Leadership coaching for software development managers
Find ways to tie it in
Hourly: 1-1 meetings
Daily: with peers
Weekly: in status updates
Quarterly: in management reviews
#LeadOthers
When they start to make fun of you, it’s working!
Say it over and over and over and over again. In lots and lots of different ways with as many people as possible!
No great thing
Is done by a single
Individual.
Ask others to help you!
Yes, you’re smart.
You’re hardworking.
You get it.
You really know your stuff.
You personally only have so much time, attention, energy and resources.
If you want to achieve more, look for ways to ask others to help you.
With help you can do far more than you can do by yourself.
Ask for help.
#LeadYourself
#LeadOthers
Who has been helping you?
Take a moment to say thank you.
Over the phone, In person,
better yet in a short handwritten note.
It works
4 Simple Steps
Be specific
Be personal
Be brief
Do it!
Be specific
Saying “Thank you for taking ownership of that data quality problem” is much more powerful than saying something general like “thank you for all you do.” It takes a little more work, but has a bigger impact.
Be personal
This one is subtle, but really profound. Saying “I appreciate YOU for” is more powerful than saying “I appreciate IT when…”
Telling the person THEY matter makes a bigger impact than you expressing appreciation for what they did.
Be brief
You don’t need to go on and on with flowery prose.
Two or three sentences is really sufficient.
Do it
Whether you say it over the phone, in person, or actually write a note, the most important thing you can do is actually DO IT!
It is never too late to say thank you. Take a moment right now to reach out to someone and appreciate them for their contributions.
As my colleague and friend Michael Maher says “What you appreciate…Appreciates!”
If you want more great work from a team member, say thank you when they do a great job!
Example:
Joe, I just wanted to drop you a note to say I appreciate you for the work you’ve been doing on the Smith project. You really took ownership of that data quality problem and got it fixed. Thank you.
Tom
PS – when have you got a sincere and specific thank you note from someone? How did it make you feel?
It takes courage to lead
but without leaders nothing good happens.
* Ask the question
* Bring it up
* Raise a red flag
It’s hard to be the leader. It takes courage.
“Are you suggesting that I directly address it with him?”
“But when I bring it up, she acts like a 10 year old”
This is the reality my clients face every day.
When I was in IT leadership I always said
“Technology is hard. People are harder.”
Technology always does what you tell it to do.
People don’t always do what you tell them to do.
Here’s the thing: unless you have the courage to say something, NOTHING will ever change.
Be bold. Be brave. Say something!
You’ll feel a lot better, and you’ll make a difference in the process.
#LeadOthers
Be specific, not vague
Use the XYZ formula
In situation X
When you did Y,
It had impact Z
#LeadOthers
I recently completed a communications workshop for an IT team in a large organization.
I asked them to tell me about a miscommunication.
One person said:
“Apparently this must happen all the time, but I do not know what it is that I’m mis-communicating since I have not been given examples. I would like to know so I can analyze why I said what I said and perhaps fix the problem.”
Be specific when giving feedback. One tool to help you be specific is the XYZ formula.
In situation X
When you did Y
It had impact Z
For example:
John, the other day in the team meeting
When Lisa was talking you folded your arms, rolled your eyes and sighed heavily.
Lisa was offended because she felt disrespected.
Please don’t do that when others are talking.
That helps John know exactly what he did and what he should not do.
Be specific. It matters.
Think about others
People never forget
how you make them feel.
#LeadOthers
How others feel matters.
Even if you have to communicate bad news, think about ways to soften the blow.
Many of my clients are like “just the facts” Joe Friday. Sure, facts are facts, but we don’t work with facts. We work with people.
Think about the other guy.
What is he thinking about?
What is he worried about?
What does he need to get his work done?
What does his boss want from him?
Then craft your message based on what you know about him and his needs?
Is this a lot of work? Maybe, but you’ll get far better performance from team members when you make the investment.
#LeadOthers