Fear Erodes Profits

Twenty-plus years ago when working with one of my first clients, we were making fast progress. One day it came to a screeching halt, and I wondered what happened.  I began to ask questions and learned about fear and its impact. People were afraid of losing their job, change, speaking up, making mistakes, and 100 more fears.  Without reducing fear and building trust, progress was at a standstill. 

That’s when I developed 2-day workshops to help my clients and gave keynote speeches to share this discovery with others. In recent years, fear has been on a rampage.  Employee engagement, worker satisfaction, authentic care and communication are at all time lows—and so is leadership!  Workplace bullying and employee turnover (physical or emotional) are at all time highs and increasing; these impact productivity and profits.

Great leaders create healthy, productive workplaces full of trust and respect.  They build environments where people have joy in learning, working, and improving TOGETHER.

To help build the awareness and impact of fear and the need for creative, healthy work lives, I have created interactive sessions that are customized for every client, whether conference attendees or a team of managers around a conference room table.  We have work to do; let’s begin. Call 408-398-7220 to schedule this presentation and improve your workplace:

        “FEAR ERODES PROFITS . . . 

                   Great Leaders Build Healthy, Productive Workplaces.”

Which time zone?

Originally written in June 2013

Dear Friends,

For the past year, I have been bouncing time zones and life styles—and I love it all! In 2012 I moved to New York City to do some strategy and transformation work at a Fortune 100 corporation. The pace of NYC matches my own high energy, and I have only scratched the surface on exploring this amazing city. 

My frequent trips to the Midwest heartland and California are always full of fun, learning, and visiting family, friends, clients and colleagues. 

Thank you for all of your support in the past year.  My passion is still to provoke new  thinking.  Facilitating learning through my keynote speeches, workshops, and consulting with executive teams feels great when challenging management fads and “best practices”  that are actually harmful. Working together, we can rapidly transform and experience results like never before. I am committed to helping leaders drive out fear and bullying in their organizations and creating healthy, productive workplaces where everyone has joy in work. What a legacy leaders (that’s us) can leave!

Marcia

Great Leaders Do 6 Things - At Work, Home, and School

Originally written in June 2013

GREAT LEADERS DO SIX THINGS — At Work, Home, and School

More than 12,000 books exist on leadership. In a lifetime we couldn’t read all of them.  So what is important?  If we want to lead and improve it, what can we do?

The strategic thinking of great leaders can be simply stated. Leaders possess these traits. In 20 years of consulting and leadership development and coaching, I can test executives or managers in any system to these six.

L = Learners. 

They are passionate and even obsessed with continually learning.  Whether it is asking hundreds of questions a day to people in every walk of life they meet or reading books  and magazines (not in their industry) and taking classes, they are a sponge for new information.  They see how all the pieces in life interacts. They ask questions and Listen.

E= Engage

Leaders engage with people and create the forum for people to engage in two-way conversations. They relish in people sharing ideas and contributing.

A = Aim

Leaders communication a Compelling purpose, a direction. They ask, “what are we trying to accomplish together?” and keep people focused.

D = Different

Leaders think different. They don’t get stuck on obstacles and barriers.  They see possibilities, opportunities, new markets and contributions for a better society. They are decisive and not afraid to take risks, fail and learn, and keep progressing. They Drive out fear and build trust around them: it is safe to discover and explore and create.

E = Environment

They create an environment where everyone is self-motivated.  Time is not wasted trying to motivate other people. The power exists when people love to contribute and have joy in their work.

R = Reflect

All great leaders reflect.  They make time to think, ponder, ask what’s working and not working, what can be so different that it can innovate our lives? Because learning takes place in reflection, leaders experience results much faster.

Assess yourself.  Do have the 6 methods to be a Great Leader?

Help! I have a bully working for me!

Sep 27, 2018

Marcia’s Q&A

Q. I’m a business owner and we have a controlling manager who has been loyal to the company for more than ten years. She has so much knowledge, but she also sabotages whatever she does not want to do. People fear her. How do I handle this?

A. You are the leader. It’s time to lead. Your job is to develop your people. While you have a bully in your company, the joy in work, productivity and greater success is being robbed. Your communication in your company needs to be that there is no tolerance for bullying, criticizing, blaming, judging. People are there to support each other toward the aim of your company and to serve customers. The bully won’t hear your message, so you will need to be direct. Commit to help her with coaching and new teaching. Be clear about your expectations. Then ask, “Are you in or are you out?” She may transform. If not, she is not a good fit. You’ll also be surprised at how the fear and stress level goes down when she leaves or transforms.

Q. Our organization’s turnover rate has been steadily increasing over the past few years, and we pay a competitive wage in our industry. What else can we do to retain our employees?

A. The retention issue has become a growing one facing many leadership teams, especially as people retire or move to find more affordable housing. Leaders are accountable to create the work environment where people find joy in learning, working and improving together. The power is in having a work environment where people are self-motivated. Create a work environment where people love to come to work, share ideas and make a difference. Ask employees what they need and what they want. Listen to them. Open up two-way communication. Get the team working toward one aim or purpose and remove the barriers that get in the way.The more you communicate and listen and show you care about them, the more trust you will build. People stay where they feel they are cared for. Begin to build trust.