Guest Article: Your Leadership Style – Unique as Your Signature by Jennifer Miller

How do others experience you as a leader? According to psychologist Kathryn Cramer, every leader has a “signature presence,” a set of leadership assets that are as unique as your handwritten signature. Just as your autograph telegraphs who you are, so, too, do the daily actions that comprise your leadership presence.

Think about your signature for a moment: how has it morphed over time? As a young girl, my signature was a near carbon-copy of what I’d learned from my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Durr — a replica of what I’d been taught was the “correct” way to form the letters that comprised my name. As the years wore on, my signature began to reflect more of my personality and life’s experiences. No doubt, yours has as well.

Our handwriting also shows tell-tale signs of stress or distraction: just look at a document that was signed during a hospital stay or in a time of crisis. And, in much the same way that the act of writing is largely unconscious as we scrawl our name at the bottom of a credit card receipt, as leaders, we can be unaware of the messages we send to colleagues.

In her book lead positive kathy cramer Cramer writes about the difficulties of seeing ourselves as we really are. As difficult as this self-awareness may be, she says it’s imperative that leaders use a combination of personal reflection and asking for feedback. Cramer explains that when you understand the positive qualities that comprise your signature presence, you can then allow them to “shine through in all that you do.”

Here are five questions you can ask yourself and others to help determine those distinctive qualities that define your leadership.

1. When I’m at my best, how would I describe myself?


2. When I receive compliments, what specifically do people praise? Is there a theme to the praise?


3. In what types of situations do I easily slip into “the zone” — meaning, with confidence and fluidity?


4. Ask a colleague, “In what ways have I been a help to you?”


5. Ask three people you know well: “Name five things about me that you can count on me to do.”

Is your leadership presence a true representation of the person you really are? All leaders have unique gifts they bring to bear in the workplace. Use these five questions to help you understand the person that others see so that you can lead with your own distinctive flair.

Interested in learning more about discovering your unique qualities as a leader? You can download Kathy Cramer’s free PDF resource “Your Leadership Life Map” here .

This article originally appeared on SmartBlog on Leadership with the title: Is your leadership presence a true reflection of who you really are?

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click the link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission. No additional fee will be added to your purchase because you bought through my site.

Article source:Jennifer Miller - Your Leadership Style – Unique as Your Signature»

4 things to do when a raise is not an option

If you have an employee that always shows up on time, obliterates their KPIs and is an overall high achiever, you may feel as though they deserve a raise (and they may even be hinting at feelings over their expenses or salary). However, times are financially tough, and you may not have the sufficient funds to do so, so what are you to do? Keep things the way they are until they leave for a higher paying job?

When a pay raise is not an option you need to utilise employee retention strategies, whereby you seek to retain the number of exceptional employees that work with you. Here are 4 tips for encouraging your employees so that they remain high performing, satisfied and feel that they are being rewarded when a raise is not an option:

1. Conduct job satisfaction and culture/climate surveys 
Culture and climate surveys are a great place to start and allow you to recognise what employees think is going well and what can be improved. This information will give you an insight into what your employees are thinking/feeling where you can then build your retention strategies from the results. Something as simple as providing a morning tea once a week, for example, could allow staff to feel wanted and is little perk to look forward to and cements in the feeling that the employer cares. It can also give you a feel for what relationships are working well, so that you can potentially match high performing upstarts with a mentor figure in certain projects that will allow them to grow.

2. Formally offering training and career development 

This is a great way to maintain employees as well as their progression expectations. It allows employees to view their career path at the business, and can get them to see themselves as an investment, and you as the investor. Additionally, the likelihood that you will actually be able to offer a raise in the future will increase with their training in core performance areas.

3. Offering flexible work conditions
This can include flexible work hours and working from home options, which allows employees to feel valued as their issues are being addressed and may be worth more than a raise, particularly for parents raising children or mature aged students.

4. Outsource or formalise your talent management function
For most small businesses, taking on your own Human Resources manager can be a huge feat, especially where your industry has worker need seasonality. Though achieving the same function when you need it via outsourced training and coaching programs can take a huge load off the owner / manager and make sure that employees are getting value for their time outside of  simple salary remuneration.

There are many incentives you can offer your staff other than a raise, which can still make employees feel valued and wanted at a lower cost. If your business can’t offer the same remuneration as other businesses you will need to differentiate yourselves in other forms, in order to make your company a desirable place to work, and keep your top performers happy.
Additionally, Psych Press offers satisfaction, culture and climate survey assessments that can accurately identify issues that may impede satisfaction and growth, so that you can improve the workplace as you know it and keep those top performers!

5 qualities of effective leaders

There are plenty of articles and books that have been published, telling you what it takes to become a highly effective leader. Many people would say you need specific skills and abilities; some say it lies all in the personality of the individual. Despite all of the ambiguity, people know effective leadership when they see it. It is essentially a blend of personality and skills that encompasses an individual.

Good leaders are always there to motivate their team and achieve the highest levels of performance and outstanding organisation in the process. It takes more than a day to become a leader but with the five steps below, you can make a start on becoming a better one today.

1. Honesty – “Honesty is the best policy” is a quote often heard and it is true.  Your business and its employees are a reflection of yourself.  One of the many missed opportunities of displaying honesty is when handling a mistake. Many leaders will avoid failure to the extent that they won’t admit when their ideas did not work. Being honest in your actions and words ensures that employees will have little doubt in your integrity as an effective leader. If you uphold honesty and sincerity, your fellow teammates will follow suit.

2. Confidence – When things are spiralling down the wrong direction or your business encounters a setback, you need stay confident and maintain the morale of the team to ensure things get back on track. Good leaders need to maintain their confidence level and assure everyone else that setbacks are natural and we can learn from our mistakes so it does not happen again. If the leader radiates confidence, his or her team is bound to be confident too. You know what they say, "confidence is contagious".

3. Communication – In team-oriented activities and games, communication is one of the main keys to success and this goes the same for business. Good leaders also ensure that information is up-to-date and complete for every employee, so that there can be no confusion.  Leaders should develop clear and concise communication between themselves and their employees - this will help in relating your vision to your team so everyone will be working towards the same goal.

4. Being decisive – Many leaders will come across situations where they have to be decisive; where making decisions in a split second is second nature to them.  Once you make a decision, stick with it unless you have a compelling reason to change it. These decisions should be firm and authoritative despite knowing not everyone will like it because a good leader acts on what is best for the organisation. When you make a mistake, go back to number 1. and be sure that the learning is known.

5. Ability to inspire – At the end of the day, many leaders are seen as truly inspiring people that communicate clearly and motivate everyone to do their best all the time. Inspirational leaders clear the organisational roadblocks that hold back the natural creativity and positive energy of their employees, building a clearer pathway to success for employees and the organisation.  A great example of inspiration is when Steve Jobs stole a CEO from Pepsi with one question, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to change the world?”  Being inspiring also means showing people the big picture and dissolving the narrow focus that limits the potential of an individual.

No matter what kind of organisation or association you are in, there will be a leader to take control and lead the team. So be sure to review on these 5 qualities whenever you're unsure or need to push your team into new challenges.

Guest Article: Australia confirmed as New Zealand’s poor jobs cousin by Ross Clennett

Earlier this year I wrote about New Zealand's improved economic performance and how it was putting Australia in the shade. The official data released since that blog only further highlights the strengthening of New Zealand’s position. Consider the following comparative data: Area New Zealand Australia*

Article source:Ross Clennett - Australia confirmed as New Zealand’s poor jobs cousin»



Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: How to Foster Creativity, Communication and Connection with Your Team by Jennifer Miller

Would an executive at your company set up shop in the middle of the IT help desk, hang a gutted fish over his desk and declare, “The doctor is in?” In effect, that’s what Paul Bennett, chief creative officer at IDEO, has done, and he claims it’s helped him foster creativity in a way he previously wasn’t able.

In his New York Times essay, “Where the Fish Swims Ideas Fly,” Bennett says that his role as a “project leader for inspiration” was being stifled because his time wasn’t his own. He found himself highly scheduled, moving from meeting to meeting, sometimes in 10-minute increments. (Sound familiar?) So, Bennett took matters into his own hands: he decided to go to the epicenter of his office’s operations — the IT help desk — and create a workspace there. He hung a light that was fashioned from an actual fish over his desk and when it’s illuminated, the “doctor is in,” so to speak.

To further the medical analogy, Bennett implemented what he called “doctor’s rounds” — walking about the office for a few minutes (or even hours) and tapping into conversations where, he says, people seemed interested to engage with him.

Might this be an outlandish practice for senior managers in your office? Granted, Bennett’s primary role is to foster innovation in a company that’s known for its creative practices. Even so, the essence of his message applies to anyone in a leadership role: when leaders create the time for community and conversation, great ideas flourish. Says Bennett, “Because of [my 'doctor’s rounds'], I feel as if I am part of a living, breathing organism, and responding to its needs rather than simply running from place to place with a calendar in my hand.”

Are you a leader whose time is ruled by the iron fist of the Outlook/Lotus Notes calendar? How might you create more space in which to just “be” in your work environment with those you lead? Creating space is a “to do” list in reverse: what will you not do? Choosing the tasks that you will not do requires an element of courage, (“I’ll defend my decision should it be questioned”) and faith (“I’m confident that no matter what the consequence, this was a good choice”).

Yet, it can be done; to succeed you must lay to rest the concerns you have about taking this bold approach. Here’s an idea: ask yourself, “If I block out time to connect in an unstructured way with my team, what am I afraid might happen?” Give yourself an honest answer. Then, follow up with, “And then what?” Continue to ask this a few more times to see if you have surfaced all of your concerns. For each concern, write a counter statement. For example if your concern is, “I’ll fall behind on my work,” counter that statement with something positive such as, “Connecting with my team is a priority; I’ll feel a sense of accomplishment for taking time out to interact.”

Are you ready to take the leap and stake a claim for more creativity, communication and connection with your team members? You don’t need to hang a fish light or change your office location to do so, but you do need to be intentional about your actions. Create a space in your calendar to reach out to those you lead and you’ll be amazed at what unfolds.

This post originally appeared on SmartBlog on Leadership as How leaders can create space for creativity communication and connection.

Article source:Jennifer Miller - How to Foster Creativity, Communication and Connection with Your Team»

Workplace health and safety - what's the big deal?

Each year, one in every twelve workers in Australia sustains an injury serious enough to lodge a workers compensation claim. If that statistic isn’t eye-opening enough, the annual number of road fatalities is much lower than the annual number of work-related fatalities.

As well as negatively affecting the injured employee and their family, workers compensation costs can cause a financial burden for employers and companies. Improved workplace health and safety can help to reduce (and hopefully avoid) these costs, making way for increased productivity, decreased paperwork and a healthier and happier working life for employees and employers. The following information will outline how you as an employer can be affected, and the steps that you can take in order to avoid these negative consequences.

Why workplace safety should be a priority for all employers

One reason employers should value workplace safety is to comply with legal requirements. Legally, management are responsible for the safety of employees and the safety of any other people who visit the workplace. If an employer allows employees to work unsafely, or does not take precautions to avoid unsafe procedure, they run the risk of breaking the law.

Apart from the obvious legal concerns, remember that you should value workplace safety as a strong benefit to the company. Employees are valuable and a company cannot run successfully without them. When an employee becomes injured and unable to work, the costs to the company are significant. A new or temp employee must be trained to fulfil the role of the injured, production decreases and if property is damaged in the incident, this often has to be replaced, causing major costs to the employer.

Furthermore, the more compensation claims a company has, the higher your workers compensation premiums will get. A safe environment aims to avoid these issues and increase productivity in the workplace.

How to make your workplace safer

Employers can ensure the safety of their employees by managing hazards that may result in injury, long term health issues or even death. It is important that employers IDENTIFY, ASSESS and ELIMINATE all hazards in the workplace .

1) Know your history

A great place to start is by looking at past workers compensation records and hazard reports to determine where and how past accidents have occurred and address these hazards if they still exist.

2) Initiate a culture of awareness

Distribute a hazard form that must be completed by all employees. Ask employees to list anything they would label a hazard (such as location and usage of equipment or machines, how people may be affected by such equipment or machines, how people may be affected by other environmental factors such as noise, fumes, lighting, chemicals etc. and how dangerous they think the hazard is). Make sure that this activity is ongoing by illustrating its importance and making access to forms and more information known.

3) Prioritise your changes

Once hazards have been determined, it is important to prioritise these hazards and deal with the most dangerous hazards first. To do this, think about whether the hazard may cause death or disability, long term illness or serious injury, absence of an employee from work, or first aid, and then prioritise the hazards in this order. Once the hazard has been eliminated, make sure a record is created of the hazard and how it was assessed and dealt with.

Remember that eliminating hazards may result in costs to begin with, but making a work place safe will save a significant amount of money in the long run. A safe work environment means that companies can operate efficiently and successfully while increasing employee performance and productivity, and isn’t that what every company wants?

Need safety-aware staff members? Visit our partners at Psych Press to discover how to make effective recruitment, training, retention and management decisions by identifying employees likely to be involved in workplace accidents. 

Source: Australian Institute of Technology Transfer