Team Building

Build the foundation for productive teams focused on common goals.

How to Promote Employee Well-Being in the Workplace and Reduce Burnout

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promote employee wellbeing
5 min read

Stress and burnout don’t show favoritism in the workplace and can strike anyone from the highest-ranking company employee to the entry-level intern. One of the most memorable times I felt those two enemies of productivity was when I was the VP of marketing and sales in a direct marketing firm in the 1990s.

The cycle of stress started after I, along with four other key executives, took a pay cut due to the company’s financial struggles. Concurrently, my dad was facing serious health problems, from which he eventually passed away.

My boss approached me in the office one day while I was working over my vacation and asked if I was okay. He mentioned how my depressed mood was bringing the entire organization down. He did nothing to support me despite knowing what I was going through. Instead, he told me to decide whether the job was for me.

I decided it wasn’t and left—just as the other executives had before me, unable to endure the leader’s toxic behavior.

This narrative echoes the experiences of many employees—the struggle to feel overworked and undervalued, both as professionals and as individuals.

Just as a ship must navigate turbulent waters through the strength and cooperation of the crew, organizations must steer their crew toward a safe and thriving environment.

It’s Time for the Weather Report

When sailing, you must take the weather seriously, as a severe storm can overwhelm a poorly prepared crew.

Are the current stressors in our economic climate and workforce a passing storm? Or is more serious weather brewing requiring companies to change their work environments completely?

According to recent data, a large storm of burnout and dissatisfaction has been hitting workplaces hard for years. Employees continue to feel increasingly more disengaged and dissatisfied at work despite current efforts by employers. These feelings ultimately lead to burnout, which results in:

  • Poor performance
  • Costly errors
  • Low productivity
  • High turnover

The decline of employee mental health over time.

Image from Gallup

Understanding Employee Well-Being – Keeping the Ship Afloat

Imagine using a bucket to haul water from a ship with a hole in the side.

It’s useless unless you first address the root cause of the problem by patching the hole.

Burnout is a symptom of poor employee well-being. What holes might be causing employee well-being leaks in your organization?

What Is Employee Well-Being?

Employee well-being encompasses a person’s psychological safety, engagement, and fulfillment beyond mere perks.

You can measure well-being using five golden standards:

  • Career well-being: Employees enjoy their jobs and most of their assigned tasks.
  • Social well-being: A person has built strong relationships.
  • Financial well-being: A person is financially secure through healthy money habits.
  • Physical well-being: A person has the health and strength to accomplish their daily tasks.
  • Community well-being: A person has a safe and comfortable home they enjoy.

The five measures of well-being.

Image from Gallup

A person needs to thrive in all five to be fully satisfied. Foundational to all of these elements is career well-being. After all, the average person spends nearly a third of their life at work.

When well-being isn’t prioritized, companies face overwhelming burnout costs, including:

  • 75% of medical expenses from preventable illnesses
  • $20 million lost for every 10,000 dissatisfied employee
  • $322 billion lost globally due to turnover and reduced productivity directly resulting from burnout

However, you can boost productivity by supporting an employee’s well-being through career, social, financial, physical, and community support systems.

4 Key Strategies for Promoting Employee Well-Being in the Workplace

Use these four strategies to help you prepare your sailboat for whatever storm may come your way.

1. The SEAsoning Effect: Developing Leaders Who Guide the Ship

One surefire way to cause a sailing disaster is to appoint a brand-new sailor as ship captain without prior training. Before captaining, a person must complete hundreds of hours of hands-on and classroom training.

To prevent your employees from sinking into burnout, adequately prepare them for the job through leadership development and mentorship. They will feel fully prepared and are much less likely to become overwhelmed by tasks and a deluge of unknowns.

Training requires a customized approach.

Understand your team dynamics and provide appropriate guidance based on your team’s needs through coaching, first-hand experience, classroom training, or mentorship.

team building lesson sailboat

2. Shared Language and Clear Communication: Navigating the Voyage Together

For a crew to work together well, they must use the same language. A sailor must understand the difference between the bow and stern or hoisting an anchor or dropping anchor. These are shared language terms among sailors.

Your workplace will also have a shared language that connects you and allows you to work effectively as a team.

Leaders set the tone for shared communication by modeling how teams should interact. They also encourage open dialogue and empathetic listening to achieve the same level of coordination in the workplace.

Empathetic listening involves listening with a purpose rather than simply listening to respond. When you listen with a purpose, you truly understand the underlying issues and meaning, so your response is speaker-focused.

3. Conflict Management: Steering Through the Storms

A skilled captain doesn’t panic when navigating rough seas. He adjusts the course to keep the ship steady.

When navigating rough work situations, keep calm and lead the way to a quiet resolution.

For instance, if you see the signs of employee burnout, use these six steps to identify and address the issues:

  • Keep mental health a top priority in your company and build systems by regularly checking how your employees are feeling through open communication.
  • Don’t wait for performance reviews to give feedback. Performance reviews should be a continuation of ongoing feedback, which helps reduce employees’ stress about the topic.
  • Offer programs to support employees, such as remote work options, flexible work, and special leave.
  • Encourage employees to provide feedback on their workload and tasks so they can catch issues early.
  • Find mentors for leaders. We never stop learning!
  • Continue your training as a leader through leadership development courses.

conflict management workplace tips

4. Self-Care for Leaders: You Can’t Captain a Ship Running on Empty

You can’t pour from an empty cup into other empty cups. You are just left in a drought.

Before leading others, you must ensure you aren’t at the edge of burnout.

Take all the advice on supporting your employees and apply it to yourself to better care for yourself as a leader. Are you regularly checking in with yourself to see how you are feeling and whether your current schedule and workload are working? Do you use your vacation time to refresh your mind?

If you feel close to burnout (or are running on fumes), joining a leadership development course is a great place to start. You can spend several days stepping away from the mentor role and into the mentee role as others fill your energy back to overflowing.

Anchoring Employee Well-Being as a Leadership Priority

A strong leader guides and supports himself and his team. When you invest in your well-being alongside your team, you set yourself up for long-term success. Your turnover rate will drop, and your productivity will soar.

The first step to building a resilient team is ensuring you have the right tools and mental health to guide it so you aren’t an empty vessel pouring into other empty vessels.

We can help set you up for success through our Full Sail’s Team Building Workshop.

Navigate your way to a productive and engaged workplace today. Learn more  about our team building workshop.

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5 Reasons to Attend the Annual Leadership Summit in Salem

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leadership summit salem(c) 2024 Full Sail Leadership Academy
4 min read

Sailing looks glamorous from the outside. You see a crew rushing around the dock for a few minutes before casting off and gliding to sea. In reality, that was no small feat. Preparation for sailing takes DAYS.

Even casting off requires hours of preparation. Yet, that behind-the-scenes prep that often doesn’t make it to the big screen or in adventure novels is what makes for a successful voyage.

When you want to create a successful business, it starts with the proper preparation for you and your crew. Most importantly, it’s about building trust and strong ties with those teammates who will be with you along the journey.

During the annual Leadership Development & Team Building Summit in Salem, you will lay the groundwork for smooth waters later, saving you hours and avoiding problems arising from a disorganized or burnt-out crew.

The knowledge you gain won’t come from textbooks or generic YouTube tutorials. You’ll learn through hands-on training and dive deeper into your leadership style to bring out the most effective leader.

Are you ready to set sail?

Then hoist your anchors and cast off!

What Is Salem’s Leadership Summit About?

Just over three-quarters of employees experience burnout.

Burnout leads to decreased productivity, high turnover rates, low engagement, and poor health.

Have you seen those signs around your workplace? You might even be feeling those effects yourself.

It’s time to steer your boat away from the choppy waters of burnout. You can become the type of captain who encourages the crew to keep their eyes on new horizons rather than keeping one foot on land.

The annual leadership summit in Salem is a 3-day excursion by Full Sail Leadership Academy that teaches team engagement and transformative leadership. We take learning seriously and understand that most of what people take home won’t be general content they read in books. It’s about the experiences and personalized learning.

That’s why we create an experiential learning environment that combines our popular Full Sail workshops and lectures with hands-on learning aboard a sailboat. You have options between full and half-day sessions that help fit your busy schedules.

Through our unique approach, you will learn how to:

5 Reasons You Won’t Want to Miss Full Sail’s Leadership Summit

Let’s prepare your business for your next adventure with a fully prepared ship and crew. Here are the five benefits of preparing yourself and your crew at Full Sail’s leadership summit.

1. Learn the Latest Team Engagement and Leadership Insights

When your team is fully engaged, you benefit from:

  • 59% less turnover
  • 21% higher profitability
  • 20% higher sales
  • 41% lower absenteeism

What produces that level of engagement?

You don’t have to discover that through trial and error. At the leadership summit, certified experts will teach you the best leader development techniques based on personal experience and the latest research.

These lessons are taught both in the classroom and integrated into every aspect of your weekend, from leisurely networking opportunities on a cruise to hands-on workshops with experienced coaches.

2. Benefit from Transformational, Immersive Learning

How often have you read a book and walked away, not remembering a single word you read?

When navigating the seas of the business world, you want your leadership skills to become second nature. That type of learning comes from experiences beyond what you might learn in a virtual webinar or industry magazine.

We create a memorable learning environment using several different techniques and learning styles. We offer lectures, workshops, and even excursions out on the water. Each piece leads to a transformational learning experience that will stick with you even in the toughest leadership situations.

classroom setting

3. Receive a Personalized Action Plan

You won’t walk away empty-handed with nothing but fond memories, though we hope you do create lifetime memories here.

We want everyone to come away knowing what comes next.

Each person will not just learn how to become a better leader and improve team engagement. You will also create a personalized action plan that gives you the next steps you need to take to reach your leadership goals.

We use the CliftonStrengths leadership approach to help you discover your unique strengths. Then, work with a personal coach to learn how best to use those strengths to build your team and become a more effective leader.

4. Challenge Your Comfort Zones

The most significant storms are where a sailor’s true talents show. You don’t need to be an expert to navigate calm waters. However, you must understand every corner of your ship to work through a storm safely.

We want to test each leader in the course through training and workshops to bring out the best version of themselves. You will be pushed beyond your comfort zone of learning to grow as an individual and, in turn, as a leader.

experiential learning

5. Feel Reenergized as a Leader

You have been out sailing for a while. It’s time to return to shore and dock for a weekend as you recharge and re-supply your sailboat.

We aren’t just talking about the recharge you get after a vacation to Maui, though a little beach and sun can also be highly beneficial. We are talking about recharging you as a leader.

This type of recharge comes from connecting with friends and mentors.

You will have the unique opportunity to network with leaders from around the country, sharing insights and building each other up. You will also have the chance to connect personally with coaches and mentors who pour into you after you’ve spent so long pouring into others.

After the summit, you will leave with renewed energy and motivation to reach new heights as a leader, both personally and with your team.

Sign Up for the Full Sail Leadership Summit Today

We now accept reservations for our 2024 Full Sail Leadership Summit in Salem, Massachusetts. We would love to see you September 18-20 and support you as you discover the best leader you can be.

It’s time to set aside work stress and embark on an adventure that refreshes the soul while sharpening the mind in a fully immersive learning experience.

Visit the event page for more details and to RSVP. We can’t wait to see you there!

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Minimum Effort Mondays: Navigating Headwinds for a Better Bottom Line

bare minimum mondays
5 min read

The first mile of a run often feels the hardest.

There’s a scientific reason for that. Your body just picked up the pace, and your heart and oxygen levels haven’t caught up yet.

But, if you keep going, your body eventually syncs. The key word here is IF – because not all who start will finish a race.

Running isn’t the only situation where starting feels more challenging than the rest of the project. Starting a new week can feel just as draining.

Your Monday morning alarm goes off after a weekend of sleeping in, and your body is unprepared for another day of work. So, instead, you participate in what has been termed “minimum effort Mondays.”

Let’s look at what minimum effort Mondays are and how you can combat this issue in the workplace to regain that valuable day of productivity.

What Are Minimum Effort Mondays?

Minimum effort Mondays are days when employees do just enough for management not to fire them.

It’s like when someone asks for a 500-800-word response, and you give them 499 words.

Many professionals have embraced this mentality of working less at the start of the week, saying it reduces their stress and anxiety.

But does it work?  Does putting minimum effort into ANYTHING actually reduce anxiety when you know you’re only kicking the can down the road?

Procrastination doesn’t change deadlines.  It only piles up the workload for a later date, which typically increases workplace stress and anxiety.

Leader – you can chart a better course for your team.  Here’s how.

7 Ways to Combat Minimum Effort Mondays Through Team Development

Here are seven strategies to get you started with team development.

1. Acknowledge the Challenge

If your employees show signs of exhaustion or look unmotivated, start by uncovering what’s causing it and address that.

Just yelling, “Work harder,” isn’t going to get the job done.  Skilled leaders must invest the time and resources to care about their team beyond productivity.

When someone shows up to work on Monday exhausted, the problem is probably not with their work, but with their life outside of work.

The employee who sluggishly clocks in is probably unmotivated.  Employee disengagement is the highest it’s been in nearly a decade!

Mondays can be challenging for everyone, but for different reasons.  Acknowledge the challenge, believe the best of your team, and offer the individualized support each person needs so they can thrive in the workplace – and beyond.

2. Create Smaller Tasks and Wins

If your employees feel overwhelmed, you might have to cut up their tasks into bite-sized pieces. You aren’t reducing the workload; you’re just making it manageable.

Just ask Fredrick Winslow Taylor.

shovel

He increased workplace productivity by four times!  How?  He gave people the tools to accomplish achievable goals, one shovel at a time.

In an industrial setting where laborers shoveled all day, he found the optimum weight a person could shovel for maximum efficiency.

Surprise!  It wasn’t the biggest, heaviest shovel with the meanest boss yelling the loudest.  People’s productivity skyrocketed when their tasks were broken up into manageable amounts.

Having smaller tasks also helps employees feel more accomplished. They have several wins throughout the day rather than working all day on the same task and not feeling like they made any progress.

3. Set Clear Expectations

A clip from Schitt’s Creek once caught the internet’s attention. This scene from the popular TV show shows a mother teaching her son how to cook.

fold-in-cheese

Photo by CBC

She tells him to “fold in the cheese.” Confused, the son asks what “fold in the cheese” means. The mother, equally baffled, responds, “You take the cheese, and you fold it.”

Company communication can easily feel like a similar circular conversation. Management says they want more productivity, while employees ask what productivity means.

Without clear expectations of what you expect from your team, they are more likely to take creative liberties with how much effort they put into their job and what they accomplish each day.

A list of desired corporate behaviors and tasks keeps everyone on the same page and sets clear expectations.

4. Retain Monday Morning Accountability

Something I teach at  Full Sail Leadership Academy is accountability as the highest form of praise.

Remind your staff you believe in them while simultaneously holding them accountable for their actions. A ship can’t sail without its entire crew. Giving a crew member responsibility is a form of praise, showing you trust them to fulfill their role on the crew.

Team members will also begin seeing the connection between their actions and their differences in the whole business. That will encourage them to take more responsibility and work harder every day.

5. Decrease Micromanagement Through Leadership Development

If you want your employees to work more, you need to… stop telling them to work more.

Wait, how does that work?

Micromanagement sucks the soul dry by removing a person’s independence and motivation.  Hold people accountable to accomplish goals, not just tasks.  When people feel ownership, they are more motivated to fulfill their responsibilities.

6. Focus on Culture and Engagement

“Creating an employee experience that inspires individuals to show up to work each day is the most effective way to achieve this,” says Joe Galvin, the Chief Research Officer of Vistage.

With a strong work culture, you unify your employees in-person and remotely, increasing their engagement. Removing micromanagement and creating pride in each person’s achievements is the first step in engaging your employees.

You’ll also want to remove any barriers and distractions while providing tools and resources for success. Those tools will reduce burnout and make work on Monday morning a little less daunting.

7. Implement Mentorship Programs for Team Building

Younger and newer staff are often the most likely to feel those Monday blues. A surprising 37.9% of employees who quit their jobs quit within the first year. Additionally, two out of three left their organization within six months.

A lack of career development and support is a top reason. In contrast, 94% of employees said they would stay longer if they had more learning and development opportunities.

Having a mentor for leadership development can relieve a considerable load from these younger and newer staff members’ backs while offering career development opportunities. They’ll have someone they can rely on, ask questions of, and feel supported by, giving them renewed energy at the start of the week.

Say Goodbye to Minimum Effort Mondays

You are sailing in dangerous waters with half your crew doing the bare minimum to keep the ship afloat. That’s not sustainable in the long run.

It’s time you grabbed your boat’s helm in both hands and started in a new direction where each employee feels supported, valued, and eager to begin the following week.

Do you need help turning your ship around through leadership training?

Start with one of our team building and leadership development courses.

Check out our workshops to learn more about building a strong and motivated team.

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Encouragement in the Workplace During an Unpredictable Economy

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encouraging work team
6 min read

What can make a person’s palms sweat?  Knees knock?  Mouth run dry?

There are many answers, of course.  But let me press you to be introspective for a moment.  What have been some of the most nerve-racking moments in your life?

When facing an imposing obstacle?  When you’re down to your last dollar?

OR

When you must honestly, vulnerably express how you feel?

Putting your heart on the line can be terrifying.  Maybe that’s why many wedding proposals are so elaborate!  Even when you know they will “say yes,” it can still feel unnerving to put your heart in the hands of another.

This dynamic is also at play when you humbly encourage others.  You open yourself up and become vulnerable.  For a moment, you put yourself at their mercy.

You drop your guard, put your cards on the table, and expose a part of your heart.  This puts the other in a position of power – to receive, reject, dismiss, or try to take advantage of your openness.

To encourage is to be vulnerable.

That vulnerability holds the power to galvanize your team so that you can sail through the stormiest seas.  It can give your business an edge over the competition.

Encouragement in the workplace is essential.  It can be the difference between surviving an unstable economy and closing up shop.

Creating a culture of encouragement in the workplace starts at the top.  If you dare to encourage your team vulnerably, you will make an impact that stretches much further than a dollar.

You’ll make the world a better place.

The Current State of Encouragement in the Workplace

The American Psychological Association recently found that nearly 20% of employees feel they are enduring a very or somewhat toxic workplace environment.

What are the repercussions of a toxic workplace culture?  According to research done by MIT, a toxic workplace culture is ten times more likely to cause employees to leave.

Don’t overlook the ripple effects of this.

  • If a parent is discouraged at work, how engaged will they be at home?
  • If a workplace is toxic, how much energy will a person have to help their neighbors?

There is a silver lining, though, for quality leaders who care about their employees.  Jeff Bezos once said, “Your margin is my opportunity.”

Well, their toxicity and discouragement are YOUR opportunity!

Patrick Lencioni hits the nail on the head when he says that “health trumps everything else” in business.

People want to be valued and treated with dignity.  Most employees don’t mind working hard.  They, like you, want their work to be fulfilling and make a difference in the world.

Cultivating a culture of encouragement in the workplace can accomplish this.  And this may be the best part for leaders – it’s free!

What Encouragement in the Workplace is Not

Before we can process how to encourage others at work, we must clarify what encouragement is not.

Encouragement is not:

  • Flattery
  • Manipulation
  • Praising Evaluatively
  • Cheerleading

If you mistake encouragement for any of these categories, you’ll create either a shallow or skeptical environment.

Flattery, praise, and cheerleading can be shallow when they are superficial in focus.  And they allow you to keep your guard up.

“Encouraging” employees for the primary purpose of productivity or change – is manipulative.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with encouraging an employee to complete their tasks.

Like people cheering others on at the end of a marathon.

But that’s different from coercive positive affirmation to influence others to make decisions they wouldn’t intrinsically desire.

It’s like a kid who talks their sibling into doing their chores because of “how good they are at taking out the garbage.”

Eventually, people will see through this.  When that happens, it will create a culture of skepticism.  People deserve better.  You can give them better.  You must.

Genuine encouragement in the workplace is currently a rare commodity.  Lack of encouragement in the workplace is driving good employees away from many companies.

tiffany leads workshop

4 Steps to Cultivate a Culture of Encouragement in the Workplace

Several dictionaries offer the following definition for encouragement:

“To inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.  To stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.”

This is more than positive affirmation, though that is included.  It’s vulnerably approving who people are and appreciating the skills they bring to the table.

Genuine encouragement is taking the risk to vulnerably express how you feel about your team.

Here are four steps you can take – for free – to cultivate a culture of encouragement in your company.

1: Being an Encouraging Leader Starts by Encouraging Yourself

GiANT Co-Founder Jeremie Kubicek encourages leaders to identify how they talk to themselves.

How do you encourage yourself?

How you encourage you is likely how you will encourage others.  Consider the following questions.

  • How do you talk to yourself when you make a mistake?
  • What thoughts run through your head when work gets overwhelming?
  • What do you think when you achieve success?
  • When you’re ready to quit – what do you say to you?
  • Why?

Do you find that you beat yourself up?  Blame others?  Take responsibility, try to learn from mistakes, and move forward.

Knowing how you encourage yourself will help you – and your team – understand how you lead others.  And why you lead them that way.

2: Be Honest About How You View Your Employees

You’re not going to be best friends with every employee.  You’ll enjoy some more than others.  Some will have higher competency, better availability, or greater EQ.

That’s not in question.  It’s just reality.

The question you must ask yourself is – how do you view your employees?  Do you see them as holistic human beings with a life outside the office?

Do you understand that they may have hopes and fears that have nothing to do with work?

Are you willing to listen to them without judgment to understand where they may come from?

Even if difficult conversations or decisions are needed – you can still do so in an encouraging way.  Every person adds value to this world beyond what they produce at work.

Embrace the inherent value of each employee’s humanity – and your heart will open up to offer more substantial encouragement.

3: Invite Feedback From Your Team

“Being boss doesn’t mean you have all the answers, just the brains to recognize the right one when you hear it.”

Just like Jack Kelly did in the Newsies, we all need someone like Katherine Plumber to give it to us straight!

Inviting feedback from your team amplifies encouragement.  Asking your employees for their perspective demonstrates how much you value them.

That’s encouraging!

When people are invited to the table, something powerful happens.  You gain insight.  They feel empowered.  Comradery grows.  Momentum builds.

One of the critical factors in employee engagement is whether they feel heard.  95% of highly engaged employees report feeling heard, while 55% of the actively disengaged report not feeling heard.

When you hear how your employees would feel encouraged, you’ll find they may desire something other than what you naturally offer.

That’s ok!  Having clarifying conversations builds trust and provides an opportunity for everyone to grow – together.

Whether it’s a survey, conversation, retreat – just be intentional.  Once you gain the feedback you need to offer meaningful encouragement, the next step is implementing what’s reasonable and achievable.

4: Take Practical Steps to Cultivate a Culture of Encouragement in the Workplace

Begin by reflecting on the previous three steps.

  • How do you encourage you?
  • How do you view your employees?
  • How can you invite feedback?

Learn how you encourage yourself – and how you want to be encouraged.  Change starts with the person in the mirror.

Put in the work necessary to view the individuals on your team as holistic human beings.

Determine the forms of feedback you want to pursue and schedule a time to engage in that process.

Once you have this information, then you’ll be able to develop an implementation plan.  That requires personalization beyond the scope of this article.

But not beyond the scope of Full Sail Leadership Academy!

tim workshop water

Start Your Journey of Leadership with Encouragement Today!

You don’t have to go it alone.  We’re here for you.  Our workshops provide a tailor-made experience to reveal the information you need and provide the support required to catalyze positive change.

We’ll get your whole team on the sea for a teambuilding experience they’ll never forget!

But first, we start in the classroom.  During this time, we ensure everyone understands their role on the vessel, gains shared language and can contribute safely.

Then, we hit the water!  Few experiences require unified teamwork more than sailing.  The lessons learned on the sea will have a lasting impact on your organization.

Our debriefing time will make sure of it!  Once we’re on the land, we’ll process major learning points – not just of sailing, but of your team culture, the strengths you can build from, and areas that may need to be strengthened.

You’ll leave with an actionable plan and have access to our consultants to help you stay on course.

The time is now.  This is your opportunity.  Together, we can make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

Reach out today!

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4 Ways Your Team Can Thrive in an Unstable Economy

thrive unstable economy(c) 2023 Full Sail Leadership Academy
6 min read

Like many entrepreneurs, Jacki and Donte carefully and deliberately determined when the time was right to cut ties with every safety net and throw themselves entirely into their dreams.

This young couple spent years honing Jacki’s family cupcake recipe.  People loved them.  Couldn’t get enough.  They couldn’t keep up with demand.

In the first quarter of 2020, they took out a lease for a storefront location in a popular mall in a major urban center.

You can see where this is going – even though they couldn’t.

The infant cupcake shop could not survive the torrential storms of 2020.

This raises a question every aspiring entrepreneur must ask.  Is it worth it?  Is your dream worth chasing – even if – circumstances cause it to sink?

And that raises a second, perhaps deeper, question that every thoughtful entrepreneur must ask.  Is it worth involving others in?   

If you answered “YES!!” to the first two questions, I have one more question you must address.

How can you position your team to thrive in an unstable economy?  The wind will blow against you at times.  The future is not guaranteed.

But if your dream is worth pursuing and involving others in, you must prepare to care for them as you set sail.

In the end, your business is not just about your dreams.  People will risk their careers, time, and energy to follow you on this journey.

The Path to Business Success can be Perilous

Do you know how many new businesses fail?  The researchers at Investopedia found that:

“approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first ten years. Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more.”

This pressure takes a toll on the leader.  50% of entrepreneurs experience burnout in their business.  And that puts pressure on families.

People starting their businesses get divorced at a higher rate than the average population.

And this puts pressure on the teams expected to bring an entrepreneur’s dreams into reality.  The turnover rate amongst start-ups is more than double that of an existing business.

I’m here to tell you, though, it doesn’t have to be this way.  I have over 25 of years of experience guiding companies to stronger, healthier futures.

Several factors explain why some businesses survive and thrive while others sink.  Many of them are entirely out of your control.  But one is not.

Building a healthy team. 

4 Practices that Help Teams Thrive in a Bad Economy

A healthy, productive, efficient team can be the difference between your business flourishing for years to come – or washing out like a wave on the shore.

Here’s how to build a team that will survive and thrive while you develop your business.

1: Define the Win to Build a Thriving Business Team

Before you set sail on the sea, you must know where you’re going.  And why.  Especially if you’re the skipper and have a crew expecting you to give direction.

Leadership expert Andy Stanley says that “clearly defined wins are vital for start-ups.”  You need to know what you aim for at every level of your business.

Emotionally, culturally, relationally, environmentally, generationally, financially.

zig ziglar inspirational quote

Surviving and thriving as a team while you build your business is like building a ship in the water.  You need to know what kind of vessel you’re crafting.  That will provide clarity for your crew.

Are you building a kayak or a cruise ship?

Consider the following strategic planning questions to help you clarify your business “win”?

  • Where are you at?
  • Where are you going?
  • What’s the next step you need to take to get there?

Asking and answering these questions regularly – and appropriately involving your team in the conversation – will provide clarity and foster ownership.

It sets reasonable, achievable goals while keeping an inspiring vision at everyone’s attention.

2: Look Beyond Your Brand

Your business’ impact will have a cascading effect far beyond the 9-5 responsibilities of the office.  Your employees have families, friends, and neighbors.

My dad used to say, “A bad day fishing beats a good day at work.”

How unfortunate?

You have an opportunity to build a business that empowers people to flourish.  The work they do, the goals they achieve, the atmosphere in the office – all of it – can be part and parcel of living with purpose and meaning.

The goods or services your business provides do more than enhance the quality of life for a customer. It improves the quality of their neighborhood, community, and more.

Employees are not cogs in a machine.  They bear dignity and bring value simply by being human.  View your team holistically.  Expanding your bottom line will increase your bottom line.

People treated with dignity and respect at work perform better, work harder, and are healthier team players.

3: Define the Values that Empower Your Team to Thrive

For a team to thrive, they must know what your business values.  Your values clarify expectations.  Consider the tension in the following values:

  • Quality VS Efficiency
  • Relationship VS Productivity
  • Flexibility VS Predictability

While having a high-quality product with a highly efficient process would be fantastic, sometimes you must choose between the two.

When the economy or market is unstable, your company’s values will be a rock of stability.  Your team needs to understand – and buy into – what your company values.

At the Table Group, Patrick Lencioni provides the following categories of values.

  • Pay to Play
  • Aspirational Values
  • Core Values

Pay-to-play values are the minimum requirement for everyone on the team.  This may include basic values like prompt communication.

Aspirational values are what you hope to become but have yet to be.  It’s important to call these what they are.   For example, you may desire for your business to be diverse.  You may aim and work toward that goal.  But if you’re not there yet, be honest.  That will provide clarity for everyone.

Core values are the values that feel like they chose you.  You can’t help but bear them.  Lencioni says a business cannot have more than two or three core values.  Human beings and companies don’t have the capacity to champion any more than that.

If everything is essential, then nothing is.

Identifying, displaying, and embodying your values lays the foundation your team needs to survive and thrive while you build your business.

4: Stay in Your Lane and Empower Your Team to Thrive

Embrace realistic, holistic standards for yourself and your team.  You’re only human.  You don’t have unlimited energy or capacity.  We all only get 24 hours to invest in a day.

You must choose what you will prioritize and to what extent each season.  And you must give your employees the respect they deserve by allowing them to do the same.

Everyone has choices to make.  Those choices have consequences.

While leaders must wear many hats, you will serve your staff best if you work from your strengths.  Do you know what tasks energize you?  What drains you?

Are you aware of what temperaments frustrate you?  Do you have a level of awareness of your character flaws?  Or woundedness that you carry with you because you’re not fully healed yet?

These character issues will impact your team and business.  You can’t be all things to all people.  Stay in your lane.  Work from your strengths.  Be honest about the gaps in your competency and growth areas in your character.

Honest self-awareness will allow you to empower your team to work from their strengths and grow at a healthy pace.

If you want to build a team that will survive and thrive while building a business, recognize that your team will not and should not care about your business as much as you do.

While you may have pushed all your chips into the middle of the table – they may simply walk away from it.

That’s OK.  It’s unavoidable, actually.

You’re the skipper.  The leader.  The CEO.

You can build a team that survives and thrives while you build your business.  You can be one of the entrepreneurs who builds a lasting brand, provides stable, long-term career development, and enjoys healthy relationships outside of “work.”

We can help you get there.

Learn How to Build a Business that Thrives in Unstable Conditions

Full Sail Leadership Academy has workshops developed just for you.  We can provide a learning experience for your team that will forge life-long bonds and help set a course for a bright future.

Our crew will get yours sailing on the water and soaking in more insight than sunshine!

But first, we start in the classroom.  Our certified instructors will ensure your team understands their goals and individual roles.

We’ll work hard to craft shared language to minimize the confusion that could be disastrous on the sea.

After an experience on the water, we’ll unpack the lessons on the land.  We’ll also work with you to craft a customized growth plan – packed with actionable steps – so you can lead your crew to the future you all deserve.

We are firmly committed to guiding you so your business can reach its full potential.  That’s our “win.”

Full Sail Leadership Academy is here to make the world a better place – by making workplaces better, including yours.

Let’s set sail together! Reach out today for a free consultation!  

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How to Address Burnout in the Workplace and Make the World a Better Place

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address burnout workplace(c) 2023 Full Sail Leadership Academy
6 min read

A clock, a cellphone, or a lightbulb – which do you think had the most significant impact on human history?

Some argue for the clock.  From the second the sundial was invented, time could be measured and managed.  Work was no longer limited to nature’s boundaries.

Others think the lightbulb should win the award.  When people declared, “Let there be light!” work no longer needed to yield to the rhythms of creation.

Which makes the cell phone seem tame.  Still, from 2007 onward, work would no longer be confined to a place.

Could it be that through all of this “progress,” humanity lost a part of its soul?

These technologies provide incalculable benefits: health, safety, relational connectivity, and more.  Few people would want to turn back the clock to turn off the light.

And yet, the history-shaping advancements have come with unintended consequences.

Burnout culture is one of them.

People can work from home well past when the sun has set.  Businesses can plow for progress through the winter seasons of rest.

Wise leaders must ask – what does our progress cost?  It’s time to prioritize learning how to address burnout in the workplace.

Burnout in the Workplace Sabotages Progress

76% of employees report experiencing burnout.  The consequences of employee burnout are massive.  Business.com lists four:

  1. Decreased Productivity
  2. High Turnover Rate
  3. Low Employee Engagement
  4. Negative Health Impacts

Workplace Burnout

And that’s just considering the impact burnout has on the workplace.  Consider the cost for the community.

WebMD has found that employee burnout is linked to the following mental health issues:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Distress
  • Poor decision-making
  • Shortened attention span
  • Lack of motivation
  • Negative or cynical outlook on life

When 76% of employees feel burned out, these consequences inevitably spill out.  It pollutes your workplace and the neighborhoods and families your employees return to.

It’s time to face this ugly reality head-on.  If you’ve ever wondered how to differentiate your brand – this is it.

Create a culture that respects the limitations of people’s humanity and submits to the rhythms of creation.

Here’s how.

Mitigating Burnout in the Workplace with Lessons from the Sea

“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”  This mantra comes to you courtesy of the Navy SEALs.  You would do well to meditate on it and implement its wisdom into your business strategy.

Few organizations in the world work with stakes higher than the Navy SEALs.  They engage in – and train for – life-or-death scenarios regularly.  And that, not just for their lives.  But for yours.

What do you think it means for slow to be smooth and smooth to be fast in your workplace?

When sailing on the sea, there are times when a crew needs a break but can’t anchor because the water is too deep.  So you have to “hove to.”

To complete a “hove to” maneuver, the skipper turns the boat as if he or she were going to tack (turn the boat through the wind) but does not move the foresail.

Once these steps have been taken, the steering wheel or tiller is tied down to keep the boat in the wind.  This allows the vessel – and the crew – to rest.

Sailors and SEALs know that it will do more harm than good to press on beyond the physical limitations of the team.

Wise leaders recognize and yield to the same reality in the workplace.

Lead with Empathy to Restore Employee Morale

Empathy could be the key to counteracting burnout.  76% of employees report experiencing burnout.  Ironically – research conducted by Catalyst found that “76% of people with highly empathic senior leaders report often or always being engaged.”

Coincidence?

Leaders often make the mistake of wanting to appear wise or exceptional in some way.  But the truth remains that people don’t care what you know until they know you care.

Some people are naturally more empathetic than others.  You may need to invest intentional energy into cultivating empathy within yourself and the workplace.

But you can’t dismiss the importance of leading with empathy.  Your empathetic disposition can contribute to emotional and mental health that will have benefits extending far beyond your company’s bottom line.

How much value can you ascribe to a working mother who feels so energized at work – in your company – that she actually has a greater emotional capacity to engage with her family’s needs at home?

Beyond this, empathy is the glue that creates trust between a company and its employees.

And trust has enormous value in the workplace.  Harvard Business Review discovered that organizations where employees trust their management have:

  • 13% fewer sick days
  • 29% more life satisfaction
  • 40% less burnout
  • 50% higher productivity
  • 74% less stress
  • 76% more engagement
  • 106% more energy at work

🤯

benefits employee trust

All the leadership tips, tricks, and techniques CANNOT COMPARE to a leader who simply and genuinely cares about their employees’ feelings.

How can you put empathy to work as the antidote to employee burnout?

Create regular rhythms of rest and connection with your employees.  Listen to them without judgment.  Collaborate to establish reasonable expectations that allow your team to maintain proper boundaries – and flourish.

Cultivate a Cadence of Connection in Your Workplace

You must have the courage to look beneath the waterline of your employees’ lives.  They are human beings with lives, desires, fears, ambitions, and pain that influence their performance in the workplace.

You can honor them by implementing what Anna Barnhill at Forbes terms the Three C’s of Team Loyalty.

Care: Lead with Empathy and Compassion

Looks like the secret is out!  Everywhere you turn, researchers are uncovering the incalculable value of leading with empathy.

Author Michael Hyatt says, “When your team needs a breakthrough, sometimes you just need a break.”

If you want to unleash the power of empathy in your workplace, you must be intentional.  Schedule meetings with your team where you have enough space to hear their hearts.

Don’t get sucked into the vortex of counterfeit, short-term productivity.  The gift of a regular time of connection with an empathetic leader has been repeatedly proven to yield exceptional returns.

Curiosity: Demonstrate Genuine Interest and Understanding

One of the most incredible benefits of leading with humility is that you don’t need to have all the answers! You can trust that the people on your team bring value to the table.

There’s a reason that the TV show Undercover Boss became a sensation.  Empathy erupts from the leader’s heart as they interact directly with their employees – with no power distinction.

And leaders learn – not from books or conferences, but from the people they are paying to keep the business running.

Don’t wait for CBS to call you for an audition.  You can access the resource of the wisdom of your team – today.

Get curious.  Ask questions.  Trust that your team wants your company to succeed.  Recognize the benefit of their unique perspective to solving the company’s problems.

Let your team know that you value them by inviting their opinions.

Courage: Act with Authenticity and Assertiveness

Acting with courage requires implementing the previous steps.  Being assertive without empathy or humility will contribute to the dread and burnout people can feel in the workplace.

However, if your team knows that you care about them, assume the best about them, and desire to see them flourish in all aspects of their lives – then being assertive and authentic can have manifold benefits.

Being empathetic does not mean you agree.  It just means you care.

Being humble doesn’t mean you think less of yourself.  It just means you think of yourself less.

Empathy and humility are like the guardrails of bumper bowling.  They absorb what might cause a conversation to fall into the gutter – and keep it moving toward the proper destination.

Leading with empathy empowers you to offer “tough love” and “constructive criticism.”

Humility lets you listen with objectivity and without an agenda.  You can evaluate ideas and perspectives based on their merit, not on who they might be coming from.

When you have established an environment of humility and empathy, acting courageously will unleash innovation, inspire endurance, and create loyalty.

You have the power to make the world a better place by making your workplace better!

Learn How You Can Address Burnout in the Workplace Today

Can you see, can you feel how taking a break may create a breakthrough?  Do you want to learn how to unleash the power of empathy and humility in your workplace?

I would be honored to guide you in this crucial process.

Full Sail Leadership Academy has developed a customized workshop experience so that you can maximize the health of your workplace.

We’ll get your team sailing – literally.  But first, we start on the land to ensure everyone knows their role and we’re communicating with a shared language.

From there, the playing field will be level as we work together to enjoy a dynamic sailing experience.  After that, we’ll debrief and set you up with a personalized action plan.

It’s hard to describe how unified teams become during our workshops.  You’ll just have to experience it for yourself!

Are you ready to learn more?  Reach out today for a free consultation.  Let’s make the world a better place by making workplaces better!

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Understanding the Difference Between Solitude and Loneliness in the Workplace

understand difference between solitude loneliness at work
7 min read

Have you ever lived by a train?  Or airport?  Do you know anyone who has?

It’s said that if you live by a train long enough, you won’t even hear it eventually.  You get used to the noise, the rumbling, the intrusion.

It feels normal, just like our hyperconnected world of cell phone notifications.

News, notifications, and nuisances barge into every part of your day without any concern about how you will be impacted.

84% of employees report being distracted at work.  Astoundingly, workers are interrupted every 12 minutes – and it takes 25 minutes to pick up where they left off!

Living in an epidemic of distractions and constant interruptions feels normal, but it’s unhealthy.

Unhurried, undistracted time is essential for our health.  In every way.  Mentally and emotionally.  At work and home.

While this often requires being alone, there is a difference between solitude and loneliness.

How Does the Impact of Solitude Differ From Loneliness?

Solitude creates space for meaningful reflection and restructuring your priorities to reflect your values better.

Engaging in solitude appropriately has positive effects on your personal and professional life.  Spending intentional time alone can sharpen your focus and provide clarity that’s hard to attain in the middle of a busy life.

Loneliness, on the other hand, tends toward isolation.  It can precipitate burnout.  When a person feels disconnected from others in meaningful relationships – personally and professionally – the end result is often tragic.

A sense of loneliness can spread like an emotional wildfire in a person’s being, consuming every area of their self-concept.

This is why the benefits of reflective solitude are so profound and have an impact far beyond our immediate sphere of influence.

Hurt People Hurt People

No one makes it through this life without accumulating a few scars along the way.  The story behind our scars – emotional and physical – often influences how we interact with the world around us.

Most of the sharp, prickly, selfish, and inconsiderate things we do stem from a place of deep woundedness.

As the saying goes, “Hurt people hurt people.”  That is, people are most likely to hurt others when they are hurting themselves.

Facing our pain requires enormous strength.

The problem is that our hyper-distracted culture makes it difficult to withdraw and tend to our emotional needs.

What we don’t know about ourselves influences us in ways we don’t fully grasp.  Psychologist David Benner provides incredible insight.

He says that the parts of ourselves that we are unaware of “become stronger, not weaker.  Operating out of sight and beyond awareness, they have an increasing influence on our behavior.”

Great Leaders Prioritize Solitude

Regardless of how extraverted you may be, how many people rely on you, or how demanding your schedule is – you need time alone.

In their book “Lead Yourself First,” authors Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin identify how great leaders prioritize solitude.  Dwight Eisenhower, James Mattis, Jane Goodall, and Martin Luther King are a few examples they provide.

Kethledge and Erwin draw out how time in solitude allowed these great leaders to gain clarity, creativity, emotional balance, and moral courage.

Many businesses fail to realize their potential because the leaders are so focused on working in the business that they can’t work on the business.

Or themselves.

Self-Care is Paramount to Care Well for Others

Navy SEALS train so ruthlessly that each SEAL possesses superhuman strength and tenacity.  It’s said that Navy SEAL training is the most rigorous training in the world.

Out of every ten soldiers that begin, only two finish.  Why do Navy SEALS train so vigorously?

To take care of others.

In a recent conversation,  former SEAL Chad Williams told me, “The mantra in the SEALs is ‘Team, buddy, me – in that order.’”

For a SEAL to effectively take care of the team and their buddy – before taking care of themselves – they must train themselves to be equipped and prepared to do so.

It’s like the instructions we receive before a plane leaves the runway.  We’re told that in the event of a crash, we must put on our oxygen masks before helping others so that we can help others.

Self-care does not have to be selfish.  With the right motivation, self-care and solitude can be among the best gifts we give others.

No SEAL wants a teammate who isn’t healthy enough to serve others.  No employee wants a boss who is unaware of their own wounds and ends up hurting others.

You can offer something better.  But it will require shutting off distractions, disengaging from responsibilities, and opening yourself up to your inner person.

Solitude is Categorically Different From Loneliness and Isolation

It’s essential to differentiate solitude from isolation or loneliness.  We define solitude as a healthy, personal discipline that allows you to engage in meaningful self-reflection.

Loneliness, however, is a state of “sadness because one has no friends or company.”

While you can be lonely in a crowd, you cannot have solitude there.  Solitude is a virtue to be pursued.  Loneliness is a danger to be addressed.

A recent Harvard study found a significant correlation between feeling lonely at work and exhaustion.

“The more people are exhausted, the lonelier they feel.”

Loneliness profoundly affects individual health, as demonstrated by several studies by leading universities.

One study led by Sarah Pressman of the University of California at Irvine showed that obesity reduced longevity by 20%, smoking by 50%, and loneliness by 70%.

Conclusion?  Loneliness is as dangerous to your health as smoking and obesity – combined.

Corporately, the toll of loneliness on disengagement is staggering.

Loneliness leads to disengagement.  According to Smith’s School of Business and the Gallup organization, disengagement leads to these massive organizational issues:

  • 37% higher absenteeism
  • 49 % more accidents
  • 16% lower profitability
  • 65% lower share price over time

And that’s just business.  Loneliness is impacting society on a historical, global scale.

In May 2023, the Surgeon declared loneliness an epidemic.  This puts the US five years behind the UK, where there has been a “Minister of Loneliness” at work since 2018, and two years behind Japan.   The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) cited in March 2021 that ~28% of employees felt isolated at work.

Loneliness needs to be addressed.  Solitude needs to be embraced.

Loneliness leads to disengagement

Leaders in the Workplace Have the Opportunity to Shape History

Our mission at the Full Sail Leadership Academy is to make the world a better place by making workplaces better.

Loneliness and distraction are being declared epidemics in our day.  Leader – you can do something about this.  You can do more than improve your company’s bottom line.

You are positioned to usher health, healing, and wholeness into the world through your workplace.

Step up.  Be bold.  Step into solitude and gain the self-awareness you need to address and grow in the areas of healing your heart longs for.

Let your self-care work propel you to create a culture of health where you can care for others.  People tend to gravitate to others who possess traits they themselves wish to convey to the world.

Learning by example is only one, yet vital, way we adapt throughout our lifetime. You’ll be amazed at what happens when you’re entire team is encouraged to cheer each other on.

Watch the World Change by Changing Someone’s World

A large insurance company attended one of our workshops a few years ago. Total assets for this company are $3.8 billion, with 1,400 employees nationwide.

While everyone eventually went out on the boats, there was a great deal of reticence as we worked through the classroom portion of the workshop.

One of the participants was afraid of the water and could not swim. Another was extremely afraid of getting seasick.

It was amazing to see the participant who was afraid of the water conquer her fears as her teammates encouraged her.

Even though she had the opportunity of bailing out and staying in the classroom to plot the course of the rest of her team, she sensed the loss of missing out on an incredible learning experience.

Our captain and first mate on her boat helped her find the most secure place to sit. Our team also showed this participant that there was no harm or fool in donning a life jacket to make herself more comfortable.

After she did all that, she slowly began to explore other areas of the boat. Eventually, this unwilling participant became an advocate for getting outside your comfort zone, saying, “I’m so glad I pushed through my fear; this was one of the best things I’ve done in my life.”

The participant who was worried about sea -sickness saw the power of her team as they rallied around her and distracted her from her fear.

In many cases, seasickness can be overcome by distracting the mind. In this case, our participant was encouraged to drive the boat when she became a bit queasy.

While she was a bit timid about driving the boat, once we taught her how – she lost her seasickness, and we kept her at the wheel for a reasonable amount of time, whereas in a typical workshop, we rotate team members through the driving opportunity.

Keeping this participant at the helm helped to keep the seasickness at bay. Eventually, she got tired of driving and went to sit down in her seat.

As soon as that happened, she returned to feeling nauseous and seasick. While watching their teammate overcome and then succumb to seasickness, the team learned some of the biggest lessons.

The rallying effect of working together to beat a “crisis” showed the team the importance of caring for others while caring for themselves. It also showed the crew the amazing power of mind over matter and using the power of positivity to get past difficult times.

Crush the Difference Between Solitude and Loneliness in Your Workplace

What are you waiting for?  Elected officials are sending out a beacon, begging people to step up and respond to these epidemics of loneliness and distraction.

The world is reeling, longing for space to be seen – and accepted.  People are desperate for someone to help them turn off the distractions so that they can tune into their deeper purposes.

Your organization needs you to lead.  By example.  In humility.

The time is now.  You can make the world a better place by making your workplace better.  We can help.

Our workshops are customized to meet your company’s most pressing needs.  You’ll be trained in the classroom, sent out on the water, and provided an opportunity for reflection and growth.

We’ll also work with you to create an actionable, 12-month plan to ensure the progress you paid for!

Reach out now….before you get distracted 😉

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How Leading from Your Strengths Maximizes Your Organization’s Potential

(c) 2023 Full Sail Leadership Academy
6 min read

“Why are they lying to these kids?”

That’s what comedian Chris Rock thought while attending his daughter’s high school orientation.  What lie triggered his concern?

The speaker repeated a common phrase that feels like our culture’s mantra.  They said, “If you work hard enough, you can be; you can do whatever you want!”

To this, Rock told his daughter: “You cannot be whatever you want.  You can do whatever you’re good at.  If they’re hiring!”

Not everyone can be a skipper.  Or bowman.  Or navigator.

Nor should they try to be.  Everyone should be comfortable with and  committed to leading from your strengths.

Your organization is bursting with talent, just waiting to be activated.  As the captain of your ship, you have the honor of positioning, equipping, and empowering people to thrive – both in work and in life.

The world is aching for steward leaders like you to unleash the goodness, health, and beauty of your team.

Why is it Important to Lead with Your Strengths?

Hard work isn’t intimidating.  It may sound counterintuitive, but challenging work is invigorating.

Monotony is draining.  Being “miscast” is frustrating.

This is why quiet quitting is so prevalent.  It’s not because people don’t want to work.

what is quiet quitting

It’s because they do.

People want to use their strengths to contribute to something meaningful.  And as they do, they want to be seen as a holistic human being.  Not simply a cog in a machine.

Gallup recently uncovered a shocking and disturbing reality in the American workforce.

  • 50% of employees consider themselves quiet quitters
  • Only 32% of workers are “engaged” with their work
  • 18% of workers are actively disengaged

For those keeping score at home, this is the least engaged workforce in over a decade!

Why are so many so disengaged?

“The overall decline was especially related to clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, feeling cared about, and a connection to the organization’s mission or purpose.”

You may not be able to solve all of the world’s problems.  But you can make the world a better place by addressing these problems and making your workplace better.

Utilize DATA to Convert Strengths into Opportunities

To position your people for success, you need to know them.  See them.  Value them.  Understand them.  Release them.

Caring about the person more than their production sets a tone for the workplace – and paradoxically – often increases productivity.

We have found that using DATA helps leaders get below the waterline, understand their employee’s life situations, and provide the support needed for their team to thrive.

DATA is a process of:

  • Discovery
  • Analysis
  • Transformational Tutoring
  • Affirmation with Action

Discovery

Get curious.  Get uncomfortable.  To know your employees’ strengths, you need to know them.  This may require asking questions that feel uncomfortable.

Wise leaders understand that what’s happening in an employee’s life impacts their performance.

And vice-versa.

Ask your team members questions that probe deeper than what a cashier at the grocery store may ask.

You won’t be able to rearrange the company’s goals or procedures to accommodate each employee’s specific, evolving needs.

However, you can empathize with them and provide the support they need and deserve, including maximizing their learning styles.

Scholars recognize that people are wired to learn differently.  There are four broad categories of learning styles.

4 broad learning styles

The discovery portion of DATA is learning “What.”  An analysis is asking, “Why?”

Analysis

Skilled leaders will consider how to chart the course for their team on both the macro and micro levels.

It is important to balance the strengths of individual employees’ strengths with the organization’s strengths.

For example, researchers have found that 65% of the population are visual learners.  Most leaders would do well to incorporate visuals into their presentations, company documents, and other forms of communication.

If a team member is primarily an auditory learner, they may need conversations for information to sink in most thoroughly.

If one of your employees seems to be extra chatty, ask why.  Perhaps they aren’t trying to be distracting, but rather attempting to learn.

Understanding how your employees best learn will allow you to understand the most effective way to lead your team.

If you discover someone’s performance changes significantly, ask why.

Two employees may react in entirely different ways to the same life circumstance.  Some people throw themselves into their work when things are hard at home.

Feeding a workaholic reward system might seem beneficial, but it can be harmful to both individuals and organizations if used as a coping mechanism for personal pain.

More commonly, someone coping with new challenges will struggle in the workplace.

Too often, leaders offer coaching that is mainly transactional.  They aim to improve performance without acknowledging the person.

Let me be clear.  Business is always personal.

Employees dealing with a crisis in their lives do not need to have ultimatums at work to compound their stress and pain.

Discovery asks, “What.”  Analysis asks, “Why.”  Transformational Tutoring provides the “How.”

Transformational Tutoring

Now it’s time to take some actionable steps and help your team work from their strengths and maximize their opportunities.

Collaborate with your employees to set clear personal and professional goals.  Include timelines.  Ensure they have ownership of the goals.  Position yourself as a guide who cares deeply about them beyond their productivity.

The growth and its reward are primarily theirs.  Any benefit to the company must be sincerely viewed as a nice perk.  But not the goal.  Otherwise, people may feel objectified.

They deserve better.  You can give them better.

Tap into what you’ve gleaned about their preferred learning style.  Provide resources that match.  Be careful not to think you need to have or be the solution(s).

You just have to know where solutions are and empower people to take steps toward greater health, wholeness, and competency.

Setting goals and expectations for personal and professional growth is good.  Providing a clear path to achieve those goals is better.

Empowering people with the resources they need to walk down their personalized growth path and experience the reward of their achievements – that’s the sweet spot.

You should also encourage people to build on their strengths instead of focusing on improving their weaknesses.

But you’re not done yet.

Clarity on its own is powerful.  It’s like the sail on a boat.  But without wind, the sail isn’t much more than a decoration.

Accountability provides the wind to carry you to the horizon you long for.  This is the final step in the DATA process: Affirmations with Action.

Affirmations with Action

Nature abhors a vacuum.  Yet when offering affirmation and feedback, far too many leaders leave their team members in a vacuum.

Silence is disorienting.  People desire – and deserve – timely, kind, informative feedback.

Too many team members do not know where they stand in their employer’s mind. If an action plan was or is in place, there must be communication on the status of the plan.

It is no wonder that most American workers say they feel adrift or disconnected from their leadership team.

There is no use taking data, analyzing what it means to the employee and the organization, and providing tutors if there is no action plan with affirmation.

An action plan to build on an employee’s strengths should include:

  • Collaboration: Consider a 360 approach to an action plan. If possible, include the HR Department to ensure best practices are included.
  • Clear Objectives: Everyone should pull in the same, agreed-upon direction. There should not be any ambiguity as to what strengths are being maximized and why.
  • Measurable Objectives: Some goals may be more ethereal than others. Still, the GPS shouldn’t be the only guide in their lives to tell them, “You have arrived.”  You should tell them as well.
  • Support Needed: What does your employee need to grow that they do not currently have? Information?  Motivation?  Technology?
  • Resources Provided: Determine what they are lacking and help them secure it. Even if the goal is primarily personal, your company should “have some skin in the game” to provide the needed resources for improvement.
  • Scheduled Progress Reports: If it’s not on your calendar, it won’t happen. Determine a pattern of checking in that will be beneficial and sustainable for the employee and you.
  • Celebration of Improvement: What gets celebrated gets repeated.  One of the most effective ways to build a culture of growth and encouragement is to celebrate “the win.”

build employee strengths

Lead From Your Strengths by Leaning on Support

Are you ready to turn these principles into action?  Then join one of our workshops!  We have tailored this experience to put the most critical workplace principles into practice.

We’ll get your team sailing on the water to give you perspective you cannot gain in any other way.

You’ll learn the values of teamwork, communication, facing your fears, overcoming adversity, celebrating accomplishments, and more.

Your experience will start with training in the classroom.  We’ll ensure everyone is on the same page and understands their role on the team so that we can sail safely.

Then you’ll get out on the water and have a team-building experience you’ll never forget!

After we dock, we’ll debrief the experience with you and your team.

But wait!  There’s more!

We’ll work with you to create an action plan, including accountable improvement goals over 12 months.

After that, the future is in your hands.

Will you seize the moment now to shape a new vision for your company’s future?  Let’s work together to make the world a better place by making workplaces better.

Reach out today!

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3 Rules for Steward Leaders to Honor Their Team

3 Rules for Steward Leaders to Honor Their Team(c) 2023 Full Sail Leadership Academy
6 min read

How many lives do you think a Rolex could save?  This question haunted Oskar Schindler.

During World War II, Schindler was instrumental in saving thousands of lives as genocide threatened to extinguish the Jewish people and more.

Still, during Schindler’s List’s famous and moving closing scene, he is portrayed as looking at his watch and wondering how many more lives could have been spared had he bartered his timepiece for a human being.

schindlers list

In a world filled with deadlines, distractions, and deals to close, even the best leaders can lose sight of what matters most.

It’s not money.

It’s people.

Every once in a while, every leader needs a wake-up call to redirect their best energy to focus on what matters most.

You are not leading a machine for profit.  You are a steward leader entrusted with supporting human beings on their voyage to a brighter future.

Transforming Leaders into Stewards

Our mission at Full Sail Leadership Academy is to: “make the world a better place by making workplaces better.”

We reiterate this message everywhere we can.  Not only for the sake of clear communication.  But also because we need to be reminded.

I need to be reminded.

Life can pull at you from so many competing directions that you can feel like you’re living in a modern version of an ancient torture rack.

Exceeding clients’ expectations is no joke.  Bills have to be paid.  Market share must be captured.  Capital must be in the coffers to compensate employees with a livable wage.

And yet.

The ultimate mission cannot change.  Bob Chapman provides a remarkable perspective in his book, “Everybody Matters.”  He writes:

“… ‘my people’ are not ‘my people,’  They are someone else’s son or daughter, brother or sister, or mom or dad.”

How we treat our team has a cascading effect on communities.  A husband who gets treated poorly at work may go home and snap at his wife, who then berates the kids, who in turn yell at the dog, who then chases the cat that climbs up a tree which requires the husband to go up and rescue it.

This may not be too far of an exaggeration.

If your workplace isn’t inspiring, encouraging, or peaceful – and people invest their best energy there – what attitude do they carry with them back into their world?

Of course, work and life have a symbiotic relationship with each other.  Hence the move toward embracing work/life harmony.

Don’t let this discourage or overwhelm you.  You can have the greatest impact on the world in this pivotal space.

We can help you stand in the gap and leverage your position as a leader to make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

3 Rules Exceptional Stewards Leaders Live By

Sailing often provides vivid, life-shaping illustrations of how healthy leadership creates the context people need to flourish in the workplace.

Before boarding his vessel, the outstanding captain, John Kretschmer, taught us three lessons on steward leadership that can bring health, dignity, and effectiveness to any organization.

Kretschmer is the author of six best-selling books on sailing and has sailed across the ocean 155 times.

If using these three simple rules can guide sailboats across the ocean, they can guide your business to the next horizon.

1: Stay on the Boat

This may seem simple.  Even self-protective.  After all, who jumps off a boat in the middle of the ocean?

But despair doesn’t discriminate.  No leader brings their crew across the ocean without facing despair, desperation, discouragement, and more.

At times, the extent of the threat is perceived.  More often, though, it’s legit.  Every business over 25 years old has faced massive cultural threats entirely out of its control.

  • The Dot Com Bubble Burst
  • The Great Recession
  • The Covid 19 Pandemic

Beyond these storms are the headwinds of a leader’s personal issues, the jet stream of employee performance, and the unrelenting waves of decision-making.

Yes, decision fatigue is recognized by the American Medical Association as a mental health condition that must be tended to.

What happens to the attitude of the crew when the captain gives way to despair and contemplates jumping ship?

What happens to the workplace when the leader checks out and checks into smoother sailing on a different ship?

Of course, this does not mean that every leader needs to remain in their position regardless of their personal needs or what’s best for the business.

There are healthy reasons for leaders to transition out of their role.  Eventually, everyone must.

But a stable, committed, secure leader sets the cultural foundation – within a company – that allows the team to navigate the storms that will inevitably come.

The stability that your leadership provides extends far beyond the reach of the office walls.  The world can feel volatile.  Life is fragile.

When your team knows they can rely on you, this will give them the security they need to stay invested and present in the other areas of their lives.

2: Assholes on Board

Pardon my French.  But this is important.  You can’t overlook this rule.

Captain John would not allow anyone to treat a fellow crew member disrespectfully or uncivilly.

John’s boat Quetzal is forty-seven feet long.  The Captain said that since the boat was only so big, there was no room for anyone to act like an asshole to anyone on board.

Your workplace is only so large.  If toxicity permeates your workplace, it will loom over and creep into every area of every team member’s life.

Children will have a parent whose patience has been exhausted before they even start to help with homework.

Neighbors will be greeted by closed garage doors instead of a friendly wave because people have already expended their emotional energy.

Therapists get their schedules filled because people aren’t designed to live in a disrespectful, contentious environment.

Manuela Priesemuth at the Harvard Business Review has found that toxicity at the executive level of an organization tends to spread throughout – and beyond it.

“Employees report feeling emotionally drained, experience lower well-being, and even increased conflict at home.”

Captain Kretschmer stressed the attitude that we should have towards our fellow crew members.  Business leaders must stress the importance of civility and courtesy toward team members and customers.

Leaders as community stewards must model how civility and courtesy start with their attitude. It’s all about developing a caring attitude towards each other and the organization.

3: Take Care of Yourself to Take Care of Others

The first two rules depend entirely on a massive assumption: that the leader – you – are healthy.

Comprehensively healthy.  And humble.

The old saying rings true – hurt people hurt people.

Managing behaviors won’t get the job done.  It’s not sustainable.  It is exhausting.  Leader – you must go beyond techniques and actually care about your people.

As people.  Human beings.  Not as a means to an end.  Not as a number on the balance sheet.  But as someone else’s father or mother, sister or brother.

And that starts with viewing yourself with the dignity you deserve.  If you are driven to find your value in what you achieve, you will push your team to achieve more than is reasonable.

If you don’t value your life outside of work, you won’t be able to honor your crew’s commitments to their community.

When a leader values productivity over character, they overlook the traits of any high achiever, even if they make a workplace toxic – and wreak havoc beyond the office.

Your value, worth, and dignity must be grounded in a source larger than your platform, more reliable than money, and more secure than your popularity.

No one gets to the captain’s chair without accumulating some scars along the way.  Do you have the strength to admit your weakness?  Do you have the courage to pursue personal healing?

Could it be that the greatest gift you give your employees is admitting that you also need support?

If you give yourself permission to heal and grow – your team will feel they have the same permission.

What might happen if, instead of treating a team member poorly because of your own poor self-concept – you treated them with civility and compassion?

Then that husband goes home and is tender toward his wife, who in turn is patient with the kids, who are kind to the dog, leaving the cat alone, who then curls up on the husband’s lap to provide comfort instead of requiring rescue.

team building sailing

Transforming Leaders into Stewards on the Sea

A better world is within your reach.  Together we can make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

One step you can take to jumpstart your journey of creating a healthy workplace is to join us on the sea for a workshop.

As your team sets sail, you’ll watch these three rules spring to life.  We start with a classroom session to ensure safety.  Then we work on the water for the experience of a lifetime!

After this, we debrief and provide you with a personalized growth plan, including actionable steps, so that you can lead your crew to a brighter future.

Reach out today and learn how Full Sail Leadership Academy can equip you to care for your team – and make the world a better place.

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Embracing Humility in the Workplace to Thrive in the Next Economy

humility workplace culture
7 min read

Have you ever been uncomfortable with doctors “practicing” medicine?  When you have a severe medical condition, most people don’t want someone practicing on them.

You want solutions.  Guarantees.  You don’t want someone “practicing” on you.  You want them administrating healing!

Our words matter.  Words create worlds.  They create culture.  What meaning does the word “practice” carry in your mind?

The Oxford Dictionary defines “practice” as:

“Perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly to improve or maintain one’s proficiency.”

To “practice” may mean many things.  But in every context, “practicing” conveys a sense of humility.  Isn’t that something you want your doctor to have?

To be humble is not to be incompetent or ignorant.  It’s a posture that’s open to improvement, refinement, and even correction when necessary.

What is lost when a person maintains a posture of humility?  What do you think is gained?

What happens to a heart, a home – a workplace – when humility isn’t given room to breathe?

Leadership experts rightly emphasize a plethora of critical qualities and characteristics of sound leadership.

In our experience at Full Sail Leadership Academy, there may be no more valuable – and overlooked – aspect to leadership than humility.

Be Humble or Be Humbled

Blockbusters happen.  And not in terms of amazing deals.  In 2000, Blockbuster had an opportunity to buy the upstart company Netflix for reportedly $50 million.

At the time, Blockbuster saw no end in sight to their profits nor any significant issues with their business model.

And history will not see any humility (or wisdom!) in their position.

As of the second quarter of 2023, Netflix’s current valuation is over $162 billion.  Blockbuster is closed.

Arrogance blinds us from seeing what we don’t know we don’t know.

sail when if

Captain Seth Salzman owns the historic sailing vessel, “When and If.”  During one of our Leadership Summit aboard his ship, an attendant complimented Salzman as an expert sailor.

Salzman received the compliment, but offered a wise word of clarification.  He shared concern about anyone who would consider themselves an expert sailor.

Why?

You may be an expert.  But people who think they are often stop learning.  Growing. Practicing. Honing their skill.

Like Blockbuster.

On a sailboat, arrogance costs more than money.  It could cost lives.

One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen entrepreneurs make is presuming their expertise.  This arrogance is displayed on Shark Tank in nearly every episode.

When leaders think they know everything, they don’t enlist nor listen to others who may have something to offer that could benefit everyone involved.

Humility can put more wind in your company’s sails than any infusion of capital could ever pretend to offer.

And get this.

Humility – is free.  It’s universally accessible.

Do you want to embrace the benefits of humility in your heart, home, and workplace?  Consider how these crucial categories can carry you to brighter horizons.

5 Key Categories to Demonstrate Humility in the Workplace

While the benefits of humility are as deep and expansive as the ocean, we all work in five key areas of our lives.

1: Spiritual

Why does spirituality top our list?  Even in a secular society, humans can’t shake their longing for transcendence.

We intuitively and instinctively sense that we have a purpose beyond functionality and productivity.

Steve Jobs, reflecting on his mortality, once said:

“…it’s strange to think that you accumulate all this experience…and it just goes away.  So I really want to believe that something survives, that maybe your consciousness endures.”

Jobs didn’t want to believe that death was an off-switch that was simply, “Click!  And you’re gone.”

To foster healthy workplaces, leaders must have the humility to recognize that every member of their team is created to taste something transcendent.

Every.

Single.

Member.

Not just the visionary CEO or the rising star.  The value and dignity of every human being is found in who they are.  Not what they do.

When asked if human bodies have souls, a philosopher once cut to the heart of this issue.  They replied, “I am a soul.  I have a body.”

2: Physical

And yet, our souls do have bodies.  Bodies that must be cared for and tended to.  Even when your work is primarily intellectual or automated, the work is still produced through a body.

What would it look like for a workplace to be physically humble?

Acknowledge Physical Needs

Stay up-to-date on research about the physical impact work has on your team.  For example, did you know that the government in Australia has called “sitting the new smoking”?

Some researchers predict that in 1,000 years, humans will evolve to have hunched backs, clawed hands, and second eyelids – due to our constant use of and reliance upon computers.

Yuck.

A humble leader can acknowledge this and go the extra mile to provide ergonomically appropriate work equipment so their team can stay physically healthy.

Embrace Physical Limitations

Accommodations can and should be made for people who are physically disabled.

This principle holds true for everyone, though, as everyone is physically limited.  People can only walk so far, work so long, and lift so much.

Eventually, everyone needs a break.  Intellectual breaks included.

The need for rest should be welcomed, not chastised.

Everyone has an optimal pace for work.  And it’s not 110% at all times.

Work in Rhythm

In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport provides  “rules for focused success in a distracted world.”  Newport highlights our need to discern when we are most effective.

Then, he suggests we give our best hours to our most important tasks.

In some situations, you may only be able to offer a work schedule or environment that is 9-5 in an office.

With humility, you can acknowledge that each person has a physical rhythm best for their work and then try to accommodate that.

Respect Physical Boundaries

In the long overdue day of “me too,” leaders need the humility to uphold a culture of respect for the physical boundaries of the people in their workplace.

Don’t assume that everyone is comfortable with the same level of physical interaction with every member of the team.

Consent should be requested and granted before gestures as potentially innocent as a hug.  You need the humility to acknowledge that you don’t fully understand everyone’s story and, consequently, what they are comfortable with.

Physical humility will only bring benefits to your workplace.

3: Relational

Michael Scott may be the gold standard of a boss with no self-awareness.  That character demonstrates the consequences of relational pride.

Toxic work environments often spring from leaders who are not relationally humble.  Their behavior can span the spectrum from insecure to arrogant.

On either side, though, the issue is self-focus.

Some mistake humility for insecurity.  That’s not actual humility.  C.S. wisely said that “humility is not thinking less of yourself.  It’s thinking of yourself less.”

Relationally humble leaders are more concerned about how their team feels – period – than how their team feels about them.

Relationally humble leaders understand that different temperaments connect better with some than others, so not everyone will be best friends.

Further, relational humility empowers leaders to put the ultimate good of the organization above how their popularity.

Of course, having humility in relationships doesn’t preclude empathy.  It presupposes it.  Humility gives a leader the insight and perspective required to bring people along who may disagree with the many hard decisions that must be made.

4: Financial

If you live long enough, your money will take a hit no one could see coming.  The Great Depression.  The Housing Crash.  The Pandemic.

Cars break down.  Heating systems fail.  Kids need braces.  Aging parents need care.

And yet – financial humility does not mean never taking risks and always being shrewd.  Like Ebenezer Scrooge.

In fact, study after study finds that generosity is linked to happiness.

Companies that are financially humble can be wise in their planning and generous toward their employees and community.

Why?

They have the humility to tap into their desire for transcendence.  People want more than pennies.  They crave purpose.

Full Sail Leadership Academy is committed to making the world a better place by making workplaces better.

That requires finances but goes far beyond.  Sometimes that means we give away resources.  Including our time.  Advice.  Prayers.  And more.

At the same time, leaders must have the financial humility to recognize what Donald Miller points out.
“You might not be in business to make money.  But if you don’t make money, you won’t stay in business.”

Money, in and of itself, is not evil.  The often misquoted Biblical verse actually says that it is “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

Money is not evil.  Loving money is.

5: Intellectual

What comes to mind when you consider intelligence?

Those raised in Western culture may assume intelligence is summed up in an ability to read books, absorb lectures, and repeat the content in standardized forms.

And while reading comprehension and memorization are forms of intelligence, that’s not the exclusive definition.

Street smarts VS book smarts.  Right?

EQ, or emotional intelligence, has been growing in importance for some time.

The South African College of Applied Psychology identifies nine different forms of intelligence, including:

  • Naturalistic
  • Musical
  • Logical-mathematical
  • Existential
  • Interpersonal
  • Linguistic
  • Bodily–kinaesthetic,
  • Intra–personal
  • Spatial

No single person has the corner on the market on all of these forms of intelligence.  Humble leaders recognize this reality as a massive opportunity.

In every area, you can lean on those with a higher degree of intelligence than you.  The honor you humbly give those in your company who have greater intelligence than you will only enhance your workplace’s quality, effectiveness, and ethos.

And if you love learning, intellectual humility provides you with endless opportunities to enjoy what you love.

Can you imagine how your workplace culture might be transformed if learning was normative?  What would happen if people could approach tasks and problems with a mindset of “I might be wrong.”  And that’s ok!

Not knowing everything isn’t a problem.   Thinking you do is.

Humble Leaders Work From Strengths and Empower Others to do the Same

Can you imagine how powerful and healthy your workplace could be if humility permeated the culture?  Humility empowers everyone to work from their strengths.

Humble leaders know they can’t be everything to everyone.  They know what their lane is – and they run in it.

Experiencing the benefits of humbly working from your strengths can cultivate an environment of an entire workplace that harnesses people’s strengths.

When this happens, the results are phenomenal.

Gallup reports that  “employees who use their strengths are more engaged, perform better, are less likely to leave — and boost your bottom line.”

reducing disengagement

Learning How to Demonstrate Humility in the Workplace with Full Sail Leadership Academy

Do you have the humility it takes to ask for help?  Some people never will.

Insecurity can taunt you to believe that asking for help is a sign of failure.

Arrogance can bully you into thinking you are somehow better off going it alone.

But humility extends a better invitation.  Humility lets you bring your full self to the table.  Strengths.  Weakness.  Gaps.  Successes.  Failures.  Hopes.  Fears.

Humility gives you the strength to own where you are on your journey – and the courage to keep sailing toward a better horizon.

We would be honored to guide you there.  If you want to grow in enjoying humility, there may be no better step for you than joining our workshops.

We’ll allow you to learn about teamwork, leadership, communication, humility – and more – all through the breathtaking experience of sailing.

You’ll receive training in the classroom, experience on the sea, and a personalized plan with actionable steps to provide accountability for your team.

Reach out today and learn more about how we can help you make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

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10 SIGNS YOUR ORGANIZATION IS LEAKING PROFITS

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