“People… want someone to take a real interest in their development. They don’t really care about Ping-Pong tables.’’
Jim Clifton Gallup CEO
Many managers we meet let their mood be affected by others, often creating a trigger reaction of negativity and low energy in their teams, the negativity becomes contagious. Rather than reacting negatively to challenging times, if a manager can use challenge as a tool to learn more about themselves, as a powerful tactic to stay positive, they will make it less about themselves and their interest in people will remain and grow.
Jim Clifton, Gallup CEO in his recent book ‘It’s the Manager’, emphasises the importance of people and relationships at work, “….70% of the variation between great workplace engagement and lousy workplace engagement can be explained just by the quality of the manager or team leader…… Don’t listen to the hype from tech companies about what makes a “great place to work.” Today’s employees don’t really want free lunch, toys in the office, volleyball courts or Bring Your Pet to Work Day. What they really want is career development. They want the same thing their team leader wants from them — they want to improve. They want someone to take a real interest in their development. They don’t really care about Ping-Pong tables.’’
When life feels like it’s hard; when we’re up against it, shouted at, miss the train, are let down, feel we’ve failed, get scared, or feel left out, our unconscious reaction tends to be to feel low, or get irritated and cross. We can vent our frustration, often creating drama, and making it about ourselves. If you are a manager of people, your mood will be amplified by others and affect their performance. Bounceability helps, but on occasion we know that we can all fall into the negative and over thinking ‘I’m fed up’ trap. It doesn’t feel great, and it’s not a nice place to be. But at Courageous Success, we know that it can be used as a powerful place to learn and create energy from.
When challenge happens, rather than fall into negativity, ask yourself: ‘what can I learn about myself in how I handle this situation?’ Sometimes we don’t realise how powerful we are, how courageous, until we have to be. Coming out of our comfort zone and sitting in disaster, ambiguity or chaos can do us and our spirit the world of good, and make us more approachable and relatable to at work.
I can still feel terror sitting on a plane flying to a new destination and potential customers, and can think ‘what do you think you are doing Liz?’ but I know, from looking back at the challenges I have experienced over the years of being an entrepreneur, that much of the strength I now have, has come out of the most challenging of times. I forced myself, in tears, to get on the 23 hour flight to Sydney in the early days, alone and without friends, family, money in the bank or any Australian clients, and development projects have been postponed or cancelled, (even one on Christmas Eve!) creating cashflow challenge.
The challenges we face have within them great gifts and learnings. They also show us who we don’t want to be and can therefore make us better people. If we give our power away to them, we compromise our ability to stay interested in others and make a life changing difference to those we manage.
People often come to Courageous Success with the question, “How can I feel happier?”
We then ask, “How can you make yourself happier?”
Remember this and you will take a giant leap towards being a Life Changing Manager.
Click here to find out about our Life Changing Manager Programme.
”This programme has the power to change careers & lives, 90% impact.’’