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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.

/by

The Staggering Impact of Creating a Culture of Encouragement in Your Workplace

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encouragement workplace
6 min read

Don’t you love a good rudder? Isn’t it a relief when you don’t have to lose any sleep worrying about the quality of your rudder?

Wait.

Your mind doesn’t randomly roam to your rudder?

Most people don’t daydream about the mechanical components of a ship. But if you ever step foot on a sailboat and intend to return to land, you need one.

sailboat rudder

A rudder is essential to the entire function of a sailboat. Even though it is small in comparison to the ship – and makes its living under the waterline – a rudder is responsible to direct the ship.

This small, easily overlooked piece of hardware is essential to your vessel functioning as intended. It’s best to pay attention to them.

Just like the perspective of each member of your team. You may not always see it, but it is pivotal to the functioning of your business.

Skilled leaders know how to draw out the best in people and utilize individual strengths for the good of the whole.

Without this, your business may quickly become lost at sea.

What Happens When Employees Don’t Feel Encouraged at Work?

What do you think is your team’s greatest motivation for showing up to work?

Money?  Resume building?  Comradery?  Mission?

Do you want to increase the level of ownership your team has in the mission of your company?  Most leaders do.

Why?

Nothing beats intrinsic motivation.  When an employee feels personal ownership of the mission and vision of the company, everything changes.

People want to live a life they are passionate about.  No one wants to invest their best years grinding away just to survive.

If leaders want their team members to own the vision and team members want to have their work connect to their passions – then why is 18% of the workforce actively disengaged?

This is the $500 billion question.  Leader – you hold the keys to unlock the treasure.

It’s not about technique or skill.  You don’t need an AI tool to do the heavy lifting for you.

You simply need to value your rudder.  That is, YOU need to intrinsically value the perspectives of your team members – and encourage them.

What would you give to see:

  • Problems within your organization when they are small versus in crisis?
  • Each member of the team working from and maximizing their strengths?
  • Your team energized and eager to come to work?

Then you’ll love learning from the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard Rule 5 for Preventing Collisions at Sea

“Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions to make a full appraisal of the situation and/or the risk of collision.”

Don Doggett simplifies Rule #5: “A vessel has to have a lookout at all times, in all directions using all means possible!”

This sounds simple enough.  It’s easy for leaders to assume that your team wants your company to succeed as much as you do.

But that’s rarely true.

The people on your team have massive concerns outside of your company.  They may be raising families, caring for sick family members, wrestling through trauma, buried in student loan debt, priced out of the housing market….the list goes on.

So does their joy!  The people on your team may be falling in love, volunteering their discretionary time, discovering new hobbies, training a new pet, and so much more.

Your company’s success may be one of the most essential things in your life.  But probably not in theirs.

Encourage this.  See your employees as people.  Acknowledge their pain – and their passion.  This will set the course for how your team views your company and treats each other.

People who feel encouraged will WANT to look out for the good of others.

Create a Culture of Encouragement by Harnessing the Best Ideas

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

Katherine famously instructed Jack with these words in the Broadway sensation, The Newsies. We would be wise to heed her advice.

The most influential leaders are not unquestionably wise or impenetrably strong. They have a meek, humble disposition that assumes the people around them bring value to the table.

And have the desire and sill to draw that out.

What would happen if, instead of positioning yourself as a “thought leader,” you labored to become a “thought incubator?”

That is, you invested more effort and energy into drawing out the good ideas that others have than promoting the insight you think you have.

Maybe you wouldn’t get as much recognition. But you would also have far less pressure on your shoulders! And a far more motivated, healthy, and loyal team.

This doesn’t mean you must give the same weight to every opinion. You don’t even have to feel obligated to follow through on every recommendation every person offers.

Patrick Lencioni says that most people don’t need to have every idea implemented. They just need to know they’re heard.

A Culture of Encouragement is Contagious

Titles don’t equal influence.

In fact, they often have the opposite effect.  A study done by the Harvard Business Review found that 58% of people trust strangers more than their boss.

A gold-plated name tag on a corner office may symbolize status.  Power.

Apparently, it’s also a signal of distrust.

Trust in authority has been consistently eroding since the 1950s.  The Viet Nam War and Watergate opened up the floodgates of distrust.

Occupy Wallstreet.  Me too.  Black Lives Matter.  Fake News.

protestors

To harness the best ideas from your people and create a culture of encouragement – you have to earn it.

This is a layered opportunity.

Networks form organically and structurally in every organization.  Tap into this.  You can unleash extraordinary ideas and harness insightful critiques – through the credibility others have established.

And then – you can pass the credit where it belongs and reinforce the culture of teamwork and encouragement you’re striving to cultivate.

Where there are issues of safety to address, you can step into them full stop.  It’s one thing to be ignorant.  It’s another to be negligent.

Press in.  Let yourself be inconvenienced by other people’s concerns.  Everyone will be better for it, including your company.

Step Outside of the Office to See Encouragement Come Alive

Helping your team see and embrace the value of other teammates and departments is incisively powerful.  Several years ago, a client with a productivity and profitability challenge came to us.

full sail key west

This firm is in the architectural art industry.  At the time, the architects would design the structure, then hand it off to the artists.

The artists often responded with, “We can’t do anything with that,” and the architects would have to return to the “drawing board.”

This costs the firm time lost productivity and money.

We asked our client why the artists felt they couldn’t provide input early in the process.  The owners told us that the artist’s most common response was, “We aren’t as smart as those guys, and we don’t know what will work.”

The problem wasn’t a lack of communication; the problem came down to poor attitude and appreciation.

Our workshop was the first time they processed how the interdependence of the two departments was critical to the organization’s success.

The insight struck like a lightning bolt while we were on the water.

We raised the sails and asked the artists to take the wheel and drive the boat. Their first reaction was, “We’ve never driven a sailboat before; we can’t do that!”

When the architects heard this, they said, “That sounds exactly like what they  say in the office!” This dialogue brought the issue to life.

After a bit of encouraging, coaching, and cheering from the rest of the team, the artists took the helm and drove the boat for a good portion of the sailing.

Before this moment, they never checked the rudder of interdependence and mutual appreciation.  This oversight caused them to waste enormous energy steering the sailboat.

But once they did, the team could sail with greater efficiency and energy than ever.

Underperformance.  Miscommunication.  Inefficient process.

This plague every business.  Sometimes, they can ALL be solved by simply empowering your team to walk across the hall and encourage their teammates.

In the End – We’re Building People

Profit margins matter.  Bolstering brands is essential.  As Donald Miller says, “You may not be in business to make money, but if you don’t make money, you won’t stay in business.”

At Full Sail Leadership Academy, our mission is to make the world a better place by making better workplaces.

In the end – we’re building people.  So are you.  If you’re not, then we may not be the right guide for your journey.

But if you want to see human beings thrive, communities beautified, and the quality of lives enhanced, we would be honored to guide you on that journey.

We have resources prepared for you to foster a culture of encouragement.  We’d welcome a conversation, and if you’re ready to take a leap onto the water – our workshops can equip you to lead your company to the bright horizons you deserve.

Don’t wait any longer to check on your rudder.  Giving them some attention may be just what you need to give your company the direction you need!

Reach out today!

/by

How to Improve Your Workplace: 4 Ways to Get Below the Waterline and Cultivate a Healthy Work Environment

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improve workplace environment(c) 2023 Full Sail Leadership Academy
6 min read

Disaster struck in the dead of night.  The nine-member crew of Team Vestas Wind spent the night in life rafts instead of their $6 million yacht.

Only seven weeks into a nine-month race to sail around the world, Team Vestas Wind ran aground on the reefs of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

How could this happen?  Yachts of this caliber have so much navigational equipment that the backup gear has backups.

The GPS Chart Plotter was tuned out to the most macro level. The sailors only saw what was, in essence, on the surface.

Had the GPS been tuned to see what was below the waterline, tragedy would have been avoided.

It’s one thing to get knocked out of a race by something you couldn’t have predicted.  It’s another to sabotage yourself by not paying attention to critical information.

This is true in sailing, business, and life.  Little is more important than seeing what’s below the waterline.

Turbulence From Below the Waterline Impacting Your Workplace

Did you know that companies lose an estimated 34% of an employee’s salary on them being disengaged?

Across the business landscape of America, that adds up to a whopping $500 billion annually!

companies lose

Worker productivity has decreased at a breakneck pace.

Sociologists termed 2021 the year of the great resignation.  Record numbers of employees left their companies.  The turnover of skilled employees can cost 150% of the employee’s salary.

Clearly, these are issues leaders can’t afford to ignore.  What is happening beneath the surface to cause such consternation in the modern workforce?

Some attribute this crisis to laziness.  Or flakiness.  They assert that the current workforce doesn’t share the work ethic or loyalty that companies had grown to expect.

But Ashley Stahl with Forbes looks at this differently.  She counters these assumptions by demonstrating how Gen Z is pursuing a different, healthier way of life.

Stahl highlights several stark contrasts, with two rising to the surface:

  • Work-life balance: Baby Boomers tended to prioritize their careers over other aspects of their lives. Gen Z wants the flexibility to pursue their passions as well as work.
  • Value Alignment: Gen Z tends to be more concerned about working for companies that align with their convictions. Many are even willing to sacrifice compensation for this.  Boomers typically prioritized paychecks and career advancement.

Can you see how these issues may impact company loyalty, work ethic, and engagement?

But wait, there’s more!

Researchers Stacy J. Rogers and Dee C. May found a positive and negative correlation between marital and job satisfaction.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Leaders in the workplace must pay attention to this information.  If you don’t, you’ll end up like Team Vestas Wind.  You’ll run your ship aground and need to be rescued.

How to Improve Your Workplace: 4 Steps to Help You Get Below the Waterline

Learning how to improve your workplace and cultivate a healthy environment for all is a crucial skill. Not only can it save your company from a serious decline, but it can also help you build a better team and a more engaged workforce. If you’re looking for a way to cultivate a healthy workplace environment and get below the waterline, here are four ways you can get started:

1: Improve Your Workplace by Making Business Personal

The people on your payroll are complex, integrated, whole human beings.  They have relationships and ambitions beyond their coworkers and job descriptions.

Honor this.

Extra hours and added pressure at work have a ripple effect that stretches into the community and impacts future generations.

That’s one of the reasons Gen Z prioritizes a work-life balance.  Or, as Jeff Bezos describes it, work-life harmony.

How can you honor your employees’ lives outside of the workplace?

  • Ask about their family, friends, hobbies, and more
  • Craft compensation packages accordingly
    • Generous PTO
    • Include mental health in “sick days”
    • Family leave, including elder care
    • Sponsor volunteering in the community
    • Match retirement contributions, student loan payments, and philanthropic donations
  • Host corporate gatherings that are family-friendly
  • Sponsor intramural leagues
  • Care about your employees beyond their productivity

Taking steps like these will demonstrate to your team that you care about what’s happening beneath the surface.

2: Create a Workplace that is Safe Emotionally, Psychologically, and Physically

In a famous parable that’s comforting to many, Jesus teaches that he would leave 99 sheep who are safe and accounted for so that he can find the one who has wandered away.

Doesn’t this seem a bit reckless, though?  Leaving 99 sheep in a vulnerable position to find one?

Perhaps.  But sheep are relational, communal animals.  They are impacted by how the shepherd treats other sheep.

One sheep being rescued will make the 99 others feel secure.

This is the kind of influence your leadership has.  The way you treat the one impacts the 99.  If you’re harsh with an underperforming person, everyone else will be put on notice.

What do you think the impact could be if you applied the “Golden Rule” to an underperforming employee?  What if you treated them as you would want a leader to treat you?

Author and business leader Michal Hyatt offers this profound insight: “Sometimes when a team needs a breakthrough, they just need a break.”

No one wants to devote their waking hours to underperforming while being disengaged.  When you see these “presenting issues,” that ought to alert you to reconfigure the Chart Plotter to look deeper.

When you see your employees as whole, complex, integrated human beings and have created a safe workplace by treating them as you want to be treated, that will open the door for transformational conversations.

3: Listen to Your Employees Without Judgement to Improve Your Workplace

The Gottman Institute identifies stonewalling as one of the four most toxic issues in communication.

impact stonewalling

The Gottman Institute

Dr. Ed Tronick demonstrated our deep, innate need for emotional connection in the powerful “Still Face” experiment.

He asked caregivers to engage with an infant in typical social interaction, then suddenly become unresponsive and maintain a “still face” for some time.

The infants became visibly distressed and emotionally dysregulated when their caregivers became unresponsive.

Your team needs to know that you care.  If your door – or emotions – are closed, you will most likely exacerbate some of the stressors affecting your employees.

Emotionally engaged listening can be one of your greatest tools as a leader.

Former Navy SEAL Thom Shea teaches that “listening without judgment” is the key starting point to effective, authentic communication.

Listening without judgment is complex because we all bring bias to conversations. As a result, we tend to jump to coaching or offering solutions rather than listening for clarity and understanding.

Authentic communication requires integrity, transparency, and vulnerability that typically do not exist in day-to-day communication.

When this transparency and vulnerability exists, true transformation can occur in the hearts and minds of leaders and team members.

Without transparency and vulnerability, communication is mainly transactional. We communicate to discuss roles, responsibilities, and procedures rather than heart and mind issues.

It allows teams to meet each other where they are and still allows for growth opportunities when we set aside judgment.

And this will allow you to get below the waterline and see what’s actually going on.  Most people won’t risk vulnerability unless they feel safe, heard, and understood.

Leaders can’t address the deep issues impacting behavior, performance, and chemistry without knowing what’s beneath the waterline.

Compassion can be the difference maker to keep people engaged and stay on the job longer.

4: Engage Workplace Conflict as a Collaborator

With these critical components in place, you will be well-positioned to leverage the inevitable conflicts in your workplace for what they actually are: growth opportunities.

Personally.

Professionally.

Corporately.

Communally.

As a leader, your influence stretches further than you’ll ever see.  Addressing conflict at work can – and will – infuse health and peace into entire communities.

Think about it.  What if you could help a conflict-averse husband and father learn how to engage fully with his family?

What if you could help an overly assertive yet relationally unaware intern gain emotional intelligence?  How might that boost her career aspirations?

When you engage with your employees as people – integrated, complex, and whole – they will grow to see you as an ally.

Conflict often pushes latent issues to the surface.  Don’t neglect this golden opportunity to collaborate with your team for their growth in a multitude of ways.

employee engagement workshops

Workshops to Help You See Beneath the Waterline

Full Sail Leadership Academy has workshops expressly designed to help you see beneath the waterline.  Both literally and metaphorically!

Our goal is to get you on the water – and beyond.

We start with classroom instruction, so you’ll gain the understanding needed to spend a day sailing as a team.

We’ll get you out on the water, working together, but we won’t leave you out to sea!

You’ll receive a personalized, post-sailing action plan.  We’ll work with you to create measurable goals that your team can achieve over the next 12 months.

With this plan in your hands, your team will have a shared understanding of the issues below the waterline that your company must address.

Can you imagine what a force for good your company could be if everyone was sailing in the same direction?

We can.  That’s why we’re here.  It’s our mission to make the world a better place by making better workplaces.

Reach out today!  We will be honored to guide you to get below the waterline and cultivate a healthy workplace. 

/by

How Crafting Shared Language within an Organization Prepares Your Team to Thrive

shared language team building
7 min read

Do you still “roll down” the window in your vehicle?  How much longer do you think that phrase can last?  Think about it.  When was the last time you actually rolled down a car window?

We don’t.

We press a button, and the windows go down electronically.  The day is fast approaching when the phrase “roll down the window” will be as useful as hieroglyphics.

Although, with the advent of emojis, some argue that the ancient Egyptian writing system is making a comeback! 😉

Cultures are cultivated through words. Agatha Christie’s character, Detective Hercule Poirot, said it well, “Our words speak us.” We communicate what we care about.

What matters most to us eventually presents itself with the words we use.

People developed nuanced ways to describe frozen precipitation in cultures dominated by snow.  The locals north of the continental US have over 50 words for snow.

This enduring human phenomenon also exists in your life – and company.  Skilled leaders recognize how language reveals values and shapes culture.

You can leverage the gift of communication to care for your team.  Crafting clear, compelling, collaborative language eliminates confusion, cultivates unity, and empowers the mission.

Words are a Powerful Force in the Workplace

Every leader’s words shape their culture.  Whether they know it or not.  You have the opportunity to tap into the power of your words to care for the people you lead.

Some values will pour out of your heart effortlessly.  Your words will speak “you.”  Other values require intentionality and discipline.

Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni identifies this difference as your core – and – aspirational values.

Core values are natural.  They truly reflect the heart of your company.  It’s almost as if they choose you.  Aspirational values are what you hope to be but are not yet.

Both must be named and clearly communicated.

If not, people won’t know what’s expected of them.  Or why.

Like asking someone in 2040 to roll down their window in the car, they won’t know what’s expected of them, so they won’t get the job done.

And that won’t be their fault.

It’s one thing for an employee not to complete a task.  It’s another for them not to understand how you expect the task to be completed.

You may expect prompt communication from your team.  But even this simple and reasonable expectation carries an undertow that may not be seen – but is clearly felt.

What does “prompt” mean to you?  What platform should communication take place on?   Does the communication need to be respectful?  Laid back?  Kind?  Professional?  Familial?  Brief?

In today’s world of AI integration, even the word “prompt” carries a new meaning.

Developing shared language that flows from clarified values is helpful and, in some cases, essential.

Preparing Words is Essential for Smooth Sailing

Shared language can be defined as: “people developing understanding amongst themselves based on language to help them communicate more effectively.”

Michael Rand with the BRM Institue highlights how shared language “helps coworkers communicate, collaborate, and innovate.”

When a team is preparing to sail, everyone needs to have an absolutely clear understanding of the components of a sailboat, their role on the team, and the role of others.

Often, this requires “unlearning” some terms.  Or at least translating them.

Sailors must learn that what may look like a rope is not actually a rope – it’s either a sheet, line, or a halyard.  Which object is meant depends on how that “rope” is used.

key west full sail

Likewise, a sailor doesn’t “turn the boat.” Rather the sailor tacks or jibes the boat. The “turn” is a tack when the bow passes through the wind. A jibe is when the stern turns through the wind.

Much like a sailor needs to know the shared language of sailing and specifically their crew, leaders need to teach the shared language of their organization to be effective.

4 Ways to Craft Words That Shape Workplace Culture

Crafting a common language has manifold benefits.  It clarifies motivations and expectations.  It sets clear pathways and boundaries for your team.

Shared language may even spare your team from running aground by empowering people to own the vision and values of the company and embrace their meaningful role in the bigger picture.

1. Identify and Embrace Core and Aspirational Values

Everything in your company ultimately flows from what you most value.  Your words speak you.  Own it proudly and communicate it loudly.

Who are you?  Who do you want to be?  Those are the kinds of questions you need to ask at this point.  Who you are is more important than what you hope to accomplish.

If you need help identifying your core and aspirational values, the generous “Develop Good Habits” team has compiled a list of resources to get you started.

Engaging in discovery exercises like this is often best in a team context.  Unless you’re a solopreneur, consider carving out time with your leadership team to work through this step.

Once you’ve identified your core and aspirational values, you can begin to craft the shared language your team needs to thrive.

2. Start with Concepts

Many teams need help debating the nuanced meanings of similar words.  Choosing specific words is necessary but not at this step.

You want to ensure the concepts are clear at this point in the process. Don’t be afraid to engage in dialogue – even with people outside your company.

Once you have named the concepts that capture your values, you can craft specific words and phrases to communicate your core and aspirational values.

3. Prioritize What is Communicated

Less is more.  Human beings are limited.  So are companies.  You cannot be all things to all people.  But you can be who you were designed to be.

Lencioni recommends a company clarify at most three core values.  He asserts that people simply do not have the capacity to embrace more.

Similarly, he recommends not going beyond five aspirational values.  These are values that ought to change with time.

Your company, and the human beings that make it tick, can only focus on a limited number of priorities at a time.

communicate simply workplace

4. Communicate Your Values Consistently

Donald Miller says it well, “clear is better than cute or clever.”  You aren’t trying to impress people.  You’re trying to serve them.

No one should be surprised by or unaware of your expectations or values.  Clear communication of these critical points sets everyone up for success.  Your team can gain an edge utilizing communication strategies such as:

  • Employee handbooks
  • Onboarding material
  • Verbally
  • Actions

Just like when we’re preparing a team for sailing, new employees ought to be given everything they need to succeed with your company.

Crafting Shared Language Pushes Leaders to Prepare

Identifying, crafting, and communicating your values requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work.  In fact, preparing your team well will be an investment you make – of time, money, and energy – that will not pay off immediately.

But it will benefit everyone involved.

Preparing to take a team sailing requires an exorbitant amount of energy.  But when we’re on the sea, facing the wind, fighting the waves – everyone is glad we prepared while in the safety of the harbor.

Shared Language Prepares Proper Boundaries

Bill Belichick, the most successful coach in NFL history, is famous for saying, “Do your job so someone else can do theirs.”

It is just as important for your team members to know their responsibilities – as it is for them to understand what they are not responsible for.

Like banks on a river, knowing where our responsibilities end allows us to channel our energy for the greatest efficiency.

Shared Language Prepares People to Engage in a Shared Mission

People need to connect to something bigger than themselves to feel fully alive.  The work you offer ought to do more than provide what’s needed to pay bills.

Menial tasks are transformed into something meaningful when people see how each part is necessary to create a greater whole.

Leaders need to live in reality.  And the truth is, no one always enjoys every part of their job.  Clearly demonstrating how each part of a person’s job connects to the organization’s vision, values, and mission can inspire people to find motivation in the mundane.

Preparation Brings Clarity to Confusion

Do you want to reduce unnecessary confusion in your organization?  Then you need a shared language that prepares your team to function within your company’s values.

Henry Dodd’s insight rings true.  He said, “The reason most people do not recognize an opportunity when they meet it is that it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like Hard Work.”

Clear communication and shared language set the course for preparing people to thrive in their vocation.  When your team understands and owns your company’s vision and embraces its role within the bigger picture, many common problems are eliminated.

Let’s go back to the example of expecting prompt communication.  If you properly prepare your team, they will know the following:

  • What “prompt” means
  • Where the communication should take place
  • How they should communicate
  • And most importantly – why all of these are valued

Put Communication to Work Outside of the Workplace!

Do you want to see the value of putting all of this to work for you?  Then reach out today to join one of our workshops.

Everything discussed in this article will come to life – not only for you, but for your team.  We begin our workshops by preparing you with a classroom discussion.

During this time, we cover all the pertinent information and communication you need to have for a successful and enjoyable sailing experience.

Then, we put the preparation into motion on the ocean!  Or the lake.  Either way, your team gets out on the water and experiences the values and necessity of preparation and shared language – in real-time.

When we’re done, we’ll debrief.  But even more, we offer a 12-month plan with actionable steps to enhance your organization’s health.

Don’t procrastinate.  Your best days are ahead.  We would be honored to guide you there.  Together, we can make the world a better place by making better workplaces.

Reach out today!

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How Leaders Can Cultivate a Healthy Workplace Through Conflict Resolution

healthy conflict workplace(c) 2022 Full Sail Leadership
6 min read

Warm sun. Calm waters. Good friends. The wind in your sails. A competent crew.

calm seas

The ideal circumstances for sailing – rarely happen. Something is typically off. Often multiple issues invade your serenity. Mistakes get made. The weather doesn’t cooperate. The captain shows up in a bad mood.

And the conflict begins. It’s unavoidable. This is just as true in life as it is in business. You will have great days and good seasons. But the potential for conflict always lurks just below the surface.

Few people enjoy conflict. And even fewer people enjoy the people who enjoy conflict!

But conflict cannot be avoided. As a leader, you are strategically positioned to harness the positive energy that healthy conflict can create.

Healthy conflict can achieve greater efficiency and trust in your team. Which can boost the bottom line. Most importantly, as you leverage positive conflict, you can make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

How can you do this? Let’s dive in!

Avoiding Workplace Conflict is Costly

There is a massive cost in dodging conflict.  According to research by Joseph Grenny, “employees waste an average of $1,500 and an 8-hour workday for every accountability conversation they avoid.”

That’s just the financial cost.  Avoiding conflict has a ripple effect that reaches far beyond finances and production.  It erodes trust in an organization – structurally and personally.

Perhaps most concerning is the impact conflict avoidance will have on the families, neighborhoods, and social groups to which your team members will return.

Powerful companies like Southwest Airlines intentionally promote managers who can discern and disrupt “artificial harmony.”

Elizabeth Bryant, the vice president of training, says that the company now promotes middle managers to executive positions partly based on their ability to spark conflict among the staff.

Navigating a Sea of Conflict Management

When you peer into the waters of conflict management, you may feel like you’re trying to find the bottom of the ocean.

deep waters

There is seemingly no end to the theories, strategies, and tools to engage in conflict management.

Much of the content is helpful.  Here are three wonderful guides that will prove to be an immense benefit to you.

One of the challenges to learning how to engage conflict in a healthy way is the sheer depth of content available.  After just a little research, you may not feel equipped.  You may feel overwhelmed.

I understand.  As a licensed coastguard captain, I have seen conflict threaten to derail many crews.  That’s why I’m pointing you to helpful resources for more in-depth consideration.

But I don’t want to see you get lost at sea.  The world needs healthy, courageous leaders now more than ever.  Peace is possible.

A Conflict Resolution Forumla  That Adds Up to Health

At Full Sail Leadership Academy, we have found that MV2 + I2   always equals health.  Let me explain.

When conflict stays within the framework of Mission, Vision, Values + Ideas, and Issues – then healthy progress can be made.

Within this framework, leaders can address the problem and not make it personal.  MV2 + I2 reinforce the aspirational culture of the company and not any one person’s preferences.

A leader can also utilize this formula to keep the conversation focused on solutions.  That’s why ideas and issues are combined.

Further, when Mission and Vision are prioritized, it allows everyone involved to recognize that they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

When conflict steps outside of this formula, you run a great risk of lowering morale, fostering negativity, and hindering productivity.

3 Core Concepts for Healthy Conflict in the Workplace

While the right formula can offer helpful guardrails, there is something that matters more in conflict than skill or technique: the heart of the leader.

I’ve boiled down the core components of a healthy leader’s heart in conflict resolution.

If you implement these three steps, conflict can be transformed from a storm that threatens to sink your ship into the wind that fills your sails and propels you and your team to greater health.

  1. Believe the best
  2. Desire the best
  3. Pursue the best

1. Believe the Best About Your Team in Your Workplace

How do you view your employees?  Does your team know that you believe in them?  That you appreciate how they are more than a cog in a machine?

Can your team feel your understanding of how they are people in progress – not all good, not all bad, and not finished yet?

What we believe about the people on our team is the rudder that directs our conflict resolution.  The rudder is under the water, so it’s not seen.  But its impact on the direction of the sailboat cannot be overstated.

If we believe the best about a particular employee with whom we have to resolve conflict, we will approach the conversation in a far more disarming, winsome, and productive way.

2. Desire the Best for Your Team in Your Workplace

One of the most incisive questions we can be asked is simply – what do you want?

How we answer that question reveals as much information about our hearts as is held in the Library of Congress.

library of congress
Image cred

What do you desire – for your team?  What do you want for their families?  Neighbors?  Book club members?

Do you want to cultivate health in people that infuse reasonableness into the world?  People who are willing to communicate?  Who have seen that correction does not equal rejection?

Do you want to see your team grow in competence – and character?

Developing a culture that sees conflict as an opportunity for mutual growth and understanding will have cascading benefits.

We can’t avoid conflict if we desire the best for our team.  We can’t settle.  We must press in and help them grow.

And that brings us to our final step.

3. Pursue the Best for Your Team in Your Workplace

Conflict cannot be avoided.  Not in business. Not in life.  If we nurture a conflict-averse workplace culture, we will do much damage.

Money will be lost.  People will miss out on opportunities to grow professionally.  Communities will be impacted.

(pic of a leaking boat)

When left unaddressed, conflict can be like water leaking into a boat.  If you ignore it, your ship will sink.

If you only deal with the symptoms, you can exhaust yourself “bailing out the water,” derail your focus, and abdicate more pressing responsibilities.

But if you care enough to pursue your team’s best, you can address the core issue.  You can plug the hole.  And the ship can sail as it was intended.

If you are an organization’s point leader, you cannot let this moment pass.  Too much is at stake for too many.

People need leaders who believe the best about them, desire the best for them, and will pursue their best with them.

Workshops that Expose and Address the Core Issues of Conflict in the Workplace  

Our workshops are designed to help teams in all stages of health engage with each other in deeper ways.

workplace conflict resolution

From instruction in the classroom to experience on the water, you will learn with your team.  The importance of clear communication will come alive as you depend on each other for a successful sailing experience.

After we return to land, your team will have an opportunity to process the experience.  Here, we will help you navigate some conversations that are sure to have involved at least a level of conflict.

Full Sail Leadership Academy believes that you have what it takes to make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

We want to come alongside you with tools, experience, and coaching that can take your leadership to the next level.

I am just a phone call away, eager to help you set sail for a brighter future.

Don’t delay.  Take the first step.  This is your moment.

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Feedback That Allows Your Team to Flourish

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feedback team flourish
5 min read

Kelly Clarkson took the world by storm in the early 2000s.  She cruised through a competition that captivated America’s attention.

American Idol mixed the elements of a story that grabbed America by the lapels and demanded we do not look away.

Drama.  Talent.  Risk.  Humor.

Much of the humor came at the expense of people who did not know they had no place sharing a stage with Kelly Clarkson.

Someone somewhere should have told some of the contestants that their future was not as a vocalist.

But no one gave them that feedback.  And they suffered because of it.

Providing meaningful feedback is an essential responsibility entrusted to leaders.  Leaders are uniquely positioned to guide people toward paths they can flourish on.

Leaders can help people build on areas of strength, growing from good to great.

Most importantly, leaders can help people embrace the reality that their value runs deeper than what they achieve or how they perform.

How can you provide the kind of feedback that causes your team to flourish?

Evaluating Beneath the Waterline

Before you can provide healthy feedback to others, you first need to be able to assess your motivation. John Maxwell convincingly demonstrates how emotional intelligence is an indispensable skill for leaders.

To see beneath the waterline, ask yourself these four questions:

  • How do you feel about providing feedback to your team members?
  • Why do you feel that way?
  • How do you feel about the people on your team?
  • Do you know why you feel that way?

employee feedback leadership

Some leaders avoid providing constructive criticism because they like being liked.

Others may feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities; they don’t have the margin to provide meaningful feedback.

Of course, some leaders may look forward to having objective documentation to justify discipline or even termination.

In reality, most leaders experience all of this at some point.

The key is – are you self-aware enough to know how you feel and why?

If you aren’t, it will overflow onto your team.

Golden Rule for Providing Golden Feedback

While there is a multitude of forms, processes, and procedures for providing feedback, there is one perspective most people can agree on: we ought to treat others as we want to be treated.

Your feedback will be markedly improved if you apply this principle.

The impact will be felt not only in what you say, but in how you say it, and why.

As a sailboat captain, I help my crew members fulfill their roles to the best of their ability.   For the good – and enjoyment – of the entire team.

I also want my crew to be safe.  The open water requires constant attention.  Currents can impact our course.  The wind and waves can try to throw us off course.

What’s beneath the waterline – the things we cannot see – may pose the greatest threat.

The crew cannot see all of this.  They must rely on their captain’s feedback to sail successfully.

By doing so we are not only kept safe, but energized.  We return to the shore – and our lives – motivated to engage more fully with our loved ones.

A healthy leader can create this kind of culture in their workplace.  A culture where everyone is valued, understands their role, is allowed to improve, and is viewed as more than an employee.

When employees know you desire their absolute best, they may even be eager to receive constructive criticism.

Most people want to grow.  To improve.  They want a trusted coach on their side.  Your influence can have a ripple effect in people’s lives that spreads much further than the company’s bottom line.

When you treat your team this way, they will know that you do not equate professional performance with personal value.

Paradoxically, this will most likely improve performance.

leadership development workshop

Three Components of Healthy Feedback that Cultivate a Healthy Workplace

Healthy evaluation should affirm employees in at least these three ways:

  • They are talented
  • They are valued on the team
  • They are valued beyond the team

They are talented

Every team member brings something to the table.  Research has found that building off strengths is more beneficial than correcting weaknesses.

Further, employees need the opportunity to improve and the tools to get there.  You may not be able to personally provide direct coaching to each employee.  [JS8]

But you should be able to point them to other tools and resources to help them in their journey.  Full Sail Leadership Academy is here to help you get there.

They are valued on the team

In his book, Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller points out that humans are wired to belong to a tribe.  A community.  An employee evaluation provides a unique opportunity to affirm value.

Most people feel vulnerable when being evaluated.  Letting your employees know they are accepted for who they are and not just what they do will fill their sails with wind.

When employees know you care about them, positive feedback will feel sincere and constructive criticism will feel helpful.

They are valued beyond the team

You cannot be a best friend to all of your employees.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t take an interest in them beyond the office.

When my crew steps onto the sailboat, I must recognize that they bring bags.  Fears.  Worries.  Hopes.  Dreams.

Grandparents don’t stop worrying about their kids just because they’re at work.

An evaluation allows you to acknowledge the whole person in front of you.  Recognizing an employee’s life outside work demonstrates that you understand they are more than a cog in a machine.

You can extend gratitude to a spouse or wish them well in a hobby.  But don’t confuse this with a “technique.”  It’s caring about your employees enough to take an interest in them and affirm their value beyond your company.

team building workshop

Build up your team by providing an unforgettable experience

Cultivating a healthy culture in the workplace doesn’t happen overnight.  But there are ways to jumpstart it.

Our upcoming leadership summit is one of those ways.  For over 15 years  we have intentionally designed this experience to maximize the values that contribute to creating healthy workplaces.

Teamwork.  Evaluation.  Trust.  Fun.

Reach out today to learn how Full Sail Leadership Academy can help you make the world a better place by making your workplace better.

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Acknowledging Weakness Charts the Course for A Strong Workplace

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acknowledge weakness workplace(c) 2022 Full Sail Leadership Academy
4 min read

Human history has sailed through the industrial age.  And the information age.  What age do we find ourselves living in today?

Professors Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall believe that we are currently living in “The Misinformation Age.”

Trust is eroding from our culture in painful ways.  Life-shattering scandals are exposed so regularly that you start to expect them.

The advent of social media, big tech, and the competition for clicks has pushed fake news and false narratives to the front of our feeds.

Researchers recently discovered that fake news traveled “farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth in all categories of information.”

It gets worse 😐

  • false news stories were 70% more likely to be re-tweeted than true stories
  • It took true stories around six times longer to reach 1,500 people
  • True stories were rarely shared beyond 1,000 people, but the most popular false news could reach up to 100,000

Many people feel as though they are in the middle of a sea of misinformation without a sail or rudder.

This is where you, as a leader, can – and should – step in.

We live in a society that is understandably skeptical.  Of everything.  Especially of those in authority.  This stacks the deck against a leader before you even start.

And yet, deep in the heart of every human being yearns a desire to trust.

Kids fearlessly jump into the arms of adults.  Couples still say “I do.”  And Charlie Brown still wants to believe that Lucy won’t pull the football away.

charlie brown lucy

We can’t help ourselves.  We want to trust.  Your employees, team, and clients – want to trust you.  But in this day and age, you will have to earn it.

How?

If you want to build trust among your team, you’ll have to chart a counter-intuitive course.  You must be strong enough to acknowledge your weakness and demonstrate vulnerability.

Let’s dive in as we continue our blog series in Current Leadership.

Leading with a Limp

It’s been said that the only character flaws that are fatal are the ones that you are unaware of.  No one makes it into adulthood without earning some scars along the way.

Further, one of the distinctions that make us human is our limitations.  You can only be in one place at one time.  You run out of energy.  You have interests and demands beyond your business.

Just like your employees.

Many leaders feel that exposing their weaknesses will undermine their credibility.

The opposite is true.

Most of your employees are probably aware of your scars.  They know you limp.  They feel the effects.  What they may not know is why you limp.

They also limp.  In different ways for different reasons.  You feel the effects.

What do you think would happen if your entire team learned why people limp the way they do?

Trust would be built.

Now, this is not to be confused with a Strengths First Leadership model.  Leaders serve their teams best when they utilize their strengths.  Paradoxically, embracing your weakness allows you to lean on your strengths even more.

Vulnerability in the Workplace

In his book, The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni lays out how vulnerability is foundational to building trust in the workplace.  And it starts with the leader.

He suggests that leaders take their teams on overnight retreats to have focused, undistracted time together.

During the first night of the retreat, Lencioni challenges the point leader to plunge into the seas of vulnerability by sharing the most challenging thing they’ve been through in their life.

Gulp.

Many expect that when they pull their head up out of the waters, they’ll be met with shame.  Instead, most find warm acceptance.  Gratitude.  Compassion.

And most feel relief.

Taking steps of vulnerability helps explain where some of our limps came from.  Money cannot buy the power those “aha” moments provide.

When a leader is transparent about their weaknesses and struggles, it permits the team to be human.

Once the leader charts this course, the team can follow.  And they will.  Your team wants to trust you and each other.  Vulnerability is essential in giving people the confidence they need to take the risk of trusting.

This allows a team to function out of their strengths because they don’t feel like they need to hide their weakness.

Putting Vulnerability to Work

Perhaps an out-of-town retreat isn’t an option for you right now.  But you are still eager to build trust in your team through demonstrating vulnerability.  What can you do now?

The primary step that healthy leaders must take is caring about their employees beyond what they can produce for the company.

Beyond this, you can make yourself accessible to fully listen to your employees.  It’s imperative to cultivate a culture of dignity and respect if you want to build trust.

Brené Brown, a renowned research professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host suggests implementing these 10 practices to create what she describes as a “safe zone” for your team.

  1. Reduce the amount of gossip and talking about one another behind their backs.
  2. Admit when you are wrong, make mistakes, and readily apologize.
  3. Let go of holding grudges from the past.
  4. Understand and appreciate one another’s work styles and strengths.
  5. Be open and practice information sharing.
  6. Take time to learn about each other on a more personal level.
  7. Looks for ways to give credit to others.
  8. Acknowledge and celebrate the successes of others.
  9. Share openly both your failures and successes.
  10. Give your team members the benefit of the doubt before jumping to a negative conclusion.

Here’s what might be the best part about creating a healthy culture in the workplace.  Anyone can do it.  You don’t need to have the reach or resources of a Fortune 500 company to cultivate trust in your workplace.

Tools You Can Trust

This is what we do.  We are passionate about helping leaders steward the remarkable privilege of their position.

If you cultivate a healthy workplace, you will achieve so much more than a healthier bottom line.

Consider how families, friendships, and neighborhoods would benefit from your employees enjoying their workplace.

We believe that we can make the world a better place by making workplaces better.

Our workshops are designed to reach this destination.  We offer more than a sailing experience.  It’s an exercise in building trust, working together as a team, growing in respect, and even enjoying some quality time together.

Let this be the day that you set sail toward a healthier horizon. Reach out now for a free consultation and learn how we can help you chart these waters.

Building Team Connections & Engagement with Steward Leadership, Strengths & Sailing

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Can You Hear Me Now?

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importance listening workplace(c) 2022 Full Sail Leadership Academy
4 min read

Great leaders are often heralded for their public skills.  Speaking.  Writing.  Vision casting.  Innovation.  All of these are good and necessary.

Yet we all know that they aren’t enough. Just like Katherine famously told Jack in the Broadway play, The Newsies.

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

being a boss newsies

In the third installment of our Current Leadership series, we’re going to let the boat rest on the waters and consider how we can listen to our crew and hear the right answers.

Healthy Leaders Care About Their Employees

Nothing can replace caring about your crew.  According to a recent study done by MIT, the number one reason for the Great Resignation isn’t about a paycheck.

It’s because of toxic cultures in the workplace.

The best leadership and listening techniques in the world, if not paired with authentic care for others, are manipulation at best.  Employees feel that.  And they are jumping ship.

When leaders don’t listen, everyone loses.  This is why the reality TV series Undercover Boss resonated so deeply with so many.

Each episode had a different, successful boss go “undercover” and work with the regular employees.  This experience transformed the boss’ perspective.

Employees were not only humanized, they often demonstrated wisdom and perspective beyond what the boss could see.

As a leader, you need to keep your eyes on the horizon.  You have to hold in tension the goals of the company with the needs of the crew.  While navigating unforeseen storms and obstacles.

This is why one of the greatest advantages you can give yourself as a leader is listening to your crew.  You’re limited.  You cannot see or know it all.

But when you care about your employees, believing that they have something to offer beyond what you can see, then you will want to listen to what others have to offer.

Creating Margin for Health in the Workplace

Listening well involves far more than conversation.  Leadership expert, Patrick Lencioni, asserts that healthy teams need to have trust.  And trust requires vulnerability.

Your ability and availability to listen will not do any good if your employees don’t feel valued.

Our workshops are an excellent tool to cultivate these qualities in your team.

You may be able to lead with confidence in your field.  But are you comfortable following?  In front of those you lead?  How would you feel if you needed to rely on your team to sail on Lake Michigan?

Can you see how an out-of-the-office, team-building experience like sailing would increase trust, vulnerability, and appreciation on your team?

Our workshop can open a door to meaningful and ongoing communication within your team.  This may require you to adjust how you budget your time.

workplace listening

Listening well may be more art than science.  At least for a leader.  You can have regularly scheduled meetings.  Or perhaps “open door” hours.

But we all know that our best ideas don’t come on a predictable schedule.  The burst of courage required to share an insight or expose an offense may not happen within the 15 minutes between the meeting reminder and the meeting.

Further, different people process things in different ways.  Some of your employees are external processors who will only be able to understand what they think and how they feel while talking.

Others are internal processors.  They will need the space to leave a conversation, think about how they feel, and circle back.

As a leader, you need to chart these choppy waters. You need to inspire confidence in your team while the wind is beating against them and waves are breaking over the bow of the organization.

You’ll need to manage your margin.  Not just time, but energy.  And not just for you, but for your organization.

Successful companies traverse many different seasons.  Sometimes the wind fills your sails.  At other times, there is no wind at all to drive your team forward.

One of the best ways you can discern the season you’re in is by listening to your crew.

Leading Within Your Limitations

People in general, but leaders in particular, don’t love their limitations.  You dream big dreams.  Like Jim Collins recommended, you have big, hairy, audacious goals.

Taking the time to listen well can feel like an obstacle to your productivity.  Like sailing upwind.

Many leaders are under an enormous amount of pressure.  How can you keep profits up, achieve goals, cultivate a healthy workplace, listen to your employees, and maintain a healthy work-life harmony for yourself?

For a ship to sail, many people need to fill different roles.  The helmsman can’t also be the bowman. But in order to direct the rest of the crew, the helmsman needs to hear the bowman.

This is no easy task.  That’s why we all need a Katherine in our lives from time to time.  Not to add more to our plate, but to take something off.

Consider this post and offer the reorienting wake-up call that Katherine gave Jack.  Maybe the one you need.

Creating the space to care for your team by listening to them well eventually eases much of the self-imposed pressure you feel.

These intuitive, yet verifiable benefits are accessible to every leader.  It doesn’t require innate brilliance or inherited billions.  It just requires ears that will listen and a heart that cares.

If you cultivate a culture of care among your crew, good ideas will fill your sails and propel you to the horizon you dream of.

After all, being the boss doesn’t mean you’ve got all the good ideas.  It’s just being able to know the right ones when you hear them.

Let’s Set Sail Together

The team at Full Sail Leadership Academy is eager to listen to you.  We are ready to help you take your team to the next level.

Reach out to us today for a free 30-minute consultation and learn how we can help you sail to a brighter future.

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Opportunity on the Horizon

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never give up(c) 2021 Full Sail Leadership Academy
4 min read

Have you ever seen a person tattooed with the word “quitter?”  Never giving up is about as American as apple pie.

So why are so many people quitting?  We are currently in the middle of what social scientists are calling “The Great Resignation.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over four million Americans quit their jobs in August 2021.  That’s essentially 3% of the entire workforce.

Four more million quit in April.  Now we’re up to 6% of the workforce.  Unless some of the people who resigned in April quit in August as well.

Imagine the impact.  Derek Thompson from The Atlantic paints this picture: “..one in 14 hotel clerks, restaurant servers, and barbacks said sayonara in a single month.”

You’ve probably felt this.  Longer wait times at restaurants.  Low levels of inventory.  “Now Hiring” signs are everywhere.  With sign-on bonuses.

Tipping Point

This may be what Malcom Gladwell calls a cultural tipping point.  2020 crashed through our neatly ordered living rooms.  Pandemics and civil rights movements knocked over the living Monopoly Boards many relied on.

According to several studies, culture “tips” in a new direction when 25 % – 35% of people walk down a different path than the current status quo.

While we may not be at the tipping point, overall, many industries may be on the brink.

A Break In The Clouds

If you’re a leader in an organization or an entrepreneur – how does this make you feel?  Anxious?  Concerned?  Hopeful? Optimistic?

Can you see the opportunity on the horizon?  Consider how The Great Resignation may just be the wind your sails need.

sail towards horizon

Why are so many people resigning?  Have we tipped into a culture of laziness?  Entitlement?  Many have found that they can make more money on unemployment than from their employer.

Would that feel fulfilling, though?  Could you look in the mirror with pride if you had no meaningful work?  Purpose?  Vocation?

While you may want to rest on the sea for a minute to catch your breath, absorb some beauty, get lost in awe and wonder – you do not want to live there.

What are you looking for in your career?  What would make you jump ship?  What could keep you holding on?

Richer than Money

How about dignity?  Respect?  Purpose?  While some former workers are certainly taking the money and running, many aren’t resigning for more or easier money.

Consider volunteerism.  People freely give their energy to what makes them feel dignity and purpose.   25% of Americans volunteer their time to an organization.  That, to the tune of over $184 billion annually!

Money isn’t all that matters.

We all desire to be treated with respect.  When people don’t feel respected in their workplace, they will likely cut ties in search of greener pastures.

The authors of the best-selling book Crucial Conversations say it well.  “Respect is like air. As long as it’s present, nobody thinks about it. But if you take it away, it’s all that people can think about.”

This begs the million-dollar question – what makes people feel respected in general and in the workplace in particular?

The answer is simple.  But don’t confuse simple with easy.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T – Find Out What It Means to Them

If you swim through the sea of content on “respect in the workplace,” you will find one common theme beneath the surface.

Communication.

good communcation workplace

People want to know they are seen.  They want to feel like they matter.  Employees want their employer to embrace the challenge of work-life harmony.  With them.

How does this happen?  It boils down to communication.

Communication is more than the act of speaking.  Or listening.  Or body language.  Though all are required.  And essential.

Healthy communication requires a heart that desires to see other people.  To respect them.  To empathize.  To try to understand the perspective of another.

Further, good communicators appreciate different forms of communication.  Written.  Interpersonal.  Public.  Nonverbal.

But not as a salesperson.  More so as an ally who recognizes what different people need to feel heard and respected.

Comprehensive communication runs deeper than form or skill.  Timing and purpose are essential.  Healthy leaders intuitively sense the difference between the time to cast vision, address conflict, offer encouragement, and more.

Opportunity on the Horizon

Can you see the opportunity on the horizon?  Workers across the country are demanding respect.  Respect demands communication.

Communication is a resource you can provide.

You may not be able to offer fame or fortune.  But you can have an abundance of the resource everyone is actually asking for – respect.

empthetic listening workplace

Full Sail Leadership Academy has been charting these waters for years. Licensed U.S. Coast Guard Captain, Certified John Maxwell Facilitator, and Certified ASA Sailing Instructor, Captain Tim Dittloff offers workshops, coaching, and certification that will empower you to seize this opportunity.

Don’t miss this moment.  The wind is right.  Let us come alongside you, raise your sails, and point you to the golden opportunity on the horizon.

Over the next several months, we’ll dive into the importance of communication in leadership.  We’ll address conflict, meaningful feedback, casting vision, listening, and more.

Stay connected by subscribing.  Contact us directly.  Or cruise through our course offerings.

A sea of opportunity awaits.  Let’s set sail together.

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The Importance of Team Building: How Confidence Affects Leadership Development

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(c) 2021 Full Sail Leadership
4 min read

The cold waves of Lake Michigan lap at the sailboat. Above deck, a well-synchronized team works to trim the sails and maintain course over the choppy water.

But one young man sits by himself, watching his teammates work. He seems to be actively disengaged from the challenge at hand, and his coworkers mutter among themselves about his laziness as they shoot glares at him.

He senses their resentment, and it makes him feel even more alienated.

The truth is, he isn’t lazy. He wants to help trim the sails but he doesn’t know-how. And now that he sees the hostile looks and believes his teammates hate him, he feels like he can’t ask them for advice and guidance to join in. It’s better to sit quietly out of the way and let them handle the work.

This situation happens time and time again, in many different settings and conditions. Whether it’s on a sailboat, in a construction zone, shipping center, office, or anywhere else, employees fall through the cracks when a lack of confidence causes them to stand on the sidelines.

They’re missing out on leadership and growth opportunities, not to mention hurting the team by reducing productivity. This is a serious problem in today’s workplace.

But how can steward leaders spot the signs and take proactive action to keep their teams working like a well-oiled machine?

3 Ways to Nurture Confidence for Team Building and Leadership Development

The hypothetical young man on the sailboat isn’t an anomaly. Chances are, you know someone just like him.

Gallup estimates that only 36% of employees are engaged at work, while 13% are actively disengaged.

Lack of interest and motivation can be attributed to a variety of factors both inside and outside of the workplace. Employers can only do so much when their employees are struggling with personal issues beyond the scope of work, but some issues, such as lack of confidence or enthusiasm about the job, can be remedied.

In this article, we’ll cover some basic tips to help you bring your team together for maximum efficiency.

1. Look Out for Warning Signs of Actively Disengaged Employees

Employees who have fully “checked out” at work can be detrimental to a company’s bottom line as well as its overall morale among other employees.

Be alert for some of the warning signs of disengagement and employee burnout:

  • Lack of participation: This goes deeper than simply being an introvert. Actively disengaged employees are likely to stop participating in group activities. They don’t form friendships with colleagues, don’t speak up in meetings, and may even eat lunch by themselves to avoid socializing.
  • Too many breaks: While employees should be encouraged to step away from their desks every now and then to stretch, disengaged employees often take advantage of this with extra bathroom breaks, snack runs, and any excuse to avoid focusing on work.
  • Punctuality: Disengaged employees are usually the last to arrive and the first to leave. If confronted, they’ll probably make excuses and avoid taking responsibility.
  • Negative attitude: This can take the form of sarcasm, defensiveness, belligerence, or disrespectful silence.
  • Absenteeism: Disengaged employees would rather be anywhere but work. They’re likely to take sick days, even if they aren’t actually sick, especially on Mondays or Fridays to get a long weekend.
  • Moderate to low work performance: Some disengaged employees may exhibit a drop in productivity or quality of work. Others will do just enough to get by. But in both cases, these employees are highly unlikely to go above and beyond expectations.

2. Take an Active Approach in Employee Goals, Needs, and Growth

An estimated 1 in 4 Americans plan to look for a new job as soon as the threat of the pandemic declines. Of those planning to leave, 80% cite a concern about their career advancement.

One of the most effective ways to engage and retain employees is to understand their needs, desires, ideas, goals, and long-term plans. Employees who feel like leadership listens and cares about them are more likely to feel engaged at work.

However, 86% of surveyed employees said they don’t feel they’re heard fairly or equally, which can take a devasting toll on confidence, satisfaction, and happiness at work. Likewise, employees who don’t see the right advancement opportunities often feel stuck, like they can’t climb any higher toward their aspirations.

If an employee is going to be engaged and make a long-term commitment, their goals need to align with the company. This might involve policy changes, upskilling, extra training, mentorship, classes, et cetera to retain and engage employees.

The important first step is to reach out, initiate a conversation, listen, and then plan accordingly and with empathy.

 

3. Invest in Team Building Activities to Boost Comradery and Confidence

In addition to addressing the concerns of individual employees, companies should also focus on the team atmosphere. Team-building activities bring many benefits to a workplace.

team building sailing club

They help to break down barriers between coworkers, which in turn improves conflict resolution, reduces workplace clashes, and develops trusting relationships.

These benefits result in more confidence and respect. Colleagues are less likely to feel self-conscious about asking for help. They feel safer in a trusting environment and don’t have to worry as much about being judged for admitting they don’t know how to do something.

Leaders are Born from Confidence

If the man on the sailboat had a better relationship with his team, he probably wouldn’t have felt as self-conscious about stepping forward and saying, “I’d like to help. Would you please teach me?”

Leaders are able to build stronger teams when they have confident members willing to help each other and learn. This productive, positive atmosphere doesn’t just lift a company’s bottom line with a more efficient workforce – it also fosters the kind of environment that produces more leaders.

Hiring is more expensive than retaining. Companies who make smart investments in their team can save a lot of money and time in the long run by fostering natural-born leaders to rise through the ranks with a priceless loyalty to the business that helped them grow.

Turn your disengaged employees into happy workers and leaders. You’ll be amazed by all the positive changes that will follow.

A healthier work environment starts by taking an active interest in strengthening your team. Sign up for our Full Sail Leadership workshop and see the benefits of team building for yourself.

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