Pick A Word For 2023 & Stick With It

I was sitting in a sales meeting when I heard Steve Scherer say for the first time, “I don’t know how this is going to turn out. That is the truth. But I am going to work hard to figure it out.” The room filled with silence. I was in disbelief that I just heard my VP of Sales tell the entire team that he wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. I was filled with fear that people would walk out of the room because they had no one telling them it will be okay. I was so wrong! Instead, I saw the people’s faces look happy and peaceful. WHAT?! He just did what I thought was impossible. He told the people the truth that he didn’t know what would happen, but he was committed to leading them forward. He was going to learn and help them learn too. I learned that you don’t have the answers as a leader and the team is okay with it. What the team really wants is to know that you as a leader will work hard to find the correct answers and lead them forward.   Why do we think as leaders we can’t be honest with our teams when we don’t know something? Could it be because we don’t want to let others down? Perhaps it’s the fear that we don’t want people to lose confidence in us as leaders?  Maybe no one ever taught you that it was okay to tell the truth that you have no idea what the next step will be? There are many reasons to why leaders feel the fear to tell those they are leading those three words “I don’t know!”   Why should we say those words “I don’t know!”?   Humility Very few people expect you to be superman or wonder woman as a leader. In fact, it’s very powerful to show your vulnerability so people can approach you with ease, forgive your mistakes, and understand that you are learning too. You are showing your ability to adapt and learn. You are building a culture of authenticity by sharing your heart. I think most people would rather hear the truth instead of a fake answer that will eventually fail. Everyone must be willing to admit they need help if they want to grow further.   Self-Confidence Being able to share your strengths and weaknesses is a great way to build trust with your team. For you to do that you must have the courage and self-confidence to tell the truth when you are lost or failing. You are realistic to set clear expectations of the situation you are leading. Perhaps you know what will happen next or maybe you have no idea because it’s never been done before. Communicate with clear and honest leadership will build trust even when you don’t know the answers. No one wants to follow a fake. Give me the honest, hard, and ugly truth. No one wants to be fooled. Learn to say no to the wrong things that hurt your team. Have the courage to lead your team away from the areas you know will bring distraction and disunity.    Empowers Your Team Working together to find a solution to a problem that no one knows how to solve brings unity. Delegate tasks for people to work on so everyone feels the team is coming together to find the correct answers. It gives the team the opportunity to brainstorm, problem solve and work through failures. Everyone must learn to adaptive to the new lessons being learned. Employees are motivated to work hard for someone that gives them a chance to prove their ability. Sometimes you need to step to the side and let others show up. Be the first to applaud their success and help them learn that leaders can learn form others.   No one wants to follow a leader full of pride. We are committed to helping every leader that joins IOL to grow stronger in their ability to lead others well. Join the IOL community today before the groups get filled.   Visit membership to join.

How do you respond when someone disagrees with you? We all have different personalities, so responses can vary from each other. My team and I have been taught in the past year the importance of having healthy conflict with each other. Why? How? That is what I thought when we started our training but by the end, I realized the need is critical for trust to be strengthen as the foundation of your team.   What is healthy conflict? It is the ability to share a difference in opinion respectively on a topic.   Why does healthy conflict matter? Through healthy conflict, a team can feel comfortable to disagree with each other. They can discuss pros/cons of a topic before they conclude with an agreed decision.   Unhealthy Responses Become overly dramatic Gossips Ignores the disagreement Caves to avoid tension Overpowers with logic and facts Becomes passive aggressive Digs heels in even further Looks to even the score Overpowers & gets loud   Healthy Responses Expresses feelings Shows empathy Listens to other’s perspectives Encourages a calm discussion & demeanor Focuses on logic & objectivity Sticks up for own rights Speaks up about problems Addresses the issues head on   What are five benefits of healthy conflict? Commitment Trust Better problem solving Improved productivity Personal growth   How does healthy conflict lead to commitment? After discussing the pros/cons of an idea it will create a unified decision that all can support. When people feel heard they are more willing to meet someone in the middle.   How does healthy conflict lead to trust? You must create a place where team members feel safe and can express their thoughts, feelings, etc. By creating this safe place, it will help your team members feel trust & respect by being heard. Everyone wants to feel valued especially during conflict.   How does healthy conflict lead to better problem solving? It allows all parties to focus on finding the solution by listening, sharing, researching, creative brainstorming, analyzing information and patience.    How does healthy conflict lead to improved productivity? It allows people to speak their heart in a non-judgmental environment. This can build confidence in those that tend to let others lead. Encouraging new ideas to be shared will bring an environment of learning. It can create empowerment and confidence in your team.   How does healthy conflict lead to personal growth? It allows people to be aware of how to control their emotions and be a good communicator. It allows you learn how to attack the problem not the person that is disagreeing with you. You learn to focus on finding a solution that works for both sides.   Conclusion... Creating a healthy conflict environment will strengthen your team’s trust with each other while producing better results because of it.   ********* FINAL WEEK ******** *JOIN US FOR A LIVE EVENT THIS THURSDAY - FEBRUARY 9TH* Resilient Leadership: Leadership in Uncharted Territory With guest speaker Tod Bolsinger! Register HERE Use discount code: MEMBER23 for 15% off registration