Happy June!!! 
Many of us use summer months to assess organization and individual performance.  If we are really focused on performance, we will do so much more frequently.  We need to pay attention to our performance, not just the bottom line, on a regular basis.  We need to rely on those that we serve to let us know how we are doing.  Many of us have governing bodies that focus almost exclusively on client satisfaction surveys.  Our success depends on keeping our constituents satisfied. 

How do we do that?
Too often we sit in meetings with high level professionals attempting to make what we believe are the best decisions.  Having been an executive most of my career and learning through the best education experience, the "school of hard knocks",  I have learned that it isn't us that will ultimately lead our organization to sustainable success. I can tell you with great confidence, our success is in the hands of our employees.

As a result, we need to engage employees on a regular basis to determine how they believe we will achieve the outcomes from those satisfaction surveys that we desire and in many cases need to be competitive. It's all about the performance of our "rank and file" employees.

My clients understand this approach and embrace it. They see the positive effects of having employees not only identify the challenges but identify ways to resolve them.  What they need from their leaders, are "true" collaborative and positive leadership approaches.  Leaders that inspire, coach, evaluate, communicate and respect the day to day work that they do.  Your performance is only as good as the level of work your staff perform.

PLEASE do not say you don't have time! Time spent on comprehensive approaches to problem solving are the only way such positive change is sustainable. MAKE TIME!!

Some common leadership mistakes:

• Lack of understanding of the value of staff involvement
• Don't invest in allowing staff to spend time in such meetings
• Want team building without what it takes to get there..time, communication clarifications, role clarifications, performance management
• Don't assess the leadership skills of the leadership team.. without strong leadership skills, the best of employees will not flourish
• Focus on day to day rather than strategic approaches to moving toward positive performance
• Impatient with what it takes to build a strong organization "foundation"
• Stop critically looking at their own style and skills
• Underestimate the importance of keeping employees content, satisfied and motivated
• Poor follow through, lack of involvement of employees in decisions that directly impact their day to day work
• Lack of formal policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines
• Implementing change without proper change management techniques
• Take little time to constructively evaluate employee performance
• Have too many meetings that aren't effective, have too few meetings that would be....don't tend to assess the value of the existing meetings
• Lack openness to change, especially if it is something a particular leader is passionate about..passion is good but keeping an open mind even better
• Function more as "managers" than leaders
• Direct rather than guide
• See employee input as more work rather than information that  leaders need to make the best decisions

Positive client satisfaction surveys result when employees find themselves in a positive environment.  Changes are sustainable when employees learn to work together, treat one another with respect and feel empowered to influence change.

Consider the value of Leadership Coaching as well. Without strong leaders, the rest tends to fall apart.

In order to obtain the outcomes we desire, leaders need to build a foundation that is solid, respectful, consistent, engaging and rewarding.  Then, the "real" evaluation comes from those that we serve, our clients, our customers, our patients.

If you ask your staff, you may be surprised at their response related to your effectiveness as a team.  There may be underlying conflict, leadership skills needed, lack of clear direction or strategy in moving forward.   If you haven't asked this specifically, you really do not know.  Don't assume anything!

If you are like most organizations, there are gaps and working relationships that impede optimal performance and good working environments.  The strongest organizations seek to identify and fill such gaps.  This is particularly important if you are merging cultures, changing business direction or just seeking to be at the top of your game related to competition.