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Sometimes I tell my clients the stories of two great people that I’ve worked for and how I would work my b_ _ _ off for them. Clients ask “How do I create that kind of environment? How do I get people to work hard for me?”  Well, both of these people were “leaders.”

What does being a “leader” mean? Wikipedia lists several definitions and the one I like the best is by Alan Keith who states that “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.”

My first boss in the big city when I started my career was a leader, a woman who challenged me and gave me projects that terrified me (in a good way), like getting me to help track and coordinate a multi-million dollar budget during the construction phase of a downtown office building. I learned project management skills during that project and the challenge allowed me to grow, to develop, and to be confident that I could do anything I set my mind to do. We had a lot of fun at work and at social events where the whole office would get together regularly.

My last boss before I started my business was also a leader. He believed in me and his management team. He worked long hours and we worked long hours because we knew our contributions were important and we didn’t want to let our “boss” down. I was so engaged at work, that when my children were young they would spout “boss-isms.” Boss-isms are statements made by my boss that I repeated at home! One of them was something his father told him, “If you are going to be a brick layer, then be the best brick layer you can be.” Sometimes they would say, “What did “boss” say today?” or if I said something that sounded like him, they would ask, “Did “boss” say that?”

I am in contact with both of these people and I am grateful that they were and are a part of my work-life. So what are the characteristics of these two different but great leaders who had such an impact. According to my experience with these two individuals, I think:

1. They lead with their hearts. They are “good” people who showcase their values with words, and action.
2. They give challenging projects and opportunities and provide support for success.
3. They provide direction, but don’t micromanage trusting that questions will be asked if needed.
4. They share the glory by acknowledging accomplishments and contributions.
5. They understand the strengths and what is important to each person and provide opportunities for individuals to use those strengths.
6. They believe in people and their unique abilities sometimes before people believe in themselves.
7. They identify weaknesses and care enough to give that feedback because with self-awareness comes improvement.
8. They develop skills and create learning opportunities, whether through formal means such as workshops or continuing education, or less formal methods, such as working on challenging projects.
9. They see mistakes as learning opportunities.
10. They paint a picture and communicate how individual contributions help the department or organization succeed.
11. They listen and respond to ideas, questions, and people with respect and offer their wisdom and insight.
12. They encourage open communication, collaboration, and a team approach, thereby creating a sense of community at work.

Sounds a lot like the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership discussed by Kouzes and Posner in their book “The Leadership Challenge:”

1. Model the Way (i.e. set an example, and align actions with values)
2. Inspire a Shared Vision (i.e. paint a picture of the future and share it)
3. Challenge the Process (i.e. seize the initiative, make challenge meaningful)
4. Enable Other to Act (i.e. develop competence and confidence, share power)
5. Encourage the Heart (i.e. personal recognition and appreciation, create a spirit of community)

What are your thoughts on what makes a great leader? What do you need your manager to do today to start leading with heart? What do you need to feel engaged in what you are doing?  Share your comments below!

Do you measure your company’s happiness quotient (HQ)?   

Chip Conley, who is in the hotel business, talks about The Happiness Emotional Quotient which is focussing on “wanting what you have” (gratitude) more than ”having what you want” (gratification).  This makes sense to me.  By focussing on wanting what we have versus having what we want we can’t be anything but happy! 

I remember as young woman working for a commercial real estate company, I talked to my colleague about how much my husband and I loved our newly purchased bungalow. Some people called it our “starter” home. One of the up and coming sales people turned to me and said, “You know Joanne, you will always be happy.”   When he thought about his house, he thought about how much bigger his next house would be. Now some might say that if you don’t dream about large goals you won’t get there, but on the other hand, people get into a lot of trouble focussing on “having things that they want” when perhaps those things are not the most important. My husband and I are still in our “starter” bungalow and we are still loving our home.

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. ~ Einstein.

Companies measure tangible things, and not the intangible things like happiness.  Isn’t happiness important? 94% of business leadership believe intangible things are important, but only 4% measured them.  Do you create a habitat for happiness? 

Cynthia Ross in an article “Can money buy happiness?” writes about a happiness study  involving 136,00 people in 32 countries.  The study found that while satisfaction with life increases with income, positive feelings of happiness are more strongly related to other factors such as: 

• feeling respected,
• having autonomy and social support, and
• working at a fulfilling job.

So if you want to measure the intangible of happiness at work, ask and measure the results of questions like: 

• Do you feel respected at work?
• Do you have autonomy in your job?
• Are you getting the right support to be successful in your job? 
• Do you find your work fulfilling?  

Are you creating a habitat of happiness at work?  What can you do starting tomorrow to increase the happiness quotient at work? What are some of things that bring you happiness at work?   Share your thoughts below.

This week I had the pleasure of delivering a Workplace Violence and Harassment – Train-the-Trainer session for a great group of people in Bracebridge for a not for profit organization. The participation level and positive attitude of the group were contagious and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with them. They are now set up with the knowledge and tools necessary to become Bill 168 compliant.

For those organizations who think that the Ontario Ministry of Labour won’t be visiting them soon, this client already had a visit by a Ministry of Labour inspector! Good thing we already hosted a one-hour webinar for 200 employees and had the Trainer-the-Trainer session scheduled. This not for profit is now on track to getting everything in place.   Feedback on the session included:

• “There was a logical flow to the information and a nice balance between activities like group work and case studies.”
• “My AHA moment came from realizing the “systemic” nature of harassment and violence and how important management is in leading and modelling behaviour.”
• “Great resources.  You’ve set us up to put Bill 168 into practice.”
• “I acquired a greater knowledge of violence and harassment and learned more about risk assessments.”

The Human Resources Professional Association surveyed 605 of its members, between June 2 and June 11, 2010 and found that 32 per cent said their place of business would not meet its obligations under Bill 168 before the June 15th deadline. A whopping 53% of respondents said they would be most challenged to implement the legislation’s mandatory employee training and workplace violence reporting and investigation procedure requirements. The respondents were HR professionals so I would imagine that the statistics for small to medium businesses operating without an HR professional would be much higher.

It’s never to late to become compliant. If you haven’t put anything into place yet, you can join us for a seminar on Workplace Violence and Harassment, to take place in Oakville, Ontario on Thursday, July 29th.  This full day session is ideal for small to medium businesses who haven’t done anything about Bill 168, but would like to do so.  Space is limited so contact us now to find out more.  Or, if you need on-site training or one-to-one coaching we’d be happy to help.

Are you taking a vacation? It seems that Canadians value work more than play. In a survey conducted by Right Management at the end of the year, 501 employees across North American indicated they didn’t use all of their vacation time. Often not taking vacation time is worn like a badge of honour. Unfortunately, not taking your vacation can do more harm than good.

The Framingham Heart Study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh found that, “The more frequent the vacations, the longer the men lived.” Other studies found that leisure time including vacation contributes to a positive way of thinking which lowers depression. There are even studies that show that going someplace “green” helps reduce stress levels. Based on personal experience growing up in Northern Ontario, I can vouch for the positive impact of “forests of green.”

In Ontario, workers earn a minimum of two weeks vacation time upon completion of every 12-months. Many don’t know that companies are required to schedule the vacation time of employees in a block of two weeks or in two one-week blocks unless the employee makes a written request, and the employer agrees in writing, to schedule the vacation in shorter periods. The longer period of vacation time allows for more benefits that come from taking a break!

European countries are years ahead of us with respect to vacations with some countries giving 20 vacation days guaranteed by law. Countries with lower vacation time also have the highest suicide rates (i.e. Japan – 1 week). 

So what is holding us back from taking a vacation?

Our “jobs” and “to do lists” will be there when we get back. And by not taking a vacation productivity, creativity, and a positive mindset are negatively impacted.

Your boss will thank you for taking a vacation, because taking a break increases your productivity and creativity. New ideas, ways of doing things, and a more positive outlook will benefit not only you, but also colleagues and customers. So what are you waiting for … book your vacation now!