Lisa Haneberg recently presented a free ASTD webinar, Five Earth Shattering Topics for Management Development That I Learned From My Friends. During her presentation she actually shared six really great ideas and insights from colleagues that she has worked with on how we can develop others and ourselves as leaders.
Idea 1: Meg Wheatly – Human Systems are chaotic and we don’t solve chaotic problems using linear logic. We need to remember that all of our problems are human problems.
Idea 2: Tony Swartz– Work is not draining you. Your drain is not working. We need to recognize that the ability to generate and manage energy is a core leadership skill.
Idea 3: Mark Murphy – Smart Goals are not smart. The qualities of goals that improve performance need to express how an individual needs to grow to meet the goal. They are intrinsic and must be tied to the organization.
Idea 4: David Weinberger – We covet knowledge (actionable information that improves decision making). However, we can’t tell knowledge from the rest until we explore it.
Idea 5: Rajesh Setty – If you are not an opportunity, you are probably an opportunity cost. Your leverage comes from who you are to and for others.
Idea 6: Steve Farber – The best work is always driven by love. One thing a manager should do is bring out the best in others. This is done by connecting deeply to others .
Although I enjoyed all of her points, I most enjoyed the opportunity to explore the important topic of maximizing your energy from a presentation by Tony Swartz, CEO of the Energy Project. The main focus was the importance of managing your energy. Ms. Haneberg pointed out that when you have a project budget and realize half way through that funds are going to run short, you make adjustments to ensure that your budget will last for the project. Unfortunately we don’t do the same thing when we realize that our energy is running low. Too often, we just keep plugging away when our energy levels have been depleted.
Managers need to learn how to make and preserve energy. It is all about balance. Leadership needs to acknowledge that they can give more when they’ve taken more time and energy to charge their batteries. Many times people worry about “striking out” because they aren’t the first one in the office and the last to leave? Ms. Haneberg stresses the point that employees who take all of their vacation time and take their full lunch break in order to regenerate and reflect, typically receive higher performance evaluations. Again, it is all about balance.
This brings to mind my sons’ orthodontist. He closed his office every day for one hour and took his entire staff out to lunch. He insisted that during these lunches “business” not be discussed. In the seven years that we visited his office he never lost a single employee. As employers and managers, it’s important to ask yourself what you are doing for your employees to help them find balance in their jobs and keep their energy at an optimum level? That being said, I think that it’s time to turn the computer off and enjoy my lunch outside under the clear blue, fall sky! What are you going to do?
Mary Lake, HR Consultant, HR Advisors Group
