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Is Team Building a Waste of Money?

Is Team Building a Waste of Money? | Arc Integrated

At Arc Integrated, we’re often asked whether team building is just a drain on resources. The truth? It can be—if it’s not approached with strategic intent. As leaders in enhancing team dynamics and organizational culture, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t over the last decade. Today, we’re thrilled to share five tested strategies that ensure your team building investment pays off.

1. Connect Team Building to Its True Purpose

Let’s be honest: a lot of team building events are just plain fun. But what’s often missing is a connection to the deeper ‘why’. Why are we here? What are we aiming to improve? The secret sauce is linking these activities directly to enhancing performance—be it through better communication, problem-solving skills, or productivity. It’s about making the event meaningful by tying it to real organizational outcomes.

2. Focus on Performance, Not Just Fun

We all like to have fun, but if that’s all there is, then we’re missing the mark. Team building should be about more than just good times; it should be about getting better at what we do. It’s crucial that these events are seen not just as a break from work, but as a driver of workplace excellence. This shift in perspective can change how team members value these experiences. 

For an in-depth exploration of strategic event planning, check out this insightful article from Harvard Business Review.

3. Leadership Buy-In is Crucial

Nothing undermines a team building event faster than leaders who aren’t on board. If leaders don’t believe in the process, neither will their teams. Leaders need to be engaged and must articulate the value of these activities. They must show up, not just physically, but with genuine enthusiasm for the growth these opportunities are designed to foster.

4. Choose the Right Participants

A common mistake is not being selective about who attends. Team building can backfire if you’re including people who perhaps no longer fit well within the team or the organization’s future direction. It’s about being strategic with invitations, ensuring that every participant is poised to contribute to and gain from the experience.

5. Integrate Company Values into the Activities

Lastly, aligning team building with your company’s values can dramatically increase its impact. If collaboration is a cornerstone of your company culture, choose activities that enhance this skill. This alignment helps team members live out company values in a tangible, impactful way, making the abstract concrete.

So, is team building a waste of money? It certainly can be—without the right strategies. But armed with these insights, you can transform it from a mere expense to a vital investment in your team’s and organization’s future.

Curious about more ways to enhance your leadership and team dynamics? Dive deeper with us at Arc Integrated. Check out our resources, or get in touch to discuss how we can tailor our expertise to your needs: www.arcintegrated.com

As always if you have any questions or concerns you can schedule a time to connect.

Be well,

Michael

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Learn more about Arc Integrated:

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How to Lead Extraordinary Meetings

How to Lead Extraordinary Meetings | Arc Integrated

Nothing speaks to creating peak performing cultures more than making sure, as a leader, you are able to generate effective, and productive meetings. 

In this article, we will be sharing five tips on how you can lead extraordinary meetings. This is important to get a good grasp of because according to MIT, the average executive spends 23 hours a week in meetings.

Tip #1: Open With Connection (Use Tools When Needed) 

There’s an old phrase that says connection before content which is a very important aspect of conducting great meetings. This phrase, in regards to meetings, is all about setting up connectivity between the participants before diving into the agenda for that particular meeting.

If creating that connection before starting your meetings is something that as a leader you struggle with, or don’t know how to do, my recommendation is to take advantage of the many tools that are available. 

A really good tool that we recommend is The CHANGES Cards. This is a card deck full of questions based on seven different themes of our lived experience. You can use these cards to ask and answer some questions regarding different team members as a way to create a greater connection within the group. This immediate and quick connection that is generated between different individuals creates a much smoother experience during meetings. This is due to the fact that it enables others to be:

  • Creative
  • Vulnerable
  • Communicative

Tip #2: Have An Agenda With Tight Boundaries

Having an agenda before going into a meeting seems like an extremely obvious thing to do for most leaders. Still, the problem with most meeting agendas that we often see is that there are no tight boundaries associated with them.

A really good way around this is to set a timer on your phone. You can do this by setting up time intervals within each topic. So if the timer is set up for 15 minutes, when the time is up, regardless of where you are in the conversation, you move on to the next topic.

One of the biggest issues in these meetings is not only that there are no boundaries in place, but they are also not being enforced. I can promise you that when they are, more positive things will come out of the meetings and that more will be getting accomplished.

Tip #3: Have Good Recipes

I was recently looking at a book that I had recommended for a client called Principles by Ray Dalio. It goes into detail about principles (or recipes) for living. I strongly believe that these principles, when taken into the sphere of meetings, are no different.

For example: Did well, learn, and do differently is a principle that you can use to debrief an incident. If there is a challenge that your team faces (with a customer, vendor, client, etc.) you as a leader should conduct a debrief with the three ingredients to the recipe mentioned above.

  • You should look at what was done well
  • Follow that with what was learned from it
  • Finally what should be committed to doing differently for the future

Using this recipe is a really important tool to have as a leader because it will increase meeting productivity, engagement, and overall team wellbeing. This connectivity is crucial to an organization’s success because research shows that employee engagement has been defined as an emotional and intellectual commitment to the organization.

Tip #4: Make The Meeting Relevant for All in Attendance

Many of us have been in meetings that didn’t actually require us to be there and it doesn’t feel good at all. Surprisingly, this is actually a very common aspect in many meetings. Taking it even a step further, time spent in meetings (especially bad meetings), can increase employee stress, fatigue, and perceived workload.

The way to solve the issue of feeling like an hour was just robbed from their day, is to ensure that whoever you are inviting has some purpose for being in the meeting. This could mean that they have:

  • Information to share
  • Data to collect
  • Relevant action items

Everyone attending the meeting should be there for a reason and not because it seems like the thing to do to fill their schedule. This ultimately will reduce resentment in company culture.

Tip #5: End The Meeting With Appreciation

Our final tip on how to lead extraordinary meetings is to end every meeting with appreciation. This is a simple, yet very underutilized tool that I think every leader should learn to incorporate. 

The simple way to think about this is to ask a question to the group to share their thoughts on what they believed was a moment, person, or idea that emerged in the meeting that they would like to appreciate. What this does is allows a little bit of psychological priming so that when they leave the meeting, it makes everyone feel like it was advantageous to them in some aspect. This is done by highlighting:

  • Opportunity
  • Strength
  • Learning

I really believe that ending on a good note and making sure others feel that the meeting was valuable is a critical aspect of a successful meeting. 

If you found this article helpful and want to learn more about the topic you can watch the video version of 5 Tips to Lead Extraordinary meetings.

As always if you have any questions or concerns you can schedule a time to connect.

Be well,

Michael

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Learn more about Arc Integrated:

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5 Ways Leaders Can Support Employee Goals

5 Ways Leaders Can Support Employee Goals | Arc Integrated

Here at Arc Integrated, we help leaders, teams, and cultures all over the globe with assessment, executive coaching as well as training and consultation. January marks the start of a new year and with it, companies and teams are setting their goals for the upcoming year. 

Surprisingly, 92% of people never meet the goals that they set for themselves for the year. Naturally, one of the topics that has been coming up lately is how we, as leaders, can effectively support employee goals. 

In today’s article, I will be going over just that, with my top five tips on how you as a leader can support your employees’ goals.

Tip #1: Make It Personal

A common negative connotation when it comes to the workplace is “we don’t want to get into the lives of the employees too much.” The reality of the situation is some of the most highly performing teams, cultures, and organizations have very solid personal relationships. One of the ways in which you can develop a personal relationship with an employee is by understanding their:

  • Strengths
  • Visions
  • Goals

It’s important to note that these three themes are all beyond the workplace; they could surround their health, financial future, or even their education. This also helps the employee show up to work feeling like they can truly be themselves. 

Leaders who are true to themself, admit and learn from mistakes, and focus on development stimulate employees to initiate their own growth.  When your employees feel appreciated and heard, the better they will perform. In fact, 79% of employees will quit due to a lack of appreciation. Overall, the more we can engage with and understand the human element of our employees the more we can support them in their needs and goals. 

Tip #2: Provide Accountability

Providing accountability to your employees is a really clever technique in being able to support them in their goals. You can do this by helping them implement SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-oriented, and Time-bound.

Check-Ins Provide Accountability for Employees

A really good example of this is by setting up a monthly check-in on the goal that they are currently working towards and how that goal is progressing. You may also ask about the steps they have in place in completing or achieving their goals and how you as a leader can help. This way, you are not only creating accountability through the meetings on their own, but you are requiring them to take actions through the steps towards their goals.

Reward Systems Are Great for Providing Employee Accountability

A reward system is another way in which you can provide accountability. If you have a team and set up reward checkpoints, the entire team can all share rewards upon completion of each goal being met. 

Consider Accountability Partnerships for Your Employees

Finally, I encourage you to create some type of accountability partnership. It could be as simple as just two members of a team working together and supporting each other. Through this partnership and support, your employees can share their goals as well as their consistent progress with each other.

Tip #3: Allocate Time

Allocating time is a really important tip that leaders can take to better support their employees. You as a leader should support the fact that employees can spend time (sometimes maybe even at work) working towards their workplace goals.

An example of this could be at the start of 2022 if you were to share with your team that you will allocate 90 minutes a week in order for everyone to work and progress on their individual, personal goals. Depending on your team’s schedule, you can set up specific time frames in order to work on their goals.

A question you may be asking yourself while reading this tip is:

“Can I really afford to allocate 90 minutes per week, towards work that is unrelated to the company?”

My answer to that thought is that the more that we can support the accomplishments and goals of our employees, the greater engagement that can create as well as improvement of the company culture. This ultimately leads to the benefits largely outweighing the risks. So much so in fact that employees who are disengaged miss an average of 3.5 more days per year, are less productive, and cost the US economy $292 to $355 billion per year. 

Tip #4: Include a Social Component

The reality is that in today’s day and age, we are radically motivated by social pressures. This might be more evident now than at any other time in our history due to the emergence of online social channels. Although this sounds entirely like a bad thing, this is not the case. It can also be used for good!

If you incorporate a social component into a goal accomplishment, it can be used as an effective tool. This could mean that the team meets weekly or monthly, to focus on helping and supporting each other with their personal goals. This is a way to use social pressures in a positive way.

Another way is to have some kind of social check-in process. It does not matter if you use something simple like an excel spreadsheet or your team uses online software, as long as you are creating transparency around each person’s goals. With this technique, everyone is able to see each other’s personal goals along with how they are currently progressing towards them.  

Tip #5: Help Your Employees Find The Obstacles

At first glance, the idea of finding obstacles might seem a bit paradoxical. There is a term in psychology called mental contrasting. It refers to the idea that we: 

→ Set our intentions towards a goal

→ Reflect on why we want to do it and why it’s important to us

→ Identify what are the obstacles that might stop us from reaching our goal

The final reflecting process on the obstacles that potentially can stop our goal progression is at the core of mental contrasting. When done effectively, this increases the likelihood that we will reach the goals we’ve previously set.

As leaders, if we can be helpful through dialog, meetings, and encouragement in helping our employees find these obstacles, it will in turn increase the likelihood that they accomplish their goals.

If you are curious about how you or your organization is doing with leadership, I highly recommend taking our free leadership quiz as it relates to retention engagement and performance. It takes around three minutes to complete and is really helpful!

Also, If you found this article interesting and want to learn more, feel free to watch the video version of 5 Ways Leaders Can Support Employee Goals.

Be well,

Michael

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How to Find Out Your Style of Leadership

How to Find Out Your Style of Leadership | Arc Integrated

A topic that has been coming up regularly at Arc Integrated is how exactly to find out what kind of leadership style fits you best. There are a lot of styles out there and we often get stuck with the question “how do we choose the right one?”

Today, I will be going over some of the best ways in which you can answer that question so if that is of interest to you continue reading below!

Tip #1: Know What Works

The reality is, of all the leadership styles out there, there are some styles that will work for you, and others that won’t. What we know from over the course of four decades is that regardless of geography, industry, or even the size of your company, the teams that have the most psychological safety, are the teams that perform at the highest level. 

Therefore, if we know this to be the case, then the leadership style we should be embracing is the one that yields the best psychologically safe conditions for the team environment. By psychologically safe, we are referring to the idea that all employees and members of a team or organization can have their ideas seen, heard, and felt with absolute comfort. 

Tip #2: Evaluate Options & Study

I am going to go over four different styles that I think are important to take a look at. While definitions may vary, there are links to thought leaders in each of these areas for more study, if you’d like to pursue.  If you are a leader, I encourage you to look these over and notice the nuances of each of these approaches:

  • Conscious Leadership – This type of leadership is a style of self-awareness where the objective is to build a culture of “we” instead of “me”
  • Servant Leadership – This style of leadership puts emphasis on the team’s growth and well-being rather than on the leader themselves or the organization as a whole
  • Situational Leadership – This style of leadership revolves around matching behaviors with the performance needs of the individual/group
  • Authentic Leadership – This style of leadership inspires others around them by creating meaningful relationships and garnering high levels of trust

The best way in which you can figure out which leadership style works and what doesn’t is by testing the behaviors out individually and seeing the results.

Tip #3: Ask Yourself Strategic Questions

Another core element that we know about good leadership is that self-awareness and leadership are always linked. It’s impossible to become an excellent leader without having some degree of self-awareness. So, how exactly do we become better at self-awareness? My tip is to improve on the questions that you ask yourself.

Here are some examples of questions to ask yourself for improved self-awareness:

  • How am I motivated?
  • How do I aspire to inspire others?
  • How are others motivated? 
  • What are my strengths as a communicator? 
  • How do I hold people accountable?
  • What are some of my “blind spots”?

These strategic questions can be helpful in navigating what kind of style we have as a leader.

Tip #4: Find Yourself a Leadership Coach

There are many resources out there in regards to leadership coaches, and we certainly do a lot of this at Arc Integrated. Here at our firm, we provide executive coaching for leaders that want to improve their ability to motivate, inspire and create high levels of engagement within their teams and organizations. 

The biggest question that we often hear, however, is “how exactly do I find the right coach”? In my book CHANGES – The Busy Professional’s Guide to Reducing Stress, Accomplishing Goals, and Mastering Adaptability, I have devoted an entire section (part two) on how to find the right helping professional. There are about four chapters in that section that teach you how to find different professionals and in this case a leadership coach.

Tip #5: Be Flexible

The best leaders that we have personally worked with are those that are able to be flexible based on a number of factors. These factors can include:

  • The culture they are in
  • Who is in front of them 
  • The task at hand 
  • Familiarity with the individuals or task

This flexibility translates especially well when you are dealing with your style of leadership. It is important that we learn to be as flexible as possible as we navigate through our own path on finding our personal leadership style.

If you enjoyed this post and would like to watch the in-depth video version of 5 Ways Leaders Can Find Their Leadership Style, click here.

Additionally, if you have an interest in finding out your leadership style you are more than welcome to take our leadership quiz. The quiz takes about two minutes and you can receive immediate feedback from us!

As usual, schedule a time to connect if you have any questions.

Be well,

Michael

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How to Effectively Have Difficult Conversations as a Leader

How to Effectively Have Difficult Conversations as a Leader | Arc Integrated

Difficult conversations tend to be a topic of concern that we here at Arc Integrated, deal with on a consistent basis. People tend to shy away from difficult conversations because they are just that – difficult. In today’s article, I will be going over five tips on how you as a leader can not only have, but be successful in having difficult conversations with those that you are leading. 

Tip #1: Be Well Prepared

One of the more straightforward, but extremely helpful, ways in which you can effectively have a difficult conversation, is to be well prepared beforehand. What we have found here at Arc Integrated is that the more prepared we go into a conversation, the easier it will be not only for the person you’re talking to but for yourself as well.

Some ways in which you can properly prepare for an upcoming difficult conversation include:

  • Understand the content, what you want to say, and do not go into the conversation by simply winging it
  • Learn about the person you want to talk to, personal touches help ease the conversation
  • Make sure that you do your due diligence and understand the scope of the issue at hand
  • Figure out what you need to do internally to prepare for the conversation

Tip #2: Stay Objective 

One of the cornerstones of difficult conversations is that they can be, unfortunately, very uncomfortable in nature. It is important to understand that this uncomfortable feeling can go both ways – for the leader initiating the conversation as well as the person being confronted. Due to the discomfort, oftentimes our emotions tend to escalate and you lose track of your thoughts or steer the conversation in a way it was never intended to go.

For these reasons, the more objective we can stay, the easier the conversation will end up being. This is specifically why it’s important to avoid leaning in on the negatives of people’s personalities or what is wrong with them in general. Make sure to stay super specific to the topic at hand.

One strategy that you can implement is called the SAR Model:

Situation: What is the observable situation that you are there to talk about

Action: What was the action that took place that was observable

Result: What was the result of the action that took place

This strategy breaks down into three simple, easy, and clear steps that will help you stay objective in your conversation.

Tip #3: Take Responsibility as a Leader

This is where difficult conversations and leadership have a strong connection. It’s important to take as much responsibility as you possibly can in a given situation. We see this on a weekly basis at Arc Integrated. The more responsibility a leader can take on, the better the outcomes tend to be. Now, it’s important to note that you as a leader should not take on too much, because there are some boundaries to responsibility. 

Here are some common examples of things in the workplace that you as a leader should take responsibility for with regards to the idea of “what does this person/team need?”:

  • More individual/team training
  • A change in their current position 
  • Frequent accountability updates and check-ins
  • Better or clearer instructions on tasks        

Also, it’s important to note while you take on that responsibility as a leader, to ask yourself – “What can I do differently to help impact this situation in a positive way?”

Tip #4: Manage your own Energy Internally

The more effort we put into managing our own energy, the better we will be when we go into a difficult conversation and emotions start to escalate. Some examples of activities you can implement into your schedule before having a difficult conversation include the following:

Whatever you decide to do, make sure that it calms your energy down so that when you go into the conversation, you’re coming into it with a sense of peace and relaxation. Even though there likely will be some tension involved, going into the conversation with a clear and concise mind will only help the situation.

If you would like to take it one step further, a way in which you can proactively manage your energy is by implementing a daily practice. Regardless of if it’s some kind of meditation, exercise or even journaling, the best way to manage your internal energy is to have a daily practice set in place.

Tip #5: Get Clarity Around the Next Steps

Often what drives continuous difficult conversations are the likes of miscommunication, confusion, and disagreement. If the two parties can get clear on what they have talked about and formulate a proper next step based on the conversation, it can leave the difficult conversation on a positive note.

As a leader, you need to understand and be really clear on the behavior that is going on and what you would like to be changed. Secondly, you need to set up a timeline in which you will circle back and have an additional meeting on what was previously discussed. Finally, talk it over and make sure you have covered if there are any other agreements that either you or your employee need to create before parting ways from the conversation. 

If you found this article interesting and want to learn more, feel free to watch the video version of 5 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations as a Leader. As always you can book a free coaching consulting appointment with me.

Be well,

Michael

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5 Important Communication Strategies for Leaders (The 5S)

5 Important Communication Strategies for Leaders (The 5S)

They often say that “communication is key”, but what we don’t realize is how key communication truly is for a leader. 

In fact, according to this article, effective team communication, and the steps that lead to it, help businesses retain their top talent. This employee retention increases 4.5 times, compared to businesses that lack effective communication in the workplace.

Whether you want to get better at communicating within your organization and to your employees, or maybe even with vendors or partners, there are many things that you as a leader can do to improve your communication. As always, it’s very important that you use strategies that have proven to be successful on a global scale, no matter how big or small the company or the group of people that you are leading.

In this blog post, I am going to go over 5 important communication strategies for leaders (also known as the 5S of communication) that you as a leader can implement into your own leadership practice. If this is something that is of interest to you, then keep on reading! 

The 5S of Communication for Leadership

Style: Understand The Different Communication Styles That Exist (Yours + Your Employee’s)

The first “S” of this particular communication strategy that you can implement in your life as a leader is Style. Understanding which style of communication that we fall under can help us more effectively communicate to not only employees but our peers as well. Whether you are introverted or extroverted, detail-oriented or results-oriented, there are different styles in which your personality interprets communication.  Not one style over another is better or worse, but understanding where your strengths and weaknesses lay can drastically improve the effectiveness of your communication as a leader. If you want to learn more about the style of your personality traits, click here to take a free assessment. To take it a step further, it is also recommended that you learn the communication styles of your employees and others that you lead. If you’d like to take a deep dive into your communication style and that of your employees, reach out, we are glad to help. 

State: Understand What State You’re In + The State of Others

The second “S” of this communication strategy that you need to understand is State. This refers not only to understanding what state we are in as leaders but understanding the state others are in as well. Our communication can be negatively impacted based on how well our current state is and often is described as physical, emotional, and mental. Some examples of states that can alter our communication include:

  • If we are currently extremely stressed
  • If we are not eating nutritiously or are not on a healthy diet 
  • If we are not getting enough sleep
  • If we are carrying a heavy emotional burden 

All of the scenarios above can result in negatively impacting our mental, emotional and physical state, which ultimately hurts our communication. This is why I recommended using meditation or mindfulness techniques to help better understand and manage our internal state.

Situation: Understand The Situation You’re In + The Situation of Others

Understanding the Situation is my third communication strategy for leaders. In essence, this idea revolves around preparing beforehand on who is the person (or people) in front of us and what are some questions we would like to ask about the situation.  You can learn more about how to prepare before conversations from a book I recommend called Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. Doing your research before a conversation can go a really long way in making sure that the conversations you have are effective, thorough and well thought out. This is especially important for us as leaders since oftentimes we use communication to help establish business relationships that are beneficial to the quadruple bottom-line of our business.

Scope: Understand The Scope of What Is + What Isn’t In Your Leadership Control

The fourth strategy that we are going to go over in order to help us better understand communication within leadership, is Scope.  By scope, we are referring to what is and what isn’t in our control. In other words, in some situations, we know what we can do and in other situations, we understand that some things may be outside of our scope. When we not only understand but accept what we can do or what we can control, it helps our stress, anxiety, and mental health.  This also directly ties into the second S, State. This is due to the fact we now understand that one cannot control or do everything. Therefore, stress and anxiety around this thought may no longer be as frequent or severe.

Stance: Understand Your Stance as a Leader on Certain Topics

Last but certainly not least, we have Stance. Everybody, not only leaders, has opinions on topics. The critical part of stance as a leader is going into a conversation with clarity around what your opinion or objective of the conversation is going to be. Having a stance can help a conversation in two areas. Firstly, your stance helps direct a conversation or meeting in a direction that works best for everybody. Secondly, your stance can help improve the brevity of the conversation. This can be helpful to find the objective in a busy environment. Setting up a concise plan or agenda can help you as the leader and your peers or employees get on the same page.

If you would like a more in-depth guide about these 5 communication strategies for leaders, you can watch my video on the topic here. 

You can also learn about strategies you can implement to create long-term professional and personal change from my book CHANGES. Grab the FREE Changes Playbook here.

As usual, schedule a time to connect if you have any questions.

Be well,

Michael

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How Leadership Skills Can Influence The Values of an Organization

As you may know, leaders have an outstanding impact on organizational culture. Many leaders don’t even realize how much of an influence they have. They are responsible for efficiently guiding organizational goals and achievement, while also ensuring that their team is utilizing their skills to produce the desired productivity level. Leadership should be happening at all levels, and it’s necessary to establish that management is well equipped with leadership skills. 

Effective leadership can influence your organization’s values by demonstrating an ideal attitude in the workplace, modeling behaviors, establishing vision among the employees, reinforcing accountability, the list goes on and on.  

Here’s how leadership skills can influence the value of your organization: 

Model Behaviors

Leaders have to be able to walk the talk and lead by example. Remember, your team is looking up to you to take the lead and display and communicate your expectations, and they especially look to you when there’s change.  The values that truly exist in an organization’s culture, are the ones that are being modeled by those within the organization.  

Establishing Purpose, Vision, and Goals Among The Employees

People like to know exactly what is expected from them. They like clarity, especially when it comes to their roles and expectations. So, it’s super important to communicate with your employees on what your organization’s purpose is, its brand and image guidelines, the direction of the company and even what specific level of productivity is required of them at your organization. Your leadership style and the way you communicate this to your employees can have a huge impact on the perspective of your organization’s values among your employees. 

Setting Expectations and Helping Your Employees Grow

Most people have goals to improve their professional skills and make a difference. In order to do this, leaders must provide them with the tools, resources, and opportunities that allow them to grow and build confidence in their ability to meet the expectation that is set out at your organization. A great way to establish this level of communication between you and your employees is to encourage and support them to set personal development goals each year within your organization. This will allow your employees to challenge themselves and become a better version of themselves with your help and it will positively impact your organization as well.

Reinforce a Culture of Accountability 

Accountability is one of the most important ways for leaders to influence culture. When leaders hold people accountable, it helps people understand and learn that they are accountable for the things they do. Without accountability measures in place, a leader will not be able to influence the team. Accountability also creates more choices for all those involved.  It provides clear direction which then allows for more autonomy, typically resulting in higher performance and greater engagement. 

Making accountability a part of your culture begins with having detailed job descriptions with clearly established measures, so people are clear on what success looks like. This will help them get a clear understanding of their expectations and their deliverables and they will know that their reviews are going to be based on those agreed criteria. It is very important to be transparent when building a culture of accountability.

Make It Personal For Your Team

So after modeling desired behaviors, establishing a clear purpose, and holding people accountable, you still have to make more emphasis on culture and performance if you want to make it personal. Establishing the desired culture, as well as navigating any kind of change will become more challenging unless you connect with them emotionally and rationally.

This simply means understanding what personally motivates them, making sure to give them the opportunity to develop new skills, and working to create a work environment that not only works for the organization but also works for them. 

Remember whenever you are making a change, even if it’s a small one, you are influencing and changing organizational culture. Always remember the influence you have as a leader and that culture is always fluid. 

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What is the difference between leadership and management?

What is the difference between leadership and management? | Arc Integrated

If you’re a good manager, does that mean that you’re automatically a good leader? What is the difference between leadership and management? You may think they’re both the same, and more or less, you’re right! But let’s unpack this difference a bit and talk about where the confusion comes from. They both show their differences in certain situations. There are some managers who do not practice leadership, and there are some people who lead without a managerial role. 

Today, we’re going to break down the main difference between leadership and management. If you’re interested in learning more about it, then keep on reading!

What is a manager? 

A manager is someone who is selected or appointed within an organization. It is a role where candidates are selected depending on certain technical skills, expertise, and knowledge.  In many industries and in many companies from all parts of the world – people are promoted to management due to a skill set in their position, tenure, relationship influence, or company politics – not leadership skills.  These reasons for promotion to leadership often result in negative consequences.  Having a role of a manager does not mean you have the skill sets as a leader. 

“Managers light a fire under people. Leaders light a fire in people.” – Kathy Austin

It’s very important that all those in management positions have skills (or get training in) appropriate leadership principles.  Organizations need good leaders to drive the organization to achieve the mission and vision the organization has set out for itself.

Leaders vs Managers

As we’ve already pointed out, when it comes to setting and executing an organization’s mission and vision, the managers need to be leaders.

Leaders are the ones who promote the vision of where they want their organization to be in the future and for ensuring that the behaviors in the organization reflect the mission, vision, and values.  In this respect, we are all leaders because we are always modeling some kind of behavior – for better or for worse.  

So why all the confusion between leaders and managers?   Well, at some point in the general conversation about roles within an organization, there was a break between leadership and management.  This separation is further perpetuated by the common practice I mentioned earlier – people get promoted to leadership positions because they are good at their job, not because they are skilled leaders.  This dynamic drives the idea that there can be a good manager but that person isn’t a leader.  It’s a silly separation if you think about it.  Putting someone in a managerial role automatically holds some perception of authority (for the person in the position as well as other employees).  The question of course then becomes – Why wouldn’t the person in the managerial position be a leader? There isn’t a good answer here. Anyone having authority should have leadership skills.  In addition, whether you are leading people or not, you can still practice leadership.  More on key traits that make good leaders in a bit.  

To put it succinctly, the quote from Fred Kofman, author of Conscious Business, says it best: 

“Asking if someone is a leader or a manager is like asking if someone is a soccer player or a ball kicker. Leadership is a necessary skill for anyone who manages.” – Fred Kofman  

To separate the titles of “manager” and “leader” really just causes more confusion than anything else.  

The question from here may be – If anyone can lead and all managers should have leadership skills, then what types of skill sets, traits and characteristics are we talking about? 

Leaders are constantly looking for new ways to drive change within an organization. Leaders work to inspire positive change by empowering employees to work together towards a common goal.  One of the most powerful tools a leader can have is effective communication. Check out this post for a deeper dive into communication and what is truly at risk if communication goes awry. 

Leaders are often thought of as the ones with the power to inspire people, but being inspirational is just a characteristic, which anyone can take advantage of.  Again, more evidence that regardless of how many people we may manage, we can all take on roles of leadership. 

In addition to great communication skills and being inspirational, It’s important for leaders to develop personal leadership styles through self-reflection and feedback. These two practices alone offer game-changing results if implemented.  If you are interested in implementing either of these, here a couple of examples: 

  • Self-Reflection – Take 5 minutes at the beginning or end of your day to journal on lessons learned, gratitudes, commitments for the following day as well as setting intentions for your longer-term leadership goals. If you enjoy prompts for writing, I recommend The Five Minute Journal.
  • Feedback – Capture a series of questions you’d like to get some feedback on related to your leadership.  Send these questions out to 6-12 people in your circle and see what themes come up.  If you’re looking for a fun tool to capture answers as well as platform user friendly, I recommend Type Form.  After you create your questions, you have essentially created a DIY 360 Feedback tool.  For a more robust 360 tool (specific to Emotional Intelligence and leadership) contact us for a free consultation and we can give you the details. 

In addition to the two characteristics mentioned above, here are a few other key traits: 

Key traits that make a strong leader:

  • Honesty and integrity
  • Vision
  • Inspiration
  • Ability to challenge
  • Communication skills 
  • Empathy
  • Strong boundaries
  • Coachability 
  • Ability to coach 
  • Adaptability
  • Confidence 
  • Curiosity 
  • Delegation 
  • Negotiation 

Every action, interaction, choice, and communication shapes company culture, in this sense, we are all leaders. 

A culture within a company can be defined as a set of shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize an organization. Culture is always fluid, meaning it is always being influenced and shaped by the people within it.  This is good news because this means that anyone can be a leader within a company by supporting and driving the values, mission, and vision of the company through their daily behaviors. 

A great leader embraces the responsibility to advocate the company’s core values and beliefs through their actions, communication, and decisions. 

This is where your skills and leadership styles greatly impact how employees take and lift that culture.  In order for employees to live by the company’s cultures and core values, it is crucial for both leaders and managers to collaborate.

As we’ve mentioned throughout this blog post, it’s so important for anyone in a managerial position to have leadership skills.   In addition, anyone in a company can wear the hat of a leader.   If you feel that you are missing certain traits to be a strong leader or you are looking to improve your skills, we have the resources to help you create effective change within yourself and your organization.

As always, schedule a time to connect if you have any questions.

Be well,

Michael

Resources:

Learn more about Arc Integrated:

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The Risks of Stalling Communication

The Risks of Stalling Communication | Arc Integrated

Communication is a core part of any human experience and a big part of emotional intelligence, yet it’s something we all struggle with. Regardless of the amount of technology available to us to help us communicate, under-communication is still a constant challenge for many at work.

Stalling communication can prevent employees from reaching their full potential, and it can be harmful to your business. Effective communication skills, strategies, and tools in a work environment can optimize performance, boost morale, and help your team stay competitive.

In order for a business to thrive in success, a solid communication system and good relationships are needed. If you feel your team does not have that, you will face many risks. In this blog post, I’m going to share a few risks of stalling communication with your team.

Risk # 1 – Your Employees Will Resign

Recent studies have shown that 80% of the U.S workforce reported stress due to poor communication and that 63% have considered quitting due to poor communication. Not only that, but that number has doubled since the previous year, and if leaders aren’t making effective changes, that number will only increase.

The Gallup’s State of the American Workplace reports that 90% of employees said good communication is key to a positive working environment. That means that employees value good communication more than ideal pay and are less likely to quit if their workplace was more effective at communication. Many even consider great communication as an employee benefit.

So if you don’t have great communication in your workplace, or if you’re not providing your team with effective communication, you are putting yourself at risk of losing your team.

Risk # 2 – It Creates Unnecessary Stress in The Workplace

High levels of stress in the workplace are a big sign that there are communication issues. The same study mentioned earlier says 70% of employees feel overwhelmed because of broken communication. Stalling communication can create the feeling that every task is urgent, causing you and your team to feel rushed, overwhelmed, overworked, and mentally drained. This is why communication is essential, it can bring a sense of stability and structure and dismiss any workplace tension.

Especially since many of us are working from home, stalling communication will only create a stressful work (and home!) environment for everyone. Your team will feel worn out, impacting their spouse or parents and it has the potential of affecting their entire day. Sometimes employees may feel guilty for carrying the stress and negativity with them as they interact with others. Remember, stress stays with you as you go on with your day, and it becomes a challenge to be productive.

“Communication is the real work of leadership.” – Nitin Nohria

Risk # 3 – It Leads to Unmet Needs and Expectations

Employees enjoy working in environments where they can build relationships with their colleagues and share their ideas and perspectives openly. Creating an environment where your teams feel comfortable and they can communicate with others is essential for them. If you’re not making that environment for your team, they won’t effectively perform their jobs.
Stalling communication can cause many unmet expectations. Teams will miss deadlines, appointments, and overall, people won’t know their roles and won’t know how to prioritize their tasks. When employees have trouble figuring out their priorities, they choose the wrong task and disappoint their superiors.
This can lower morale and their motivation to perform well, causing them to create a less productive workflow. It will also impact their ability to meet deadlines and deliver projects that can jeopardize your business’s reputation.

Risk # 4 – It Creates Tension and Relationship Breakdowns

When there is a lack of communication and people don’t know what is going on, rumors and gossip will begin. This kind of drama is like cancer to any team, organization, or business. It is human nature to try to figure out unanswered questions and fill in any blanks we see. Stalling communication can leave many gaps that your team will attempt to fill with speculation.

Rumors and gossip can easily create tension and resentment as they stem from fear and sensitivities. It will affect how your team interacts with one another; any positive relationships might start to feel strained. They might think they can’t ask for guidance or feel comfortable sharing their ideas and perspectives.

Sometimes they might feel a sense of uncertainty about seeking assistance to solve the conflict; they might fear it will affect their job security. It is very common to feel a sense of insecurity or lack of fulfillment in completing your tasks. These negative emotions can slow down productivity and morale in the workplace. Remember, lack of communication ruins everything because instead of knowing how the other person feels, we assume. The best way to keep assumptions and suspicions at bay is to improve communication.

Being a good leader means you can notice these things within your team. You can avoid these risks I’ve mentioned by breaking down any communication barriers. Try to find the root cause for stalling communication. Consider these questions as a place to start:

  • Are you not being transparent with your team?
  • Is the absence of a team member creating a distraction amongst everyone?
  • Is there gossip that is undermining company culture, creating hurt feelings, starting arguments, or portraying people in a negative light?
  • Do the people you are leading feel comfortable working together?
  • Is there any sense that people feel hesitant to come forward with their ideas, challenges, or opportunities?

As a leader, it is your responsibility to be aware that employees have different communication styles and preferences. Some feel comfortable using emails to communicate on projects, while others prefer more face-to-face interaction.

Having effective communication with your team is a skill a good leader should have. If you feel this is a skill you don’t have or need improvement on, then let me and my team help you. As a leadership coach, I can guide you to become more effective in recognizing conflict and communicating with others. Schedule a FREE call with me and let me help you be a better leader.

You can also learn about different strategies you can implement to create long-term changes in your personal and professional life from my book CHANGES. Grab the FREE Changes Playbook here.

Be well,

Michael

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Learn more about Arc Integrated:

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How to Improve Your Leadership Skills in the Workplace (When We’re All Working Remotely)

How to Improve Your Leadership Skills in the Workplace (When We're All Working Remotely) | Arc Integrated

Let’s face it, working remotely can be pretty great and it has its benefits. We can have a better work-life balance, healthier lifestyle, and we even get to save more money (no more transportation to the office, no office rental fees, etc)! 

But does something feel a little off? Perhaps you’re finding yourself to be less motivated every day. You may have a more laid-back attitude to everything to the point where it’s affecting your work ethic and you’re starting to struggle with managing tasks. You’re not alone. 

Recent conversations with our clients have revealed to me the negative aspect of working from home, especially as more people start to notice their at-home work life affecting their personal lives. In this blog post, I’ve outlined some tips to help you improve your leadership skills, for those who have been struggling with leading their teams remotely and for those who are just looking for some guidance on change management as they transition from managers to leaders.

Tips to Improve Your Leadership Skills 

Practice Discipline 

A good leader needs discipline, and in order to be an effective leader, it’s mandatory to practice discipline in both your professional and personal life. Leaders are often judged by their capacity to lead by the amount of discipline they display.

A good way to start practicing discipline at work is by meeting your deadlines and being punctual. Yes, even in a remote environment, it’s just as important to your productivity to be prepared and to show up on time for virtual meetings and gatherings. 

 “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments” – Jim Rohn

If you are naturally disorganized, start working on that. Begin to implement good habits like waking up early and getting daily exercise to get your body producing mitochondria. Exercising is the best form of discipline; you begin to have more control of your body and your life. So set up that alarm clock and get your body moving!

Practice Patience

Patience is such an essential skill to practice; leading effectively – especially during a crisis- takes an immense amount of patience. If you aren’t able to compose yourself during frustrating moments, you certainly won’t be able to lead others to be calm. It’s easy to become impatient with others but being a good leader requires you to support others in times of stress.

“Our patience will achieve more than our force” – Edmund Burke

Build your patience by starting to consciously recognize and predict when it will be tested. For example, if you know an obstacle is coming, you can be more mindful about increasing your efforts to stay calm. Try to recall moments where you felt a lot of pressure or had a very tight deadline and you were able to be successful. By recalling past moments and assessing strengths and wins, you will be able to leverage solutions and confidence for handling each situation better.

Improve Communication

Without frequent communication, working remotely can cause you to feel disconnected. Communication is more than just a video call or sending a quick message or an email. It’s a crucial skill for you to have, whether you’re working onsite or remotely. Strong communication skills are not only valued in the workplace but also valued in your personal life. 

You need to master the skills of effectively communicating with your team and establish tools, channels, and best practices for yourself and your team members to communicate with one another. Another equally important skill is the ability to identify causes of communication breakdowns and ways to address them. This is a great way to practice conscious leadership.

One other key question to ask in every communication exchange is this: Am I moving the conversation forward or am I stalling it?  Stay tuned for another post on the risks of stalling communication. 

Develop Situational Awareness

A leader is someone who can see the bigger picture and can predict problems before they occur. This is a skill highly valued when handling big projects with strict deadlines. The ability to forecast and offer suggestions to avoid potential issues is crucial for a leader.

To begin developing your own situational awareness as a leader, start by being mindful of your surroundings and people. It’s important to observe and notice the behavior in others; by doing so, you will increase your emotional intelligence and have a better understanding of people, and know how you can support them and respond to situations more effectively.

Inspire Others

Leaders are meant to motivate and inspire the people they work with and set examples for others to follow. Your characteristics and behavior will inspire more than you will ever know.

Be there for your team when they need you. Offer them support and encouragement and share small victories; it is something people will appreciate.  

It also doesn’t hurt to practice vulnerability and show them the ways you’re working to improve yourself. People are often inspired by the people they work with. Focus on an area where you feel needs improvement and begin working on yourself; emotional intelligence is always on.

Empathy

People often think empathy is a soft skill that can get in the way of making tough decisions or leading a team, but that can’t be farther from the truth. The ability to understand and share emotions with others is an extremely valuable skill to have.

Given the pandemic state, people are under extreme stress and anxiety, so approaching your team from a place of understanding can reduce tension and increase communication and productivity. It shows that you as a leader can understand and connect with your team and can build trust and gain respect.

Emotionally intelligent people know how to empathize with others as they understand that it is a trait that shows emotional strength, not weakness.

Leadership is not something that only happens in an office; leadership is about the culture and environment and the space that you create, not just for yourself but also for your team. Good leadership skills are essential to advancing in your career, but they also take time; the skills you are learning will not come to you easily, so remember to be patient. If you get stuck, I’ve listed some resources below to help you. Consider the option of a professional coach or mentor that can help guide you and offer support. 

You can also learn about strategies you can implement to create long-term professional and personal change from my book CHANGES. Grab the FREE Changes Playbook here.

As usual, schedule a time to connect if you have any questions.

Be well,

Michael

Resources:

Learn more about Arc Integrated:

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