Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM April 2019 | Page 14

BUSINESS OF LEADERSHIP BONNIE BENKULA, BSHCA, MBA Serial Entrepreneur: Certified Coach, Mentor & Teacher, DISC Consultant - The John Maxwell TEAM Business Owner: CareBuilders at Home, FCBB Business Brokers [email protected] Lead and Inspire to EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE L eading with fear never works. Sure, people work for the leader that leads with fear…. until they can find another job or transfer to a new department. Power does something strange to some people. Leaders obsessed with power who want to control everything often struggle to build a strong team. Those in leadership roles who lead with fear – fear of failing, fear of missing goals and the fear of losing one’s jobs, result in negative emotions, lack of sustained excellence and mediocre results. When leaders forget to inspire their teams and drive them on metrics, client feedback and numbers on clipboards, people get resentful. This type of leadership is outdated and counterproductive. However, when people feel appreciated, motivate and purpose driven, productivity will increase. Once someone feels appreciated, they will instinctively know that the analytics are coming at them to help them understand how they can improve service and the beautiful piece of it, they will take full responsibility for it. 2 Easy STEPS to get you started: 1. First, learn to listen. Really listen without judgement and without finding flaw in the idea. Engage in conversations by starting conversations then sitting back and humbly listening. Get off your high horse and give others credit for their expertise. Be prepared to learn and to be amazed. When you have mastered listening, it is time to ask one question. 2. Second, ask the right question and make the environment right. Create an atmosphere for low risk conversations. Remove fear and consider small groups or one on one meetings are best. Create an environment where individuals will not be intimidated by the reactions of others and control your non-verbal responses and verbal input. Ask this simple question and listen. 12 MOMENTUM ASK: How can I help you deliver exceptional service? This question has proven to bring out the best ideas, create engaged employees and deliver exceptional input. Consider meeting informally with your teams over breakfast or lunch, let them lead the conversation. Let them share ideas and get creative with solutions to common problems. Don’t get into the weeds of all the problems, simply listen and take note. As good ideas are identified, involved the individuals in the solutions. Teach your teams to be solution providers not just problem identifiers. But as problems are identified, your inspiration will encourage solutions to the problems and before you know it you will be developing a confident self-directed team that can bring three (3) solution ideas to every identified problem. You then get to simply choose the best option. Leaders inspire, leaders decide, leaders lead – that’s what we do!