Connecting Archives - Page 10 of 11

Don’t just act interested — be interested.

Don't just act interested -- be interested. I love this quote by Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc, "Everyone has an invisible sign hanging over their neck saying make me feel important." As a leader with the responsibility of developing people, listening and being sincerely interested is a critical skill. I am not sure we can ever perfect it, however there is no substitute for practice, practice, practice. There is an old joke that says "you can't fake sincerity," well in my opinion you can't fake interest either, so save your energy and don't even try. The more you want to influence and get through to discerning your people, the more sincere your interest in them needs [...]

By Bob Fashano|2021-02-09T17:37:13+00:00January 6th, 2020|Coaching, Connecting, Development, Empowering, Leadership, Listening|0 Comments

Common Characteristics of Winning Teams: The 4 C’s of Winning Teams

Communicate: Never assume they get it. We as leaders must go where they are. Our world is their world. Ask plenty of questions, practice active listening. Create: Must be intentional about a growth environment. The environment is growing when people are: Challenged Atmosphere is affirming Comfortable with being out of their comfort zone Growth is modeled and expected Forward thinking Desiring positive change Collaborate: Add value to one another. Three charateristics of collaboration: Like one another Work hard for each other Trust each other Celebrate: Celebrate the wins. The common theme is one another. Together Everyone Achieves More

By Bob Fashano|2018-08-29T15:33:11+00:00August 3rd, 2018|Coaching, Connecting, Development|1 Comment

Empowerment

Leading author and consultant, Ken Blanchard states “people already have power through their knowledge and motivation. The key to empowerment is letting this power out.” So what is empowerment? It is the process of unleashing the power in people- their knowledge, experience, motivation, and focusing that power to achieve the positive outcomes for the organization. As leaders, we should be striving to create a culture of empowerment. To do so, we may need to scrub some traditions, habits and even language. For example, instead of dictating tasks to do – see yourself as a coach- a partner in unleashing their skill and our knowledge. How about changing the word planning to visioning. Visioning suggests a more inclusive approach. Instead of [...]

By Bob Fashano|2018-08-29T15:34:16+00:00June 1st, 2015|Connecting, Development, Empowering|0 Comments

Decisions- Decisions

Have you ever had to make a tough decision? Silly question, of course you have. We have to make choices daily. As a leader we are often confronted with difficult decisions. Our decisions have an effect on many people - it is however our responsibility and the “buck stops” here. Early on in my leadership career I was striving to be liked to please as many people as I could. I stumbled on this quote from Colin Powell, “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity. You’ll avoid the tough decisions, you’ll avoid confronting people who need to be confronted, and you’ll try to avoid getting people upset.” WOW- that says it all and he is [...]

By Bob Fashano|2018-08-29T15:33:26+00:00June 1st, 2015|Connecting, Development, Leadership|0 Comments

Authentic

A good question to ask ourselves from time to time is: Am I truly an authentic leader? Do others see me under the filter of authenticity? I am learning authenticity begins with living out our values. What we truly care about, (not just talk about) and live by that code daily is the beginning of being an authentic leader. I believe our people deserve a leader who is true to what matters most. In addition, pursuing our purpose is another demonstration of being an authentic leader. Most of us have mission statements and purpose statements and in fact, they are likely in writing and prominently displayed. A reminder for us all is to live out our values. In the end, [...]

By Bob Fashano|2018-08-29T15:34:08+00:00June 1st, 2015|Coaching, Connecting, Leadership|0 Comments