low for employees. There is rampant employee burnout. This creates an additional crisis for employers struggling to address the challenges of the pandemic. Employees reported a 48% increase for risk of depression between November and December, according to the Mental Health Index by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchase Coalitions.

As an employer, work diligently to create a Wellness Platform with your team’s health in mind. From fitness and meditation sessions to cooking classes, art workshops and expert-led workshops, you can keep your team healthy, happy, and engaged. Everywhere you turn, you read about the mental health challenges employees all around the country are facing and trying to cope with. Twenty years ago, or even ten years ago for that matter, telling an organization and its leaders to address mental well-being would be laughable. It wasn’t even remotely a focus as a key ingredient to not only enhance the employee experience, but also drive organizational performance.

Today, the exact opposite is true. An organization that doesn’t address burnout and mental well-being will be an organization that watches a major percentage of its workforce walk out. I believe it’s the responsibility for every organization to build an environment for its people to excel at their job, but also thrive in life. When this is a focus of an organization, it will not only be able to keep top talent, but it will also positively shape their talent attraction efforts. Now a days, this isn’t a perk. It’s a requirement to compete and win in the future of work. Regardless of whether or not during the Great Resignation.

There are multiple ways an organization can address this mounting concern. One of the easiest and most powerful ways is for leaders to set the tone by publicly acknowledging the matter in an authentic and open way. Until this important step happens, all other initiatives and efforts are in risk of missing the mark in the fear of others speaking up. Once the leaders set the tone, you can then offer employee resource groups, provide workshops centered around health and mindfulness, or explore other avenues to address this growing concern head on.

Don’t Stop Communicating

It’s amazing to me how companies drastically increased their communication at the beginning of the pandemic but eventually, that died down. Keep communicating and don’t stop. Be open. Empathetic. Caring. Talking with your employees and describing what’s happening in your company’s near future is crucial. This has proven to be an extremely effective morale booster time and time again. Every employee has a deep desire to know where the company stands, where the company is going, and what to expect moving forward. Encouraging your employees to speak up and share their concerns with you will help foster an environment of understanding and empathy in your workplace and will inform your upcoming moves and decisions regarding workplace policy and culture.

As a Leader, Be Clear About Your 2022 Expectations

Your expectations of your employees work hand-in-hand with your communication. Communicate to them what you expect! Many employers forget this. When employees are asked, “What does your manager expect of you in 2022?” what do you think they will say? As a leader, your people deserve to know what’s expected of them and what they can do to grow within their specific role to help the company progress. You can’t just wait a week before the end of the year during their year-end review and briefly touch on 2022 expectations. Be clear and open. Talk about your expectations now!

Celebrate Accomplishments: It’s the Little Things

With a month and a half left in the year, this is a great time to build excitement and celebrate the employees’ accomplishments, along with your accomplishments as an organization. It’s extremely powerful when the leaders of an organization prioritize the acknowledgement and success, both little and small, and consistently communicate those wins. Whether you hand out awards, spend thirty minutes highlighting important successes during a company-wide meeting, host a celebration for a team’s performance, or throw a big holiday party, make it a priority to celebrate accomplishments. This may seem like a small gesture, but after the challenging two years that we all have experienced, sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. You can help set the tone for 2022 by celebrating accomplishments during challenging times along with the good, and it will help ignite enthusiasm for the future.

Be A Visionary: Think Big

A visionary is someone who never lets their current circumstances get the best of them while they relentlessly envision a bigger future for themselves, their employees, and for their communities. During extreme adversity, such as the Great Resignation, visionary leaders step up in a significant way.

There are passionate men and women who outshine others simply because of their desire to constantly expand their vision as to what is possible. Brilliant thinkers and dreamers across the gamut of human knowledge, from anthropology to neuroscience, from the writer to the painter, from consumerism to brand advertising, from farmer to entrepreneur, from poetry to mathematics, from philosophy to engineering, from history to cognitive psychology—who have all been passionate visionaries who continually improve and change our world, no matter what the circumstances are.

Don’t let this current environment of ‘The Great Resignation’ get the better of you and your employees. We need visionaries now more than ever.

You can be one of them, too.

The post Overcoming the ‘Great Resignation’ appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

Unfortunately, this specific example isn’t out of the ordinary for most leaders right now. With the shift to work from home, living through a global pandemic, trying to maneuver around the complications of being a good parent with children at home while also attending to work related priorities simultaneously, the strain and stress of employees has skyrocketed. Not to mention, with most restrictions being lifted and workers starting to come back to the office, leaders face a new challenge.

One of the most overlooked and underrated leadership skills in my opinion is the ability to strengthen and drive trust throughout an organization.

There have been some inspirational examples of companies being able to capitalize on the pandemic and use it to strengthen trust throughout the organization, but for the most part, it’s a glaring weakness hindering the potential for many other organizations.

Trust in the workplace is no different than trust outside of the workplace. It has to be the foundational pillar of how a team, organization, or school is built just like it is for a marriage or friendship. A common theme that I have seen over the past year and a half is a pretty substantial trust gap between senior leadership teams and the rest of the organization, which is what prompted me to share the above example. This void between leaders and the rest of the organization is usually filled with inconsistency, confusion, and burnout. Most leaders have good intentions, but they tend to forget that good intentions don’t win the hearts and minds of employees. Only intentional actions can do that, repeated over and over, day in and day out.

To start the process of strengthening the trust of your team and organization, here are three ideas to focus on moving forward.

1. Practice Vulnerability 

Being vulnerable is not an easy task. I put it as number one for a reason. As Patrick Lencioni describes in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, the absence of trust is a silent killer and the first dysfunction of all team environments. Lencioni says, “Trust lies at the heart of a great team, and a leader must set the stage for that trust by being genuinely vulnerable with his or her team members.”

If you are not vulnerable as the leader, then you are sending a message to the rest of your team that vulnerability is not tolerated. Team members will start to think that being vulnerable is a weakness and that message quickly spreads across an organization. If team members can’t be vulnerable with one another, the absence of trust will continue to linger.

What does vulnerability look like in the workplace or in a team environment? When a team member feels comfortable enough to admit their weaknesses, openly share their struggles, and ask for help without the fear of being judged.

When I say practice vulnerability, I am not referring to faking your emotions or not be your authentic self. A lot of leaders will hear vulnerability and don’t know where to start. They assume that it’s deemed as a weakness and won’t help drive results or push people to perform at a high level. What’s amusing about this is that being vulnerable does the exact opposite. It is a leadership and human superpower that drastically helps to shrink the trust gap that I mentioned earlier.

How can you start to practice vulnerability today?

• Start to openly share your challenges and wrongdoings as a leader with the rest of the organization.
• Have a personal story or experience that relates to a key point you are trying to drive home? Share it.
• Perform team building exercises preferably once a month to improve connection among team members. Go first as the leader. Share personal stories such as where you grew up, what was the most memorable day of your life, and the biggest challenge you had to overcome in your life. These are simple but powerful practices. I often see tears and strong bonds formed immediately.

One leader I work with recently said to me, “I can’t believe the difference just being vulnerable has made. I regret waiting this long to be more vulnerable as a leader.”

2. Radical Transparency

It’s amazing to me how many leaders implement a new initiative, revise the performance management system, or develop a new five year strategic plan and then don’t communicate it frequently and clearly across all levels of the entire organization.

Don’t seek to just provide frequent and clear communication, but explain the reasoning behind every decision and what can be expected moving forward. A common mistake leaders make is to think that everyone knows what’s expected of them and how things will be different moving forward when change is initiated. The best leaders are almost fanatical about making sure their people don’t have to guess what’s coming next. They stay ahead of the curve constantly communicating from a place of radical transparency.

There will be plenty of decisions that leadership teams and organizations will have to make where majority of people don’t agree. I have experienced the power of radical transparency even when it comes to discussing sensitive subjects where a leader has to deliver news that no one wants to hear, but they respect and appreciate the straightforwardness displayed by the leader.

Radical transparency slowly builds trust over time.

3. Model the Desired Behavior

In order to strengthen and drive trust as a leader, you have to make sure that you are modeling the desired behavior. You most likely have a strong desire for your employees and staff to trust not only you as the leader, but also the direction of the organization. In order for that to fully take place, you have to display trust as the leader.

I will give you a perfect example of how communicating the importance of trust and working to build a culture of trust can backfire if you don’t model the desired behavior.

The senior leadership team of a large national healthcare company has been working hard for the past couple of months to reverse a poor score they received on a recent employee engagement survey. The poor score was centered all around the lack of trust between the senior leadership team and frontline managers. It was a consensus across the board. When the senior leadership team met to discuss how to address the glaring issue head on, they crafted a communication and development plan to fix the problem.

For months, they had focus groups with the frontline managers to gain a deeper understanding of the lack of trust and what they could do differently. On top of the focus groups and implementing some of the findings, they relentlessly communicated the importance of trust. They even approached the situation with vulnerability and admitted their mistakes. They also provided radical transparency on the action steps they would be taking moving forward and what the frontline managers can expect.

The one major problem with all of this is that there were key members of the senior leadership team who didn’t model the desired behavior of trust. They were talking a big game about trust but their actions didn’t follow. The senior leaders were asking the frontline managers to trust them but their daily actions clearly showed they didn’t trust the frontline managers. They were still micromanaging and overly monitoring their every move. Their actions were the exact opposite of what they have been saying. In order to create a culture of trust, you first have to give trust.

Trust is not earned as a leader. It’s given. Once it’s given, it’s often reciprocated if you consistently show up. This is much harder than it sounds, because often times you will be working hard to gain the trust of those that you lead with your actions, while at the same time placing your trust in others when they may not fully trust you yet. It is worth it though.

Don’t put off strengthening and driving trust as a leader. The decision will pay off big time.

The post How Leaders Can Strengthen and Drive Trust appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

There is something I have to get off my chest, though. Setting goals is not enough. A lot of people set goals and just stop there. There is a big difference between setting goals and achieving them. If you write your goals down on a piece of paper, then put that paper away and never do anything more, you’ve wasted your time. You may temporarily feel good, but setting goals doesn’t guarantee you will actually achieve them.

The post How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

Just as we saw all throughout the pandemic, the organizations that have consistently showed up for their employees in a supportive and caring way have been able to capitalize on this crisis and win the hearts and minds of their people. On the other hand, the organizations that have communicated poorly about the path forward with a lack of empathy significantly damaged trust within the company.

Regardless of where an organization falls between the two, there is an incredible opportunity to take advantage of when it’s time for your workforce to come back to the office. There is a lot of ongoing debates on the future of work and what that looks like, whether some industries and organizations will ever bring their people back to the office, or if there will be a hybrid system set in place moving forward.

Based on my experiences and the organizations that I am working side by side with, I strongly believe that a good amount of organizations will be gradually bringing their people back to the office. Leaders need to take advantage of this opportunity to create an atmosphere that is not only safe for the well-being of their employees, but also inspiring and purpose-driven.

Here are some practical steps that leadership teams should prioritize as employees start returning to the office.

1. Prioritize the Safety and Well-Being of Employees

This seems like it is common sense, but leaders can’t underestimate the importance of putting the safety and well-being of their employees at the top of their returning to the office plans. Even the employees who are overly excited about coming back to the office and experiencing some normalcy in their life, they want to know in detail what the organization will be doing at every turn to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees.

A great example of this is one of my clients in the financial industry. They created a welcome back swag bag that was full of hand sanitizer, face masks, and a detailed guidebook of all the precautions the company will be taking in the coming months as employees will be returning to the office in a phased approach. This gesture of prioritizing the safety and well-being of employees while also laying out a detailed framework of what the company will be doing moving forward was greatly appreciated by the greater organization.

2. Have a Strong Focus on Organizational Purpose

As a leader, one of your greatest opportunities is to capture the power of purpose and communicate it effectively every chance you get. The one similarity that I have seen from exceptional and transformational leaders throughout the pandemic is their ability to connect the organization’s purpose to everything they did. They were constantly looking for ways to bring their purpose to life and share meaningful stories that related to the grand vision of where they aspired to be.

Every employee wants to be reminded that the work they do daily is for a purpose that is much bigger than themselves. Having a strong focus on organizational purpose when employees start returning to work is a practical step that all leaders can commit to in order to increase engagement and excitement for the future.

3. Develop a Company Communication Strategy

When the pandemic forced employees to work from home and organizations all over the world had to shift their entire operating model, one of the benefits that positively impacted many companies is their communication strategy. Organizations had to make sure their teams and different departments were on the same page, as well as communicating with transparency where the organization was and what they would be doing moving forward.

Just because employees will be returning to the office doesn’t mean that leaders should change or limit the frequency of their communication strategy. Leaders should think strongly about the possibility of increasing their communication and develop a company communication strategy.

This communication strategy should be heavily focused on the safety, well-being, and development of your people and not business-related. For example, one of the leadership teams that I am working with has developed a sixth month return to work communication strategy which has a detailed monthly breakdown of who will be delivering the message, the focus of the message, and how the message will be delivered. Instead of just saying they will overcommunicate, they took the time to develop a strategy to hold one another accountable and send a message to the rest of the organization that communication will be a major priority moving forward.

4. Continuously Seek Feedback From Employees

As employees start coming back to the office and return plans are fully underway, leaders should put a strong emphasis on continuously seeking feedback from employees. Whether you set up intimate focus groups, send out quick employee pulse surveys, or have managers gather feedback from direct reports, it’s important to know exactly what employees are thinking and what challenges they are experiencing.

Another benefit of continuously seeking feedback from employees is to search for best practices. What are some of the initiatives that were put in place during the pandemic that may be beneficial to keep doing and what should the organization stop doing?

These are important measures to take as leaders continue to look for creative and meaningful ways to engage and lead their organization into the future.

The post Priorities as Employees Return to the Office appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

A major food and beverage company was already experiencing great success and growth over the years, but senior leadership knew that there was still a lot of room for improvement if they wanted to get to the next level.

Although a lot of the key business objectives and organizational goals were being accomplished in the short term, there was underlying cultural concerns that paralyzed further growth and the development of its workforce. The silos within the organization between different departments were growing rapidly, employees had no clear-cut idea as to what the culture was or stood for, and there was no shared sense of purpose and focus.

With these cultural challenges escalating and a digital transformation on the horizon, senior leadership wanted to take action before productivity and performance became hindered and effected the organization’s ability to exceed expected growth.

A cultural change is no easy task and doesn’t happen overnight. One of the biggest challenges with changing an organizations culture and the current behaviors of its workforce is to have complete buy in from the senior leadership team. Many leaders talk about the importance of culture, but then let the hustle and bustle of everyday demands get in the way of gaining real traction to create long-term change and eventually go back to their old ways.

The senior leadership of this major food and beverage company was all in and partnered with Matt Mayberry Enterprises to lead and facilitate a yearlong cultural transformation.

OUR APPROACH

Matt Mayberry Enterprises collaborated with the senior leadership team to develop a cultural change game plan.

1. Define the culture. Multiple meetings with top leadership early in the process was strictly geared towards defining the culture and creating a purpose statement for the overriding theme of the new culture.
2. Cast the vision and unite. We took the senior leadership team through our in-depth values process to identify new values and behaviors. We also engaged managers and every department within the company to unite the entire organization through a very collaborative process.
3. Roll-out plan developed. Working diligently with the senior leadership team, a roll-out plan and communication strategy for the cultural change was created.
4. Integrated behavioral guideline plan. For most organizations, their values are aspirational at best and never create real change. After the roll-out plan was developed, we designed a behavioral guideline plan to initiate real change within the organization on how employees can incorporate the new values into their daily activities.

CULTURE ROLL-OUT

Through a series of workshops and focus groups, leadership training and development was a main priority. Everything starts with leadership, and for a successful cultural transformation to take place, courageous and exceptional leadership is required.

We guided senior leaders and department representatives through the development of new initiatives to embed the new culture and values into everything that the organization does on a day to day basis.

We helped the senior leadership team execute the communication strategy, strengthened accountability and feedback systems to improve performance, and held on-going training workshops for employees.

THE RESULTS

The impact and results from this cultural transformation for this major food and beverage company has been nothing short of extraordinary. They are experiencing a more collaborative workforce, less negativity in the workplace, key employees who are shifting from good performer to ultra-performer, and shattering expectations.

A few months after the roll-out of the new culture in the middle of a global health pandemic, they flawlessly executed a major digital transformation and revenue is currently up 60%. Taking the time to build a winning culture has paid off big time as this organization will not only weather the Coronavirus pandemic, they will come out of this crisis much stronger than before.

The communication and vulnerability showed from the senior leadership team has been incredible.

Employees across the board are taking extreme ownership and there is a strong compelling vision of the future.

Peter Drucker once said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” and this organization is a shining example of the truth in that statement. They have always been a top player in their industry with winning strategies, but the moment they spent most of their time developing their culture and the behavioral change needed in order to get to the next level, powerful organizational shifts started to take place.

This is just the beginning for this organization. Culture is the name of the game.

The post Cultural Transformation Drives High-Performance appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

Governments, organizations, institutions, teachers, small businesses, leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers have had to shift to a remote work model overnight, with no time for preparation. As leaders around the world continue to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, we must remember that, in times of undue chaos, anxiety and stress, we must be adaptable and flexible. We must continually change the way we lead.

And how do we do this? We pivot. We invent. We improvise. From the outset of 2020, leaders have been scrambling to cope with change as we faced a highly uncertain and rapidly evolving landscape. Approaches have varied, as have the results. The most effective leaders and managers have paused, reflected on our “new normal” and embraced the change.

What happens during change is that it forces people out of their comfort zone and completely disrupts expectations of the future. It quickly breaks down their sense of control and they become fearful of what will happen. It makes them uneasy. But it also forces people to live in the moment and to stretch their imagination concerning all the possibilities for growth during this time. If left unchecked, change can have a severe impact on overall performance and will too often compromise quality and productivity. But change can also be a good thing with the right perspective.

The New Normal in Leadership

Just because the way you normally conduct business and interact with your team has greatly changed, that doesn’t mean that job performance or results have to be hindered. Here are some suggestions for leaders to consider as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times and the new normal in leadership.

Personal One-On-One Time

Even though you’re not necessarily physically together in an office environment, it’s critical that you seek one-on-one time with your team. I often remind leaders that regardless of how much they are currently communicating, chances are it’s not enough. The most efficient leaders are making it a top priority to not only engage with their team on a more frequent basis, but they truly understand the power in personalized one-on-one conversations. Make it a priority to have frequent one-one-one check ins with your direct reports throughout the week.

Listening

There are two best practices that I have seen from leaders in the Covid-19 pandemic that should never be underestimated. Overcommunicating and listening more than ever. Listen to the fears and needs of your people. Ask for feedback, suggestions, and ideas for moving forward. Increase the two-way communication channels whenever possible, and then listen. It’s not enough to just give employees an opportunity to speak their mind, leaders must actively listen and then deliver on those needs/wants that will help them do their job to the best of their ability.

Empathy

An integral part of effective listening is having empathy for individuals and your team. It is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from their point of view. In other words, put yourself in that person’s position. Everyone is dealing with the pandemic in a different way, along with all of the emotional challenges that come with it. Just because you may be perfectly fine, I can guarantee you someone within your organization is struggling to cope with the stress and uncertainty of the future. Maybe a team member has lost a loved one over the past few months on top of having to worry about job security. As a leader, it’s your duty and obligation to show up with a heart and mindset full of empathy.

Transparency

Continue to be brutally open and transparent about the Coronavirus response and what the organization will be doing as far as mitigation plans moving forward. The more transparent you are in your communication, the more comfortable your people will be as we get closer to normalcy and returning to the office. Be crystal clear about what you expect from your team and what resources the organization can offer them to help increase the efficiency of remote working. Transparency drives organizational performance.

There is no doubt about it that these are deeply challenging times. But we can rise above the challenges and succeed in a world that is always changing. We must continue to nurture flexibility and creativity on how to best connect with our people. We must continue to reinvent ourselves as leaders, as well as organizations. We must embrace this new normal in leadership and know that deep down we will be better because of it.

The post The New Normal in Leadership appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

As I say all the time, I think that one of my biggest competitive advantages when it comes to growing my business is how I take care of my health and being the best I possibly can be.

That belief system contrasts sharply with the traditional view. In fact, for the longest time, the emphasis in the business world has been on leaders sacrificing their health and getting ahead in their line of work. I will sleep when I am dead” was a popular motto among business leaders for years.

Fortunately, the shift in recent years toward health and fitness and the recognition of how that directly impacts performance in the business world has fomented positive change, but a lot of leaders still underestimate how health and fitness can be their greatest asset for growing a business, leading it through challenges more effectively and living a more fulfilled life.

I recently had the privilege of talking with the CEO of Upgrade Labs, Martin Tobias. Tobias is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Upgrade Labs is the world’s first human upgrade center for the mind and body. Its proprietary protocols utilize the latest science-backed technologies in physiology and neurobiology to deliver superior quantifiable recovery and performance results in less time.

The two of us discussed the importance of health and fitness for anyone who’s an entrepreneur and business leader. Here are four ways Tobias outlined that leaders can use to transform their productivity and performance like a professional athlete.

1. Have a cognitive reset program.

When I asked Tobias how busy leaders and entrepreneurs can increase their performance, he responded with no hesitation. “Most CEOs are overly stressed and don’t even think twice about having a game plan as to how they are going to defeat that stress,” he said. “You need to have a cognitive reset program, a way to help yourself be in the present moment and take control of your thoughts.”

A cognitive reset program is so crucial to Tobias that he won’t even personally invest in a company whose CEO doesn’t meditate. Such a program can include a daily meditation practice, time spent in nature, or the simple act of unplugging from one’s electronic devices for a select period of time. In my own life, having a cognitive reset program has been a game-changer.

I know, for instance, that I can alter my state and improve cognitive function in an instant by urning on The Calm app on my phone and going through a guided meditation. I come back more refreshed with a different perspective.

In this context, Tobias advised that, “A great place to start is with the app Headspace. Whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour a day, having a cognitive reset program will increase not only your performance, but also your resiliency.”

2. Track your performance and collect data.

One of the biggest mistakes people make for sticking to a health regimen and seeing the results they are looking for is failing to collect data on their performance.

“You have to know if your biology is fragile; that’s one of the first things that needs to happen because that will determine the course of action you need to take from there,” Tobias said. Consider Upgrade Labs; it’s got a full blood panel and mitochondrial function test that can pinpoint certain areas of weakness for clients, so the program that they create is completely customized.

Regardless of where you get your tests done, ask your doctor to prescribe a full blood panel test. It might also make sense to visit a functional medicine doctor who can dive a little deeper. The Institute of Functional Medicine has a list of functional medicine practitioners you can search for in your city.

My own workouts, business and overall performance drastically improved when I started to collect data on my biology and track my performance moving forward. I discovered things about my body I had no idea about before getting the tests done. The data you collect could potentially save your life by helping you become intentional about getting the proper tests done and seeing what’s not functioning properly.

Then there are the products, like Fitbit and Apple Watch  that can help you collect data and track your performance. When you take the time to do that, that’s when you can really start to improve it.

3. Become obsessed with sleep.

Valuing sleep used to be very hard for me because I thought that I could catch up on sleep once I got to a certain level of achievement or hit a new goal. And, as an entrepreneur and business leader, it was easy to make sleep a non-priority. This old way of thinking is flat out wrong and will hurt you in the long run.

When I asked Tobias about this, he said, “The ‘sleep when I’m dead’ concept is way out of touch. You can’t change the world or grow your organization to the level you desire if you drop dead because you didn’t sleep.” When you have an enormous vision that you are working toward, it can be difficult to get the rest that you need because you believe there is more for you to be doing the second you lie down. I know that was the case for me.

Things didn’t change until I changed my entire perspective about sleep. I began to view it as a tool that would maximize my day and help me become the best version of myself. Consider the mindset that some of the world’s best athletes use when it comes to sleep. Here is LeBron James talking about it’s important as well as his biggest recovery tool.

So make a sleep for your own life: I go to to bed and wake up at the same time each day. I stay off social media and don’t check email for 30 minutes before sleep. Do as I do: Become obsessed with sleep and watch your productivity and overall health skyrocket.

4. Make fitness a priority.  

Making fitness a priority in my life has been part of the foundation for growing my business at rapid levels and do my job to the best of my ability.

As a keynote speaker constantly on the road, I find my days are never the same. Twelve years ago, I learned the importance of putting my workout on my calendar before anything business-related. Now, the night before, I sit down and prioritize when my workout will be completed the following day and lock it in as non-negotiable.

This simple habit has transformed my energy and impact when I am on stage speaking. It has helped me get the most out of each and every day, regardless of where I am in the world.

The most important thing is to make fitness a priority. So many entrepreneurs and leaders in the business world think that they can get to their workout at the end of the day only if finish everything else on their plate. As Tobias told me, “Work doesn’t come before fitness. It’s the other way around.

“It’s not an extra thing you have to do throughout the day,” he added. “It’s something that makes you more effective and increases your ability to get more done.” Certainly, you don’t have to train like a professional athlete, but you should make your workouts and fitness a priority the way professional athletes do. I tell people all the time that working out and making it a priority is one of the biggest productivity hacks in the world.

So, think about this: Instead of waiting until an unfortunate circumstance occurs that makes you realize how important health and fitness truly is, take action now. Check out the 6th Annual Biohacking Conference coming in April. Or just get out of the office and go for a run.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

The post 4 Ways Leaders Can Boost Performance appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

True leadership is much more than authority and recognition from the outside world. Instead, leadership is all about developing people and helping others reach their full potential. It’s about equipping others with the right tools and strategies to not only maximize the success of an organization but also the lives of individuals. It’s about breaking down barriers and leading others through the uncertainty of the future.

The best leaders to ever live not only succeeded at helping their team win championships or organizations reach new milestones and dominate the marketplace, but they deeply cared for people and understood what a privilege it is to be a leader.

Think about it for a moment. As a leader, you have the incredible opportunity to change someone’s life every single day. It could be something as simple as saying hello and remembering people’s names when you greet them. It could mean you being passionate about helping your people achieve and pursue all of their personal dreams and ambitions just as much as their professional one’s. It could mean you forcing everyone around you to grow and develop into stronger and wiser human beings that will end up taking them to a place they never thought was possible before they met you.

There are a plethora of qualities that one must need in order to become a fantastic leader. However, I strongly believe that one of the most important traits that all leaders must possess is a passion to develop and maximize the potential of others. When you begin to transform people individually, you then begin to transform your organization or team as a whole.

Transforming people is a quality that every memorable leader has thought about every single day of their lives, because they understood if they could transform their people, they would then be able to advance their mission. The leaders that are too caught up in egotistical gratification rather than the development of their people will surely fall short in the long run. There is a major difference between true leadership and authority-driven management.

Just as athletes have to take daily reps and constantly work to elevate their game, leaders also need to have the same mentality on finding ways to become more efficient in touching the hearts of their people, inspiring others to take what their doing to the next level and unlocking the barriers that hold others back.

Your commitment to going the extra mile to care for your people, lend a helping hand and inspire them will determine the results you receive. When a leader fully understands what true leadership is all about, not only will their organization never be the same again, but they as individuals will be changed forever as well.

There is nothing easy about true leadership. It’s one of the most difficult jobs in the world, but it also has the potential to be one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. Whether you lead a team of five or 5,000, focus more on being a developer of people and helping those you lead become all that they can possibly become. That’s true leadership.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

The post What True Leadership Is All About appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

In business, the one guarantee is change. Organizations of all sizes will experience a great deal of change at some point and it’s up to the leader to create an atmosphere of effective adaptation. The best organizations that dominate the market and competition have leaders that know how to lead through change better than anyone else, as well as bring out the best in their people during times of extreme uncertainty.

Here are four important strategies to lead through change:

1. Stay purpose driven.

When your organization is experiencing turbulent times and you are in a position where you have to lead through change, you must stay purpose driven. If the leader of an organization veers away from the organization’s purpose, how in the world are the employees of that organization supposed to stay on target? It’s just not going to happen.

You might not know the exact way in the beginning, you may be more nervous than you have ever been in your career or the criticism from the outside world may be at an all-time high, but if you direct all of your focus on staying purpose driven and creating a culture high on purpose, the “how” will eventually present itself.

2. Communication must be constant.

I write about communication a lot, and a major reason for that is because I think there are too many organizations that undervalue its importance, especially during times of major change. Great communication is required to create great relationships. Great communication is required for athletic teams to perform at a high level. The same goes for organizational health and being able to lead effectively.

It’s important for leaders to constantly communicate from a technical standpoint, but also to reinforce much needed inspiration and acknowledgment of their people. The next time change hits your organization, whether big or small, make it a priority to become a world-class communicator.

3. Invest in your people.

As a leader, you have to understand that the most important people are the ones who work with you. These are the men and women that are expected to carry out your vision and head into the trenches to make sure that the transition through whatever change your organization is going through is a success.

Depending on the size of your company, look to invest in your people as much as possible. The organizations that are passionate about developing and building their people are the same organizations that win and come out on top.

Whether it’s incorporating team-building exercises, bringing in experts in a certain field or enhancing skill sets in different ways, the opportunities are endless for you to invest in your people. This will not only help you and your organization lead successfully through change, but you will also be showing your people how much you care about developing them to become better.

4. Persist until you succeed.

No one enjoys change, and that especially goes for employees. They will be tempted to give up, slow down and lose focus of the overall objective and purpose. It’s your job as a leader to instill a culture of persistence.

It’s really hard to see the end result and even move forward when it feels as if nothing is being accomplished. Throughout the course of my athletic career as well as speaking to hundreds of majorly successful companies, I have realized that the most detailed plan and course of action can only get you so far when leading through change.

Persistence isn’t just a trait of the most successful people, it’s the backbone of the organizations that completely thrive during times of extreme change. Persisting and staying the course even when progress seems to be minimal is an absolute must when leading through change.

It’s inevitable that you will experience change at some point throughout your professional career. As a leader, business owner or entrepreneur, it’s your job to set the tone when leading your organization through change. These strategies will greatly improve your chances of getting the best out of your organization.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

The post When Leading Through Change appeared first on Matt Mayberry.