I'm Fine, I'm OK.

When was the last time that you asked someone how they were doing and their reply was "I'm fine", or "I'm okay". The chances are that they aren't fine or OK.

In my resilience work I have met many people who are struggling. I always ask this same question. I am yet to meet someone who answers with either I'm fine or I'm okay and who isn't fine or OK.

If you think about it, what do you usually say when asked how you are or how is your day going. Generally we answer with "Good thanks" or "Great" or "Busy". Something other than "I'm fine".

The next time someone answers you with these two short replies, stop for a moment and talk with them. If you have the time, sit down and have a coffee. Chances are they will tell you what their trouble is and you will have made a huge difference in their life. 

So, how are you doing?

10 Different Leadership Styles.

I have been fortunate enough to have attended many leadership courses. Most talked about the four main leadership styles - Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez-Faire and Transformational. While these styles are still relevant, we may need to add to the list as things change rapidly in today's world. Here a few that might you also want to consider;

1. Inclusive - You know where you are now and where you have to get to in your business so include others when deciding the way that you get to your destination.
2. Inspirational - Inspiration comes from you so set an example by working the way you want others to work.
3. Visionary - Having a vision is not something that you have to find yourself, although it would be more believable if that was the case. You can also find ideas from your staff, from books, and from Mr Google.
4. Adaptor - How quickly do you change in today's world and how quickly do you respond to change? An adaptor brings calmness to the workplace by swiftly adapting in times of change and crisis.
5. Creative - There are many ways of being creative, when was the last time you used any of them?
6. Modulator - A leader that is able to get the balance of oversight right, more in times of need and less in day-to-day work so as not to micro-manage.
7. Influencer - Not influencing followers to change in themselves, influencing them so they can control what happens.
8. Coacher - Spreading the load, coaching others to be leaders.
9. Decisive - There are times when an immediate decision must be made, don't waffle, take action.
10. Resilient - A resilient leader is able to use all of the above styles. By doing so they set an example and change becomes less of a challenge.

My point of this post is that we have to start looking differently at the way that we do things, leadership being an important one to examine. The traditional way of leading may no longer be acceptable. Today we have co-captains in sporting teams and co-leaders in government. Gen-X's are your powerhouse and Millennials like to be included in decision making.

When you are looking at your own leadership style, the most important thing I believe is to lead how you would want to be led. Look at those who were your leaders and take the best points from each that you enjoyed about their leadership style and use them when you lead.  Don't worry about the name or the style, worry about the way in which you lead.

Should You Joke In Crisis Communications?

No.

How's that for the shortest answer to a post, possibly the shortest ever? 

Jokes are okay if they are used and taken in the right context. However, when we are dealing with angry, sad, and emotional people jokes are never okay. When we are emotional we want to be heard, to have someone listen, and importantly for someone to empathise.

There is no doubt that laughter is one of the best medicines for stress. Laughter creates endorphins, the feel-good natural drug. Laughter can increase blood flow, relax muscles, improve the immune system and relieve pain. Laughter is also very good at quickly changing your mood from sad to happy. It does this by changing our thoughts and you know that our mood is mostly that, just a thought. 

There are some exceptions to making jokes in crisis communications;

1. If you know the person extremely well and the crisis is a small one!

That's it, just the one that I can think of. When you make a joke during crisis communications there are many risks despite your best intentions. It may appear that you are making a joke about a serious situation therefore not taking the matter seriously or the joke may be taken the wrong way.

Sometimes our brain will tell us to make a joke if it thinks that we need levity to ease tension. Resist, it's just your brain messing with you. In a few days time you can re-tell the story and introduce the joke top get a laugh.

Where Do You Squeeze The Toothpaste Tube?

It is said that the way we go about our mundane tasks at home is a reflection on how we behave at work. I was sceptical on this, but after some thought maybe this is something to consider in more detail.

Having nothing to think about for a few seconds this morning, my brain went off in a direction that I never would have consciously gone. Squeezing paste from a toothpaste tube. Is where we squeeze the toothpaste out from the tube a reflection on our work habits?

I squeeze at the bottom of the tube so that the toothpaste is pushed along towards the top. Then I roll the tube as I go as it is much tidier that way. Plus, my heritage tells me that I must use every bit of paste that I paid for. At work I am the same. Some say I have OCD because the office is always clean and tidy and I use every last piece of whatever resource I purchase. If I start something I finish it and always have a paperless desk. I look after everything I have. I am fastidious in my work habits. I also care about people.

I know a few people who squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle. At work they are usually in a bit of a rush, grab the first thing that comes to hand and use it however they like, and generally their office is untidy yet functional. If something breaks they will give it to someone else to fix. However, they often go back and tidy things just like they have to do with the toothpaste tube, go back and squeeze from the bottom of the tube to get more paste. This makes the world right again.

I also know a few people who squeeze the toothpaste tube at the top, right beside the opening. (If you are wondering by now, I spent 6 months in barrack accommodation). These people just grab the tube and squeeze from the top because there is less effort, the paste is right there, and they don't have to think about it. They let others push the paste to the top for them. At work they are the same, they never put paper in the photocopier, never put another pot of coffee on and never ever wash their own cup because someone else can do that for them. If something breaks it is thrown in the bin.

So where do you squeeze the toothpaste from? 

Who Is Your Top Performer?

I sometimes wonder who is the top performer in an organisation. Here are some options to choose from;

The 'look at me' employee - these are the ones who do some great work, but not that often. They like to be involved in work that they are good at so that they can show you how good they are. They can be over the top and some employees dislike their peacock attitude. Support them by asking them which project they want to be involved with and be quick to acknowledge how good they are so that they stop strutting their feathers in front of others.

The 'busy beaver' - These are the ones who get things done. They like to be involved in everything and want (need) to be busy. Give a busy person something to do is their mantra. So do just that, but don't overload them otherwise they may start to make mistakes or suffer from burnout.

The 'worker bee' - They do the majority of your work as a collective. Average people doing an average job equals average output. When was the last time that you stopped and thanked each one? Put a couple of busy beavers in their midst and you will get above average outputs.

The 'just do enough' - You probably won't know their name and possibly don't know where they work. They just reach the required performance measures, they won't volunteer for anything, they will never be the first or last in anything, and never say a word at meetings. But they do work and do just enough. Every now and then walk past them and say hello, let them know that you are aware what they are up to and that they can't hide.

The 'matriarchs and patriarchs' - They are the 'been there, done that, don't tell me what to do, you won't change me' employee. Aged 50 to 55, they have been around the block and are very experienced. However, they didn't change their ways as times changed. They are happy to hang up on a customer if they are sworn at, they will ignore customers if they are busy themselves, and they will disrupt your training sessions by arguing a moot point of no relevance. Divide and conquer is the strategy for these employees. Put each one, and there is only 1 in 10 of them in the workplace, on a different committee. Ensure that you address them personally during a meeting.

The 'problem child' - They have strong ideas and often stray away from policy and procedure. Because of this they get themselves into trouble and are always under investigation. They are the employees who you spend far too much time on. Unfortunately you have to do this if you want them to change. Using the parenthesis model, you spend 80% of your time on them for a 20% return. Spend time showing them how their actions impact on themselves and on their colleagues. Provide them with milestones in which to change, if they don't change then you may have to manage them out of the organisation. 

So which of these is your top performer?