 | |
ASK ROXI
WHAT ARE YOUR LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS... GOT ONE?
JANUARY QUESTION | |
"My boss keeps trying to "help" me do my job. I am getting good results, but since he used to do my job, it's still a little intimidating. When he does this, I feel like he doesn't trust me. What should I do?"
*********************************
Your boss most likely has a common leadership ailment we call, 'delegation-itis."
Symptoms include: inability to let go, micromanaging, and hovering. If you suspect this may be the case, call for help!
Seriously...many leaders have trouble letting go of work they used to do as individual contributors when they move into a leadership role. This is especially true in start-ups and with entrepreneurs who definitely have to "do it all" in the beginning.
His mindset has to change for his behavior to change.
My advice to you is to ask your boss these 3 questions:
1. How well do you think I am doing this particular job? If he says 'great' then ask...
2. Do you trust me to do it well even if it may not be exactly the way you used to do it? If he says yes, then...
3. Ask him whether he's now ready for you to do your job on your own with the promise that you'll keep him informed and ask for help if you need it. And ask him what he needs to be comfortable letting you do the job on your own.
If he still doesn't get it, or has doubts, you'll need to give him constructive feedback about the impact his behaviors and actions are having on you. Make sure you begin by telling him you know he cares about the work getting done well and let him know you do as well.
Take it from there with "I" statements, and be solution oriented, not whiny, or blamey.
You have both a right and a responsibility to "manage UP" to your boss and help him help YOU be successful.
|
|
Did you miss a Newsletter? No problem, choose any from the
ARCHIVE
|
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
BY ROXI
DOCUMENTARY
THEY CALL IT
MYANMAR
A Robert H. Lieberman Film
Produced by
Deborah Hoard
This is a powerful example of what the attitude of "NEVER GIVE UP" looks like. It is also a magnificent tribute to the people of Burma.
|
|
|
|
 | |
HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
|
Greetings!
I hope you enjoyed your New Year festivities with or without a glass of wine! And by now, I expect many of you have clarified your business and personal goals - and now it's all about getting there. Here's a way to think about the link between goals and attitude. "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford
You certainly know that ATTITUDE matters - but do you know how much it matters? Carol Ryff, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been studying whether or not high levels of psychological well-being benefit physical health.
"There is a science that is emerging that says a positive attitude isn't just a state of mind," she says. "It also has linkages to what's going on in the brain and in the body." Ryff has shown that individuals with higher levels of well-being have lower cardiovascular risk, lower levels of stress hormones and lower levels of inflammation, which serves as a marker of the immune system.
When you looked at that beautiful glass of wine above, I expect you either saw it half empty or half full or perhaps you didn't think about it at all. So you had a positive reaction, a negative reaction or indifference. All three are attitudes. At different times in various situations, we all find ourselves having an attitude of abundance or of scarcity. You could think of the half-full glass as an attitude of abundance; half-empty as an attitude of scarcity. Abundance is about hope and possibility; scarcity is often about fear. Abundance is fun; scarcity isn't. If you were to tell yourself the absolute truth, where are you most of the time? Why?
As a leader, seeing the "up-side" and "what's possible" is essential to your followers and, as it turns out, to your health. Have you ever noticed how "contagious" emotions are? Next time you go into a store to pick up a carton of milk, look around to see who is smiling and who is not. If you take the time, you will not only "feel" the culture in that shop, you'll see it in front of you.
As leaders, we need to ask ourselves, "how is our own attitude impacting our people and our culture?" Are you a leader who sees the opportunities in challenges or sees the challenges in opportunities? Do you look for the silver linings or focus on the looming clouds?
Your attitude is your choice. Yes, choice. It is one of the biggest things we can control in our lives. No one can tell us how to feel, think, or be as adults. They can try, but it is simply up to each of us. I saw a documentary recently about a very poor, by any standard, rickshaw driver/runner in India. And he is a happy man. He loves his family, his friends, and enjoys most of his customers. The work is brutal and he makes so little for his efforts, and yet, he is full of joy. The reason, he says, is he knows he is doing all he can to contribute to his family's well-being and that makes him proud, strong, ready and willing to do it again and again. When he comes home to his tiny shack he is welcomed with love and adoration. That's all he needs and all he wants.
Some of the questions we all need to ask ourselves are:
Where are we on the attitude scale? How are we impacting those around us? Is it matching our intent? How do we want to feel? And finally, what are we going to do about these answers?
For a real boost to your smile meter, take a look at the video I've included this month about Pike's Fish Market. They've made a whole business out of selling positive attitude, not just fish. If you've never seen it before, it will make you smile - and that's the first sign of a positive attitude!
|
 | Attitude and Performance - Pike's Fish Market
|
|
 | | Words of Wisdom: Attitude |
| |
UPDATES:
January has been pedal to the metal getting ready to Pilot test the AskRoxi web site and our on-line and DVD versions of "Leading with Impact: Your Ripple Effect." We have a fabulous array of people signed up as well as two higher education pilots at SUNY Cortland and Cornell University. For those individuals who signed up for the on-line individual pilot, we are now targeting late April. It turns out it made more sense to pilot the DVD version first and that's happening in 3 weeks. I'm very proud of the quality and content of the program we've put together; I believe you will be delighted with the results - we'll see! We are doing everything we can to make learning the discipline of leadership accessible to the scores of people who have told us they want it and need it.
ARTICLES and APPEARANCES
I've spent quality time in the last couple weeks with Judy Stratman from WNAX radio station in South Dakota. WNAX covers up to 10 states with the second largest radio coverage area in the nation. Judy and I have talked about leadership, resilience, burnout, and when leaders should keep quiet. We'll be talking next week about "jumping ship" and no-cost rewards and more. I'm delighted to know she will be turning our talks into a series of stories. She asks terrific workplace and leadership questions her listeners want to learn about.
I enjoy sharing my experiences with her and spreading the word about the importance of great leadership wherever and whenever I can.
Many more articles are being published this month on-line and in print around the county. We are archiving all of these, so if you decide to join our leadership learning community when we come on-line this spring, you will have access to all we have archived.
|
|
|
Please share the ASKROXI newsletter with anyone you think would enjoy and benefit from it. Thanks for your forwards and to all our new subscribers.
Remember, you have access to archived newsletters by clicking on the ARCHIVE link in the left column
SEE YOU in FEBRUARY!
Positively yours!
Roxi Bahar Hewertson
CEO and President - Highland Consulting Group, Inc.
  Follow me at AskCoachRoxi |
|
|
