The Metiss Group's Blog

We all remember that one teacher or coach or boss or trainer who really challenged us.  Though we hated being pushed and thought unpleasant things about this perceived tyrant, at the end we were better as a result.

It’s your job to challenge your direct reports challenging them to grow along the way.  You understand their specific role, their particular set of skills, and where you see them contributing in the future. Figure out what else can they do that is a step beyond what they are doing today that leverages those skills.

Push hard; most people don’t want to stretch beyond their existing skill set or comfort zone if it involves taking risk. Encourage them to embrace the opportunity and discover what else they can do beyond the status quo.  For all his faults as a leader, this is where Steve Jobs excelled.

Most people, when left to their own devices, will choose to stay inside of their comfort zone. However, there is nothing motivating about someone doing the same thing they’ve done before, and long term they will be unhappy. So, do them a favor, do yourself a favor, and empower them to achieve greater future success.

Most economists expect there to be much more hiring in 2013 – we certainly have seen an increase with our clients.  Assessment instruments have become more common for hiring managers evaluating new hire candidates.  We recommend hiring managers use multiple assessments to evaluate more than one dimension of a candidate’s skill set.

Whether you are using assessments focusing on behavioral styles (Myesr-Briggs, DISC), personal skills (Hartman Value Profile, DNA), or critical thinking (Watson-Glaser, Ravens) it is important to evaluate more than one aspect of a candidate’s work skill set.  We all have multiple sets of skills and rely on different skill sets for different aspects of our job.

Hiring managers should try to assess as many of these skill sets as possible and not rely on just one assessment type.  Hiring managers also should be cautious that no assessment should be the go/no go factor of the selection process, rather indicators of where to probe more fully in interviews and reference checks.

Empower your hiring managers with multiple assessment tools in evaluating their new hires and you’ll experience better hires and less turnover.

In our life time, there may be no greater workplace uncertainty than what companies are going to do with their health care program.  The laws and options are so complicated, few organizations have a clear path to take and fewer have communicated the reason the organization chose to deal with the new laws to their employees.

Hopefully you are conducting regular feedback sessions (weekly one-on-ones are the best) and it is in these sessions you should be discussing the organization’s thinking and direction on their health care plans.  Keep in mind when discussing this complicated, emotional topic not everyone processes the information in the same way.  Try these approaches:

• For your hard driving, no nonsense employees, present the information in a straight forward, direct, non-sugarcoated way.
• For your affable easy-going employees, present the information in a calm personal way, allowing much time for discussion.
• For your deep thinkers and process orientated employees, explain with why the organization chose the direction it did and how it’s going to impact everyone in the company.
• For your detail-oriented analytics, present the facts and be prepared when you discuss the plans with them, they will be pressing you for specifics.

Empower yourself with the understanding of how to communicate the details of the health care changes with each of your direct reports, and you’ll experience a more successful implementation of the plan.

Hopefully, each of your Direct Reports has a job accountability matrix capturing the job’s activities, priorities, and success factors.  Maybe instead, it’s a “job description” listing the job’s requirements and expectations.  Maybe it’s a tattered sheet of paper detailing what you’d like out of the job.

Whatever you are using to scope your Direct Report’s job, be sure to review and update it regularly.  We recommend reviewing job accountabilities during each quarterly performance review session.  By reviewing the accountabilities regularly with your Direct Report, you both are reminded of what is important.

Do not assume the job’s description is static and cannot be changed.  The document is a dynamic, evolving view of the job and should be updated as the job evolves or changes.  The responsibility for owning the updates and current nature of the Accountability Matrix or Job Description lies with your direct report.

Empower your Direct Reports to manage their job accountabilities and watch both your careers succeed.

There is a legend that is told of a French Monastery known throughout Europe for the exceptional leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks took a pilgrimage to visit this extraordinary leader to learn from him. Starting out on the pilgrimage they almost immediately begin to argue over who should do certain chores.

On the third day of their journey they met another monk also going to the monastery; he joined them. This monk never bickered about doing chores and did them dutifully. And when the others would fight about which chores to do, he would simply volunteer to do them himself. On the last day of their journey, others began to follow his example and the bickering stopped.

When the monks reached the monastery they asked to see Brother Leo. The man who greeted them laughed. “But our brother is among you!” And he pointed to the fellow that had joined them.

Many seek positions in leadership to serve their own interests and not that of others. There are many self serving reasons why a person may want to lead such as power, status, networking and money. But the best leaders lead because they care about people. And those are the types of leaders that lead like Brother Leo. They teach through their actions, not by words alone. They are servants, not commanders.

Reprint: Teamwork and Leadership Bloggings with Mike Rogers

Success: (noun) the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, – The New Oxford American Dictionary

How do we know success when we see it?  In athletics we look at the scoreboard or standings.  In school we look at the report card.  Businesses use the balance sheet or income statement to determine success.  The pursuit of success inspires hard work, sacrifice, and a commitment to improve.  How do your direct reports measure success?

We suggest using a job accountability matrix to define a job’s accountabilities and corresponding success factors.  Without measurable success factors, how do your direct reports know if they have accomplished their aim or purpose?  How can they be driven to work hard, sacrifice, and improve, if they don’t have a means by which to determine their successes?

Some common success factors are:

• Zero voluntary turnover of ‘A’ players
• Continued reduction of processing errors
• Attend meetings on-time, prepared, and contribute
• On-going increase in add-on sales
• Weekly status reports submitted on-time and accurate
• Positive (lack of negative) customer feedback

Empower you direct reports by establishing and updating success factors, and the accomplishments will soon follow.

In all likelihood your employees will be impacted in some way in the next year by all the new health care reforms being rolled out.  Your employees may be surprised their take home pay will be affected.  After feeling the hit, your superstars may be inclined to see how your competitors are handling their employee’s health care and you risk losing them.

It has been proven over and over again employees leave because they are unhappy with their boss or the organization.  Rarely do employees begin looking because of compensation or benefits.  Ultimately, they may leave for a job with better pay but that’s not what caused them to look in the first place.  However, the major changes to health care may prompt the more marketable superstars to look for other opportunities who may not have otherwise considered looking.

The best approach to keeping your stars is by taking care of them now.  High performers seek defined accountabilities, meaningful feedback, development opportunities, and insight to the organization’s goals.  If you don’t have these easy practices in place now, begin implementing them before the impact of the health care laws prompt superstars to consider other opportunities.

Empower your team with healthy leadership practices and you’ll experience more success regardless of health care reform.

The United States Navel Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) is an elite team of Navy SEALs that hunted and killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011. Navy SEALs represent the best of the Navy and DEVGRU represents the best of the SEALs.  To graduate to DEVGRU the SEALs must pass a nine month long grueling training and testing program called Green Team. Only the best of the best survive Green Team and are challenged constantly by the Navy’s best leaders.

Mark Owen author of “No Easy Day: The First Hand Account Of The Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden,” recounts his Green Team experience where he and other team members were asked regularly to make an anonymous list of the five best and worst performers in the class. The instructors compared these lists to their own lists when evaluating talent and deciding who would be promoted or removed.  The instructors know to create high-performing teams capable of accomplishing difficult feats, all aspects of the team members’ performance must be considered including how they are viewed by their teammates.

Though you may not be developing a team capable of hunting and killing al Qaeda fighters, receiving feedback from team members about each other can help you make better decisions.  The common approach in business to getting this feedback is from 360 degree tools.  A well designed 360 degree questionnaire, one that does NOT use Likert scale questions, is a great way for you to learn more about your direct reports and for them to create personal development plans.

Empower your direct reports with 360 degree tools and your organization will experience much success.

If you’ve ever embarked on an exercise program, you know how difficult it is to stay committed.  Unless you have health issues, it’s one of those “important, not urgent” activities that frequently doesn’t get the proper attention.  Personal and professional development is another “important, not urgent” activity.  Like exercise, you know you are supposed to do personal development, but often don’t get around to it.  Similar to exercise, some are better at it than others and everyone feels better when they have finished.

Most regular exercisers will tell you that having workout buddies is what keeps them going and that is the key to effective personal development. Encourage your team to commit to working on similar developmental opportunities.  Group accountability is a great motivator.

One of the easiest development approaches is for the group to all read the same book.  The synergies and sharing coming out of the group as they recount parts of the book are amazing.  One leader we work with had his whole team read/reread Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” then as a group talked how to apply the principles to their business.  The individuals benefited from personal growth, the team developed a greater bond, and the organization became more efficient – win-win-win.

Empower your team to grow together and you, your direct reports, and the organization will all experience more success.