Tap into the Power of Gratitude

As Thanksgiving draws near, it's a wonderful time to pause and reflect on this year's journey. 

Sometimes in the rush toward our next objectives, we might overlook the importance of celebrating our successes. This season, I encourage us all to take a step back and appreciate important milestones and positive experiences.

Image by Deborah Hudson from Pixabay

Acknowledging and being thankful for what is going well in our lives isn't just a feel-good exercise; it's a powerful catalyst for continuous growth and success. In this spirit, at Newberry Solutions, we've taken a moment to pause and reflect. Here are some things we are particularly thankful for:

Our clients. Their passion for and dedication to leadership development inspires us daily. We deeply value their trust and partnership — and their feedback, which led to us being recognized as an Inc. Power Partner this year.

Our support network. The people who have consistently supported us over the years have been the key to this company’s 15 years of success. We’re so fortunate to have them in our corner as a constant source of inspiration.

Our community. We're grateful that this year has brought us many opportunities to join with others through nonprofit organizations and other initiatives to make a real difference in the community in which we live and work.

Our platform. We have made great strides in our commitment to democratizing access to leadership development:

• Our New Lens® app has been implemented at several large enterprises with fantastic results this year, making leadership development more affordable and scalable

• Our recent Micro Summit: 4 Core Strategies for Success delivered insights from four phenomenal business and HR leaders.

• We’re sharing leadership strategies to an even wider audience through our articles in Forbes and Fast Company and speaking engagements for our clients and at events for D CEO, Ascend North Texas and AICPA & CIMA, among others.

Time and space. Personally, I am so thankful for the moments that have allowed me to recharge and reconnect with what truly matters. That has included hiking in Sedona and Whistler, adventures in Turks & Caicos, and celebrating several college admissions with my son.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I invite you to join me in reflecting. 

• What are you grateful for right now, personally and professionally?  

• What experiences have enriched your year, even if they were challenging ones? 

• Who do you want to express gratitude to as Thanksgiving approaches?

At Newberry Solutions, we're committed to your success through New Lens and other resources, and always in your corner cheering you on. Let's embrace this season of thanksgiving with a heart full of appreciation and commitment to make a positive impact.

5 Reasons Team Members Underperform

It’s an issue every leader deals with at one time or another: You’re working to cultivate a high-performing team, but not everyone is delivering at the level you need them to. One way this has shown up recently is the phenomenon of “quiet quitting,” or doing only the bare minimum to get by.

The first step to address underperformance is determining why it’s happening. You can use the five questions below as a diagnostic tool to figure out what’s really at the root of their underperformance. 

Photo by Mizuno K.

1. Is Burnout Causing Underperformance?

Burnout was already a big problem before the pandemic. But over the past couple of years, the burnout crisis has gotten even worse. If a team member’s work isn’t measuring up, the first question you should consider as a leader is whether the employee is experiencing burnout. Besides declining work quality, other signs of burnout include fatigue and low energy, seeming “checked out” or saying negative or cynical things about their job. Can you identify what might be causing the employee’s burnout? For example, maybe they haven’t taken time off this year, or they’ve had more and more duties added to their plate. Whatever the cause, a burnt-out employee can’t become more effective until the two of you address their fatigue and stress. Check out my article “Five Ways to Reduce Burnout in Your Team” for more ideas.

2. Are You Setting Clear Expectations?

Another common reason why employees don’t succeed is that they don’t understand what success looks like. Have you given them a clear picture of how you define high performance? Help your team members understand what their top priorities are, how they should spend their time and energy and how they can work successfully with you.

3. Is There a Learning Curve?

An employee might be underperforming simply because they are new on the job and are still mastering everything it entails. This is especially true if the onboarding process at your company has suffered due to lean staffing, heavier workloads or hybrid work. Even veteran employees who are taking on new responsibilities might experience a learning curve.

4. Do Employees Lack Skills or Expertise?

Your employee might be underperforming because their strengths don’t align with their current project or the way that their job has evolved. As technology accelerates change, that’s understandable. Our careers today require ongoing training and learning. But there’s a gap between what employees want and what companies are offering. (You can read more about this in Newberry Solutions’ free white paper, “Leadership Development for a Changing World.”)

5. Is the Employee the Wrong Fit?

This is probably one of the most painful causes of underperformance, but also one of the most important to address. Sometimes an employee just isn’t aligned with what’s important to your team or organization. As a leader, you can help the employee understand your workplace culture and priorities and find ways they can adapt their style or approach. But for employees who can’t or don’t want to change, everyone might be happier with a parting of the ways.

This week, identify one of these areas to explore as you work with an underperforming employee. As you develop your team members, our award-winning app New Lens can be a valuable tool. New Lens can teach your team members how to manage their capacity, focus on the right work, align with you as their manager and build their skills in a way that works with their schedule. Schedule your free demo now.

The 5-Minute Strategy to Prepare for a Meeting

Meetings are opportunities to both advance your business goals and strengthen your personal brand as a leader. To make the most of every meeting, your preparation should include not just reviewing the subject matter, but also paying attention to the critical nuances that really drive success. Taking just five minutes to review these five questions can make a real difference in how your next meeting goes.

1. How Do You Want to Show Up?

If you only have time to think about one question from this article before your next meeting, make it this one.

Every meeting you attend affects how others perceive you as a leader. What do you want your colleagues to understand about your leadership? And how can you convey that through your presence and behavior during the meeting?

Also think about how you can align your demeanor with the qualities people associate with strong leadership. For example, if you tend to talk fast, you might be perceived as stressed and harried. So you can make a point at your meeting to speak in a way that sounds grounded.

2. How Will Others Show Up?

It's a pretty safe bet that the other people at your meeting are going to behave in the ways they typically do. Today is probably not going to be the day that your grumpy co-worker becomes optimistic or that the chronic interrupter starts allowing others to speak. If you go into the meeting expecting others will behave in their usual ways, you may take their actions less personally and be more open to engaging in a different way.

At the same time, though, it's important to be aware of any events or situations that could change how others show up. Does anyone attending have an especially heavy workload right now? Is anyone dealing with a family situation? If you have trouble answering questions like those about your colleagues, that could be a sign to start paying some extra attention to strengthening your relationships with them.

3. What Questions Might Others Have?

Many times, if someone questions your ideas, opinions or decisions at a meeting, it's because they don't understand the connection between your actions and the big picture of what's right for the organization. If you speak just about your (or your department’s) goals and priorities, others may wonder whether your motivation is self-serving. So, as you prepare for your meeting, think about how you can "connect the dots" and help others understand your intent if they ask questions.

4. What Resistance or Objections Might Arise?

Even if you're proposing something at this meeting that seems like it should be a slam dunk, take a moment to think about any obstacles you might run into. What concerns might the other meeting attendees have? Preparing for pushback will keep you from being blindsided and help you disagree without being disagreeable.

5. How Will You Respond to Those Objections?

If you do encounter resistance, you can respond to it in a way that helps others feel heard and respected even as you are trying to win them over to your way of thinking. Different people can be influenced in different ways. The Center for Creative Leadership identifies three styles of influencing: 

• Head – a logical appeal focused on organization and individual benefits and typically full of data and facts

• Heart – an emotional appeal linked to something the person cares about such as individual goals and values

• Hand – a cooperative appeal that offers collaboration, consultation and alliances

The best tactic, of course, depends on your audience. So consider which approaches would work best for the different people at your meeting.

If you have a few minutes right now, answer these questions for the next meeting you have coming up. Want more leadership strategies you can put to use immediately? Pick up a copy of my book "Show Up. Step Up. Step Out." It will help you start taking small steps that lead to big results.