Communications Archives • Living to Lead

Crossing the Finish Line

December 19, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

This time of year, in the busy-ness of the holidays, we are also casting a vision for next year and wrapping up this current year. As a leader, I encourage you to watch this short video and consider HOW you are creating the vision…and where you are crossing the finish line with respect to your team.

It’s a short, but powerful message.

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The Leader in the Mirror

June 20, 2018 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

Many years ago, a mentor of mine gave me a book titled The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley. I still have that book, and every two or three years, I take it with me to the beach and reread it.

As I read it this last time, I looked at it from a leader’s viewpoint. It inspired me to create a list of five questions we as leaders need to be asking ourselves on a regular basis.

Here are those five questions. Will you look in the mirror with me?

1. How often am I communicating the company’s vision to my team?

If I asked your team what the vision is, how many different answers would I get?

I did this recently at an organization with whom I was working. Of the 120 people in the room, only one person got close to the actual written vision of the company.

Most had no idea what the vision was.

If this is the case where you are, how can you expect people to follow you? The fact is, they don’t know where you are taking them.

Connecting to you is one thing. Connecting to you and the vision is what your goal should be.

Are your people connecting with both you and the vision?

2. What are the priorities in my business?

Do you regularly outline these for your team? Do everyone’s activities connect to the vision?

If you can narrow down activities for everyone, and keep them focused on WIN (What’s Important Now), you will have a more productive, effective, and efficient team.

Most people I talk with tell me they need better time management. But help your team with priority management, and everyone wins!

3. How am I really spending my time?

You set the example for WINning by following the What’s Important Now formula – by working the vision and priority management.

What is your team really seeing in your example?

In my work with leaders, we often go through some exercises to truly see where they are spending time. It is normally an eye-opening exercise for them, as many realize they allow unexpected events, day-to-day challenges, and personal responsibilities take up much of their time. Left unchallenged, these can pull them away from leading towards the vision.

4. What does my feedback look like?

Ask yourself: “Do I give my team timely, constructive, and to-the-point feedback?”

If you have the right people on your team, they want to be coached and developed. They don’t want to wait for the annual review process to hear how they can improve. They are looking for immediate feedback so they can adjust course accordingly.

If you are worrying about being “liked” by them, waiting until year-end may not get you there. If you wait until year-end, you most definitely won’t be “liked.”

5. Am I open to feedback?

I will always recommend that leaders engage with a coach, but internally, who are you open to receiving feedback from? If you aren’t asking for feedback from several levels, you are missing out on some growth opportunities. If you read my recent article on blind spots, you have seen some of what could be holding you back.

Regardless of whether you are a leader in the corporate world, small business, or in a business of your own, taking this journey of five questions on a regular basis adds value to you, your team, your relationships, and more.

3 Steps to Planning an Effective Conversation

March 21, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Have you ever listened to someone and felt like they were speaking a foreign language? Or have you had the feeling that one of your co-workers or employees seems aloof and doesn’t care about the details? How about the person who seems to be all over the place instead of focusing on what is important?

Chances are, you have been in one of these situations. Most of us have experienced them all.

Each of us has a certain way of communicating. We find it easy to communicate with people whose style is similar to ours.

On the other hand, we may find it very difficult to effectively communicate with someone who has a very different communication style than we have.

How do we bridge the gaps that each of our different styles of communication create?

Depending on the differences in the communication styles of the parties to your conversation, it can be a very big deal. When we do not understand each other, we waste time repeating information. People may not feel comfortable reconfirming the point of a conversation, and that can lead to misunderstandings.

If you work with a coach, he or she can help you understand your own communication style.

When you understand your communication style and learn how others will behave in conversation based on theirs, you can proactively plan your conversations.

The art of being an excellent communicator is to be proactive and plan the conversation you are going to have.

Here are three steps that will help you plan the conversation.

Think of the person you need to have an important conversation with. Is he or she similar or different from you when it comes to how they communicate?
Is the person:

Dominant – one who prefers to do most of the talking and a big picture person?
A very social person who seems to be all over the place?
An introvert or extrovert?
Particularly deferential or focused on hierarchy?
Supportive but hard to get information out of?
Someone who needs a great amount of detail?

Plan your conversation corresponding to the style that matches the person with whom you will be communicating.

In the examples above, that would look like this.

Dominant – one who prefers to do most of the talking and a big picture person
Keep the conversation short and sweet. Stick to the facts.
A very social person who seems to be all over the place
Allow time to socialize and understand the various impacted relationships.
An introvert or extrovert
For introverts, ask for input – and listen intently. Know that extroverts will volunteer opinions and thoughts on their own. Listen intently to those as well.
Particularly deferential or focused on hierarchy
Help them know that respect goes both ways, and that you are there to work together. Focus on the issue, not the position…and on solving the problem, not on asserting power.
Supportive but hard to get information out of
Provide an outline of the planned conversation in advance if you want their input during the conversation. Give them time to think and prepare. Be careful not to put them on the spot by asking for immediate input in front of others.
Someone who needs a great amount of detail
Be prepared for and willing to answer questions regarding the details. This is someone who needs to know those details before signing on to the big picture idea.

Knowing your behavioral style and something about the styles of the people you plan to speak with can be of great benefit to you both personally and professionally.