June 2023 WLP NEWSLETTER

Hello CREW Members!

How can Monday and every day feel free, fun, and fulfilling– like a Friday? Get everyone into the ACTT:

• A – is for Alignment. Alignment starts with awareness and is the foundation for how your leadership shows up in our world. It includes communicating valuable outcomes. 

• C – is to Cultivate a Crew. Crew members are 100% committed to your success, and you are also willing to be 100% committed to their success. These high-quality relationships can exist within your leadership teams, clients, direct reports, etc.   

• The first T stands for the level of devotion you have to Transformation. We can’t force Transformation to happen, but we can create transformational spaces for ourselves and our organizations for Transformation to occur. 

• The last T is to create a solid Transition Plan. If you do not have a transition plan, someone, or something else will create one for you.

The best Teams and Leaders ACTT!

This month we focus on C – is for Crew by doing our part to create ideal relationships at the heart of successful leadership. We delve into techniques to foster open dialogue, active listening, and providing constructive feedback. Enhance your ability to communicate with clarity, empathy, and authenticity, ensuring your messages resonate with your team members.

Why? Because leaders create leaders by:

• Building High-Performing Teams: High-performing teams are the backbone of any successful organization. We discuss strategies for building cohesive, collaborative teams that embrace diversity, leverage individual strengths, and cultivate a culture of trust. Together we learn how to maximize team synergy and foster an environment where innovation and productivity thrive.

• Nurturing Employee Growth: Investing in the growth and development of your team members is crucial for both their success and your organization’s overall sustainability. We explore techniques to gain insights into fostering a continuous learning culture that encourages leadership development.

• Balancing Work and Well-being: Ensuring the well-being of your team members is essential for maintaining their engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction. Together we align on strategies to promote work-life balance, prioritize self-care, and create a supportive environment that values mental and physical health. When we lead by example, we encourage our teams to find their equilibrium. 

• Communicate & Reward Ideal Behaviors: Here’s an example of a leadership competency one of our coaches is working on for our client’s high performer: “Facilitate Productive Conflict – continue to be respectful in challenging situations. Understand productive and reactive ways to lead yourself and others toward a positive resolution. Learn multi-dimensional ways of leading, e.g., knowing when to ask powerful questions, collaborate, or be directive with confidence. The measure of success – Fewer escalation calls are received from Client Services.”

Here’s some practical advice from my friend and Colleague Ellen Waldorf, Esq., to get our employees into the ACTT. 

• Ask open-ended questions.
• Reflecting on what we hear and catching ourselves if we go into rebuttal. 
• Ask the other person if we got it right. Whether we did or didn’t, what matters is that we understand how others experience things. 
• Create alignment (not necessarily agreement) by stating desired outcomes on the next steps (I added this one).
• Repeat the above as needed.

Love you, ladies.

Nina ツ