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Momentum, Mindset, and the PPP

Pivot: From ___ To ___

Your state of mind may be blocking your momentum toward a better future.

Many business leaders were not prepared for an external threat that results in a forced shutdown or significant and sudden loss of customers. As a leader, what you do next can greatly influence your own well-being and that of so many more – in your workplace, suppliers and vendors, community, other stakeholders and beyond such as those who serve who you serve. It’s the ripple effect of your words and actions.

What you say and do is driven by what you believe, and by your mindset. While beliefs take some time to change, you can shift your mindset at any moment.

You are in complete control… of your mindset.

Continue reading “Momentum, Mindset, and the PPP”
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It is always the right time for better leadership

Leadership, Alignment
Lead for Alignment

It is never too late to lead better. Lead for alignment.

Only with alignment and momentum are performance breakthroughs possible.

Only with Aligned Momentum can a business be vibrant: Valuable, Relevant, and a Great Place to Work.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams

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Orchestrating a Pivot from performance management to performance momentum (Part 4 of 4)

Performance Reviews, Accountability, Pivot
Pivot to performance inspiration and accountability. Determine how reviews fit.

In this series I am focusing on the performance review, which for many organizations has failed to meet its goal of improving performance of the team(s) overall.

To catch up here are links to
Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Consider a Pivot from the single annual performance review, which for most organizations is ineffective or harmful for a variety of reasons (see Part 2) to a more continuous flow of performance conversations, with managers who are able and willing to help people rise and build great teams, and including future-look conversations held separately from any review (see Part 3).

A well-orchestrated Pivot requires first defining the desired state (vision), discovering what is right now, and then communicating the vision and strategic direction so that each person or group can choose their best next steps (because a successful Pivot involves orchestrating many shifts by many people all aligned toward a common vision/desired state).

Sometimes you’ll have to take a step back – and it may be a big step. Continue reading “Orchestrating a Pivot from performance management to performance momentum (Part 4 of 4)”

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In a vibrant business, performance is inspired and reviewed. (Part 3 of 4)

Performance Reviews, Future Goals, Passion, Engagement, Alignment
Bring out passion with future-look conversations

If what you want is a vibrant business, consider – what will it take to orchestrate change – to Pivot – from performance management to performance momentum?

Performance momentum only happens when people are clear about the strategic direction, objectives, values, and how they fit. Alignment and engagement drive momentum. Vibrancy is evident, in (and for) the business and the people who work there. Continue reading “In a vibrant business, performance is inspired and reviewed. (Part 3 of 4)”

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What’s harming the effectiveness of performance reviews? (Part 2 of 4)

performance conversations, performance reviews
Pivot to more effective performance – change the context

Part 1 of this 4-part series ended with a question: Does a “bad” (ineffective, even counter-productive) review result from being delivered by a “bad” (out of touch, controlling, low emotional intelligence, or worse) manager?

My answer: Sometimes, yes, but not always. Continue reading “What’s harming the effectiveness of performance reviews? (Part 2 of 4)”

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Performance Reviews are not inherently ineffective. But most need to change. (Part 1 of 4)

Better Performance Review
An effective performance review is possible

Employee reviews weren’t meant to be ineffective or harmful to the morale of people you want on your team. However, too often, the performance management processes and policies organizations ask managers to follow, and promoting the wrong individuals to manage teams, are causing performance reviews to fail.

An employee performance review exists for performance improvement. Performance, in this definition includes both achieving in one’s role what the organization most needs from them and doing so in keeping with the organization’s core values. Continue reading “Performance Reviews are not inherently ineffective. But most need to change. (Part 1 of 4)”

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Think Differently. Be Clear.

For teams to execute strategy brilliantly, a leader must be clear. Clear about the vision (the direction). Clear about the strategy (the way to move closer toward the vision) in a way that each person can understand the role they play to brilliantly execute that strategy. Clear about the purpose (why the company exists) and how the strategy aligns with this purpose.

One leader who inspired others, and connected to them with his communication in an actionable way, was Steve Jobs former CEO of Apple.

Steve Jobs Think different 1997

Continue reading “Think Differently. Be Clear.”

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Leadership today: Balance masculine and feminine traits

PIVOT, leadership, masculine, feminine
PIVOT to a more balanced way of leading

Input about how to BE as a “Leader” is plentiful. There are also books on management, which is part of the issue in our lack of leadership, which I’ll discuss briefly later.

Should you be more competitive and guided by The 48 Laws of Power or should you be more empathetic and guided by Emotional Intelligence? Answer? Be aware of both and be authentic to who you really are and why you are on this earth doing what you do. This is about balance.

First, envision how you want to BE, as a leader. Then, become aware of how you are BEING now (you’ll need to search inside and ask others whom you trust). And then, determine your best next steps to Pivot from the you right now to the you that you intend to be.

Here is one scenario to help you get clear about how a possible imbalance of your own masculine and feminine traits may be holding you back from being a great leader, or from meeting the expectations of a work role. I encourage you to collaborate with trusted others to understand how you are BEING so that you can then determine how you might change. Continue reading “Leadership today: Balance masculine and feminine traits”

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Agile, Lean, and The Pivot

Nimble, Agile, Lean, The Pivot, Aligned Momemtum
Nimble: Agile Lean Pivot

As a leader, you are positioned to orchestrate change. You may have teams already working together in a nimble way, and a way in which change comes naturally. Bridge these styles (and often unique languages) together, and you will find that leading – and orchestrating change – throughout the organization comes more naturally.

  • Familiar with Lean? You will recognize the phrase “working together.”
  • Or with Agile? You will recognize “collaboration.”
  • Top leadership? You will recognize those phrases and “strategic alignment.”

    (When there is alignment and engagement and empowerment, you’ve reached a state of Aligned Momentum)

    • It is only in the state of Aligned Momentum that performance breakthroughs are possible.

    It’s up to you, the leader, to ensure that all players come together to make one enchanting sound. Make communication and clarity a top priority.