May 2014
 

 

Welcome to spring! It's time to completely slough off the skins of 

winter and make serious progress towards what you want to experience this year.

 

At the WaterLight Group, we're having a blast working with leaders to develop their unique mojo and mindset that consistently enables them to make things happen. To accomplish this, we've created an environment of straight talk - open, frank discussion of what's working well and what needs improvement, with nothing held back.

 

Straight talk enlivens us and provides the basis for building real personal awareness. We'd like to bring this straight-talk approach to you and explore new ways to be, think and act.

 

Today we introduce The Current, an e-newsletter that brings fresh perspectives to life. The Current approaches work situations with a straight-talk perspective that accesses the "positive action" voice in our heads and brings energy and momentum to our work.

 

Our first entry is about communication. This scenario may sound familiar to you. Which role most closely matches yours?

 

Spending lots of time doing the work and little time communicating the work? 

 

"He talked to the team several times about communicating and the need for him to stay 'plugged in' to what we were doing. 'Keep me apprised of what's going on with the project,' I remembered hearing him say. Yet I was knee-deep in the details, with data and reports still to be read, evaluated and vetted. I dribbled out a general sentence or two into the status template, hit 'Send' and then turned my attention back to work. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the 'Status Call' reminder notice pop up in Outlook. I knew then there wasn't a snowball's chance I'd make the benign conference call and finish the work on time. I ploughed ahead."

 

The project manager was on the status call and heard the round-robin updates as each person provided color commentary on his or her part of the project. Only one person was unexpectedly missing from the call. "Out of earshot but not out of mind," the manager thought. "Where is he? Is there a problem with his section?" No one on the call could cover for him, so no one knew the status of the work.  

 

The project manager scanned the status template until he found the entry belonging to the missing team member. He read the update. Twice. "This can't be the full story-it just doesn't hold together. Thanks for the chicken scratch of an update," he thought.  

 

When you skip the communication step, what goes missing is

you: you own the back story, the nuance, the interplay and emphasis that helps the team choreograph their next moves. Taking time to communicate what's going on with your work frees up time in the long run. Updates can reveal cracks, coordination points and craters that more experienced ears can decipher. The team gets to know you better, too. Seeing how you size up situations, handle roadblocks and work with others helps them determine if you can be trusted to deliver. Those benign status calls are important for knitting project teams closer together. When you show up, everyone benefits.

 

Communicate. It's part of doing the work.

About WaterLight Group

The WaterLight Group is a full service leadership coaching and management consulting firm. It was founded by Tracy Carmen-Jones on the idea that individuals and organizations can consistently achieve high levels of performance by cultivating skills, developing strategies and executing effectively. Leveraging seasoned, trained leadership coaches and business consultants, the WaterLight Group works with individuals, teams and organizations from the inside out to cultivate sustainable growth.

Coming Soon: 

Coaching as an Art Form

This fall, we're planning a fun evening that combines WaterLight coaching with artistic expression. Stay tuned!

Tracy Carmen-Jones, President

info@waterlightgroup.com 

 713-254-7777