Yesterday I published volume 17 of trU Tips – this is a follow-up post. (I introduced a tool called the Talent Calendar)
The source of my trU Tips is usually something that has been planted in my brain or belly that just bothers me. This months trU Tips came from three comments that are etched into my memory:
- “I can’t afford leadership development” (from a CEO)
- “I tell my people when they start – I am busy so you will not see me much. If you need me let me know.”
- “Should I ask my boss for an evaluation? I don’t want to get in trouble, but I would like to know how I am doing.” (from a senior leader after SIX months of thinking about it – and they were identified as a high potential by their organization)
In my almost 3 years of consulting I have worked in a half dozen different industries and companies from 20 to 80,000 employees. I get called to help leaders prepare for and manage high growth/change, and when something is broken (team, individual performance, organizational structure). In the latter my role is to help get things back on track. In both situations I use the same tools: personal perspective (what I call trUYou™) and conversation. The outcomes we work towards are at the heart of this calendar and captured in what I call trUPerformance™. I am convinced(and have seen it work over and over again) that if a leader committed to the 10 hour outlined in this calendar many of the issues I see(and they feel) around individuals and teams go away. Can they spend more time – Yes! Is there a lean calendar coming? No.
It is as simple as this calendar, and at the same time it is not easy. Within the conversations will be disagreements, mis-communication, minds that are distracted to bigger problems, feelings of mistrust, and a host of other barriers. I am an optimist, and figure that if I can get two people to quiet the world for 30 minutes/once a month, then the barriers will be overcome.
Are there any of these barriers that you see most often? What has been effective in working through them?