Happy Together: The Secret to Staff Success

Recently there was a fascinating article published by Inc. magazine detailing a two-year study conducted by Google that revealed what factors were the keys to staff performance.

The article on the Inc. website

Author Mark Thompson, a California-based business consultant, summarized the study, which ultimately revealed that it’s how a team works together that matters more than who is on it. In other words, recruiting an all-star team of performers isn’t what makes the difference; rather, it’s the common focus and mission of the people on the team—as a whole—that leads to success.

As Thompson wrote, “the rock star status of the individuals selected for the team played a smaller role in organizational success than the willingness of each member to commit serious effort to work together to achieve big hairy audacious goals as a team.”

Big hairy audacious goals. There’s a phrase you don’t hear every day. But it illustrates the point perfectly. You want people working for you, and with you, who are passionately committed to a common purpose—who have the community’s interest at heart, and not just their own.

The survey results align with what we know about Millennials (a topic I wrote about in my last blog post). Millennials are value-based, and expect companies and organizations to focus on people, products and purpose over profit. In a few short years, they will make up the majority of the work force.

In business today, it’s not the top-down-oriented, authoritarian leader who gets results. The old style of leadership has been replaced with one that focuses on bringing a team together and letting them come up with solutions that work.

Our consulting and team-building sessions are oriented to this new way of thinking for a new century. What we’re witnessing, and our clients are discovering, is that management’s job today is truly to bring out the best in people—to motivate them to optimum performance, as a team.

Click here to read the entire article by Mark Thompson at the Inc. website.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.

Recognizing the Impact of Millennials in the Workplace

There is seemingly no end to the research, surveys, and reports being produced about Millennials and the impact they are having, and will continue to have, on our world and the workplace.

Recently Deloitte, a multinational professional services firm based in New York, released a fascinating report about Millennials and the workplace. The full report is available online as a PDF, but here is a summary, as shared by Deloitte:

• Forty-four percent of Millennials say they will likely leave their current employers within two years. Why? A feeling of being overlooked for personal and professional development is paired with an intense desire for work and life balance, a desire for flexibility, and a perceived lack of shared values.

• Millennials are values-based, and it affects how they choose employers, accept assignments, and make decisions as they move up the career ladder.

• Millennials expect businesses to focus on people, products, and purpose over profit. They warm to the role of P&L as they gain experience, but not to the point of sacrificing their perceived values.

• Speaking of which, seven in 10 Millennials believe their personal values are shared by the organizations for which they work. Deloitte calls this the “silver lining” for organizations aiming to retain these young professionals—an indication that this new generation can be happy and motivated when their voices are heard.

In all, it’s a fascinating report—one well worth the time to read and understand. Businesses often succeed or fail based on their ability to adapt, and recognizing the changes that are occurring in the work force is a fundamental skill facing employers in the 21st Century.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.

Interview: Jane Vassas, Vassas Telecommunications Consulting

With this blog post, I'll begin a series of interviews with entrepreneurs, executives, and other business influencers, to share their experience and insight.

Jane Vassas

Our featured entrepreneur for this month is my friend Jane Vassas, owner of VassasTelecommunications Consulting, LLC. Jane works with clients to analyze and fulfill their data, voice and IT needs.

As we were sitting down for our interview, I shared my frustration that I had worked on a proposal and speech for two hours prior to our meeting and, just as I was getting ready to push the save button, all of my work disappeared. I was sure all was lost.

Jane’s response was typical for her; she was on her cell phone within seconds, talking to one of her techs, who in turn provided valuable guidance and support to assist me with a solution. To me, that is one of the keys to Jane’s success. She is always looking to provide solutions and results for her clients and colleagues. I learned a lot about auto-save and document recovery that day.

The excerpts below, taken from our conversation, share some of Jane’s personal values and observations on how she has evolved, how she continues to fine tune her leadership style, and her clear, passionate focus on results:

On her heroes: “I am inspired by people who stood for what they believed in and stepped outside their comfort zone. A few of those include my sister-in-law Judy, who is driven and successful; my close friend Krys, who defied the odds—I look to her for guidance and support—and my close friend Debbie, who is excellent in building solid relationships in B2B and has become a mentor to me.”

Pearls of Wisdom: “Listen to those who have experience and are well-rounded and willing to share their learning from those experiences. Listening is important for my own personal growth and development. The key in sales is to listen to your clients and potential clients as a valued advisor, focused on building trusted relationships as an advisor and project manager.”

On her legacy: “I want to send a message to other women entrepreneurs that one of the greatest challenges is to stay focused on the ultimate. I want to actively support my community through my business, creating jobs and being a role model for other women entrepreneurs.”

For more information about Jane and Vassas Telecommunications Consulting, LLC, visit www.vassastc.com.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.

Relationships and Values: The Essentials for Success

I speak often of the importance of relationship power in today's business world. The way people buy into effective change in a corporate culture is dramatically different than it was just a few short years ago. The top-down model of directional/positional relationships does not appear to lead to the employee development and results that we desire.

Trust me, I work hard and am committed to practicing what I preach. More than anything, I value building dynamic and results-based relationships with exceptional people. Over the years, I have been blessed to have a number of key mentors who have coached and guided me in the principles of success.

One of those is Dr. Larry Senn, chairman and founder of Senn Delaney, a Heidrick & Struggles company. I was honored to be a partner with Senn Delaney and for almost 20 years worked with and learned from some of the most talented leadership consultants, who believed strongly in the Senn Delaney values-based approach of creating solutions for organizations, their leaders and employees at all levels of the organization.

Senn Delaney refers to them as the "Essential Values Set." They are:

• A performance value, which has a results focus, high expectations and an emphasis on personal accountability.

• A collaborative value, which promotes cross-organizational teamwork, mutual support and decisions for the greater good.

• A change value, which encourages innovation, openness to change, individual and organizational coaching, mentoring and learning.

• An ethics/integrity value, which provides an essential foundation for all else.

• An organizational (individual and team) health value, which creates and energized, open, trusting, respectful, positive, hopeful and optimistic environment.

It is through the implementation of all—not just some—of the above values that organizations can achieve lasting, positive change and approach the future with confidence. I worked closely with Larry Senn over the years, and traveled with him on many sales and consulting calls. I know the Essential Values Set worked because I saw them in action. Larry and our team lived by them, and taught me to live by them as well.

Today, I utilize those values in the practice of Leadership Transitioning™. They have made a difference not only for me, but for hundreds of corporations and organizations the world over. I know they will help you, too. To learn more, please visit my website at www.leadershiptransitioning.com, or call me at (330) 754-5767.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.

Leadership Transitioning: At Your Service

In a nutshell, it's my elevator speech. It's my response to the question, "So, Jim, what do you do?"
  
I educate people in the skill of Leadership Transitioning™, which focuses on three areas: leadership development, coaching leaders, and a focus on health and wellness—both personal and organizational.

To elaborate, Leadership Transitioning™ is the ability to embrace change, envision success, adapt to the environment and surround ourselves with others committed to their own personal success. It's the ability to be disciplined and passionate on our leadership journey to develop the personal skills and capabilities necessary to achieve excellence in an environment of constant change. It's the ability to actively navigate the chaos and constant change of our modern world—and win!

How is it achieved? Three ways.

• Leadership development recognizes that we all have God-given skills that need to be honed and developed in order to maximize our leadership success..

• Coaching leaders reinvigorates willing leaders, builds effective teams and enables a team to capitalize on their capabilities and opportunities using their corporate culture as a base. The coach and the "coached" relationship is critical and special. Respect, trust, caring, honesty, commitment, perseverance, clear goals, work ethic and personal attitude are the key to success.

• Health and wellness focus recognizes that nothing is possible without a sound mind and body, and that balance is different for each individual and organization. It involves a mental toughness and proper mindset to be the best at achieving health, spiritual, mental and financial goals.

In a nutshell, that is what I do. Over the past 30 years of my career I have successfully worked with numerous leaders at all levels of organizations in the US, UK, Canada and South Africa. The industries and size of companies that I have worked with have included: manufacturing, energy (electrical, natural gas, governmental, international and support companies), major insurance companies, non-profits, universities and small family owned businesses.

Leadership Transitioning™ is the culmination of more than 30 years of learning, listening and sharing the principles that create high achievers—in both the professional and personal sense. Please visit my website, www.leadershiptransitioning.com, to learn more. Then give me a call and I'll be happy to help you transition to the level of success you desire and deserve.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.

A Five-Star Lesson in Leadership

When I was a young officer in the United States Army, I had a number of unforgettable experiences. Perhaps none made more of an impression than my encounter with the legendary General of the Army Omar Bradley, one of the truly towering military figures of the 20th Century.

Gen. Bradley commanded troops in North Africa and Western Europe during World War II, and after the war headed the Veterans Administration, became Army Chief of Staff, and later was appointed the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Harry Truman. He is one of only nine people to have held the rank of five-star general.

1st Lt. Jim Ondrus (L) meets Gen. Omar Bradley

So you can imagine my excitement when he visited Schofield Barracks, where I was stationed in Hawaii in 1976. I had the opportunity to meet this remarkable leader and have my photo taken with him. I was a 1st Lt. and Executive Officer of the Headquarters Company of the 2nd Bridage, 25th Infantry Division, and one of my responsibilities was the Dining Hall in Quad C. General Bradley was adamant that he wanted to see the troops. As he put it, all he wanted to do was spend time with the soldiers, to greet them, encourage them and see how they were doing. As luck would have it, the "Soldiers General" met with about 50 of our great soldiers in "my" Dining Hall that day in 1976.

I’ve shared that story many times over the years as an example of true leadership. Despite having risen to the highest rank possible in the U.S. Army, and to the highest military position under the Commander-in-Chief, General of the Army Omar Bradley knew the importance of building confidence and trust with the people who were on the front lines—the troops who had to get the job done and perhaps even make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary.

It’s a great reminder to executives, managers, supervisors and anyone else in a position of responsibility in a company or organization. People matter. Relationships are the key. And nothing good happens when morale is low.

Take stock of your organization by examining the relationships you have with your staff. See where there’s room for improvement, and commit yourself to doing something about it. When you do, you’ll see a change in their performance—and yours—and in the overall effectiveness of the organization as a whole.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.

Real Power Isn’t About Position Power At All; It's About Relationship Power!

As the 20th Century drew to a close, particularly from 1970 on, business and self-help books became an industry all their own. As the 1970s transitioned into the ‘80s (commonly referred to as the “Me Decade”) the focus in American and international business shifted to the idea of power.

We were encouraged to focus on gaining power, establishing power, jockeying for power, and just about anything else that would give us personal advantages over everyone else. The main character in the movie “Wall Street” uttered the famous statement that came to define the ‘80s: “Greed…is good.”

As a result, many people became focused on what is called position power. And I’m here to suggest that it’s not the kind of power that truly produces positive results—in our own lives, businesses, community organizations or philanthropic activities. Position power means that I have power over you solely because of my status. I’m your boss, or manager or supervisor. You must do what I say. I get perks that you don’t. Because of my position, I have the power.

However, when we rely on that type of power, I would suggest that we are weaker than we think and  that the truly influential people are those who cultivate relationship power.

The power of relationships is profound. The more positive relationships we develop, the more influential and effective we become. And influence is truly where power resides—in our professional and personal lives.

Think of the person who cultivates position power. Everything is wrapped up in their status, or their job title. But that can change in an instant. I’ve known people who had important jobs and fancy titles and big offices who were fired and lost it all overnight. Or, even if they weren’t fired, they were shuffled around in a corporate reorganization and suddenly found themselves on the outside of the power structure looking in. Their “power” wasn’t really power, after all.

Relationship power is something else altogether. It recognizes the value of connections, trust and respect and cultivates them effectively. It’s the gateway to real influence because it leads to true collegiality and camaraderie.

The power of relationships is profound—at work, in our communities, in our neighborhoods, and in our homes. When we take the time to truly show interest in others and build relationships with them, we exert far more influence than when we strive to gain an advantage over them.

Not only that, but we can practice relationship power no matter where we find ourselves in life. Regardless of whether you’re an executive, or a middle manager, or simply a staff employee, you can cultivate relationships—both inside and outside of your company or organization—that will help you be more effective and influential in your job. Participation in civic and professional organizations can lead to networking opportunities that will benefit your employer as well as your career.

How about you? Have you found yourself a little too focused on things like status and job title? If so, step back and look at how you can develop genuine relationships with others. In so doing, you’ll find yourself becoming a more influential person. And that’s where real power resides.

Jim Ondrus pioneered the management concept of Leadership Transitioning™. He is president of JA Ondrus, LLC, a Canton, Ohio executive coaching firm.