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How to Turn Thought into Habit for Your Team
Intellectually, most people know what they need to do to have personal
and professional success. You set goals. You create objectives and
action plans to get to those goals. And you celebrate your success.
But somewhere along the way it becomes difficult to stay on topic. The
goals are difficult and distractions begin to take precedence. The “We
can get there” wanes to “We can’t get there on time” that diminishes to
“I don’t see it happening.”
Two False Management Assumptions
1. New habits take a long time to create. Wrong. While an employee
is responsible for her work, a director/manager is responsible for
advising the employee on the purpose, process and execution of that
work. It is vital to the performance on an individual and a team that the
manager coach fulfillment as part of that process. Think about the last
time someone gave you a big compliment and the high that elevated
you to for the rest of the day. Then think about the last time someone
helped you identify your own accomplishment, had you identify how you
grew along the way, asked you what you want to do more of and how
your accomplishments impacted others? These kind of feelings stay
with you for a much longer time and go on to affect your habits. That’s
the difference between simple positive feedback and coaching.
Leaders focus on measuring and monitoring how people are growing
not on the problem. They know that to experience positive change you
must first and foremost expect it.
If your employees are being paid to think, isn’t it about time we helped
them improve their thinking? Asking open-ended questions is a sound
way to take the manager out of the “consultant” role and drive the
employee to realize his own answers – a much more sustainable
model. (Yes-No questions do not engage a dialogue of forward
thinking.)
2. The manager does not have the ability to lead others to create
new habits. Wrong. While an employee is responsible for her work, a
director/manager is responsible for advising the employee on the
purpose, process and execution of that work. It is vital to the
performance on an individual and a team that the manager coach
fulfillment as part of that process. Think about the last time someone
gave you a big compliment and the high that elevated you to for the rest
of the day. Then think about the last time someone helped you identify
your own accomplishment, how you grew along the way, asked you
what you want to do more of and how your accomplishments impacted
others? These kind of feelings stay with you for a much longer time
and go on to affect your habits. That’s the difference between simple
positive feedback and coaching.
Leaders focus on measuring and monitoring how people are growing
not on the problem. They know that to experience positive change you
must first and foremost expect it.
If your employees are being paid to think, isn’t it about time we helped
them improve their thinking? Asking open-ended questions is a sound
way to take the manager out of the “consultant” role and drive the
employee to realize his own answers – a much more sustainable
model. (Yes-No questions do not engage a dialogue of forward
thinking.)
Thinking Questions That Create New Habits:
1. How long have you been thinking about this? (not “If you’re not
happy then you’re probably not able to perform for the company at the
level we need you.”)
2. What impact is thinking this way having on you? (not “Just focus on
what you’re doing. You can’t compare what you’re doing to your co-
workers.”)
3. How do you react when you have that thought? (not “I know he can
be frustrating. He’s just trying to do his job.”)
4. What do you want to achieve here? (not “Sounds like a good idea.
Create a plan and I’ll look at it.”)
5. What’s in the way of hitting your targets? (not “We agreed on the
goals at the beginning of the quarter. We have to meet them.”)
6. What will go wrong if you don’t hit your targets? (not “We could all
lose our jobs.”)
7. How do you feel about the time and resources you have devoted to
this thus far? (not “What you have been concentrating on is not paying
off. Maybe you need to manage your time better.)
8. What did you do well? (not just “Well done. Thank you”.)
What did you learn? (not “This isn’t working. Go back to the old way of
doing it.”)
9. How clear are you about this issue? (not “Does this make sense?”)
What are the gaps, if any, in the process? (not “Are we ready to move
forward?”)
10. What did you discover about yourself? (not “This is going to
help/hurt our department going forward.”)
11. What were the highlights of this project – what can we
celebrate? (not "We did this really well.”)
12. What would you like to do more of? (not “We’ll meet next week to
go over our next steps.”)
13. What impact do you think this had on others? (not “When you
made that unilateral decision you didn’t stop to think about how it
would affect purchasing.”)
14. Are you clear about what to do next? (not “The next step is to….)
15. How can I best help you further? (not “Let me know if you need any
help.”)
Asking open-ended questions that help to develop the people around
us brings about sustainable change in the way of new habits for direct
report and the manager. Start now!
Email this information to a friend. Follow Mary Lee’s tips on Twitter at
StartingOverNow.
Get her free tip sheets on “Change – Here’s How!” and “Goal Setting
for a Quick Turnaround” at the Articles and Tips Page.
Mary Lee Gannon is the president of Gannon Group - a full service
executive coaching, training and consulting firm that provides
turnaround strategies for people and organizations by improving team
performance, executive leadership skills, board performance, planning
and project execution. Mary Lee’s personal turnaround came as a stay-
at-home mother, with four children under seven-years-old, who
endured a divorce that took she and the children from the country club
life to public assistance from where within a short time she worked out
of that to the level of CEO. Her book "Starting Over - 25 Rules for When
You've Bottomed Out" is available in bookstores, on Amazon or on her
web site at www.StartingOverNow.com.
Intellectually, most people know what they need to do to have personal
and professional success. You set goals. You create objectives and
action plans to get to those goals. And you celebrate your success.
But somewhere along the way it becomes difficult to stay on topic. The
goals are difficult and distractions begin to take precedence. The “We
can get there” wanes to “We can’t get there on time” that diminishes to
“I don’t see it happening.”
Two False Management Assumptions
1. New habits take a long time to create. Wrong. While an employee
is responsible for her work, a director/manager is responsible for
advising the employee on the purpose, process and execution of that
work. It is vital to the performance on an individual and a team that the
manager coach fulfillment as part of that process. Think about the last
time someone gave you a big compliment and the high that elevated
you to for the rest of the day. Then think about the last time someone
helped you identify your own accomplishment, had you identify how you
grew along the way, asked you what you want to do more of and how
your accomplishments impacted others? These kind of feelings stay
with you for a much longer time and go on to affect your habits. That’s
the difference between simple positive feedback and coaching.
Leaders focus on measuring and monitoring how people are growing
not on the problem. They know that to experience positive change you
must first and foremost expect it.
If your employees are being paid to think, isn’t it about time we helped
them improve their thinking? Asking open-ended questions is a sound
way to take the manager out of the “consultant” role and drive the
employee to realize his own answers – a much more sustainable
model. (Yes-No questions do not engage a dialogue of forward
thinking.)
2. The manager does not have the ability to lead others to create
new habits. Wrong. While an employee is responsible for her work, a
director/manager is responsible for advising the employee on the
purpose, process and execution of that work. It is vital to the
performance on an individual and a team that the manager coach
fulfillment as part of that process. Think about the last time someone
gave you a big compliment and the high that elevated you to for the rest
of the day. Then think about the last time someone helped you identify
your own accomplishment, how you grew along the way, asked you
what you want to do more of and how your accomplishments impacted
others? These kind of feelings stay with you for a much longer time
and go on to affect your habits. That’s the difference between simple
positive feedback and coaching.
Leaders focus on measuring and monitoring how people are growing
not on the problem. They know that to experience positive change you
must first and foremost expect it.
If your employees are being paid to think, isn’t it about time we helped
them improve their thinking? Asking open-ended questions is a sound
way to take the manager out of the “consultant” role and drive the
employee to realize his own answers – a much more sustainable
model. (Yes-No questions do not engage a dialogue of forward
thinking.)
Thinking Questions That Create New Habits:
1. How long have you been thinking about this? (not “If you’re not
happy then you’re probably not able to perform for the company at the
level we need you.”)
2. What impact is thinking this way having on you? (not “Just focus on
what you’re doing. You can’t compare what you’re doing to your co-
workers.”)
3. How do you react when you have that thought? (not “I know he can
be frustrating. He’s just trying to do his job.”)
4. What do you want to achieve here? (not “Sounds like a good idea.
Create a plan and I’ll look at it.”)
5. What’s in the way of hitting your targets? (not “We agreed on the
goals at the beginning of the quarter. We have to meet them.”)
6. What will go wrong if you don’t hit your targets? (not “We could all
lose our jobs.”)
7. How do you feel about the time and resources you have devoted to
this thus far? (not “What you have been concentrating on is not paying
off. Maybe you need to manage your time better.)
8. What did you do well? (not just “Well done. Thank you”.)
What did you learn? (not “This isn’t working. Go back to the old way of
doing it.”)
9. How clear are you about this issue? (not “Does this make sense?”)
What are the gaps, if any, in the process? (not “Are we ready to move
forward?”)
10. What did you discover about yourself? (not “This is going to
help/hurt our department going forward.”)
11. What were the highlights of this project – what can we
celebrate? (not "We did this really well.”)
12. What would you like to do more of? (not “We’ll meet next week to
go over our next steps.”)
13. What impact do you think this had on others? (not “When you
made that unilateral decision you didn’t stop to think about how it
would affect purchasing.”)
14. Are you clear about what to do next? (not “The next step is to….)
15. How can I best help you further? (not “Let me know if you need any
help.”)
Asking open-ended questions that help to develop the people around
us brings about sustainable change in the way of new habits for direct
report and the manager. Start now!
Email this information to a friend. Follow Mary Lee’s tips on Twitter at
StartingOverNow.
Get her free tip sheets on “Change – Here’s How!” and “Goal Setting
for a Quick Turnaround” at the Articles and Tips Page.
Mary Lee Gannon is the president of Gannon Group - a full service
executive coaching, training and consulting firm that provides
turnaround strategies for people and organizations by improving team
performance, executive leadership skills, board performance, planning
and project execution. Mary Lee’s personal turnaround came as a stay-
at-home mother, with four children under seven-years-old, who
endured a divorce that took she and the children from the country club
life to public assistance from where within a short time she worked out
of that to the level of CEO. Her book "Starting Over - 25 Rules for When
You've Bottomed Out" is available in bookstores, on Amazon or on her
web site at www.StartingOverNow.com.
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FREE resources on
this site are:
* Starting over in
their career or
personal life
* Empty nesters
* Entrepreneurs
* Networking
* Job Seekers
* Starting all over
again
* Going through a
divorce
* Looking for career
opportunities
* Seeking FREE
career advice and
education
* Finding mentors
* Setting new life
goals
To chart your road
map to success
click here for FREE
"Worksheets and
Articles."
Turnaround Solutions for People & Organizations
Gannon Group is a full service executive coaching, consulting and
training firm that provides turnaround strategies for people and
organizations. We improve team performance, executive leadership
skills, board performance, planning and project execution through
Executive Coaching, Management Team Development, Board
Development, and Training in the areas of...
Healthcare
Business
Operational Excellence
Strategic Direction & Meeting Facilitation
Fundraising
Association Management
Non-Profit Management
Personal Turnaround
Sales
Communications & Public Relations
Contact Gannon Group at info@startingovernow.com.
Gannon Group is a full service executive coaching, consulting and
training firm that provides turnaround strategies for people and
organizations. We improve team performance, executive leadership
skills, board performance, planning and project execution through
Executive Coaching, Management Team Development, Board
Development, and Training in the areas of...
Healthcare
Business
Operational Excellence
Strategic Direction & Meeting Facilitation
Fundraising
Association Management
Non-Profit Management
Personal Turnaround
Sales
Communications & Public Relations
Contact Gannon Group at info@startingovernow.com.
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FREE Resources
to help you:
1. United States of America's
primary source on career
information:
www.onetcenter.org
2. Wage Estimates
www.salary.com and Bureau of
Labor and Statistics
3. Organize Your Job Search -
Post a Question etc.:
www.cvtips.com
4. Starting Over After Divorce:
www.womansdivorce.com
5. Starting Over for Women:
www.makingbreadmagazine.co
m
6. Self Improvement:
www.selfgrowth.com.
7. Job Postings, Resume
Advice and Resources:
www.careerbuiler.com
8. Templates for: business
plans, competitive analysis,
start up costs and more:
www.score.org/business_toolbox
.html
9. Federal/Sate/Local
Government jobs:
www.USAJOBS.com
10. U.S. Government's Free
online courses, webinars and
podcasts for workforce
development:
www.onetacademy.com.
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbok 2008-09 by Bureau of
Labor and Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.ht
m
to help you:
1. United States of America's
primary source on career
information:
www.onetcenter.org
2. Wage Estimates
www.salary.com and Bureau of
Labor and Statistics
3. Organize Your Job Search -
Post a Question etc.:
www.cvtips.com
4. Starting Over After Divorce:
www.womansdivorce.com
5. Starting Over for Women:
www.makingbreadmagazine.co
m
6. Self Improvement:
www.selfgrowth.com.
7. Job Postings, Resume
Advice and Resources:
www.careerbuiler.com
8. Templates for: business
plans, competitive analysis,
start up costs and more:
www.score.org/business_toolbox
.html
9. Federal/Sate/Local
Government jobs:
www.USAJOBS.com
10. U.S. Government's Free
online courses, webinars and
podcasts for workforce
development:
www.onetacademy.com.
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbok 2008-09 by Bureau of
Labor and Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.ht
m
| Mary Lee Gannon is interviewed on Mind Your BIZness |
Listen to Mary
Lee's interview
"From Welfare
to CEO" on the
Renee Bobb
Show on
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Lee's interview
"From Welfare
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Renee Bobb
Show on
BlogTalk
Radio.com.
Gannon Group/StartingOverNow.com
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Mary Lee Gannon's
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Amazon.com - 5 Stars!
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