Personality accountability is definitely a competency and those who embrace it have a strong sense of responsibility; Here are some ways to show you practice personal accountability.
KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS: In simple ways such as being a person of your word, honouring people’s faith in you, dealing with your challenges in a mature manner, delivering on your promises to all- your peers, the reportees not just your manager.
OWN WHAT YOU INFLUENCE: You influence people, results and not just the things you directly do have authority. For example who is looking up to you? Who can you positively influence by your right example?.If someone were looking for a mentor would they ask you? Keep things professional and focus on what you can create to be a positive impact instead of reacting to what happens around you.
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR: You can expect others will behave a certain way but the only thing you can guarantee or control is your own behaviour. So try not to behave on the basis of how someone behaves towards you. Seemingly calm or content people are not those who don’t have any problems but those who have chosen to keep things in perspective.
MAKE INTEGRITY VISIBLE: This does not mean you have to be an angel or infallible but you cannot fall down on the basics, such as leading by example especially when it’s difficult, willingness to draw the lines between right and wrong, what’s acceptable versus what is not.
DO YOUR BEST ALWAYS: Not only when circumstances are ‘perfect’. A reasonable workplace or boss would not expect that you do brilliantly in sub-optimal circumstances but only that to do your best in whatever circumstance. Aim to be productive always.
Now take action: Where do you need to show greater personal accountability?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Improve the way you think
Whether you are a good thinker or not manifests in what and how you communicate; and people who communicate clearly, justly or not attract more confidence from others. So here are some thinking skills to hone as you seek to advance yourself.
THINK CLEARLY : Clear thinking requires more than just logical thinking. You need to be able to sift through important bits of information and present them in a way that suits your audience. For example the level at which you’d pitch information with senior managers on a particular topic will be of a much higher order than those you may share with colleagues. Clear thinking shows connectedness between different bits of information, clear focus and flow of argument.
THINK STRATEGICALLY: Don’t be a thinker only focused on the here and now. Obviously there will be small level decisions that require thinking about what you do now. But you need to be able to think through complexity and make some sense of it. Ask questions like; what’s the purpose of what you are thinking about?, what could be its impact in the mid to long term?. What connections can you make about the situation that may not be immediately obvious?. What are the priorities and which ones are urgent? What risks are involved?- all these questions will help you think about the broader issues instead of the matter at hand.
THINK WISELY: This is demonstrating common sense, having a good sense of judgement and not being influenced by just what the rules say. Focus on not only on the things that make sense but also why they make sense and what the trade-offs are for the choices you’re making. Wise thinking is thoughtful, shows reflection has taken place and not just based on ‘raw thoughts’.
THINK FORWARD: By bringing new insights to a situation. Don’t be paralysed by analysis. Show foresight and anticipate what’s round the corner. Seek information from different credible sources but be flexible enough to incorporate new insights as they come to you or become available.
Now take action: Identify one way you can improve your thinking.
THINK CLEARLY : Clear thinking requires more than just logical thinking. You need to be able to sift through important bits of information and present them in a way that suits your audience. For example the level at which you’d pitch information with senior managers on a particular topic will be of a much higher order than those you may share with colleagues. Clear thinking shows connectedness between different bits of information, clear focus and flow of argument.
THINK STRATEGICALLY: Don’t be a thinker only focused on the here and now. Obviously there will be small level decisions that require thinking about what you do now. But you need to be able to think through complexity and make some sense of it. Ask questions like; what’s the purpose of what you are thinking about?, what could be its impact in the mid to long term?. What connections can you make about the situation that may not be immediately obvious?. What are the priorities and which ones are urgent? What risks are involved?- all these questions will help you think about the broader issues instead of the matter at hand.
THINK WISELY: This is demonstrating common sense, having a good sense of judgement and not being influenced by just what the rules say. Focus on not only on the things that make sense but also why they make sense and what the trade-offs are for the choices you’re making. Wise thinking is thoughtful, shows reflection has taken place and not just based on ‘raw thoughts’.
THINK FORWARD: By bringing new insights to a situation. Don’t be paralysed by analysis. Show foresight and anticipate what’s round the corner. Seek information from different credible sources but be flexible enough to incorporate new insights as they come to you or become available.
Now take action: Identify one way you can improve your thinking.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Start a mastermind group
Two heads are better than one, right? If you believe that then starting a mastermind group is a good way to use the support of others to progress in ways you couldn’t achieve by yourself. Who should you invite to join your mastermind group?
PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND GIVE AND TAKE: First you must make sure you yourself have something to offer others and then bring to your group people who also have something to offer and are willing to contribute to the professional needs of others. When you are clear what you are offering you can confidently choose who will benefit the group.
PEOPLE WITH DRIVE AND COMMITMENT: Otherwise the group will fail even before it starts. Make sure the goals of the people you invite into the group are in a ‘similar league’ For example if one person’s goal is to make it to senior management and another’s is to start their own business, this requires serious commitment on both counts. So do your homework and make sure you are bringing people who have a career mission to take forward and not looking to ‘network’.
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACCOUNTABLE: You need people who mean what they say, are reliable and can hold mastermind group members accountable to goals they set. Such people will for example regularly attend scheduled meetings, deliver any assignments to a high standard and establish positive working relationships.
PEOPLE WHO WILL TOGETHER OFFER DIVERSE SKILL SETS: You need to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses in order to bring on board others who can for example help you develop in an area where you are weak but they are strong. You can learn different approaches from different members and get good advice or even get help to develop a meaningful personal development programme.
PEOPE WHO ARE SOLUTION FINDERS: A Mastermind group must have a common purpose and irrespective of the nature of the individual members’ goals that purpose should be to help people make progress in chosen areas, get good feedback on the actions they are taking and help each other solve problems.
Now take action: Make a list of who you might invite to your mastermind group
PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND GIVE AND TAKE: First you must make sure you yourself have something to offer others and then bring to your group people who also have something to offer and are willing to contribute to the professional needs of others. When you are clear what you are offering you can confidently choose who will benefit the group.
PEOPLE WITH DRIVE AND COMMITMENT: Otherwise the group will fail even before it starts. Make sure the goals of the people you invite into the group are in a ‘similar league’ For example if one person’s goal is to make it to senior management and another’s is to start their own business, this requires serious commitment on both counts. So do your homework and make sure you are bringing people who have a career mission to take forward and not looking to ‘network’.
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACCOUNTABLE: You need people who mean what they say, are reliable and can hold mastermind group members accountable to goals they set. Such people will for example regularly attend scheduled meetings, deliver any assignments to a high standard and establish positive working relationships.
PEOPLE WHO WILL TOGETHER OFFER DIVERSE SKILL SETS: You need to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses in order to bring on board others who can for example help you develop in an area where you are weak but they are strong. You can learn different approaches from different members and get good advice or even get help to develop a meaningful personal development programme.
PEOPE WHO ARE SOLUTION FINDERS: A Mastermind group must have a common purpose and irrespective of the nature of the individual members’ goals that purpose should be to help people make progress in chosen areas, get good feedback on the actions they are taking and help each other solve problems.
Now take action: Make a list of who you might invite to your mastermind group
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Handle conflict constructively
At work how do you respond when someone offends you? Fact is no matter how ‘mad’ you are, you have to deal with it professionally. Here are some tips to help you keep things in perspective and stop offence from escalating unnecessarily.
NO SNOWBALLING PLEASE: If someone offends you and you find yourself telling a lot of people it suggests that it bothers you in which case you probably need to resolve it. Continuing to talk about it instead of dealing with it makes you come across as cranky. So deal with the issues quickly and with integrity.
NO RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL: We communicate a lot by email these days and the temptation to settle conflict or deal with offence through email is tempting. Some may even deliberately use email because it takes away the discomfort of having a difficult conversation face to face. But this never works as email leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation, plus you miss out on non-verbal clues like body language which are very important in communication.
DON’T REACY WHILST STILL EMOTIONAL: This can be tough but one good incentive to do so is that when you’re emotional, you could be irrational and act in a way that you feel embarrassed at later. Choose to act soberly. It’s a good promise to make to yourself. Chances are you will be working with whoever offended you don’t get overtaken by your offense or nurse your hurt feelings for too long.
KNOW WHAT APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR IS: No one can tell you how you should or not feel about a situation but unfortunately how you express whatever you are feeling should be measured and in line with what is deemed reasonable behaviour. Even if you are very angry of feel grossly offended, take a deep breath, focus on any facts of the situation to keep things balanced.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to keep your cool?
NO SNOWBALLING PLEASE: If someone offends you and you find yourself telling a lot of people it suggests that it bothers you in which case you probably need to resolve it. Continuing to talk about it instead of dealing with it makes you come across as cranky. So deal with the issues quickly and with integrity.
NO RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL: We communicate a lot by email these days and the temptation to settle conflict or deal with offence through email is tempting. Some may even deliberately use email because it takes away the discomfort of having a difficult conversation face to face. But this never works as email leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation, plus you miss out on non-verbal clues like body language which are very important in communication.
DON’T REACY WHILST STILL EMOTIONAL: This can be tough but one good incentive to do so is that when you’re emotional, you could be irrational and act in a way that you feel embarrassed at later. Choose to act soberly. It’s a good promise to make to yourself. Chances are you will be working with whoever offended you don’t get overtaken by your offense or nurse your hurt feelings for too long.
KNOW WHAT APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR IS: No one can tell you how you should or not feel about a situation but unfortunately how you express whatever you are feeling should be measured and in line with what is deemed reasonable behaviour. Even if you are very angry of feel grossly offended, take a deep breath, focus on any facts of the situation to keep things balanced.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to keep your cool?
TEAM your best everyday
If you work in a team you are more than one member of a collection of individuals. You have a responsibility to make the team strong, be dependable and work towards achieving objectives. You must ‘TEAM’ everyday; he’s how to do so;
TAP YOUR TOP TALENT: You know yourself best and should tap into your top skills. Take joint responsibility for creating the kind of environment you like to work in, where you feel confident to draw on your skill sets and opportunities to use those skills. As a team member, make efforts to know the talents of your team and how yours complements theirs to deliver team objectives.
ENGAGE FOR EXCELLENCE: Don’t get so focussed on doing the day job that you don’t make time to reflect on whether you are doing your best as opposed to just ticking off items on your ‘to do’ list? How do you tell if you are doing your best, what does your standard of excellence look like? How does that compare with what the team together is trying to achieve?
ACCOUNT FOR CONTRIBUTION: There are two parts to your job, the first is to do it and do it well and the second is to make sure what you are doing is productive enough to demonstrate tangible results. If you had to define your contribution to team goals without referring to the tasks you do, what would you say? What would your team lose if you did not do your best work day in day out?.
MOTIVATE FOR DISCRETIONARY EFFORT: Make what you know you are capable of the yardstick for your performance not the Job description. Find your own triggers and incentives to drive your higher performance. That includes putting yourself in the best frame of mind to work well and knowing how to pick yourself up on the days you feel lousy.
Now take action: What is the one thing your team can always count on you for?
TAP YOUR TOP TALENT: You know yourself best and should tap into your top skills. Take joint responsibility for creating the kind of environment you like to work in, where you feel confident to draw on your skill sets and opportunities to use those skills. As a team member, make efforts to know the talents of your team and how yours complements theirs to deliver team objectives.
ENGAGE FOR EXCELLENCE: Don’t get so focussed on doing the day job that you don’t make time to reflect on whether you are doing your best as opposed to just ticking off items on your ‘to do’ list? How do you tell if you are doing your best, what does your standard of excellence look like? How does that compare with what the team together is trying to achieve?
ACCOUNT FOR CONTRIBUTION: There are two parts to your job, the first is to do it and do it well and the second is to make sure what you are doing is productive enough to demonstrate tangible results. If you had to define your contribution to team goals without referring to the tasks you do, what would you say? What would your team lose if you did not do your best work day in day out?.
MOTIVATE FOR DISCRETIONARY EFFORT: Make what you know you are capable of the yardstick for your performance not the Job description. Find your own triggers and incentives to drive your higher performance. That includes putting yourself in the best frame of mind to work well and knowing how to pick yourself up on the days you feel lousy.
Now take action: What is the one thing your team can always count on you for?
Will you pass the 3 way test?
Most people only care about what their boss thinks. But for long term career progress you’ll want to take interest in what others think too. Your work is judged every day by several people. Here are 3 groups whose views should matter to you.
YOUR PEERS: Your peers are probably the ones you work most closely with and who have direct experience of your work. What they think is important because their direct feedback can be available to you day to day and that feedback can help you improve your work as you do it. If your peers think highly of your work, you are on the right track.
YOUR SUPERIORS: These are more than your direct manager. They are people above you in the hierarchy, the ones who make decisions about your future. And that’s not the only reason why you should take their opinions seriously; you should because they operate at a higher level and have a broader view of how your work contributes at an organisational level. Such views are critical as they demonstrate the extended value of your contribution beyond your team.
YOUR COLLEAGUES: These are those who are neither peers in terms of rank nor your bosses. And many people make the mistake of ignoring the people less senior to them. Often because they feel they don’t need these colleagues. They may not have a direct say on your career prospects but their suggestions can help you lead well. If you aim to become a better leader you can’t do that without listening to a range of views. Also, although you may not manage these colleagues, you have a responsibility to set a good example, be the leader they want to look up to.
Now take action: What would you like your peers to say about your work?
YOUR PEERS: Your peers are probably the ones you work most closely with and who have direct experience of your work. What they think is important because their direct feedback can be available to you day to day and that feedback can help you improve your work as you do it. If your peers think highly of your work, you are on the right track.
YOUR SUPERIORS: These are more than your direct manager. They are people above you in the hierarchy, the ones who make decisions about your future. And that’s not the only reason why you should take their opinions seriously; you should because they operate at a higher level and have a broader view of how your work contributes at an organisational level. Such views are critical as they demonstrate the extended value of your contribution beyond your team.
YOUR COLLEAGUES: These are those who are neither peers in terms of rank nor your bosses. And many people make the mistake of ignoring the people less senior to them. Often because they feel they don’t need these colleagues. They may not have a direct say on your career prospects but their suggestions can help you lead well. If you aim to become a better leader you can’t do that without listening to a range of views. Also, although you may not manage these colleagues, you have a responsibility to set a good example, be the leader they want to look up to.
Now take action: What would you like your peers to say about your work?
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Pick up the pace on your career
To advance your career you need to do certain things including a regular stock-taking to assess what you are achieving, where to get back on track if you’ve strayed and where to raise your game. Here are some others;
START A BRAG-LOG: Brag-logs are short pithy statements of information about who you are and what you’ve done, positive things you can say about your work which together show what you are capable of. If you don’t have one already, create a journal in which you keep track of your achievements with a small note explaining why they are important; even better if you can show where possible how your achievement helped your company or made a difference on a broader level.
SHORE UP YOUR CONSISTENCY: You will hardly get your ‘’big break’’ from a one off brilliance. You need to be seen as a safe pair of hands delivering the required top standards day in day out, that you come through when it really matters even if you drop the ball occasionally. Check in with yourself from time to time how you’re doing, how you’ve addressed any obstacles in order to keep doing your best work.
ATTRACT INFLUENTIAL SPONSOR: Solo success is near impossible. A sponsor is someone who knows your work, your potential and your work ethic and therefore willingly vouches for you sometimes even without your knowledge. Sponsors are not friends in high places who may put in a word for you as a favour but people who are prepared to stick their neck out for you because of your track record. Where such a sponsor is well regarded, their word on your behalf is likely to carry a lot of weight.
GET MORE RIGHT EXPERIENCE: Long experience alone will not open doors, it has to be enough of the right experience. That’s why it’s important that you clarify your career aspirations early on, have some concrete goals and develop experience that fits those goals. Based on your goals you must work out the experience you need to transition quickly to the next stage of your working life. Get others to tell you strengths that you might be taking for granted so that you can use them more and develop them further.
Now take action: Based on your goals how can you get more ‘right’ experience’
START A BRAG-LOG: Brag-logs are short pithy statements of information about who you are and what you’ve done, positive things you can say about your work which together show what you are capable of. If you don’t have one already, create a journal in which you keep track of your achievements with a small note explaining why they are important; even better if you can show where possible how your achievement helped your company or made a difference on a broader level.
SHORE UP YOUR CONSISTENCY: You will hardly get your ‘’big break’’ from a one off brilliance. You need to be seen as a safe pair of hands delivering the required top standards day in day out, that you come through when it really matters even if you drop the ball occasionally. Check in with yourself from time to time how you’re doing, how you’ve addressed any obstacles in order to keep doing your best work.
ATTRACT INFLUENTIAL SPONSOR: Solo success is near impossible. A sponsor is someone who knows your work, your potential and your work ethic and therefore willingly vouches for you sometimes even without your knowledge. Sponsors are not friends in high places who may put in a word for you as a favour but people who are prepared to stick their neck out for you because of your track record. Where such a sponsor is well regarded, their word on your behalf is likely to carry a lot of weight.
GET MORE RIGHT EXPERIENCE: Long experience alone will not open doors, it has to be enough of the right experience. That’s why it’s important that you clarify your career aspirations early on, have some concrete goals and develop experience that fits those goals. Based on your goals you must work out the experience you need to transition quickly to the next stage of your working life. Get others to tell you strengths that you might be taking for granted so that you can use them more and develop them further.
Now take action: Based on your goals how can you get more ‘right’ experience’
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