Transformational Leadership-Episode 52 with Tod Bolsinger

My dad taught me that it’s important to fire yourself at the end of the year, wait 10 seconds, soak up that horrible feeling, and then rehire yourself. Why in the world would my dad tell me to do this each year?   Give yourself a scare and new outlook. It’s better to pretend to fire yourself before it happens for real. Now strategize! What would you do differently if you were fired and rehired for the same job? You can’t grow to greater success if you don’t look at your failures and change them.   Yes, my dad could have been a Jedi Knight because he motivated himself and others through mind games. Most of those mind games made him and others extremely successful. I thought he was crazy when I was younger. Now I try to do everything he taught me.   It’s better to pretend to fire yourself before it happens for real.   When people get comfortable, they can become lazy, which can lead to poor results. Poor results can eventually lead to one being fired. Don’t wait for that awkward and regrettable moment. I’ve never met anyone that enjoys losing. Go ahead and make that awkward firing moment happen on your terms. Write yourself a termination letter and put reasons behind it. Punch yourself in the gut(words not literally) and make it hurt so you can learn.   What would you do differently if you were fired and rehired for the same job?   It’s so important to motivate yourself to think about new strategies to prevent becoming comfortable. You want to drive in better results every year, but you don’t change anything. How is that working for you? Nothing changes if nothing changes! If you had a record-breaking year…good for you…now get over it. No one cares what you did yesterday, last year, or five years ago. Business is about what you produce month-over-month and year-over-year. People don’t get fired because they are growing. People get fired when they get lazy or stop taking initiative to learn. How can you continue to push yourself to prove to everyone you are not playing it safe? What must you do to grow your success?   ACTION ITEM: Take 15 minutes and make a strategic list. Make sure you put these strategies into practice by putting each one on your calendar.   You can’t grow to greater success if you don’t look at your failures and change them.   No Time Management Your day is chaos. You feel no control in your day. You feel like nothing ever gets done that you want. Poor Communication You hold people to expectations that you did not share with them. People don’t live in your head. Use your words! No routine Schedule your work duties, and don’t get distracted. Give yourself time to think. Make sure to take PTO and recharge your batteries. Boring Meetings No one is excited to be there. No conflict. Watching the minutes for it to end. Talk Too Much – Poor Listening Don’t dominate the conversation. Make sure you shut your mouth and open your ears to hear what others have to say. Show respect to others by listening. Too Many Excuses For Missing Deadlines Nothing is worse than a boss demanding deadlines but the boss lives by double standards. Get your work finished on time. Set the bar with your actions. No Humility Say the words “I’m sorry!” and “It’s my fault!” No one wants to follow a leader who is arrogant and full of pride. Lack of Passion Zap your heart and get excited about your work. No one wants to follow someone who is lukewarm or passive. No Accountability You need someone who will speak TRUTH into you. Make sure to ask others how you are doing and listen to their advice. Broken Trust With Failed Promises Let your YES be YES and your NO be NO. Follow through on your commitments, and show up in mind, body and spirit when you arrive. Need more?  Book us to speak at your next event, and we’ll light it up! Check out our YouTube and LinkedIn pages for more encouraging content.   If you’re looking to take your growth as a leader to the next level, we’ve got you covered. Join the Impact of Leadership Community today!

Greener Pastures “People don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses.” That’s a very popular phrase and one that will get you reactions on social media. It’s also crap. At least as a blanket statement about why people are leaving jobs right now. There’s truth in the phrase, of course, but it falls WAY short of what leaders are experiencing in just about every organization. Regardless of how great a boss you've been. The danger is if we take it at face value, then every leader should be ashamed of themselves when someone quits. “It’s your fault, says so right there—people quit bosses. Do better.” Patrick and I have posted on LinkedIn, written blogs, and even published a podcast about The Great Resignation. It’s a wild time to be in leadership. Here’s something we have found to be true: If you lose an employee over something you can’t offer, it’s not your fault. They didn’t quit their boss, they quit the job.   An Offer They Can’t Refuse There are insightful articles from The Atlantic, USA Today, Inc Magazine, and many others about what’s happening nationally with people quitting. Burnout (White collar/Blue collar/Covid), shortage of talent, remote work options...etc. That’s not this blog. I work at a company (CCB Technology) that has an average tenure of around 12 years. We’ve lost 20% of our staff in the last 9 months. Both of those things are true. For a company that’s been around 30 years and prides itself on having a healthy culture—this has been a very confusing time. So why have people left? Our Executive team had to brace ourselves as we looked at each other and asked, “Is it us? Why are we bleeding good people?”. We found a few themes and made some moves.   Major reasons people left: 1.   Money 2.   Money & fully remote work environment 3.   Money & just needed a change A pattern began to develop, so we looked deeper into the biggest factor--money. We wondered, “Are people leaving us over a $5k bump?” One of the benefits of having trusting relationships with employees is that most of them told their manager what the other company was offering – without being asked. Several were even apologetic that it was something they just couldn’t turn down.   Another pattern rose, these offers were BONKERS.     25-75% increases over what they were currently making. We investigated our pay structure and found we were competitive with our wages in the marketplace...then the marketplace changed. The tension of CCB being a small business was acutely felt. We just can’t give someone a $35k raise. Even if we love them. Not all hope is lost though.   The Great Reshuffle Losing 20% of our staff doesn’t tell the whole story any more than “people quit bosses” does. One person purchased a coffee shop with her husband, a dream come true for her. One person was let go, which was very much earned. Another had a rough day and quit with no backup plan. Just walked out. And another retired.   On paper, those folks left CCB but they didn’t quit their boss. (The one that walked out had their direct supervisor asking for more information and offering to help. No explanation, just done.) There’s more, we’ve also had a stiff uptick in interviewing and onboarding new employees in the last 30 days. I mean, what else are we going to do amirite? We also fought back by settling into who we are as a company vs. trying to be something we’re not. For example, we like our employees to physically be together. Even if it’s not every day. So we do a hybrid schedule of Tuesday/Wednesday in the office. We also kicked up the fun. Our Marketing team scheduled weekly company times around food, drink, and Farkle. (I’m sorry, what?) And the Sales team is accruing points that can be used during an auction later this year. Next week we're having a company-wide paper airplane flying contest.   But what about the money?? Where we could afford it, employees got raises, received bonuses, or saw their incentive plans more lucrative as goals were hit. Fortunately for the company, Patrick had been wise with the finances and that rainy day fund was available. Liking who you work with is very important, but there’s something money says about value without speaking any words.   Ideas and Encouragement It’s painful to lose people. It’s worse to go through it and not learn anything. It’s a wonderful thing to learn from someone else’s pain! Conduct exit interviews What can you learn from what this employee said? Be direct with your questions but standardize a template Send to the employee beforehand with an explanation of how the exit interview is structured and what it’s for Figure out what you can stomach Can you give raises? If this person leaves, can you balance the load? Are you a company that can function with a remote workforce? Communicate with the company People are going to talk, close the story loop for them. Share as much as you can Be resolute in the company’s future Be present Don’t freakin’ hide in your office hoping it’ll blow over If your nose is bloody and your eye is blackened, it’s because you’re in a fight Put your oxygen mask on first You can’t give what you don’t have Keep exercising. Keep drinking water. Keep laughing.   The Great Resignation highlights leadership. It matters how we act when we’re unsure of outcomes but sure of the struggle. Know who you are. Lean into your trusting teams. Keep fighting. Breathe.   The IOL Community exists to Equip, Connect and Grow leaders. We’re with you as you push forward! Need more?  Listen to Tod Bolsinger talk about how to lead in uncharted territory. Listen to Patrick Booth talk about The Great Resignation: Fight Like A Small Business Check out the IOL Community Groups to connect with like-minded leaders! Go to our YouTube and LinkedIn pages for more encouraging content.