Morning Minute 2/06/23:
“How Do You Communicate?”
Communicating is basic to how we build teams and achieve objectives. There is communicating with clients, suppliers, and business partners. However, no communicating is more important than how we communicate with our team members. The basic elements for team member development are described in the T.A.S.T.E. module. Those elements are Truth, Accountability, Support, Trust, and Empowerment.
TRUTH: Team member performance, whether fantastic, average, or subpar, must be addressed truthfully. If fantastic, then public praise and recognition are warranted. If the performance meets the standard, then communicate acceptance, while sharing with them how they may improve. If it is subpar, point that out, ensure that the person understands how to properly perform, and how the team is only as good as the weakest link. Truthful feedback is required for top performance.
ACCOUNTABILITY: All team members must understand that what they do, and how they do it, affects team performance. You cannot expect great team performance if you don’t hold individuals accountable. As the leader you are accountable for both your performance and theirs. You must communicate what you expect, and then inspect what they do to create accountability.
SUPPORT: Your team members are human. In addition to performance issues, they have personal, family, health, and money problems as well. Through your one-on-one discussions find out their personal and professional goals. Help them chart a path to achieve these goals. Knowing that you care about them as real people will create a tremendous amount of goodwill, cooperation, and top performance.
TRUST: Without truth, there is no trust. If they make a mistake or if you make a mistake, be sure to make the proper person accountable. If a team member can handle more responsibility, train them, and watch them grow. When a team member knows that you trust them, that person will take more pride in their work, and perform at a significantly higher level.
EMPOWERMENT: To build a high performing team, team members must know how to do their jobs well. Through cross-training they must also learn how to do other team member’s jobs well. This is how you grow your bench, so that absences will not seriously affect team performance. Imagine leading a team where, because you have empowered them to be more and do more, you are free to study, plan, and adjust to help your team, business, or group achieve even more.
Understanding and successfully using this T.A.S.T.E. module will help you develop your high performing team.
And, that is today’s Morning Minute.
Morning Minute 2/10/23:
“What motivates you?”
It’s 6:00am Wednesday. Her alarm viciously pierces the morning silence. Due to absences, Nicole has pulled double shifts at the hospital the last 2 days even though she was scheduled off. Her normal 10 hour shift, 4 days per week, starts today at 7:30am. Plus Nicole has a meeting with her daughter’s teacher today at 5:15pm.
It’s 5:30pm Friday at the airport. Brandon is beyond exhausted from working out of town for 5 days in 5 separate cities, logging 3700 miles in the air. His daughter has her school play at 7:00pm tonight and he is taking the family to dinner afterward. His son has a baseball double header Saturday at 9:00am and 2:00pm. Plus, he and his wife are going to a friend’s birthday party at 6:00pm. Sunday school plus 11:00am and 6:00pm services are on his agenda. And, Brandon still has to wash the car and cut the grass.
It’s 3:15pm Monday. Rachel just left her principal’s office where she was informed that she would be conducting 2 hours of tutoring, 3 days per week, for the next 9 weeks, all because a senior teacher opted out of that duty. This is in addition to her normal 45 hour week teaching STEM classes to 6th graders. Then her husband calls sharing that he has to work late and won’t be home until 10:00pm tonight.
Does any of this sound familiar? Are there days that drive you to the point of breaking down? Of giving up? Of quitting? What is it that keeps you going? What is the foundation that supports you when the walls are closing in? What motivates you to keep going in spite of all the obstacles, bad breaks, and people who let you down?
Your motivation comes from many sources. It may come from your sense of responsibility or duty to your family, customers, students, or coworkers. You may not want to let them down by not honoring your commitments. It may come from your drive to be successful: the best at what you do. It may come from you’re feeling of pride in reaching your goal or the joy you experience when helping others.
For me, it is my relationship with God. He has a perfect plan for my life. He keeps me centered and drives me forward. And, He equips me with the tools I need to complete the tasks and challenges that I encounter, as I endeavor to help others be the best versions of themselves..
My question is: “What motivates you?”
That is today’s Morning Minute.
