“….others plod and plod; however it is the agile that are able to leapfrog over the purely methodical and reach for the ring first.”
Every New Year management gurus from across this great land seek to create the year’s big business buzzword that eventually becomes a part of our nomenclature. While I do not know what word it will be this year, my guess is “Agility,” which is actually a pretty timely choice. Here is my take on Agility:
- It will supplant Flexibility in our vocabularies. Flexible, by definition means “to yield to influence; to be capable of responding or conforming to change.” In other words, flexibility is reactive in nature.
- By contrast, Agile, according to good old Webster’s, is defined as: “Being mentally quick and resourceful; marked by the ready ability to move with quick ease and grace.” In other words, while still somewhat reactive, the term agility moves more towards a proactive position.
Bottom Line: if you seek to maintain an empowered, proactive workforce or team; consider introducing the concept of agility into your corporate culture.
MANAGEMENT CORNER
Techniques to maintain sanity and save careers
Well, the holidays are over and, as leaders, we can settle back into the norm of plotting the demise of staff members who drive us crazy; wait, no, I mean we can settle back into leading effectively and with the passion that is our hallmark. What to do, post-holiday, with those staff members who drive us, well, a little bit nuts, is the topic of our management corner.
Prior to documenting and subsequently bidding adieu to underperforming team members, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I know what truly moves or motivates this person? Do I know this for all my staff or teammates?
- Does this person clearly understand, in their own terms, what is expected of them? Note: This is different than sharing with them what their duties are.
- Does this person feel a connection to the team’s or the company’s mission? In other words, do they feel a strong sense of purpose when they arrive at work?
The process of developing strong “yes” answers to these questions is often the difference between saving someone’s job or career (and boosting your team’s productivity), and engaging in the unproductive process of termination.
COMMUNICATION CORNER
Careful with those hand gestures and yawning
Various studies have shown that non-verbal communication comprises up to 50% of overall communication. So, it makes darn good sense to pay attention to other people’s nonverbal messages. Likewise, we need to be astutely aware of the nonverbal messages that we are sending. Studying others body language also tends to increase the self-awareness of our own body language.
The following are just a few examples of non-verbal communication and how they are commonly interpreted.
- Crossed-arms (distance, resistance to negotiation)
- Eye Contact (good contact with a low aim makes the speaker comfortable; aim that is too high may be viewed as aggressive; staring off can be interpreted as disinterest).
- Pace of Conversation (steady or calculated – involved; fast – disrespect)