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Category Archives: Coaching

Stop Telling Your Employees What To Do

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As a leader, it can be tempting to tell your employees what to do at every step of the way. After all, you are responsible for ensuring that things get done, and sometimes it can feel like the easiest way to achieve that is by giving specific instructions. However, this approach can ultimately limit your team’s potential, stifle innovation, and lead to a disengaged workforce.

Instead of telling your employees what to do, consider adopting a more empowering leadership style that focuses on collaboration, communication, and trust.

Here’s what can happen when you stop telling your employees what to do and start empowering them instead:

1.     IT FOSTERS CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION: When you give your employees the freedom to think for themselves and make decisions, they are more likely to come up with creative and innovative solutions. By encouraging independent thinking, you are creating an environment that fosters innovation and inspires your team to think outside the box.

2.     IT BUILDS TRUST AND ENGAGEMENT: When employees feel trusted and empowered, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work. By giving them the freedom to make decisions, you are demonstrating that you trust them and value their expertise. This, in turn, can help to build a more engaged and motivated workforce.

3.     IT PROMOTES PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH: When employees are given the freedom to take ownership of their work, they are more likely to develop their skills and take on new challenges. By encouraging your team to take on new responsibilities and make decisions, you are helping them to grow both personally and professionally.

4.     IT IMPROVES DECISION-MAKING: When employees are given the freedom to make decisions, they are more likely to take ownership of the outcome. This can lead to better decision-making and a more effective use of resources.

Rather than telling, consider adopting a more empowering leadership style that focuses on collaboration, communication, and trust. Let your employees show you what they are capable of once they tap into their potential. You don’t have to do it all. Let them help you, and they’ll appreciate you for it.

To your success,
Isabel

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 25 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

How Leaders Can Leverage AI

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology that is transforming the way we live and work. Leaders can leverage AI in many ways to enhance their leadership ability and drive innovation in their organizations. Here are some ways leaders can leverage AI:

1.     Automate routine tasks, such as data entry, scheduling, and customer service. This can free up valuable time and resources, allowing leaders to focus on more strategic and high-value tasks.

2.     Make data-driven decisions. AI can analyze vast amounts of data and provide insights that can help leaders make more informed and data-driven decisions. By leveraging AI-powered analytics, leaders can gain deeper insights into market trends, customer behavior, and business performance, and make more effective decisions.

3.     Personalize customer experiences. AI can help leaders to personalize customer experiences by analyzing customer data and providing personalized recommendations and solutions. This can help leaders to build stronger relationships with customers and enhance their overall experience.

4.     Enhance productivity and efficiency by automating workflows, streamlining processes, and improving collaboration. By leveraging AI-powered tools, leaders can optimize their operations and drive innovation within their organizations.

5.     Develop new products and services by analyzing customer needs, market trends, and emerging technologies. By leveraging AI-powered insights, leaders can identify new opportunities and develop innovative solutions that meet the needs of their customers.

We can no longer deny the fact that the digital future has arrived. By embracing AI-powered technologies, leaders can enhance their decision-making, streamline their operations, and drive new levels of productivity and efficiency. Don’t be too slow to perceive the value of AI and encourage its use in the workplace. If you can’t fight it, get ahead of the curve.

To your success,

Isabel

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 25 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Do Your People Feel Empowered?

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Leaders have a critical role to play in empowering employees. When employees feel empowered, they are more engaged, productive, and committed to their work. Empowering employees is not just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for creating a high-performing organization. Here are some ways leaders can empower their employees:

1. PROVIDE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND AUTONOMY.

Employees who have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and the autonomy to achieve those goals are more likely to feel empowered. By providing employees with autonomy, leaders demonstrate trust and respect in their ability to make decisions and take ownership of their work.

2. ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND RISK-TAKING.

Innovation and risk-taking are essential to growth and success. Leaders can empower employees by encouraging them to experiment, try new things, and take calculated risks. Leaders who create an environment that allows employees to explore and innovate without fear of failure are more likely to see ground-breaking ideas as new ways of doing things emerge.

3. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT.

Critical to employee empowerment, leaders can provide opportunities for their employees to learn new skills, attend workshops, and participate in professional development programs. By investing in their employees’ growth and development, leaders demonstrate a commitment to their success and inspire them to achieve their full potential.

4. RECOGNIZE AND REWARD ACHIEVEMENTS.

Recognition and rewards are powerful motivators that can help to empower employees. Leaders should take the time to recognize and reward employees who go above and beyond, achieve goals, or make a significant contribution to the organization. By recognizing and rewarding employees, leaders show that their work is valued, appreciated, and essential to the organization’s success.

5. FOSTER A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT.

A positive work environment is one where employees feel valued, respected, and supported. Leaders need to promote a culture of inclusivity, respect, and collaboration. They should encourage open communication and provide opportunities for feedback and suggestions. By creating a positive work environment, leaders can foster a sense of belonging, engagement, and empowerment.

Empowering employees is essential for creating a high-performing organization. To lead effectively in the 21stcentury, leaders need to create a culture of empowerment that inspires employees to achieve their full potential and drive organizational success. Because together everyone achieves more.

Over to you now. Do you and your people feel empowered? What strategies do you have in place to build empowerment in the workplace?

 

To your success,

Isabel

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 25 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Why You Must Invest in Your People’s Growth

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A while back I had an interesting conversation with a CEO who told me he saw no need of investing in training or any other developmental modality for his people, arguing that he typically only gets a good two years at most out of any new hire.  Frankly, it took me by surprise to know that this kind of mentality is still present in workplaces. What’s even worse is that everyone in our group agreed to his point. This kind of attitude could be costing you and your company big, here’s why.

When you don’t invest in your employees, it can lead to a number of negative consequences for your business. Your employees may feel undervalued and unappreciated, leading to decreased morale and motivation. They may also lack the skills and knowledge needed to perform their jobs effectively, which can result in subpar performance and decreased productivity. Over time, this can lead to high turnover rates, difficulty attracting and retaining top talent, and a negative company culture. In addition, without opportunities for growth and development, your employees may look for opportunities elsewhere, further exacerbating the problem. Not to mention the costs involved with hiring, inducting and training new employees. As you can see, failing to invest in your employees can have a cascading effect on the health and success of your business.

If you want your business to succeed, you must provide ongoing training and development opportunities to enhance the skills and knowledge of your people. You must also offer fair compensation and benefit packages, as well as opportunities for advancement and career growth, whilst promoting a positive company culture that values and recognizes employee contributions, in a safe and healthy work environment.

People are the driving force behind the success of any organization. When employees feel valued and supported, they are more motivated, productive, and committed to their work. Investing in employee development also helps to prepare employees for future challenges and opportunities, increasing their potential for growth within the company. In addition, leaders who invest in their people are better positioned to attract and retain top talent, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Ultimately, investing in your employees is an investment in the long-term success of your organization.

Employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their growth. When a company provides its employees with opportunities for training, development, and career advancement, it shows that the company values its employees and is invested in their success. This, in turn, can lead to increased job satisfaction and a stronger sense of loyalty and commitment to the organization. Additionally, employees who feel that their growth is being supported are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere, reducing the risk of turnover.

While there is no guarantee that employees will stay indefinitely, investing in their growth can make a significant impact on their likelihood of remaining with the company in the long term.

Over to you now. Do you invest in the growth of your people? If so, what practices do you have in place? And if not, what’s getting in the way?

To your success,

Isabel

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 25 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Why Employees Need More Autonomy

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Learning to give up control and provide autonomy for your people may be one of the most impactful things you can do as a leader. Giving more choice and control in their work has incredible benefits in all performance, culture, innovation, retention and wellbeing of your employees.

In my experience, we tend to have an inaccurate definition of autonomy in the workplace. Many assimilate autonomy with abandonment. This is far from it. When autonomy is done right, people still have clarity, healthy boundaries and accountability.

To empower your people and stop micromanaging, provide clarity on goals and expectations. Schedule weekly check-ins to ensure they are certain of what must be accomplished, by when and why it is important for the company. This way, you are able to get a feel for how they’re doing in their role, whether they are on track with their OKR’s and you’ll feel more comfortable taking a step back if you see first-hand that they’re handling their work with ease. You must also hold people responsible for results and ensure that the right accountability channels are in place.

It is time we stop the micromanagement plague still so prevalent in workplaces everywhere. One of the best antidotes for unmotivated and disengaged workers is granting employees autonomy in the work they do.  This leads to passionate employees that are more creative, confident, and productive, which in turn leads to more successful businesses with a better bottom line.

Leaders need to look for ways to shift the way they treat their people, by leaning on the expertise of those they hire, granting autonomy and motivating them to do their best work.

Studies show that employees are craving autonomy, so take a step back and only intervene at times when they seek your support. Make sure you practise open and honest communication and provide feedback to ensure everyone is aligned in expectations and deliverables.

Offering employees the freedom to choose how they handle their responsibilities may sound scary to some, but when practiced the right way, with consistent communication, it will also strengthen the bond you have with your people and create a foundation of trust and psychological safety where everyone feels they are valued and contributing to the main vision.

Giving employees autonomy is not about the absence of a boss or leader; it’s about trusting your employees to do the job they were hired to do, and do it well. Stop micromanaging them and start working on developing trust in your people so they can show you what they are truly capable of.

To your success,
Isabel
#leadership #autonomy #highperformance #success

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Stop the Meeting Madness

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Do you know how many hours you spend in meetings weekly?
On average, employees spend 4 hours and managers spend more than 10 hours a week in meetings and growing, according to research.

It is also estimated that 70% of employees experienced a 70% increase in meetings since remote work was introduced. According to LiveCareer’s latest study, 71% of meetings are considered unproductive.

It’s not just how long we spend in meetings, but the time it takes us to prepare for those meetings that keep us away from more important tasks, such as interacting with actual paying customers, preparing overdue reports, answering emails or planning ahead for next quarter.

Meetings take up an awful lot of time and energy in the workplace, which have a negative impact in everyone’s productivity. When it comes to the way you run meetings at work, ask yourself:

·      Do you and your people know what the meeting is about, as well as the intended outcome?
·      Is there a specific agenda and timeline to adhere to?
·      Do you often run out of time without achieving the desired outcome?
·      Do all participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas?
·      Are meeting outcomes and decisions available for people who didn’t go to the meeting and need to be in the loop?

Setting up a strong meeting culture that produces useful and effective get togethers requires planning and purpose. Here are some quick tips to help you optimize results in your meetings:

–       Set out a clearly defined meeting goal.
–       Design a well-structured agenda.
–       Communicate with all attendees in advance so they can prepare ahead.
–       Assign a meeting facilitator to control agenda and time and stay on task.
–       Enforce punctuality by all. Start and finish on time.
–       Shorten meeting duration, especially for virtual meetings.
–       Don’t allow off-topic questions or distractions during the meeting.
–       Don’t go on your phone and don’t bring other work with you.
–       Promote mutual respect and accountability.

Your meetings will be far more successful if people know why they’re there, what’s going to happen and how long it will take. You’ll also have more efficient and collaborative meetings if only the right people attend.

A final word of advice. Cut down on unnecessary meetings, which have a detrimental impact on everyone. If ongoing meetings or calls produce little to no return, it’s time to redesign your meetings calendar.

You can help your people better handle challenges, make decisions and solve problems faster and more efficiently by stopping the meeting madness and freeing up more time for them to do meaningful work.

As a leader, think twice before you call the next meeting. Instead, ask yourself, is there a better way to get my message across?

To your success,
Isabel
#leadership #culture #workplace #highperformance #success

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Is Your Team Growing Together or Falling Apart?

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Whether teams grow together or grow apart is subject to a combination of the leadership style of the manager, as well as the level of trust, mutual respect and common shared vision or its members.

There are many reasons why teams fail –  the manager’s behaviour, an inability to deal with conflict, a lack of mutual accountability, lack of clarity or ineffective problem-solving skills. The list goes on and on.

Here are the top areas you need to look out for to ensure you team is not falling apart, but rather focusing on growing together:

  1. Lack of Trust. I’ve seen many talented people leave workplaces because of how their bosses micromanaged their every move, or received constant criticism by other team members. Trust is the foundation of all successful teams, and without it, teams simply cannot function. If you notice poor communication, low engagement, morale and productivity in your team, chances are there is a lack of trust, and you must act on it swiftly.

In order to build – or gain back – trust, give your teams the opportunity to make decisions, show you trust them by being transparent and keeping them informed about all aspects of the business, whilst giving them the autonomy they need to work things out by themselves. Encourage them to speak up and be open to their ideas and opinions. Create an equal playing-field where everyone is treated fairly and equally, praise across the board when things are done well, and act with integrity by always delivering on what you say you’ll do.

Bottom line, without trust, your team is destined to fall apart. Always set the right foundations with trust.

  1. Lack of Communication. Poor communication is frustrating for everyone and it has a very negative impact within a team. I often find we tend to over-communicate pointless information, and under-communicate on the critical information needed for teams to act effectively together. This leads to unclear roles and responsibilities, delays in projects completion, lost opportunities, high stress and low engagement, and missed overall results.

To combat this, you need to understand that there are different styles of communication and you must tailor your style to suit that of your team members. Some will prefer face to face, whereas others will do better in writing or over a quick call. You also need to help your people understand how their roles impact the bigger picture, so they can draw meaning from what they do. Help them also understand not just what needs to be done, but why, so there is no room for misinterpretation.

Communication is a two-way street, so don’t just dominate all conversations by being the most prominent voice in the room. Take time to really listen to your team’s feedback, encourage them to ask questions and bring their opinions forward.

  1. Unclear Roles and Responsibilities. If nobody is sure of who does what, don’t expect your people to work as one. I often find that most teams don’t really have an understanding of each other’s responsibilities, which makes things harder for everyone, with many things and decisions falling through the cracks, affecting productivity in a big way. Often it is this lack of clarity that sparks conflict among team members.

As a leader, you need to ensure that there is clear roles and responsibilities, and everyone knows what is expected of them and each other. Typically, when this is in place, there are fewer arguments, less work duplication and waste of time, energy and resources. When people are confident about what to do, everyone feels better about working together.

  1. Lack of purpose. If your team doesn’t understand the purpose of their work, they won’t know what to focus on or prioritize, which may make them loose motivation. If you want your team to do their best work, they have to know the bigger picture and where the team as well as the company are going. For that to happen, you must create a shared vision and common goals and milestones along the way so everyone can get a sense of direction, progress and achievement.

  1. Lack of Training and Development. I don’t know many employees who are able to jump into a new role or a promotion and be 100% equipped to thrive in their role. If you want your people to understand how to do their jobs correctly, both individually and as part of a team, you’ll need to train them. It’s really important that companies see training as an investment rather than an expense. In fact, it costs less to train an employee than to leave them to their own devices, because it leads to safer working environments, higher productivity and performance, lower turnover and happier employees. They also require less supervision, giving leaders more time to focus on more important tasks to help the business.

Being part of a team that’s falling apart sucks. As a leader, you have the opportunity to turn things around and build a team that is committed, engaged, capable and passionate about their shared vision and goals.

Teamwork in the workplace is extremely useful if leaders learn how to help their teams do it properly. Your people want and crave teamwork. As a leader, the key is to give your team the right conditions to develop and grow. As a leader, it starts with you.

Over to you now. Are you ready to help your team work better together? What can you do to promote more trust and better communication in your organization? How can your team benefit from role clarity and a shared purpose? What training gaps does your team have and how can you allocate resources to help develop them further?

A successful team takes time to develop, and it relies on the leader guiding and supporting them towards success. Even if team members are excited about learning about effective teamwork, working out issues takes time. So be gentle with yourself, and take it one step at the time.

To your success,

Isabel

#leadership #teams #highpeformance #coaching #success

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

What to Do When Emotions Run High

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Have you ever said or done something in the heat of the moment when you were emotionally charged, that you wish you could take back?

If you want to lead effectively and impactfully, you are going to have learn to manage your emotions.  There’s a fine line between intense passion and negative emotions. Being emotional at work could actually affect your influence and overall success. You may be fed up with ongoing issues, existing conditions or wrongful behaviours at work. It is human nature that we’d allow frustrations to intensify, making us angrier, more stressed, and those around us far less receptive to our message.

The wrong words, body language, or response could mean a colossal blow-up simply because the people you are speaking to are overly sensitive and emotional, or they are not understanding things the same way you do.

Successful leaders pay significantly more attention to emotional regulation and keeping their emotions in check.

You must stand up for what you believe. This can however be far better received if you are able to do it without blame, judgement, anger or callousness.

I typically find three types of people in the workplace with varying degrees of emotional fitness. Those who need to vent and let their emotions get the better of them, often in public. Those who swallow them and pretend to act as if nothing is bothering them (which can also have very detrimental effects). And finally, those who are aware of their emotions, however have learnt to self-regulate and act on them in a way that is healthy and does not impact anyone around them negatively. Which one do you identify with?

When emotions run high, no one is in the right mood for constructive problem-solving. Everyone gets too wrapped up in their own feelings, rather than doing the kind of thinking that would be required for effective problem-solving. Here’s a motto I learnt at an NLP course: “When emotions run high, intelligence is low.” When we see red, we release stress chemicals to get us ready for fight or flight. The body directs energy flows to our extremities ready to run instead assisting the brain to think clearly.

So what can be done about it? Firstly, you must notice when you are feeling triggered and frustration is creeping in. The sooner you realise what’s going on the better, because once your body goes into fight or flight it will be more difficult to self-manage your behaviour.

Next, start taking deep conscious breaths. If possible, remove yourself from the trigger. It is perfectly OK to ask to take a break or leave a room if you feel your emotions are getting the better of you. Try to change your mental state – which will alter your emotional response. I typically do so by envisioning my favourite place on Earth, my children’s smiles, or a calming beach. Do whatever works for you. Try to move your body, go outside for fresh air, or drink some water. All of those will help you flush out the chemical reaction in your system quicker.

Once you are calmer and more collected, set the intention to stay present and curious about the issues at hand, so you can give it your undivided attention without reacting negatively.

This is like a muscle, and you must practise often to get emotionally fitter. The sooner you put these easy steps into action, the sooner you’ll be able to return to intelligent thoughts, feelings, actions and results.

For example, one of my biggest triggers is when I receive messages that aren’t aligned with my views or values. As much as I want to reply in haste, which for sure would make me write something I would later regret, I have learnt to put it aside either for a few hours or even the rest of the day, sleeping on it, until I am ready to reply in a productive manner. I won’t reply until I’ve calmed down and I know I can respond rather than react.

Over to you now. What triggers you? Do you vent, hide or self-regulate your emotions? What behaviour do you normally display when emotions run high? What could be the impact of you learning to self-regulate your emotions?

To your success,

Isabel

#leadership #emotional fitness

 

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Every Employee Deserves An Opportunity To Succeed

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Low performers can have significantly negative effects on any business, from lower overall workplace morale, increased workload on others, and a lack of initiative and motivation, resulting in a work culture where mediocrity is accepted.

Low performers sabotage the concept of teamwork. So much work today is accomplished through a team which must have the desire and motivation to work for a common goal using creativity, critical thinking and smarter problem solving.  Keeping low performers in a team slows down progress.

Some companies may tolerate low performers out of a sense of duty or obligation, but keeping a low performer around isn’t doing them any favours.

You can of course be supportive of people with temporary setbacks because of health or personal issues without disrupting the team’s high-performance culture. We all go through troubled times. But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kind nature to sham or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened.

So how should we handle low performers? Should they stay or should they go?

First and foremost, every employee deserves a chance to succeed at their role. Firing as a first course of action is never the answer. In my experience, many employees lack clarity, direction, feedback, alignment or are simply reacting to the environment they find themselves in.

Whether an employee lacks skills, is the wrong person for the role or has a poor attitude, the key is to address the issue immediately. If the person lacks the necessary skills, then provide training. You may also need to consider whether the person is in the right role, or whether they’d be better suited in another position. If the issue is attitude, they’re going to have to agree to some demonstrable changes in behaviour.

The best approach to take with low performers is to help them understand their performance gaps from a perspective of care. Take the time to listen to them to really understand why this person is not performing up to standards. There’s no room for accusations or judgement in this conversation. The more open and neutral you are, the more open the employee will be with you.

Here’s an interesting fact: underperformers don’t actually know they are underperforming. This phenomenon, called the Dunning Kruger effect, argues that people are poor judges of their own competence. And so the worse a person’s performance, the higher they’ll score themselves when compared to their peers. So don’t just expect they’ll know they should be doing better. Give them feedback to help them become aware of their shortcomings.

However, if after several attempts there are still performance issues, then it may be time to allow them to move on with their dignity intact. You’ll be doing them a great favour by giving them the opportunity to take up other career opportunities elsewhere, where they can hopefully do better.

We all know that tolerating poor performance is bad practice, and using today’s tight labour market as an excuse won’t cut it. When  team members are able to collect the same pay check for doing a poor job motivation leaves the room, especially when others need to pick up the slack from those who simply aren’t doing what they’re supposed to.

We may be in a tight labour market, but keeping employees who aren’t willing to learn, have the wrong attitude and don’t want to make the changes necessary to do a good job are only going to bring the rest of the team down, whilst keeping you as their manager busy micromanaging and taking up too much of your time. Instead of dedicating your time and energy on growth, you’ll be caught up on damage control. Nobody wins. So you may want to consider letting go of employees who don’t want to pull their weight before the talent who does beats them to it. You may have to get more work done with fewer employees for a while, but in the long run everybody wins.

Underperforming employees are a big deal. Tolerating them at work demoralizes the rest of the team, makes the organization less competitive and impacts your results too. So let me ask you, who would you rather keep, the low performer or those who are doing a good job but are unhappy with the person who is dragging everyone behind?

Don’t let low performers harm your company. Managing or letting go of a low performer is difficult and one of the most common tasks that most managers delay. Whether you like it or not, this is something that must be done, the sooner the better. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and a company is only as strong as its lowest-performing employees.

Over to you now. Have you attempted to manage a low performer without a successful outcome? Have you lost any good performers as a result of low performers in the team? Is there anyone in your team who you know is not performing as expected? Is there potential for growth or is it time to let them go?

To your success,

Isabel

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

Stand Up and Speak Up or Sit Down and Listen?

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When it comes to leadership development, one of the top priorities identified by both clients and their sponsors is wanting to become more confident in being able to speak up and present their ideas. We seem to have this idealised notion that in order to be effective, influential leaders, we must be assertive, dominant, and always clear on the way forward. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

In working with leaders at all levels across the globe, I’ve come to realise that there are many types of leaders, and no cookie cutter approach can be applied to secure the success of any given leader.

There are incredibly successful introverted leaders, who don’t need to show up or speak up often to command a room. There are also many leaders who thrive in taking the spotlight at any given opportunity, without necessarily influencing anyone around. I am often curious to understand why the louder types don’t seem to be asked to “tone it down”.

Just as there is value in being able to express your ideas and present them confidently, there is also great value in knowing when to keep quiet, when to let others speak up, and let go of always needing to be in the spotlight.

I often attend meetings where everybody wants to speak and show off their knowledge. But not everyone is programmed that way. For some, speaking up allows them to clarify their ideas, whereas others need silence and time to process their thoughts. People who remain silent very often come up with incredible ideas. They just need some room and silence to feel comfortable expressing them.

Being able to remain silent is in fact one of the most powerful tools a leader has at its disposal. Silence is a strength, not a weakness, and it requires more courage than speaking up.

As leaders, we need to be able to read the social cues in the room and understand when to talk, and when to sit down and listen.

I often find that those who don’t speak up often, but take ample time to listen to others, come up with the most creative, simpler decisions. They don’t lack ideas. Quite the opposite; it is in listening to others that they are able to come up with far more possibilities and options than those who only take their opinion into consideration.

It takes courage to sit and listen to someone’s views, especially when we don’t agree with them. This is where silence requires courage. Those who speak, only speak about those things they know, whereas those who listen, they are learning something new. Telling or learning, what do you choose?

So next time you feel the urge to speak, pay attention to the social cues in the room and put on a curiosity hat. Before you jump in with the solution, give everyone in the room the opportunity to come up with their own conclusions. If you notice someone taking over the whole meeting, ask questions to those you know are quietly listening, and give them the space and the silence they need to speak up.

If you want to be an effective, influential leader, learn to stand up and speak up, and more importantly, know when to sit down and listen.

To your success,

Isabel

Isabel is an experienced Peak Performance Strategist with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, as well as Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and training. She specializes in high performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture to help leaders and their teams learn, grow and succeed. Isabel is passionate about helping empower business leaders with the mindset, performance, skills and strategies that they need to get ahead. More available on www.isabelvalle.com

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