If you are considering working with me you will want to know what to expect. You might think I’m going to parachute in, solve all your problems and then disappear like Mary Poppins, unfortunately it doesn’t work like that.
To get the most out of our work together and to maximise the results for your team and your business there are five critical elements that I expect from you.
- Be Committed to the process and work.
To develop and grow you need to be fully committed and determined that you are going to make changes. That means truly wanting to develop. Half-heartedness doesn’t cut it. And it means having an open mind. If it is your way only, then nothing will change with your business and teams..
Lynn GOOD
If you keep an open mind, you can learn so much from the people around you.
You’d be amazed at the amount of time I’ve seen leaders who are precious about the ideas being theirs. A team member comes up with it, which is dismissed. Then a few weeks later the leader comes up with the same idea as if it is their own. Imagine the effect on the team and individual.
Do you have some unconscious bias going on? Women have a place but to actually listen to them, well it’s just lip service. If you bring me into work with your team you need to understand and respect my experience and my expertise. If you are going to ignore my recommendations or you’re not going to implement the changes I suggest, don’t waste your money or time.
As the leader you are must be prepared and willing to be:
- Vulnerable
- Self-aware
- Listen
- Involve others.
Without these critical attitudes nothing in your business will change.
2. Be prepared to do the actions agreed.
Just the same as you expect with your employees, sometimes I will set tasks like:
- watching a video
- reading a blog
- listening to a podcast
- doing a survey
- some self-reflection
These additional tasks are set for a reason, to embed the learning and make sure changes is happening on every level, not just at the surface.
As the lead you influence and by you throwing yourself into being involved in the programme sets the scene for your employees. It also shows you are listening and care about their working environment. Change starts at the top.
And leaving actions to the last minute or on the day means you end up overwhelm and in a panic. Even worse for you is the feeling you have made a fool of yourself if in front of others …. So do the work and feel in control and ready for anything.
It helps if you talk about what you are discovering to your teams as it shows you are open to learning, gives some vulnerability and makes your team feel like you are in it all together.
To help when we are working together:
- I will forward action points in an email from our conversations or alternatively you can take down the notes and actions.
- Before any session you take time to review actions down to you and your teams and carry them out. That doesn’t mean you are on your own between sessions. If struggling with the action and want some prompts or advice then you can chat to me or message me and I will fully support in those in between times. Usually it is within a 48 hour turnaround time.
- At our sessions be open as to what is going well and what isn’t. This helps with development and building our working relationship too.
- Remember we all have different approaches and if we are looking at it from different angles, then you can guarantee team members will be as well. Therefore be open-minded and consider different options.
- Share how you are feeling with the actions and if you are struggling I will mentor you to find an answer that works for you and your teams.
- I understand that life and business has a habit of throwing curve balls and will accommodate rescheduling where possible, however it is important to remember that you have brought me in to address important issues for you and the business. This work needs to be prioritised. I’ll respect your time and expect you to respect mine.
- Stay self-aware and be open about it in our sessions, as those moments give the greatest growth.
3. Celebrate Successes and Wins.
As a nation we often struggle to acknowledge our successes. Celebrating the small successes means we are on the way to the big end goal successes and often get forgotten. Great reminder here in this BBC Bitesize article.
Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.
Robert Collier
Success is primarily down to you and your interpretation of what success looks like to you. Right at the start of our work together, we will define what you want to achieve and what it looks like and then we will check back in at the end to make sure the goals have been reached.
I will support and work with you to get you that much nearer to where you want to be for you and your business.
4. Remember this is a partnership
I am working with you as a mentor and management consultant to develop you and your teams to mature to a thriving environment.
So the first thing to remember is I am not employed by you and that it is a partnership throughout the programme. You need to do your bit to achieve the objectives agreed. I’m not a micromanager for your teams and will not be doing any chasing. You need to be committed to learning, developing and taking responsibility to implement changes.
If you think I am just handing you tasks to do and you don’t need to be emotionally invested in getting the culture, the business continuously improving and employees’ motivated, then you are in the wrong place. For the partnership to work, both sides need to put in 100% in for success. And the partnership needs consideration and respect from both parties.
5. Share with your teams and managers why I am there
Time and time again I have seen teams sent on training courses without a clear explanation and as a result they are not interested in gaining anything from the training.
The same goes with someone sent in to review the workplace. Employees see it as someone snooping or alternatively an option to snipe at the boss.
In both cases being clear and sharing why I am coming in and what it means to you in an open and authentic way will create more buy-in.
And telling your employees it is okay to share warts and all means I will get better results for you and the business. And who doesn’t want that!
Lastly, if you have employees who are not performing then tell them before I start working with you and make sure if you are sending them on a programme with me, they know why. Struggling with how to have the conversation, then book in for a mentoring session here or alternatively it can be included at the start of the programme.
Whether you are still considering whether I am the right fit for the work you need, or we are now working together, this outline should help you understand how to make this partnership successful and maximise the results you want for your teams and your business.
If you want to explore the different packages, then book a discovery call and we can chat through your options.
