Michael Timms's Blog

“When you check my work, it makes me feel like you don’t trust me.”

This was the feedback I received from a team member—a sentiment I’ve heard echoed by clients whose employees interpret oversight as a lack of trust. One employee told their manager that regular one-on-ones felt like micromanagement. Another took offence when their boss asked follow-up questions about a proposed idea, perceiving it as a lack of support.

There’s no question that autonomy fuels high performance. But does that mean managers should step back completely?

Not if results depend on teamwork, because leadership is key to team performance. The real question is how can leaders foster accountability and high performance without undermining autonomy?

The answer lies in cultivating accountable trust—a trust that empowers others while establishing practices that improve communication, quality, and results. Building this kind of culture requires three principles that reinforce one another in a cycle of excellence: Show Respect → Extend Trust → Engineer Accountability.

Clarify What Trust Actually Means

When that team member told me she didn’t like me checking her work, it was a wake-up call. We had very different expectations about what trust looked like—and that was on me. Since then, I’ve learned to clarify these expectations up front, even before hiring someone.

One of my go-to interview questions is: “What does trust look like to you?” This simple question opens the door to a meaningful conversation about how they have experienced trust in the past and whether their expectations align with how our team operates.

For example, quality is one of our core values. To maintain high standards, we’ve implemented several practices:

Two sets of eyes on all client deliverables and published content.Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all key tasks. Regular debriefs on all completed work, including feedback on my own presentations.

To someone who equates trust with complete autonomy, these practices might feel like micromanagement. But to us, they’re signs of mutual respect and commitment to excellence. We believe the best ideas and our best work emerge through collaboration and feedback, not isolation.

Reckless trust is assuming people never make mistakes or have half-baked ideas. Accountable trust respects people’s competence while putting in systems that help everyone succeed. 

Here’s how to build accountable trust.

1. Show Respect

Respect is the foundation of every strong relationship. You can’t truly trust someone you don’t respect, and people won’t let you hold them accountable if they don’t feel respected. When respect is absent, small misunderstandings turn into perceived slights, often leading to passive-aggressive behavior or office politics. But when respect is present, people give each other the benefit of the doubt and go out of their way to help each other out.

The key to showing respect is to ask more questions and make fewer assumptions. Here are three powerful ways to show respect:

Don’t Blame. Blame is the most common response to problems, yet it triggers defensiveness and shuts down problem-solving. Instead of asking “Whose fault is this?” ask, “Where did the process break down?” This initiates a dialogue that leads to solutions.Model Accountability. It’s easy to spot other’s mistakes. It’s harder to notice and admit our part in problems. When bad things happen, accountable people ask, “How may I have contributed to this problem?” then admit their part.Ask for Advice. People often withhold helpful feedback because they don’t think you want to hear it. Show them you value their perspective by asking, “What do you think we should do here?” and “How can I support you better?”

When people feel respected, they are far more likely to respect and trust you in return.

2. Extend Trust

If you want others to take more ownership of their work, then trust must be extended, not earned. Withholding trust communicates doubt about someone’s competence or integrity. If an employee feels that their manager doesn’t trust them to run with an assignment, they won’t. Lack of trust kills confidence and initiative.

But when someone knows you trust them, they usually step up. Nobody wants to let down someone who’s placed confidence in them.

That said, accountable trust isn’t blind faith. Even the most competent people make mistakes. Accountable trust is about aligning on what success looks like and agreeing on how you’ll support each other to achieve it.

3. Engineer Accountability

Respect and trust lay the emotional groundwork for accountability. But sustainable excellence requires systems—practices that help people follow through on their commitments.

Here are three key practices to engineer accountability:

Clarify expectations. Most friction in teams stems from unclear or unspoken expectations. Before beginning a project or working relationship, ask, “What do you need from me to do your best work?” Clarifying expectations up front reduces misunderstandings and makes it easier to address problems when they happen.Use SOPs. Even the most skilled and experienced professionals make mistakes. SOPs help avoid preventable errors while freeing up mental bandwidth for strategic thinking. If someone on your team thinks they don’t need to follow SOPs, ask them if they’d board a plane with a pilot who skips the pre-flight checklist.Meet regularly. Instead of interrupting people every day for urgent issues, regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings create time for strategic discussion and reduces time spent firefighting. They are the ultimate accountability mechanism to stay informed on progress, follow-up on assignments, and provide feedback and coaching.  

When accountability systems are in place, people are more likely to follow through, which fosters even greater respect and trust, further reinforcing the cycle of excellence.

Some people believe that trust and accountability are at odds. The opposite is true—they amplify each other. But only accountable trust can sustain a culture of excellence. If you already have a foundation of mutual respect and trust, accountability systems will feel natural. And if you get pushback when introducing them, it may be a sign that the trust isn’t as solid as you thought.

The post How to Build the Kind of Trust that Drives Results appeared first on Michael Timms.

The most powerful policies are usually the shortest ones.

When GM’s Mary Barra replaced a 10-page dress code with just two words—“Dress appropriately”—she did more than simplify a rule. She sparked a cultural shift in how leaders made decisions and how teams took ownership.

This  true story, shared by tech CEO Wouter Durville, shows what happens when leaders stop hiding behind policies and start leading with accountability.

When Mary Barra took over GM’s HR department, she found a 10-page dress code policy. She replaced all 10 pages with just two words: “Dress appropriately.”

The HR team panicked.

A senior director sent an angry email demanding more detailed rules.

But Barra held firm.

When the director called to complain that his team wore jeans to government meetings, she didn’t cave.

Instead, she told him: “Have a conversation with your team.”

Two weeks later, he called back excited.

His team had solved it themselves…they’d keep dress pants in their lockers for important meetings.

Here’s what happened across GM:

Managers started making decisions instead of following rulebooksEmployee engagement improved as people felt trustedBureaucracy dropped as leaders focused on outcomes, not compliance

Barra realized: “If they can’t handle ‘dress appropriately,’ what other judgment decisions are they not making?”

This story highlights something I regularly see middle and senior managers struggle with: the tendency to abdicate leadership by hiding behind policies—or deferring to someone more senior—to avoid having a hard conversation with a team member.

It’s easy to point to a policy and say, “Don’t get mad at me, it’s company policy.” It’s easy to throw up your hands and say, “I can’t do anything; the CEO said we have to.” But that’s not leadership. That’s being a chicken and refusing to take accountability.

Leadership requires the courage to have hard conversations.

Accountable leadership means taking ownership of the outcomes you’re responsible for and doing what you can do to make them happen.

“What you can do” implies there will almost always be obstacles and constraints, but that’s also where your power lies. Strong leaders acknowledge the constraints, then focus on the variables within their control or influence to create better results. And one of those variables squarely within your influence is your team member’s behavior and performance.

As Barra’s story illustrates, having a hard conversation doesn’t have to be disciplinary. It’s about being clear about expected outcomes and firm on standards, and then working with your team to help them achieve those outcomes.

So, if you’re hesitating to have a hard conversation and wondering whether now is the right time—trust me, it is. Waiting won’t make it easier. In most cases, it only makes the situation worse.

And if you’re unsure how to have the conversation—good news! I recently wrote a piece called “How to Make Tough Conversations Your Superpower.” If you haven’t read it yet, check it out here.

If you are struggling with having hard conversations or anything I wrote above, please email info@availleadership.com, I’d love to continue the conversation!

The post Leadership Requires Courage appeared first on Michael Timms.

“I love performance reviews!”—said nobody, ever.

Despite their unpopularity, most companies still conduct annual performance reviews even though 98% of CHROs admit their performance management processes are broken. Why cling to something that doesn’t work? Because many executives simply can’t imagine a better way to enhance employee performance.

What if there’s a way to ditch performance reviews and improve performance?

Performance reviews are intended to enhance employee performance by providing feedback, setting goals, and aligning performance with compensation. While these are helpful strategies, the tool used to implement them often undermines their effectiveness, leaving employees disengaged and managers frustrated.

Why Performance Reviews Must Go

Performance reviews originated during WW1 and became the default corporate torture test of bureaucratic futility by the 1960s. If your company has evolved its operations, sales, and IT processes since then, take that as a clear sign it’s long overdue to overhaul your people processes.

Here are a few reasons why performance reviews don’t work:

Too Infrequent. Performance reviews often bundle months of feedback into a single, overwhelming session. That’s a problem because people can only effectively process one piece of feedback at a time. Performance reviews make feedback difficult to absorb and too late to do anything about.Is Subjective and Unfair. Most performance reviews rely primarily on the manager’s opinion. While a manager’s perspective is important, it isn’t always reliable. Manager bias is well-documented and poor leadership is often a key reason for employee underperformance.Destroys Trust. Imagine if your partner documented all your mistakes to ensure they have an advantage in the divorce proceedings if things don’t work out. But don’t worry, they’ll review it with you once or twice a year to prove you’ve received this feedback. No relationship would survive that, yet corporate executives wonder why employees don’t trust management.Encourages Defensiveness. When performance ratings are tied to pay, employees become motivated to argue their case instead of listening to feedback. In fact, performance reviews often trigger a fight or flight response like how people react to physical threats. Instead of an opportunity for learning, reviews often deteriorate into a negotiation for a higher rating.

Not surprisingly, a large meta-analysis revealed that traditional performance reviews cause employee performance to decline one-third of the time. Fortunately, there is a better way to achieve the goals of performance management through principles, not forms. 

Principles of Enlightened Performance Enhancement

The goals of performance management can be achieved in a far more effective way by applying the following principles:

1. Establish Expectation Agreements

The most common reason people fail to meet our expectations is because we haven’t clearly communicated with them. In fact, research shows fewer than half of employees know what is expected of them at work.

If it happens at all, expectation-setting is usually a top-down process. Great managers, however, also ask their team members what they need to succeed. For example, a manager might expect high-quality work, while an employee might require training, examples, or autonomy to deliver. Expectations should be a two-way street.

Clear expectations enable managers to hold people accountable fairly and provide employees with a mechanism to give feedback to their managers. Ironically, most managers only think about discussing expectations once an employee fails to meet them. Imagine how much potential could be unlocked if expectations were clear from the start!

2. Elevate Your One-on-Ones

One-on-one meetings are like the Swiss Army Knife of leadership. They are the ultimate multi-purpose leadership tool ideal for providing feedback, coaching, and discussing goals. Regular one-on-ones can and should replace periodic performance reviews. To make this happen:

Clarify Purpose. Most manager-employee interactions are about day-to-day issues, not meaningful discussions. In contrast, one-on-ones are scheduled time reserved for strategic discussions and to ensure employees can get what they need from their manager and address sensitive issues as required.Increase Frequency. Employees need more than a few annual touchpoints to receive meaningful feedback and coaching. While the ideal frequency of one-on-ones depends on team size and work complexity, weekly meetings yield the highest engagement. Regular meetings proactively address issues, saving countless hours spent reactively firefighting.Flexible Agenda. For one-on-ones to feel valuable to employees, they must have some control of the agenda. Shared digital agendas allow both parties to add topics throughout the week, reducing the need to interrupt each other. Different topics can be rotated on the agenda at different frequencies, such as weekly project updates and monthly goal reviews.3. Keep Managers Accountable

The purpose of providing employees with feedback isn’t to check a box on a form, which means it shouldn’t be measured by the percentage of reviews completed. Rather, the measure of feedback is how useful it is, and only employees can tell you that. This can be accomplished by adding the following two questions on a quarterly engagement survey:

“My manager provides enough useful feedback to help me improve my performance.”“My manager helps me stay accountable to my goals in a positive and productive way.”

When employees identify their manager on engagement surveys, managers can receive individual reports on their leadership impact. These results should feed into managers’ performance discussions and compensation. This approach not only motivates managers to improve their leadership skills but also elevates HR professionals from compliance officers to strategic partners who support managers with leadership development resources when requested.

4. Modernize Your Compensation Formula

Compensation is perceived as fair only when the process behind it is fair. Given the well-documented flaws in traditional performance reviews, it’s no surprise that fewer than one-third of employees feel they are paid fairly.

Consider these questions: Should star performers receive the highest pay increases if they fail to live the company’s values? Should employees be penalized for their manager’s incompetence or bias? And how can you reward team members who make sacrifices for the greater good? A single, subjective, performance rating can’t address these nuances—but a formula can.

Fair compensation contains four key elements: relevance, transparency, equity, and control. For instance, the stock market works because investors know:

Their returns are tied to the performance of their portfolio (relevance).Calculations are open to scrutiny (transparency).The same rules apply to everyone (equity).Their decisions influence their outcomes (control).

Employers can mirror this fairness by including these elements in compensation systems:

Relevance. Base pay on factors like market rates, individual performance metrics (measures of quantity and quality of work), goal achievement, customer feedback, teamwork (measured via surveys), leadership impact (from 360-degree feedback or engagement surveys), and overall company results.Transparency. Publish all compensation formulas and clearly explain the weighting and rationale for each factor.Equity. Ensure formulas are consistent within roles, even if they differ across positions. Transparency helps mitigate any perception of bias for subjective elements like market rates.Control. Give employees some say into which factors are included. Managers should help employees understand the behaviors and results needed to influence their pay.

Replacing subjective performance ratings with a formula-driven approach can create a fairer compensation system that boosts engagement and performance.

The Bottom Line

Performance reviews are relics of the past. By embracing two-way expectations, enhancing one-on-ones, keeping managers accountable, and establishing objective compensation systems, organizations can finally fulfill the promise that performance reviews failed to deliver.

This article first appeared in HR Daily Advisor.

The post How to End Performance Reviews appeared first on Michael Timms.

What if your entire management team leveled up in a single year? At this company, they did. The ripple effect was transformational.

The Challenge: Growth Without Alignment

Westview Co-op (“Westview”) operates a mix of businesses—including gas stations, grocery stores, home centers and more. After several rapid acquisitions, they struggled to integrate new locations under a single, unified culture.

To complicate matters, each business brought its own leadership style. Employees across the company were having vastly different experiences depending on who they worked for.

CEO Mike Isaak recognized the need for a stronger, more consistent leadership culture—one that could streamline operations and create a better employee experience across the board.

You can hear Mike’s story here.

Here’s a quick summary of the approach we used at Westview—and why it got results.

The Process: Creating A Culture of Excellence

The Creating a Culture of Excellence leadership development program begins with each manager receiving anonymous feedback from their direct reports. After reviewing their results, each manager receives a coaching call and a customized development plan. The management team then attends a series of workshops together. At each session, they receive an assignment to practice what they learned and are expected to share their experience at the next session.

Because culture change requires organizational support, I meet regularly with the executive team to align practices with new leadership habits. My team also provides ongoing communication to keep participants engaged and informed.

After a year, direct reports reassess their managers to measure progress and provide input for updated development plans. You can learn more about the leadership development program HERE.

The Impact: Real Growth, Real Results

Nearly every manager improved their leadership scores within a year, with about half achieving significant growth. Most also increased their self-awareness and leadership acumen.

Here are a few standout examples.

Shelly: Elevating Others Through Clear Feedback. Shelley, a long-time manager with no formal training, focused on giving more specific feedback. That one shift not only boosted her leadership scores but also improve her team’s performance. Today, six of her team members are being developed as future managers, and her store saw a $500,000 increase in year-over-year sales.Chris: From Self-Doubt to Confident Leadership. Chris, a senior manager, gained greater confidence to handle tough conversations and challenging situations. He also improved his ability to create a safe environment which empowered his team to take more ownership.Vaylene: Performance Conversations Made Easier. Vaylene made two key changes: regular one-on-ones with each team member and structured debriefs after projects. These created a consistent rhythm of communication that made performance management feel natural, not forced.Why It Worked at Westview

Every management team that’s gone through this program has improved—but Westview stood out. Here’s why:

The CEO Led by Example. Mike wasn’t just supportive—he was the most committed learner. He took the program seriously, reflected on his own leadership, and held managers accountable when they didn’t align with the new culture.Highly Coachable. Coachability requires the confidence to know you can handle new and challenging situations and the humility to know you have room to improve. Many of Westview’s managers showed a strong “growth mindset”—they could hear feedback without getting defensive and were eager to improve.Team Commitment. Every participant signed a commitment outlining minimum expectations. This created clarity, accountability, and a sense of shared responsibility across the team.Building a Leadership Culture that Endures

Leadership transformation doesn’t come from a couple of offsite retreats. It starts with a leader who’s willing to change—and a team that’s ready to grow together.

If you’d like to explore whether this program could work for your organization, reply to this email to set up a meeting.

The post How One Company Transformed Its Culture by Elevating Every Manager appeared first on Michael Timms.

Establishing a culture of feedback can help leaders tackle tough conversations more effectively.

Having difficult conversations is one of the hardest — and most essential — leadership skills. Yet, the higher leaders climb, the more they tend to avoid addressing poor performance or behavior, often out of fear of being disliked. But avoiding friction points doesn’t solve problems — it only delays them and often makes them worse. Authentic leadership has always required the courage to face issues directly.

While conflict avoiders may think they are being diplomatic, others view it as a weakness. The good news? Leaders who handle conflict well earn both the respect and admiration of others.

I once coached a CEO who avoided holding his executives accountable for their behavior. As a result, his leadership team turned toxic. Middle managers caught in the crossfire described it as a “Game of Thrones” environment. Whenever the CEO vented to me about their dysfunction, I’d ask, “Have you told them that?” His answer was always the same: “No.” By failing to enforce standards, he created a leadership vacuum — accountability disappeared, decision-making stalled, profits declined and safety incidents escalated.

While the techniques in this article can help anyone navigate conflict more effectively, they are especially critical for leaders, whose actions — or inactions — often ripple through an entire organization. That’s why mastering tough conversations isn’t optional for leaders; it’s essential.

Lay the groundwork

Tough conversations become far easier — and more likely to end positively — when leaders establish a culture of feedback. Here’s how to lay that foundation.

Set the expectation of feedback. Strong leaders begin all relationships by setting clear expectations. The most important expectation in any key relationship is feedback. Invite others to give you feedback and ask if you can do the same. This is essential to set the stage for honest communication. Ask for advice. People must respect you and feel respected by you before they’ll truly listen to you. One of the quickest ways to build trust and respect is to ask for their advice. While asking for “feedback” can appear like fishing for compliments or inviting criticism, requesting advice is “feed-forward” — it’s easier to receive and action.Demonstrate that feedback is a gift. If leaders react defensively to feedback, they can expect others to do the same. Instead, accept advice or criticism with gratitude by simply saying, “Thanks, you’ve given me something to think about.” This shows that you value their input.Provide more reaffirming feedback. People need to feel valued before they can accept correction. Regularly acknowledging what they’re doing well reinforces the behaviors you want to see more of and builds relationships of trust.

Once leaders begin modeling these behaviors, they must shift their mindset about how to approach potential friction points.

Lead conversations; don’t try to control them

Some suggest focusing on how the other person’s behavior makes you feel. “Use ‘I’ statements,” they suggest. But that makes the conversation about you, not them. Others recommend scripting out what you’ll say or rehearsing with someone else, but this approach can backfire. Overpreparing makes you less open to the other person’s input and reinforces the flawed idea that tough conversations are one-directional.

The biggest mistake people make is assuming they already have all the facts. They prepare a monologue, deliver their speech and expect the other person to simply accept it. That’s disrespectful because it ignores the other person’s perspective. Reality check: You don’t have a monopoly on the truth. You have valuable insights, but so do they.

The key to successfully navigating tough conversations lies in shifting your mindset. Instead of “giving feedback,” approach these discussions as Alignment Conversations focused on clarifying expectations rather than assigning blame. 

People can sense when you’re trying to control the conversation, which can make them feel manipulated and resentful. Instead, initiate a discussion to uncover all the facts and expect to change your perspective. Don’t try to direct them to your solution — again, that feels manipulative. Bring the issue to light and collaborate on the best way forward, ensuring both your needs get met. Here’s how.

The 4 steps of alignment conversations

STEP 1 – ASK ABOUT THE SITUATION

Start by asking questions rather than making statements. Research shows managers who listen first are four times more effective at handling sensitive issues. For example, you might say, “How do you feel the prospect meeting went yesterday?” This directs the conversation toward the issue without triggering defensiveness. It also invites the other person to share insights or facts you might not be aware of. They may even bring up the issue you’d like to discuss.

STEP 2 – SHARE YOUR OBSERVATION

Next, clearly state what you’ve observed. For instance, “I noticed that you interrupted me several times, which made it appear that you wanted me to speak less or that you felt I was hurting the sales pitch.” A strong observation includes the specific behavior and how you interpret it. Using phrases like “it appears,” “it seems” or “comes across” signals that you’re sharing your perspective, not making a final judgment. 

STEP 3 – ASK FOR CLARIFICATION

Your perspective may not be entirely accurate, so invite the other person to share theirs. Ask questions like, “Did I interpret this correctly, or am I missing something?” This shifts the conversation from accusation to fact-finding, positioning you as someone seeking understanding rather than assigning blame.

STEP 4 – FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE FUTURE

Once all the facts are on the table, shift the conversation to solutions. If their explanation resolves the issue, great. If not, you might say, “Thanks for clarifying. What could we do differently to prevent this in the future?” The goal is to reach an agreement on actions that will lead to a better outcome next time.

Turn conflict into trust

By following these steps, alignment conversations avoid the hard feelings that result from blame and instead strengthen relationships. Leaders who master this skill don’t just resolve conflicts — they build stronger, more accountable teams and create a culture of continuous improvement.

Tough conversations may never be easy, but with the right approach, they can become one of your greatest leadership strengths and your organization’s biggest advantage.

This article first appeared in SmartBrief.

The post Make tough conversations your leadership superpower appeared first on Michael Timms.

By implementing these seven strategies, you can effectively foster a more collaborative and cohesive team culture.

Do you have employees who act more like “lone wolves” than team players? Individuals or teams who work in isolation from the larger organization can stifle innovation, limit knowledge sharing, and create resentment when others perceive them as playing by different rules. So how can leaders guide these lone wolves toward adopting a team-oriented mindset?

I’ve been asked this question by various leaders including the president of a financial institution, a branch director of a high-tech consulting firm, and the superintendent of a school district. While specifics may vary by context, several core principles apply to any leader looking to foster a shift from “me” to “we.”

The presence of lone wolves often stems from a lack of the necessary structures and conditions for establishing accountable relationships, such as agreed-upon behavioral standards, normal reporting relationships, incentives for cooperation, and consequences for noncooperation. For example, salespeople paid entirely on commission have little incentive to act like part of a team.

Here are seven key strategies any leader can implement to encourage lone wolves to become active members of the pack.

Define Desired Results

Step one is to clarify what you hope improved teamwork will achieve. Instead of vague goals like “better collaboration,” dig deeper by asking “Why?” multiple times to identify specific, measurable outcomes, such as:

More innovative solutionsHigher employee engagement and commitmentGreater profit for the company

For these results to be useful, they must be measurable.

Define Desired Behaviors

Next, identify the behaviors that will lead to these outcomes. Ask yourself, “What actions will produce these results?”

A helpful exercise is to create a word picture to contrast the behaviors you want with those you want to avoid. Draw a line down the middle of a page. In the left column, write, “What a lone wolf does,” listing the behaviors that frustrate you. In the right column, write, “What a team player does” and note what you’d like them to do instead.

For example, desired behaviors could include:

Referring clients to other parts of the businessParticipating in committeesResponding to requests for information or adviceAttending company meetings and events

Behaviors should be observable and measurable.

Negotiate a New Deal

Executives want better teamwork but often avoid addressing the issue directly, preferring to express their dissatisfaction through sarcastic comments rather than real conversations. Meanwhile, lone wolves are usually already getting what they want but would prefer less “corporate” interference and bureaucracy. The key question is whether you dare to confront the problem directly or continue using passive-aggressive tactics, hoping they’ll change.

If having your lone wolves act as team players is valuable to you, make it valuable to them. Address the issue directly by explaining why the current arrangement isn’t optimal and how adopting the desired behaviors can lead to better results for the organization and them. Then, ask what it would take for them to demonstrate those behaviors and work together to strike a deal. Try to find nonmonetary things you can offer them to make their jobs easier such as more corporate support or less red tape.

Measure and Report KPIs

You get what you measure. Tracking key behaviors provides valuable feedback, helping you adjust your approach to improve results.

While I usually emphasize focusing on outcomes instead of tasks to improve your odds of success, it’s more effective to focus on behaviors when individuals have limited control over results such as increasing innovation and profitability.

This may require tracking new metrics, like internal referrals, meeting attendance, or timely paperwork submission. Teamwork, for example, can be surprisingly easy to measure. Google improved teamwork on an uncooperative team by using a simple two-question survey:

In the last quarter, this person helped me when I reached out to them.In the last quarter, this person involved me when I could have been helpful to or was impacted by their team’s work.

Each member received a report showing their ranking compared to their peers, with all other rankings remaining anonymous. Within two years, the team’s favorable responses increased from 70% to 90% .

Meet 1:1 Regularly

A reporting relationship with regularly scheduled one-on-one check-ins is essential for maintaining accountability. Reporting progress face-to-face makes employees feel part of something larger, and research shows it increases their odds of achieving goals by 95%.

Accountability thrives on mutual feedback, which is hard to achieve without regular meetings and often harms relationships when done via email. Trust is the foundation of teamwork, and you can’t build it by meeting infrequently or only when there’s a problem. One successful executive told me, “If you’re not holding regular one-on-ones with your direct reports, you’re eroding trust, not building it.”

While effective one-on-ones can cover various topics, one question managers should regularly ask is, “How can I support you better?”

Recognize Success

Behavior that gets praised gets repeated. When your former lone wolves demonstrate desired behaviors, acknowledge it. This can be done through an email, a handwritten note, an in-person comment, or even in team meetings—if it won’t embarrass them.

Effective recognition includes three key elements:

a) “I noticed what you did.”

b) “I appreciate it.”

c) “This is why it matters.”

The most important part is connecting the behavior with the results it achieved.

As the keepers of team culture, leaders must see themselves as chief storytellers. Great leaders always look for examples to share of team members demonstrating company values or other key behaviors. Stories connect theory to reality in a memorable way and provide a model to follow. Some organizations formalize this recognition through events or awards ceremonies, highlighting employees who consistently embody these values.

Enforce Consequences

You get the behavior you tolerate. If lone wolves have agreed to demonstrate certain team-centric behaviors and you’re upholding your end of the deal, it’s essential to address any shortfalls. Ideally, this will happen during a regular one-on-one meeting or immediately after an instance of unacceptable behavior. A simple approach is to say, “I noticed you did [blank]. What happened there?” Hear them out but make it clear that it can’t happen again. Ask what you can do to help them meet expectations going forward.

This must be a face-to-face conversation. Email or text is not appropriate for addressing such issues.

Leaders must have the courage to let go of those who repeatedly violate standards of teamwork and cooperation, even if they are top performers. While difficult, making these tough decisions in line with your values earns you the respect of others and reinforces the importance of maintaining behavioral standards.

Fostering a Cohesive Team Culture

As a leader, you set the tone for your organization’s culture. By implementing these seven strategies, you can effectively coax lone wolves into the pack, fostering a more collaborative and cohesive team culture.

As you encourage your lone wolves to contribute more as part of an integrated unit, you’ll not only enhance overall organizational performance, but you’ll also reinforce that basic expectations of teamwork and cooperation apply to everyone.

This article first appeared in Fast Company.

The post 7 Strategies to Turn ‘Lone Wolves’ into Team Players appeared first on Michael Timms.

By implementing these seven strategies, you can effectively foster a more collaborative and cohesive team culture.

Do you have employees who act more like “lone wolves” than team players? Individuals or teams who work in isolation from the larger organization can stifle innovation, limit knowledge sharing, and create resentment when others perceive them as playing by different rules. So how can leaders guide these lone wolves toward adopting a team-oriented mindset?

I’ve been asked this question by various leaders including the president of a financial institution, a branch director of a high-tech consulting firm, and the superintendent of a school district. While specifics may vary by context, several core principles apply to any leader looking to foster a shift from “me” to “we.”

The presence of lone wolves often stems from a lack of the necessary structures and conditions for establishing accountable relationships, such as agreed-upon behavioral standards, normal reporting relationships, incentives for cooperation, and consequences for noncooperation. For example, salespeople paid entirely on commission have little incentive to act like part of a team.

Here are seven key strategies any leader can implement to encourage lone wolves to become active members of the pack.

Define desired results

Step one is to clarify what you hope improved teamwork will achieve. Instead of vague goals like “better collaboration,” dig deeper by asking “Why?” multiple times to identify specific, measurable outcomes, such as:

More innovative solutionsHigher employee engagement and commitmentGreater profit for the company

For these results to be useful, they must be measurable.

Define desired behaviors

Next, identify the behaviors that will lead to these outcomes. Ask yourself, “What actions will produce these results?”

A helpful exercise is to create a word picture to contrast the behaviors you want with those you want to avoid. Draw a line down the middle of a page. In the left column, write, “What a lone wolf does,” listing the behaviors that frustrate you. In the right column, write, “What a team player does” and note what you’d like them to do instead.

For example, desired behaviors could include:

Referring clients to other parts of the businessParticipating in committeesResponding to requests for information or adviceAttending company meetings and events

Behaviors should be observable and measurable.

Negotiate a new deal

Executives want better teamwork but often avoid addressing the issue directly, preferring to express their dissatisfaction through sarcastic comments rather than real conversations. Meanwhile, lone wolves are usually already getting what they want but would prefer less “corporate” interference and bureaucracy. The key question is whether you dare to confront the problem directly or continue using passive-aggressive tactics, hoping they’ll change.

If having your lone wolves act as team players is valuable to you, make it valuable to them. Address the issue directly by explaining why the current arrangement isn’t optimal and how adopting the desired behaviors can lead to better results for the organization and them. Then, ask what it would take for them to demonstrate those behaviors and work together to strike a deal. Try to find nonmonetary things you can offer them to make their jobs easier such as more corporate support or less red tape.

Measure and report KPIs

You get what you measure. Tracking key behaviors provides valuable feedback, helping you adjust your approach to improve results.

While I usually emphasize focusing on outcomes instead of tasks to improve your odds of success, it’s more effective to focus on behaviors when individuals have limited control over results such as increasing innovation and profitability.

This may require tracking new metrics, like internal referrals, meeting attendance, or timely paperwork submission. Teamwork, for example, can be surprisingly easy to measure. Google improved teamwork on an uncooperative team by using a simple two-question survey:

In the last quarter, this person helped me when I reached out to them.In the last quarter, this person involved me when I could have been helpful to or was impacted by their team’s work.

Each member received a report showing their ranking compared to their peers, with all other rankings remaining anonymous. Within two years, the team’s favorable responses increased from 70% to 90% .

Meet 1:1 regularly

A reporting relationship with regularly scheduled one-on-one check-ins is essential for maintaining accountability. Reporting progress face-to-face makes employees feel part of something larger, and research shows it increases their odds of achieving goals by 95%.

Accountability thrives on mutual feedback, which is hard to achieve without regular meetings and often harms relationships when done via email. Trust is the foundation of teamwork, and you can’t build it by meeting infrequently or only when there’s a problem. One successful executive told me, “If you’re not holding regular one-on-ones with your direct reports, you’re eroding trust, not building it.”

While effective one-on-ones can cover various topics, one question managers should regularly ask is, “How can I support you better?”

Recognize success

Behavior that gets praised gets repeated. When your former lone wolves demonstrate desired behaviors, acknowledge it. This can be done through an email, a handwritten note, an in-person comment, or even in team meetings—if it won’t embarrass them.

Effective recognition includes three key elements:

a) “I noticed what you did.”

b) “I appreciate it.”

c) “This is why it matters.”

The most important part is connecting the behavior with the results it achieved.

As the keepers of team culture, leaders must see themselves as chief storytellers. Great leaders always look for examples to share of team members demonstrating company values or other key behaviors. Stories connect theory to reality in a memorable way and provide a model to follow. Some organizations formalize this recognition through events or awards ceremonies, highlighting employees who consistently embody these values.

Enforce consequences

You get the behavior you tolerate. If lone wolves have agreed to demonstrate certain team-centric behaviors and you’re upholding your end of the deal, it’s essential to address any shortfalls. Ideally, this will happen during a regular one-on-one meeting or immediately after an instance of unacceptable behavior. A simple approach is to say, “I noticed you did [blank]. What happened there?” Hear them out but make it clear that it can’t happen again. Ask what you can do to help them meet expectations going forward.

This must be a face-to-face conversation. Email or text is not appropriate for addressing such issues.

Leaders must have the courage to let go of those who repeatedly violate standards of teamwork and cooperation, even if they are top performers. While difficult, making these tough decisions in line with your values earns you the respect of others and reinforces the importance of maintaining behavioral standards.

Fostering a cohesive team culture

As a leader, you set the tone for your organization’s culture. By implementing these seven strategies, you can effectively coax lone wolves into the pack, fostering a more collaborative and cohesive team culture.

As you encourage your lone wolves to contribute more as part of an integrated unit, you’ll not only enhance overall organizational performance, but you’ll also reinforce that basic expectations of teamwork and cooperation apply to everyone.

This article first appeared in Fast Company.

The post 7 strategies to turn ‘lone wolves’ into team players appeared first on Michael Timms.

“This is hopeless,” he muttered, sinking into his office chair. The CEO of a medical device company had just returned from another fruitless executive meeting, where he had pleaded for improved teamwork. 

For the third consecutive quarter, the company had missed its sales targets, and the cause was glaringly obvious: the executive team was deeply dysfunctional. Fragmented into warring factions, they communicated mainly through contentious email exchanges, taking every opportunity to highlight each other’s mistakes and deliberately undermine one another. 

The executives seemed more focused on settling scores over perceived slights than achieving their goals. Despite the CEO’s clear communication of the strategic plan and individual responsibilities, little progress was made.  

What more could the CEO possibly do?

BEHAVIOR FOLLOWS LEADERSHIP

While managers can’t directly control others’ actions, their own behavior profoundly impacts how their team members act. Unfortunately, many managers fail to recognize that much of their team member’s conduct is a product of their leadership. 

Influencing behavior becomes much easier when you understand these two principles: 

Behavior that gets praised, gets repeated. You get the behavior you tolerate. 

These two principles are equally powerful and critical to managing and modifying behavior, but the order matters. Before others will accept corrective feedback, they must feel you respect them. Great leaders know that recognizing people’s strengths and accomplishments is essential for building trust and improving performance.  

BEHVAIOR THAT GETS PRAISED, GETS REPEATED

A common finding in the leadership assessments I administer is that managers often provide insufficient positive feedback. Many managers worry that praising employees for “simply doing their job” might lead to complacency or unrealistic expectations about their performance and compensation. However, a lack of praise is much more likely to lead to disengagement, distrust, and low performance. 

Praise triggers the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine, a feel-good chemical, encourages us to repeat actions that lead to positive outcomes. In other words, dopamine’s purpose is to encourage us to “do that again.” 

One time while hiking, I accidentally triggered my buddy’s reward system, which noticeably changed his behavior. When I struggled on a steep section of a multiday hike, my buddy encouraged me to keep going until we reached the next peak where we would take a break. Once there, I thanked him and said, “I really appreciate your encouragement. That helped.” That’s all it took to trigger his brain to dispense a dose of dopamine. For the rest of the day, he transformed into Tony Robbins, dishing out positive, encouraging comments! 

This significant behavior shift lasted about a day or two. By day three, he was back to his usual level of positivity. That’s because I stopped reinforcing the behavior by withholding praise. Dopamine has a short shelf life. 

EFFECTIVE PRAISE IS FREQUENT AND SPECIFIC

Research by Gallup has shown that recognizing good performance in each employee each week is correlated with a 10–20% increase in productivity and revenue. Most employees do something well each week, and great managers recognize and acknowledge these moments. This ensures employees know when they’ve hit the mark, so they know what to aim for next time. 

Don’t save praise only for heroic achievements. Praising frequently doesn’t diminish its value as long as it’s specific and sincere. 

Effective praise includes three parts: 

I noticed what you did. I appreciate it. This is why it’s important. 

This approach ensures that employees clearly understand what behavior is being rewarded and why it matters. 

It can take as little as 10 seconds to help people remember to “do that again.” 

YOU GET THE BEHAVIOR YOUR TOLERATE

Managers often fail to recognize how their inaction can perpetuate poor behavior. For example, at an engineering company I worked with, an employee consistently violated company policy by sending unreviewed reports directly to clients. Initially, the manager dismissed this as an isolated incident. As the behavior persisted and became a pattern, she addressed it via email. However, when the issue continued, she rationalized it by saying, “That’s just the way he is.” They were chronically short-staffed, and she didn’t want to risk losing him if she addressed it more firmly with him. 

When managers tolerate poor behavior, their silence sends several clear messages. 

“I approve of your behavior.” Silence is tacit approval. If poor behavior doesn’t meet resistance, expect it to continue and get worse. “Low performance is acceptable here.” High performers may begin feeling disillusioned and might even begin to suspect their manager is playing favorites. “Our standards are more like guidelines.” Allowing some standards to slide can weaken all standards. Soon, people stop taking standards seriously.  “I have no authority.” A leader who doesn’t address unacceptable behavior is easily ignored. 

Effective leadership requires the courage to set and enforce standards consistently. This doesn’t mean yelling or getting upset. Effective leaders enforce standards by addressing the issue face-to-face every time it happens. Nobody wants that, including managers. However, good managers understand that turning around unacceptable behavior is the price of leadership. Seeing people improve and the organization succeed is the reward. 

Before leaders can enforce standards, everyone must be clear on them. Effective leaders take time to define desired results and facilitate consensus around behavioral expectations. When team members help set the standards, they are more likely to follow them and be open to corrective feedback when they don’t. 

If behavioral issues persist despite clear expectations, managers must discuss the consequences.  Managers must have the courage to say, “If this happens again, I will have no choice but to let you go.” Obviously, that’s a last resort that nobody wants. But which is worse, the short-term pain of replacing one person, or lowering the team’s standards and losing their respect and commitment and damaging the company’s reputation? 

There’s a difference between unacceptable behavior and poor performance. Unacceptable behavior includes being disrespectful, insubordinate, sneaky, or dishonest. Poor performance, on the other hand, may be the result of a legitimate reason, such as lack of training, unclear expectations, substance abuse, or turmoil in the employee’s personal life. In either case, managers should investigate before drawing conclusions. While consequences should be discussed in both situations, unacceptable behavior must be met firmly. Poor performance will likely require patience.  

LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Before blaming others for undesirable behavior, consider these questions: 

Do I provide frequent, specific praise? Do my team members know I value their contributions? Have I told them recently what I believe are their strengths? Have I discussed behavioral expectations with my team? Are our standards clear and specific? Do I recognize and celebrate individuals who exemplify our standards and values? Do I address behavioral issues face-to-face instead of by email? 

Behavior (mostly) follows leadership. Those in positions of formal authority have the power to influence behavior by applying these two laws.   

Fortunately, you don’t have to be in a leadership position to wield this power. Anyone can, and should, praise others far more than they do, set clear expectations with their key relationships, and meet unacceptable behavior with firmness. Those who do will earn the respect of others and elevate everyone’s performance. 

 

Originally posted on Fast Company on Oct 18, 2024

The post 2 Game-Changing Strategies to Influence Others. appeared first on Michael Timms.

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“This is hopeless,” he muttered, sinking into his office chair. The CEO of a medical device company had just returned from another fruitless executive meeting, where he had pleaded for improved teamwork. 

For the third consecutive quarter, the company had missed its sales targets, and the cause was glaringly obvious: the executive team was deeply dysfunctional. Fragmented into warring factions, they communicated mainly through contentious email exchanges, taking every opportunity to highlight each other’s mistakes and deliberately undermine one another. 

The executives seemed more focused on settling scores over perceived slights than achieving their goals. Despite the CEO’s clear communication of the strategic plan and individual responsibilities, little progress was made.  

What more could the CEO possibly do?

BEHAVIOR FOLLOWS LEADERSHIP

While managers can’t directly control others’ actions, their own behavior profoundly impacts how their team members act. Unfortunately, many managers fail to recognize that much of their team member’s conduct is a product of their leadership. 

Influencing behavior becomes much easier when you understand these two principles: 

Behavior that gets praised, gets repeated. You get the behavior you tolerate. 

These two principles are equally powerful and critical to managing and modifying behavior, but the order matters. Before others will accept corrective feedback, they must feel you respect them. Great leaders know that recognizing people’s strengths and accomplishments is essential for building trust and improving performance.  

BEHVAIOR THAT GETS PRAISED, GETS REPEATED

A common finding in the leadership assessments I administer is that managers often provide insufficient positive feedback. Many managers worry that praising employees for “simply doing their job” might lead to complacency or unrealistic expectations about their performance and compensation. However, a lack of praise is much more likely to lead to disengagement, distrust, and low performance. 

Praise triggers the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine, a feel-good chemical, encourages us to repeat actions that lead to positive outcomes. In other words, dopamine’s purpose is to encourage us to “do that again.” 

One time while hiking, I accidentally triggered my buddy’s reward system, which noticeably changed his behavior. When I struggled on a steep section of a multiday hike, my buddy encouraged me to keep going until we reached the next peak where we would take a break. Once there, I thanked him and said, “I really appreciate your encouragement. That helped.” That’s all it took to trigger his brain to dispense a dose of dopamine. For the rest of the day, he transformed into Tony Robbins, dishing out positive, encouraging comments! 

This significant behavior shift lasted about a day or two. By day three, he was back to his usual level of positivity. That’s because I stopped reinforcing the behavior by withholding praise. Dopamine has a short shelf life. 

EFFECTIVE PRAISE IS FREQUENT AND SPECIFIC

Research by Gallup has shown that recognizing good performance in each employee each week is correlated with a 10–20% increase in productivity and revenue. Most employees do something well each week, and great managers recognize and acknowledge these moments. This ensures employees know when they’ve hit the mark, so they know what to aim for next time. 

Don’t save praise only for heroic achievements. Praising frequently doesn’t diminish its value as long as it’s specific and sincere. 

Effective praise includes three parts: 

I noticed what you did. I appreciate it. This is why it’s important. 

This approach ensures that employees clearly understand what behavior is being rewarded and why it matters. 

It can take as little as 10 seconds to help people remember to “do that again.” 

YOU GET THE BEHAVIOR YOUR TOLERATE

Managers often fail to recognize how their inaction can perpetuate poor behavior. For example, at an engineering company I worked with, an employee consistently violated company policy by sending unreviewed reports directly to clients. Initially, the manager dismissed this as an isolated incident. As the behavior persisted and became a pattern, she addressed it via email. However, when the issue continued, she rationalized it by saying, “That’s just the way he is.” They were chronically short-staffed, and she didn’t want to risk losing him if she addressed it more firmly with him. 

When managers tolerate poor behavior, their silence sends several clear messages. 

“I approve of your behavior.” Silence is tacit approval. If poor behavior doesn’t meet resistance, expect it to continue and get worse. “Low performance is acceptable here.” High performers may begin feeling disillusioned and might even begin to suspect their manager is playing favorites. “Our standards are more like guidelines.” Allowing some standards to slide can weaken all standards. Soon, people stop taking standards seriously.  “I have no authority.” A leader who doesn’t address unacceptable behavior is easily ignored. 

Effective leadership requires the courage to set and enforce standards consistently. This doesn’t mean yelling or getting upset. Effective leaders enforce standards by addressing the issue face-to-face every time it happens. Nobody wants that, including managers. However, good managers understand that turning around unacceptable behavior is the price of leadership. Seeing people improve and the organization succeed is the reward. 

Before leaders can enforce standards, everyone must be clear on them. Effective leaders take time to define desired results and facilitate consensus around behavioral expectations. When team members help set the standards, they are more likely to follow them and be open to corrective feedback when they don’t. 

If behavioral issues persist despite clear expectations, managers must discuss the consequences.  Managers must have the courage to say, “If this happens again, I will have no choice but to let you go.” Obviously, that’s a last resort that nobody wants. But which is worse, the short-term pain of replacing one person, or lowering the team’s standards and losing their respect and commitment and damaging the company’s reputation? 

There’s a difference between unacceptable behavior and poor performance. Unacceptable behavior includes being disrespectful, insubordinate, sneaky, or dishonest. Poor performance, on the other hand, may be the result of a legitimate reason, such as lack of training, unclear expectations, substance abuse, or turmoil in the employee’s personal life. In either case, managers should investigate before drawing conclusions. While consequences should be discussed in both situations, unacceptable behavior must be met firmly. Poor performance will likely require patience.  

LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Before blaming others for undesirable behavior, consider these questions: 

Do I provide frequent, specific praise? Do my team members know I value their contributions? Have I told them recently what I believe are their strengths? Have I discussed behavioral expectations with my team? Are our standards clear and specific? Do I recognize and celebrate individuals who exemplify our standards and values? Do I address behavioral issues face-to-face instead of by email? 

Behavior (mostly) follows leadership. Those in positions of formal authority have the power to influence behavior by applying these two laws.   

Fortunately, you don’t have to be in a leadership position to wield this power. Anyone can, and should, praise others far more than they do, set clear expectations with their key relationships, and meet unacceptable behavior with firmness. Those who do will earn the respect of others and elevate everyone’s performance. 

 

Originally posted on Fast Company on Oct 18, 2024

The post 2 Essential Principles to Manage People’s Behavior appeared first on Michael Timms.

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“He’s a nice guy, but I’m not sure he’s up to the job.” This is what the VP of Construction told the CEO about his main rival on the executive team, the COO.

The VP of Construction and the COO were equals on the org chart and both reported to the CEO. However, it irked the VP Construction immensely when outsiders assumed he reported to the COO, so he aimed to get him fired.

For over a year, the VP subtly undermined the COO in private conversations with the CEO and others. The executive team split into warring factions, backing whichever leader they believed would best serve their interests. Meanwhile, the CEO avoided intervening, preferring they resolve the conflict themselves.

Eventually, the CEO sided with the VP’s narrative and fired the COO, who, despite being well-liked, was less politically savvy.

This was my first encounter with office politics as a new HR manager. This experience, and many others like it, inspired me to help organizations rid themselves of this type of behavior and instead build a culture of accountability and excellence.

After over a decade of consulting with management teams, I’ve identified a few powerful leadership practices that significantly improve teamwork and operational outcomes in any team. One of the first things great leaders do to create a high-performance culture is set behavior standards.

Why We Need Behavior Standards

Many organizations offer similar products and services, but what sets them apart is how they deliver them. Effective leaders set clear guidelines on expected behaviors to align employee actions with the organization’s goals to proactively shape culture and influence results.

When team members understand how they are expected to act in various situations, they can confidently take initiative without consulting their manager on every decision. Additionally, if behavior expectations are not articulated, leaders cannot reasonably hold others accountable for actions they find unacceptable. Standards of conduct should provide the framework for discussions about performance and development.

Addressing unacceptable conduct becomes much easier when you can point to the related standard that everybody understands and has agreed to.

For instance, the CEO in the story above could have prevented the turmoil in his executive team and the resulting tremendous waste of time and energy if he had set this expectation and had the courage to enforce it:

“We don’t badmouth others. We address concerns directly and respectfully, without gossiping or involving others unnecessarily.”

Types of Behavior Standards

Values

Values are the fundamental beliefs, principles, and standards that guide company decisions and employee behavior.

Your organization’s values should set it apart from others. Generic statements like “integrity,” which could apply to any company, are assumed and don’t add value. Instead, focus on defining principles that uniquely reflect your organization’s culture and purpose.

Values should provide a framework for decision-making at all levels, especially when choices involve trade-offs. For instance, should a call center representative prioritize making a customer feel heard or shorten the call to reduce wait times for others? Should a technician stop an assembly line to investigate a possible flaw in the product? If no defect is found, should they be praised or reprimanded?

Values should answer the questions, “Who belongs here?” and “How should we make decisions?” For example, one of Google’s values is, “Focus on the user, all else will follow.” This helps employees prioritize the user experience over other priorities, such as immediate profitability.

Leadership Competencies

Without clear promotion criteria, organizations risk promoting people who prioritize their own advancement over empowering their teams. That’s because many of the behaviours that get people promoted are the exact opposite behaviours that make great leaders.

Organizational psychologist Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic explains that we often promote the wrong people because it’s difficult to distinguish between confidence and competence. We tend to see leadership potential in individuals who are assertive, decisive, and self-promoting—traits that can mask the absence of true leadership qualities. In contrast, truly effective leaders are humble, listen more than they speak, praise others, and frequently invite input, saying, “What do you think?”

To counteract this leadership paradox, it’s essential to establish clear criteria for promotion decisions. I help my clients identify their leadership competencies by reverse-engineering their success stories and pinpointing the key behaviors that facilitated those successes. Leadership competencies answer the question: “Who belongs in leadership positions here?”

After defining leadership competencies, my clients establish a ‘people committee‘ to evaluate potential candidates against these criteria before including them in the succession plan.

Expectation Agreements.

Clear expectations are an employee’s most basic need and clarifying them is an employer’s most basic responsibility. Most conflict at work or otherwise is a result of unmet expectations.

For example, a manager might feel frustrated with a direct report’s work quality, despite never having provided clear guidelines, templates, or examples of what was expected. Similarly, an employee may become impatient with a colleague from another department for not sending the information they need, without having set a deadline or explained the urgency behind the request.

Creating expectation agreements with colleagues is as simple as asking, “Would you be willing to discuss what you need from me and what I need from you to set each other up for success?” After agreeing on your expectations, write them down and ask if you can check in periodically to see how well those expectations are being met. Click HERE for an example of what that could look like.

Expectation agreements answer, “What do we agree to do for one another?” and “What will we do when we feel our expectations are not being met?”

Reinforcing Behavior Standards

Everybody knows that putting a poster of the company’s values on the lunchroom wall won’t change a thing. In fact, doing so will likely create cynicism when executive’s behavior doesn’t align with what’s on the poster. So how do you weave behavior standards into the fabric of the culture?

The success or failure of any corporate standards rests on the shoulders of the CEO and executive team. First, they must do their best to model the company’s values and leadership competencies. When they inevitably slip up, they must have the courage to call each other on it and the humility to accept that feedback and adjust accordingly. When executives fail to do so, CEOs must have the courage to address it face to face (or via video conference if necessary) every time it happens. Failure to do so is failure to lead and will inevitably result in dysfunction and lost value multiplied by every level of the organization and the time it takes to resolve it. Leadership requires courage.

Once an executive team does their best to model behavior standards, they should be woven into every employee-related process. Here are a few ways to do that:

Design interview questions that reflect your company’s values and leadership competencies.Include a video or live discussion with executives or long-term employees during new hire onboarding to explain each value, with real examples of how they’re practiced.Base the performance management process on your company’s values and leadership competencies.Align leadership competencies with your values. For instance, if one of your values is “Be Accountable,” a related leadership competency might be “Inspire Accountability in Others.”Give employees who demonstrate the leadership competencies greater decision-making authority and responsibility.Make promotion decisions using leadership competencies as key criteria.Recognize and reward employees who embody the company’s values and leadership competencies during awards ceremonies.Start each meeting with a “values moment,” where someone shares a recent example of an employee demonstrating a company value.

As team building expert Patrick M. Lencioni wrote, “From the first interview to the last day of work, employees should be constantly reminded that core values form the basis for every decision the company makes.”

The Payoff

Great leadership isn’t just about setting the right standards—it’s about striving to live them and having the courage to hold others accountable to do the same. By establishing clear behavior standards and reinforcing them consistently, leaders can transform their teams from dysfunctional or average to high-performance. The first step may seem simple, but when done right, its impact resonates throughout every corner of the organization, driving lasting success and a culture of excellence.

The post The First Move Great Leaders Make to Ignite High-Performance. appeared first on Michael Timms.