Jot Once, Remember Anywhere 

OK, notetaking isn’t exactly a leadership skill.  But, I happen to be compulsive about taking notes in meetings of all kinds, so this article drew me in.

Today’s newslink has some great tips for all different ways to jot quick notes to yourself – and keep them organized and handy.  From old-fashioned pen and paper to the best smart phone apps, click HERE and you might find a new tool to help you keep track of all the great ideas and many to-do’s that randomly come up in your day (or, maybe even the middle of the night)!  Today’s article was published online January 26 on FastCompany.com.

Newslink: Leadership features articles about the development and practice of leadership skills in today’s business world.

Introduce the activity to your team : “We are going to play a game that will show us some important things about communication. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Now, close your eyes and follow the directions I will give you—no peeking! And, you cannot ask questions.”

Give the following directions, while doing the same with your own sheet of paper.  Pause a moment after giving each instruction to give the group time to comply:

“The first thing I want you to do is to fold your sheet of paper in half.  Now tear off the upper right-hand corner.  Fold it in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet.  Fold it in half again.  Now tear off the lower corner of the sheet.”  (Do not specify which one.)

After the tearing is complete, say something like “Now open your eyes, and let’s see what you have. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of listening, all of our sheets should look the same!” Hold your sheet up for them to see. It is unlikely any sheet will match yours exactly.

Observe and comment on the differences. There will probably be some laughter.

Ask the group why no one’s paper looks just like yours. (You will probably get responses like “You didn’t let us ask questions!” or “Your directions could be interpreted in different ways.”)

Then, lead into a discussion on the need for clear, concise, two-way communication in the workplace and on your team.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Stop Online Piracy Act.*

I don’t know enough about it, yet. I do know that bloggers are one population that could be seriously impacted.

You may have noticed yesterday that many tech websites were either blacked out or carried links to information about SOPA. The photo above is what wordpress.com (hosts this blog) looked like.

This post, however, is not just about SOPA.

Today, I am thankful to live in a society that allows, encourages, and embraces protest.

There are many countries around the world that would not tolerate such a protest. People are jailed everyday because they marched against a proposed government action. There are societies that would not allow the sharing of information about the potential impact of a new law. There are places, not too far away, where the government controls not only the law, but the dissemination of information about the law. In some places still today, disagreeing with the government is justification for that body to kill its own citizens.

The internet may have gone dark yesterday, but many were enlightened because of it. How great is that?

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*Interested in learning more about SOPA before it goes back before Congress next week? Click HERE to read the actual text of the bill as registered with the Library of Congress.

For additional opinions… THIS link will take you to an Op-Ed piece from Mashable; one man’s opinion on the dangers of SOPA. CNNMoney explains the pros and cons in THIS article, even though their parent company, Time Warner, supports the bill. Although nearly everyone agrees that content rights need to be protected, it is the possibilities of going too far that many are worried about. in THIS November NY Times editorial, the newspaper explains.

Sometimes, the hardest part of business is the softest part.  Commonly known as soft skills, things like inspiring teamwork, sharing a vision, welcoming two-way communication, can be the most difficult for many people in management positions.  However, they are critical for leadership.

Today’s newslink is to a CIO.com article written by Madeline Weiss and June Drewry, published  December 15.  Click HERE to read the full article, with three “soft skill” techniques for leading organizations, especially important in hard times.

Newslink: Leadership features articles about the development and practice of leadership skills in today’s business world.

One of the harder things to measure and impact is a person’s attitude, yet it can be one of the most important things that contribute to a favorable reaction.  You may have heard this story before, but it is a favorite illustration about positive attitude:

Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.

The first salesman reported back, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

The second salesman reported back, “There is massive potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

Both salesmen saw the exact same thing.  Nobody wears shoes.  Yet, one salesman viewed that circumstance as an overwhelming challenge to success while the other saw it as a clear opportunity.  Their attitude toward the situation made all the difference.

How do you look at challenges that face you?  What attitude do your team members observe in you?

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Please note the emphasis of various phrases below is my addition.

“Criticism is driven by the frustration and fears of the giver, not from the needs of the recipient. The underlying assumption is that the recipient somehow “should know better” and needs to be set straight. The implied message is that the recipient’s intentions are questionable, that there is something wrong with the recipient that the giver of criticism knows how to fix. In criticism, the problem is all in the recipient.

In contrast, feedback has an air of caring concern, respect, and support. Far from being a sugar cookie, feedback is an honest, clear, adult to adult exchange about specific behaviors and the effects of those behaviors.  The assumption is that both parties have positive intentions, that both parties want to be effective and to do what is right for the company and other people. Another assumption is that well-meaning people can have legitimate differences in perception. The person offering the feedback owns the feedback as being his reaction to the behavior of the other person. That is, the giver recognizes the fact that what is being offered is a perception, not absolute fact.”

Gary R. Casselman & Timothy C. Daughtry, as quoted on givingeffectivefeedback.com

My take?  Feedback encourages the heart.  Criticism beats it down.  How would you define the difference?

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

“It takes a strong character for an accomplished individual to recognize one’s shortcomings.” Truthful and powerful statement in this October 20 article by one of my favorite bnet.com contributors, John Baldoni. Click HERE to read about the three steps to self-awareness.

Newslink: Leadership features articles about the development and practice of leadership skills in today’s businesss world.

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a traditional nuclear family; Dad worked outside the home, Mom worked inside.  Every night, we ate a family dinner.  When my children were very young, I, too, was a stay-at-home Mom.  Even as the kids grew up and were involved in sports or music programs, and I eventually went to work outside the home, we still tried to have a family dinner as often as possible.  Whether your family is a “traditional” one or a “modern” one, it is still a family; gathering that group together to share a meal has immeasureable benefits for all involved.

The family meal is a great place to share values, discuss world events that shape our lives, learn about each other’s views and worries, and share many laughs.  Even preparing the meal can be a bonding family event, if you choose to make it so.  And, cleaning up together after the meal can hold many valuable lessons, too!

Enter The Hour That Matters Most.

Part parenting guide, part cookbook, part therapy, the book helps parents “nourish and nurture” the family through regular shared meals.  There is also a storyline that threads through the book, based on the lives of Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna, founders of Dream Dinners.

The book starts out explaining the benefits of a shared family meal.  Healthier meals, real conversation, good company, laughter, stronger bonds; all outcomes of a family meal.  Much of the book provides tips on how to have good table talk; starting a conversation with your kids, the importance of listening, how to curb conflict, how to share more laughter, how to instill values and thankfulness.  Throughout the book are easy and delicious recipes for great family meals; Chicken Fajitas, Sloppy Joes, Garden Patch Soup, Mac & Cheese, Sausage and Poatoes and several more.

Further inspiration is shared through quotes about families and parenting, and numerous short stories interspersed throughout the book.  One of my favorites is the very first one:

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.  -Anthony Brandt

If family and food are on your list of favorite things, buy this book!  It would make a great gift for a young family, just starting on their journey of family meals.  It would also be perfect for parents celebrating a child reaching the teenage years; yes, communication is still possible!  Click HERE to buy it from Amazon or HERE for Barnes & Noble.  Then, enjoy family time together.

A free copy of this book was made available to me through the literary agent.  In no other way was the content of this post influenced.  The opinions listed here are entirely my own.

Note to blog readers…If you are seeking ways to inspire and develop your leadership team, think “outside the office.”  When properly facilitated, many lessons can be learned during an offsite afternoon of fun. 

There was an overwhelming amount of feedback about this event, so I am not including all of the comments.  Here are a few that stood out as they contained nuggets of important lessons learned:

The Amazing Race excursion truly reinforced the value of clear communication and how much inspiring a shared vision was integral to our team’s success!

It would be hard to nail it down to one thing [but I would say] the bonding, relationship-building and fellow leadership that I saw during the Amazing Race. We all made great connections with each other, in the woods, in shorts, sweating, truly being ourselves…it was incredible.

The Amazing Race was a great training exercise for leadership.  It reinforced the importance of open communication, clear direction and recognition/encouragement.  The leader did a fantastic job of questioning us on how we could take what we learned…and put that to work on the job.

One important lesson I got out of the Summit was what it takes to face fear and how I felt afterward…After facing and succeeding in the mental/physical challenge, I felt on top of the world and thought ‘what else can I accomplish now?’

I was so proud of myself for doing the zipline. It was great working with 12 members of leadership in various capacities and having one goal in mind. The goal was to work together as a team to accomplish tasks in a timely manner. Everyone pulled together for the common good and we had so much fun along the way.

This year, I chose to allow my supervisor to participate (in the Amazing Race) and I stayed behind to “man the floor.” I gained new motivation from hearing her stories and realizing that she needed that break.  Sometimes, it is the little things that can make all the difference.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and hopefully, motivational. I hope you find some meaning in them.

Today’s newslink is not to a news article, but to the Dodging Landmines video series posted on bnet.com, offering quick tips to leaders trying to help their teams through major changes in the workplace.  If your workplace is like mine and you find yourself experiencing change firsthand, as well as leading others through change, take less than three minutes and watch this video.  Then, be sure to check out other videos in the series on such topics as giving difficult feedback, getting boomers to work with millenials, not speaking up in meetings, and more.

Newslink: Leadership features articles about the development and practice of leadership skills in today’s business world.